Who's Afraid of Being Kicked off the Island? The Psychological Appeal of Survivor

This essay considers the psychological appeal of the CBS reality show Survivor. The original draft of the essay was written before September 11. Several of my initial speculations about the show's appeal were thus based on social conditions that have now radically altered. The reality that gave rise to reality shows, in other words, is no longer the same. This fact does not affect my argument about the show's past appeal, but it does make me wonder about the public's continuing response to Survivor and its prospects for the future. There was definitely an element of weirdness when Survivor 3 debuted immediately following President Bush's press conference on our latest sallies into Afghanistan and reports of more terrorist threats at home. The juxtaposition only highlighted the fabricated, frivolous nature of Survivor's so-called “reality.” Yet the appeal of the show, I believe, lies less in its “reality” than in the underlying fantasies and conflicts it enacts and allows viewers to experience vicariously. The question in my mind now is whether the fantasies and relational conflicts Survivor exposes can be tolerated in the present atmosphere.

For those unfamiliar with Survivor, the basic scenario is this. Sixteen contestants (“castaways,” as they are called) are dropped off in an isolated environment (an island off the coast of Borneo in the first series, the Australian outback in the second, Africa in the third). They are divided into two teams, or “tribes.” Besides battling the elements and working to provide themselves with shelter and food, the tribes compete every few days in elaborately designed physical, and sometimes mental, challenges. One challenge rewards the victors with creature comforts or morale boosters, while the second and most important challenge excuses the winning tribe from having to attend a Tribal Council in which they must vote off one of their team members. The tribes eventually merge—former enemies now become teammates who are nevertheless c