The majority of survivor is real. The sleepless nights, the starvation, the votes and strategy, the brutal elements all real.

However there are some elements that might be considered fake or dishonest.

One thing that could be considered "scripted" on the players part is sometimes two cast-aways have a vital conversation and it isn't recorded. Productions will have them redo the convo so it's on tape.

Something that's probably obvious, but kind of fake is the order that votes are read. They aren't read in the order they're cast, but the order that makes them the most dramatic and gives the biggest "blindside" buildup.

Something a lot of fans don't realize is that many players are actually recruited to play and aren't always fans of the show, unlike the people who go to casting calls and send in tapes. That's why there are so many attractive players that play or people that seem like they have no idea what's going on. Not that there's anything wrong with that, many recruited players have been some of the best characters: Johnny FairPlay and Tyson come to mind right now.

Also there have been supposed instances where production will give jury members questions to ask the final three. I can't find any sources right now, but I remember reading something to that affect.

Also while everything that happens is real, the editing can go a long way to portray a story line. Viewers tend to favor players that get a lot of screen time and so a story arch can be created so viewers are rooting for or rooting against certain survivors. This gives the seasons satisfying story lines, but post production can manipulate the way the game is seen by the person at home.

The jury members are sent to a small camp named Ponderosa where they will remain until Day 39. While there, they get to reflect on their Survivor experience, discuss failed strategies, eat all of the food they want and enjoy all of the luxuries not permitted while playing Survivor such as sleeping in a bed, taking a shower, watching movies & playing video games. However, the jury members are still not informed of what is happening in the real world until Day 39. The jury members even get to go on field trips to experience the culture of the country where the season of Survivor is filmed. When its time, the jury members are transported to every Tribal Council where they get to see a glimpse of what is happening with the castaways still in the running. While at Tribal Council, the jury members are not permitted to talk except for the Final Tribal Council when they get a chance to address the finalists. They are however allowed to talk to each other while at Tribal Council but quietly so as not to influence the castaways left in the game. They usually express their feelings through facial expressions, hand gestures & laughter. The jurors also get a chance to discuss who they will vote for as the winner. After the Final Tribal Council, both the jurors and finalists get to spend the night at Ponderosa, then in the morning they get to head home. Since Survivor: Micronesia - Fans vs. Favorites, fans get to see what happens behind the scenes as the jurors are sent to Ponderosa and re-enter life in the outside world which can be seen in the CBS website and YouTube.