‘Survivor’ Castaway Addresses Racism Problem With the Show

Recently, a lot of reality show contestants have been speaking out about the casting diversity on shows like Survivor — or really, the lack thereof. The latest former castaway to do so is Crystal Cox-Walker, who finished sixth on Survivor: Gabon, the 17th season of the show. She said in an interview that the show needs to have more minorities both in front of and behind the camera.

Cox Says If She Could Change Anything About Survivor, It Would Be to Have More Minorities on Set

Crystal Cox’s Greatest HitsI love Goddess Crystal. She is MASSIVE and a CRUSHER OF MEN. Her blazin’ speed is unchalleneged! Here are her best moments from episodes 1-8. And while the vid may seem to rag at her from the outset, it picks up and demonstrates Crystal’s 4 B’s in dominating Survivor. MASSIVE CRYSTAL 4 LIFE! EAT YO…2008-11-09T01:14:22Z

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Cox said that the show needs more talented minorities “on set, in front of, and behind the camera” because oftentimes the minority contestants are edited through a lens of the white editors who may have certain biases about the minority contestants.

“Because there’s limited representation in the editing room, many minority female castaways are edited as angry, loud, intimidating, and outspoken,” said Cox. “But if there is representation in the editing room, maybe our other strengths can shine through and we are given a fair shot and reap the rewards of being on reality television, like many of our white female counterparts.”

She also said that that was the main issue she had with the way she was edited during her season — she was painted as the “angry female.”

“I am already an intimidating, statuesque female that folks are intimated by because of my height — but to add the mix of angry female was a classic stereotypical representation of most of the few minority females cast on the show,” said Cox, adding, “I was actually a nice person — even though my edit depicted me as an angry castaway. The fans only know what they see, so when folks approach me on the street, they either like me or hate me.”

Still, she does not regret going on the show because she was always “a fan” and she said she would play again if she was asked.

“I would definitely give it another shot. I have the heart of a champion, last time I made it to the top 6, so I feel I have more to prove. Yes, it’s been 12 years, but the desire has not changed. I am definitely older, wiser, smarter, and hungrier than I was 12 years ago,” said Cox.

The Soul Survivors Organization Has Started a Petition for Anti-Racism Action on Survivor

Karen Hunter on Racism on “Survivor”Karen discusses an episode of TV show “Survivor” with Drew McCaskill and Seena Ghaznavi where a black man is confronted with racism on his tribe and how he gracefully handled it so it was a teachable moment not just for his tribe mate but for the world. (check out this podcast: https://rss.art19.com/episodes/c5762d36-c3e8-488c-90a4-522b12abc850.mp3)2019-11-04T12:30:00Z

The Soul Survivors is an organization made up of former Survivor castaways of African-American descent and their allies “who are focused on supporting the black community by shifting our representation in entertainment. TSSO carries out its mission through a series of different events based on the black reality television experience. TSSO was established in June 2020, during the wake of George Floyd’s murder by police and ardent support for dismantling systemic racism,” according to their website.

The founding members include J’Tia Hart (season 28), Jamal Shipman (season 39, Julia Carter (season 38), and Brice Johnston (season 28). They recently started a petition for more diverse representation on Survivor.

“Survivor has produced 40 successful seasons over 20 years by telling the stories of people who represent a wide array of human experience within the context of a game of social strategy, physical challenges, and survival. Representation matters. One of the most important ways we can embrace our diversity and evolve is to represent that diversity responsibly, equitably and fully. A commitment to the afore-mentioned actions would have a huge impact and move us toward a more fair, just, and equitable society,” reads the petition.

The petition is asking for the executive producers to pledge to cast Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) for at least 30 percent of contestants each season, give BIPOC equitable screen time and opportunities to participate in marketing and promotional events, hire more BIPOC in all parts of production, vet contestants more thoroughly to ensure those who have promoted prejudices are not cast, and have a zero-tolerance policy towards racism, among other things.

You can sign the petition here.

Survivor hopes to film season 41 in the spring of 2021 for a fall 2021 premiere.

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