I feel like I have to come to the defense of this show, simply because the type of people who are initially drawn to it expect a certain type of presentation of survival. I will tell you now, there are no Ray Mears or Les Stroud types on this show. There will be no instructional how-to's on building a friction fire or how to set traps to catch food. This is a show about 14 normal modern American men attempting to survive on a Pacific deserted island.
The show is shot entirely by the marooned islanders themselves, but don't expect the worst camera work, 4 of them are trained cameramen. The rest of the islanders are a mix of white and blue collar professionals between the ages of 25 and 60+, with a few veterans sprinkled here and there. In general, most of these people seem very genuine, and not hand picked by producers to provide the most tension and conflict. The show is of course about cooperative survival, not a competition.
Without giving anything away, we watch these men struggle with finding fresh water, starting a fire, and of course some internal struggle. These are of course problems that will continue to arise, and no doubt there will be many others that they will have to face, but that's what this show is all about. We are watching these men struggle and overcome the adversities of survival.
If you're looking for a show like Survivorman or any of the series hosted by Ray Mears, you're probably going to be a little disappointed. If you're looking to laugh and cry with the struggles of these men however, I'd give The Island a try.