Personally I think its 50% Entertainment, 45% Farce, and 5% Real Survival Skills

I wrote an Article on My Thoughts on the Subject in 2012 which may still be of some interest Survival TV vs Reality.

Fortunately I have Peasant-Vision, not Cable so I rarely watch TV and almost never any survival TV. Most times I catch one at a hotel I laugh, then cry, then simply turn it off.