Survivor: Guatemala

A hired hand cutting sugar cane under the brutal sun of the southern coast for a few dollars a day... that's surviving.

A young woman sewing clothes for hours upon hours in an unsafe and unsanitary sweatshop... that's surviving.

A family escaping the army massacres of the early 80s by fleeing as refugees to Mexico... that's surviving.

A human rights activist struggling for justice in the face of death threats... that's surviving.

An indigenous woman standing over an unmarked grave as forensic scientists unearth a "disappeared" family... that's surviving.

A young man risking life and limb to make his way to the United States and live on the margins of society in order to provide a better life for his family back home... that's surviving.

Heck, anyone walking down sixth Avenue in Guatemala City after 9pm without being attacked by muggers or gang members... that's surviving.

But 16 gringos romping around the breathtaking Mayan ruins of Guatemala's lush northern rain forest... well, that's what I like to call "camping."

Most of you realize the point I'm trying to make here. But for those of you who have somehow managed, miraculously, to escape the massive media blitz: tomorrow night, on CBS, is the debut of... Survivor: Guatemala.

No, really.

Here's the official site: Survivor Guatemala. (I couldn't make this stuff up.)

Now I realize that this is just another reality tv show, and that I probably need to lighten up a bit. (Stop nodding, please.) And I'm happy to think that after this series I'll be 68.3% less likely to receive the blank stare that I usually get when I tell someone in the U.S. that I live in Guatemala.

But there is something not-quite-right about a "reality" show that professes to present "survivors" being filmed in a country where the great majority of people are involved in a real day-to-day struggle for survival. And here's the kicker: none of the Guatemalan survivors will appear on tv, none will win $1,000,000 for "surviving" 39 days in Guatemala. In fact the only prize that a Guatemalan survivor wins is the opportunity to survive another day.

OK, but what about the much touted boost to the Guatemalan tourism industry that the show will provide? Well, here's an interview I found online:

"Palau and Vanuatu will seem like a cakewalk" compared to Survivor's 11th season, says host Jeff Probst, who heads to Guatemala September 15th. Sheltered by 2,500 year-old ruins, the CBS show's contestants were in for clouds of mosquitoes, blazing heat and howler monkeys that, Jeff tells Inside TV, sound like grizzly bears. "I can't emphasize how hard it is," he says. "There's more vomiting in the first few days than we probably had in the last 3 seasons combined."

Hmmm, yes. Book early to avoid the crowds, folks.

Tomorrow I'll finish up my thoughts about Survivor: Guatemala ... and then, of course, I'll watch the damned thing.

So stay tuned!

Tags: Guatemala, Survivor, Survivor: Guatemala

Posted by elcanche at September 14, 2005 09:02 PM