CBS Vows All Of Its Reality Shows Will Now Include 50% People Of Color

CBS has responded to criticism that there is not enough diversity in their reality shows by vowing to implement a radical casting change. On Monday the network announced a diversity initiative to include at least 50% Black, indigenous, and people of color among its reality show casts.

The inclusivity change to shows like Survivor, Big Brother, and Love Island will take effect in the 2021-2022 season.

The announcement follows criticism from former reality show contestants that there was not enough diversity among cast members.

Hit CBS shows like Survivor, Big Brother, and Love Island will now be more diverse

George Cheeks is the president and chief executive officer for the CBS Entertainment Group and he stated, “The reality TV genre is an area that’s especially underrepresented, and needs to be more inclusive across development, casting, production and all phases of storytelling.”

“As we strive to improve all of these creative aspects, the commitments announced today are important first steps in sourcing new voices to create content and further expanding the diversity in our unscripted programming, as well as on our network.”

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CBS executives and host and executive producer Jeff Probst met with a group who felt there was not enough diversity on Survivor

Several Survivor contestants spoke out this summer about the lack of diversity among cast members with Sean Rector (season 4, Survivor: Marquesas) and Jolanda Jones (season 10, Survivor: Palau) creating the group The Black Survivor Alliance.

The group’s goal is, “bringing light to our collective experience with implicit bias and racism on and off the show.”

Rector told Entertainment Weekly that a lack of diversity kept him from reappearing on an All-Stars season. “If you don’t think racism and implicit bias exists, tell me why [Survivor: Marquesas winner Vecepia Robinson] has been completely ignored and has NEVER received an inquiry call or invite to even play in a season with all previous winners?” asked Rector.

Many former cast members have called for more diversity on CBS reality shows

CBS’s Big Brother franchise has also experienced racial controversies, for example in 2019 when remarks made by white show contestants were questioned.

The reality show diversity initiative is one of many changes the network has revealed recently including a plan to assign a minimum of 25% of script development budget money to projects developed or co-developed by Black, Indigenous and people of color and for its writing staff to reflect the same goal with by a minimum of 40%.

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