Diversifying Reality TV
In a sea of unscripted accents, nerds and Asian mystics, 'Survivor' winner Yul Kwon triumphs as (gulp) a red-blooded American.
The numbers of Asian Pacific Americans in primetime reality shows is growing. NBC has two APAs vying to work for Donald Trump on “The Apprentice” and a few APAs are popping up in the crowd of game shows like “1 Versus 100” — if you look carefully. CBS has seven including “Big Brother” host Julie Chen.
Overall, the numbers are still dismal but in the wake of last year’s media report about the lack of APA faces in the after-dinner time slot, the growth is a small step in the right direction. And perhaps the unlikely source for this progress is CBS’ “Survivor,” which catapulted to the APA community’s most hated — and most watched — list last season with its race segregation plot twist.
APA bloggers admitted to an addiction to last season’s show, which saw a triple amount of APA contestants. Thirty-one year old Yul Kwon’s $1 million win was like icing on the cake.
“I felt a ton of pressure,” said Kwon in a phone interview. “How many people go through a reality show and look good?”
In an industry that churns out William Hung and Mr. Miyagi-like prototypes, the answer is: not many.
Quality Over Quantity
Kwon has not had time to enjoy his win. A whirlwind of press interviews, red carpet events and bare-chested photo shoots kept the San Mateo, Calif. resident from cashing the $1 million check. It famously sat in his back pocket for weeks, but hey, these are the types of problems you would want to have, he said.
“I’ve come to realize I don’t know a lot about this industry. It’s like being thrown on another island.”
By virtue of watching Kwon’s leadership skills on Cook Island, you get the feeling he’s going to be okay. On the show, the Yale Law School graduate led a multicultural alliance to the end without resorting to backstabbing or malicious manipulation. Along the way, he was hyper vigilant about his responsibility to represent his community.
“I didn’t want to be part of something that would cause harm to the community,” he said.
But not too many other APA reality TV stars choose to bear the same burden. Robert Talon, a Filipino American from Chula Vista, Calif., is the only person so far to win the $500,000 prize on NBC’s game show “Identity.” He electrified the audience by successfully matching individuals to their identities just by looking at them. Past identities included an APA who scored 1600 on her SATs and a meek looking APA male virgin clad in an argyle sweater.
Does this sound like stereotyping? No, said Talon, it’s entertainment.
“I think we all do it everyday in our lives unintentionally everyday. I don’t think it’s a show that causes controversy,” said Talon, who will use the prize money to help street kids in the Philippines. “I have great pride in being Asian American. I don’t know if there is a burden …”
For “Survivor 13” Jenny Guzon-Bae, the 11th contestant to be voted off, the national show served as a platform to represent her Filipino heritage.
“I had no qualms. In fact, I was honored,” she said.
Surprise! Reality TV Casts Stereotypes
When Kwon met the other men of the APA “Puka” tribe, he saw a stereotypical Mr. Miyagi character and a gay Asian male.
“In my case, they were typecasting too,” Kwon said.
He was recruited by “Survivor” producers and encouraged to come to the audition wearing a suit and glasses. When he arrived, he noticed he was the only one dressed that way and realized the producers were looking for an overachieving APA. Yes, it’s true. Reality television casts stereotypes.
“I felt a sense of obligation to help get out of these stereotypes.”
Kwon, who is Korean American, called the “Survivor” race segregation an “artificial socially irresponsible idea.”
“They told me [about the race segregation] the night before and I was really mortified. Originally, when I was recruited for ‘Survivor,’ I thought it was a great opportunity to represent my community in a positive way. When I found out that they were dividing by race, I was close to quitting. I talked to producer Mark Burnett and [host] Jeff Probst and told them I didn’t want to have anything to do with it if they played up caricatures and set back race relations 10 years.
“I was glad for the racial diversity on TV, but they did it in such a way that it could’ve turned out bad. What if one team dominated?” said Kwon. It almost happened during a mutiny when the Caucasians on Kwon’s team defected to join the Caucasian team and began to systematically eliminate the minorities.
And the Shows Go On
Some say defining which APAs are role model worthy is a slippery slope.
“I believe the APA community is very diverse and I think we ought to strive for showing as much of that diversity as possible,” said Daniel Mayeda, a media activist. “The more APAs there are depicted — whether on reality shows or scripted shows — the more freedom we will have to portray less than stellar characters or qualities and still be okay with that.”
Other reality shows like “America’s Next Top Model” are casting for the new season, but for the five new APA cast members of “Survivor: Fiji,” Kwon has some words of wisdom: play with integrity and don’t lose sight of who you are.
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