Long before the passengers of Flight 815 crashed on a seemingly-deserted island, there was another show that focused on strangers thrown together in amazing circumstances. And while there are no smoke monsters or four-toed statues involved, there's something about CBS's Survivor that is still fascinating.

I finally caught the opening episode of this season, which is set in Samoa. From the opening shot of the waves crashing all around Jeff Probst (he was utterly lost in the foam) to the closing of the first tribal council, the show was riveting. And I'm a pretty jaded reality show guy. But, I kid you not, there were at least three times where I laughed out loud while watching the episode, which is a rare feat. This time around, the castaways are quite diverse (or at least the ones that stand out really stand out). One guy has taken it upon himself to all but sabotage his team by lying, pouring out canteens, and burning the personal belongings of others. He utterly made up a story about being from New Orleans and losing his one-and-only favorite dog to Hurricane Katrina. A classic moment of gameplay (though not quite as bad as Johnny Fairplay).

I must admit: I've been away from the show for some time now. Thursday night television is already pretty packed. But I just might be back for this cycle of the show. Interesting people making solid observations about stereotypes and the way that people work. It's part of what makes reality TV so interesting. At least, that is, until the Amazing Race starts up this Sunday. . .