Costume Critique: Survivor Cagayan

Many people would not consider the clothes that individuals wear in reality TV series as costumes, mainly because they—the reality stars—are supposed to be wearing what they normally wear on ordinary days. In fact, their clothes should be "authentic" and not styled by any fashion expert. For the pilot episode of Survivor: Cagayan, however, I would argue that the contestants were asked by the producer/director to wear a specific type/style of clothing, making me consider what they were wearing as costumes. These "costumes" helped in showcasing their personalities that the producer/director want the audience to clearly identity on the beginning of the season.

 Let me start with the "Brain tribe". Obviously, the producer/director asked these individuals to dress up and look quite professional. When Jeff, the series host, asked them what kind of tribe they think they were—Beauty, Brain, or Brawn—they did not hesitate to say that they were the Brain tribe. Without a doubt, a group with a man in his suit and a woman in a jacket clearly shows that this was the tribe of the smart people. Now, if people ask why Spencer, the white teenage kid at the back, was only wearing a shirt, the answer is also simple: he is wearing what a nerdy college kid would wear. Of course, the producer/director did not want to make Spencer look overdressed because he was supposed to play the role of a simple intelligent guy who cannot be bothered with his bland fashion style (if you can even call it a style).

And then there was the "Beauty tribe", home of short shorts and sleeveless top. To represent attractiveness, the director/producer (evidently) asked the girls to wear clothes that will showcase their bodies. And because it was already obvious enough that they were the beauty tribe, the men were just asked to wear anything that they liked (the perks of living in a patriarchal society, I guess).

Lastly, there was the "Brawn tribe". Because Asian men cannot do anything except be good at Martial Arts, there was no need to ask the Asian dude to dress anything special. Similarly, the big black guy screams "strong" enough so there was also no need to dress him up. However, the older lady had to look tough so she was asked to wear clothes that will make her look like she really loves sports and is always ready to play. The other three? They were not in business clothes and neither of the girls looked sexy enough so... they look brawny enough.