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It's hard to believe that twelve seasons of Survivor have come and gone without a single player having been bludgeoned to death in the dead of night with an immunity idol, only to be strung up in a banana tree as a warning to anyone who might think of bogarting that evening's rice ration. But that long-awaited, TV-MA episode could finally arrive in the coming season, when, if the internet rumors are correct, the added, incendiary element of dividing teams according to race could ratchet up the tension considerably:

The latest 'Net buzz has the CBS reality show pitting whites, blacks, Asians and Hispanics against each other. "It's pretty much confirmed," Realityblurred.com publisher Andy Dehnart told The Post. CBS honchos refused to comment. Whatever twist they've chosen will be announced tomorrow on "The Early Show."

CBS expects that its implementation of fresh, stereotype-adjusted challenges will recapture the imaginations of viewers bored by the stale contests of recent seasons: Asians will be handicapped with higher difficulty seashell-counting math puzzles, African Americans will be required to jump higher in the coconut-dunk challenge, Latinos will have their documents carefully checked before every kayak relay, and white contestants will be given priority to sit in the sand and complain about slow service. Longtime host Jeff Probst, meanwhile, will oversee events as usual, though to add another wrinkle to the staid premise, he will be required to wear a monocle and labcoat, and speak in a thick, German accent as he marks his eugenic observations on a clipboard.