Mark Burnett is the most brilliant man in television. Granted, that’s akin to hailing him as the world’s tallest midget, but still

By the end of the last TV season, the reality impresario knew his signature series, “Survivor,” was running on fumes. Ratings were flat and the buzz was down to a murmur. Who really cares anymore about a bunch of bickering castaways on some island?

But did Mark Burnett throw his hands up in despair? Lord, no. That’s because the P.T. Barnum of our day knew he had at least one more jaw-dropping trick up his sleeve. And-presto! – out came the race card.

When “Survivor: Cook Islands,” the 13th installment, airs tonight, you won’t need a program to tell one team from another. The 20 players will be split on racial and ethnic lines, with African-Americans, Latinos, Asians and Caucasians pitted against one another.

Oh, that Mark Burnett. He’s good.

Naturally, news of this was met with an instantaneous uproar. Outraged pundits and politicians, many of whom didn’t know an immunity idol from a tribal council, lashed out at Burnett and CBS for their crassness and insensitivity. The story blazed its way into newspapers and magazines. “Survivor” hadn’t had this much attention lavished on it since a flabby gay guy named Richard Hatch gave America a heaping eyeful of his pixilated backside.

So who was it that said race doesn’t matter anymore?

Somewhere Burnett is undoubtedly snickering to himself. Now the show that we were poised to vote off our TV island is back in business, ready to rock the Nielsens. The hook has been set and he’s reeled us in.

Funny how this happens-how we just can’t resist thrashing a piece of controversial pop culture before we even see it, thereby enhancing its exposure and chances of success. Why bother to wait, after all, when we can froth at the mouth now?

The truth is none of us knows how “Survivor: Cook Islands” is going to play out because Thursday’s episode will be the first we’ve seen of it. And it might be a really swell idea to watch for a week or two before we storm the CBS gates with torches in our claws.

Who knows? Some positive vibes might even emanate from this. For starters, when was the last time you saw a “Survivor” cast photo emblazoned with this much diversity? Answer: You haven’t.

And maybe, just maybe, the show will lead to some dialogue about racial relations-a subject we too often treat like a hand grenade, diving to the turf to avoid. Maybe “Survivor” will get us talking in meaningful and constructive ways.

Then again, maybe the 49ers will win the Super Bowl.

Seriously, it isn’t difficult to see why some might be leery about Burnett’s little stunt. “Survivor,” after all, doesn’t exactly have a stellar track record when it comes to casting minorities. According to one story, only about 10 percent of the show’s 200 contestants, before now, have been African-American (just one, the East Bay’s Vecepia Towery, has won). Representation of Latinos and Asians has been even more scant.

And when people of color actually do make it onto “Survivor,” or other reality shows for that matter, they are too often depicted as brooding and/or hostile outsiders who shun teamwork and are only in it for themselves. They’re also usually among the first to be banished from the game.

Burnett has said he chose the racial alignment to appease those who have criticized “Survivor” for its lack of diversity. But if that was a genuine motive, he could have cast the same people and sprinkled them throughout the team rosters in an inclusive gesture. Instead, his approach carries a distinct whiff of polarization.

Even more dubious is Burnett’s description of his show as a valid “social experiment.” Oh, how hilarious. Not even he can actually believe that.

“Survivor” is a reality show-nothing more, nothing less-a reality show that is inherently skewed by contrived situations, edited for maximum conflict (and minimal nuance) and cast specifically with entertainment value in mind. Always has been. Always will be.

So what does it say that we’re all worked up over a reality TV series? It says that Mark Burnett is a very brilliant man.

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(c) 2006, Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, Calif.).

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AP-NY-09-13-06 1819EDT