'Survivor' Divided By Race

(andPOP) - "Survivor" host Jeff Probst confirmed that the tribes for the next instalment of the island reality show, will be split up by race, E! Online reports.

Probst told CBS' "The Early Show" that there will be four tribes on "Survivor: Cook Islands:" blacks, whites, Hispanics and Asians.

Probst defended creator Mark Burnett's decision to divide the 20 castaways by race, saying it was a "social experiment" not "segregation."

"The idea for this actually came from the criticism that Survivor was not ethnically diverse enough, because for whatever reason, we always have a low number of minority applicants apply for the show," Probst said.

"So we set out and said, let's turn this criticism into creative for the show. And I think it fits perfectly with what Survivor does, which is, it is a social experiment, and this is adding another layer to that experiment which is taking the show to a completely different level."

The 13th season is set to premiere on September 14. It also released a list of the competitors for the new season. They are: Rebecca Borman, 24, makeup artist, Laurelton, New York; Anh-Tuan "Cao Boi" Bui, 42, nail salon manager, Christainburg, Virginia; Sekou Bunch, 45, jazz musician, Los Angeles; J.P. Calderon, 30, pro volleyball player, Marina Del Rey, California; Cristina Coria, 35, police officer, Los Angeles; Stephannie Favor, 35, nursing student, Columbia, South Carolina; Billy Garcia, 36, heavy metal guitarist, New York; Adam Gentry, 28, copier sales, San Diego; Nathan Gonzalez, 26, retail sales, Los Angeles; Jenny Guzon-Bae, 36, real estate agent, Lake Forest, Illinois; Yul Kwon, 31, management consultant, San Mateo, California; Becky Lee, 28, attorney, Washington, D.C.; Oscar "Ozzy" Lusth, 25, waiter, Venice, California; Cecilia Mansilla, 29, technology risk consultant, Oakland; Sundra Oakley, 31, actress, Los Angeles; Jonathan Penner, 44, writer/producer, Los Angeles; Parvati Shallow, 23, boxer/waitress, Los Angeles; Jessica Smith, 27, performance artist/rollergirl, Chico, California; Brad Virata, 29, fashion director, Los Angeles.