Survivor changed the TV world forever when it debuted back in 2000, and it remains one of the best reality shows on the air. The competition series (which is streaming with a Paramount+ subscription) has gone through a ton of changes over the years, including some controversial format changes. Case in point: the 13th season Cook Islands, which separated tribes based on race. And legendary players Parvati Shallow and Ozzy Lusth recently reflected on being on that cast back in the day.
Ozzy and Parvati have been on some of the best Survivor seasons, with the latter even winning Survivor's million-dollar prize for Micronesia. But they both made their debuts in Cook Islands, and in Variety's story about the show's history, they broke down the show's controversial focus on race. Shallow recalled her first reaction, saying:
