Reality TV show survivor first aired when Bill Clinton was still in office. More than a decade later the show still draws large audiences. David Shultz tried to understand why:

• A psychologist found that those who enjoy reality TV are motivated by status and vengeance.
• In the case of Survivor, the status part comes from watching ordinary people suddenly become elevated.
• Survivor also requires people to work with and against one another for an ultimate victor to emerge. This is where vengeance comes in.
• The popularity of this social strategy game is driven in part by Survivor seeming more authentic than most other “reality” TV.
• Anecdotal evidence indicates that those who watch Survivor are those who think they would win the game.
• Given that 9 million people still watch it – making it consistently the #1 show in its time slot – there are a lot of social strategists out there.

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Source: Nautilus