The show was a hit in Sweden, and when Parsons sold it elsewhere it was renamed Survivor. In the United States, its viewership grew and grew, just as the hit game shows of the 1950s had. When the first season's final episode in 2000 managed to attract 50 million viewers, matching some of the larger audiences in television history, it was clear that the new mode of content—by this time widely described as "reality television"—was literally ready for prime time.

Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, loc. 839