I have a confession to make: I’m completely addicted to the survival reality TV show “Naked and Afraid,” which airs weekly on the Discovery Channel.

For those of you not familiar with it and wondering what in the world the title of this column meant, there you have it. And yes, the contestants are naked (with appropriate blurring for TV) and they’re definitely afraid.

I hate to admit there’s a reality show out there I enjoy, because these days, there are far too many of them to follow and hold any kind of interest in. However, “Naked and Afraid,” in my opinion, is vastly different. It’s raw, not as heavily edited as the rest, and we get to see how humans act when placed in a dangerous situation with nothing to gain except a realization of how pathetic or strong a human being can be without modern luxuries like clean drinking water and a roof over your head.

The premise of the show is that two people, a male and female, typically with a survivalist background, are dropped into a remote location (Madagascar, Amazon jungle, Botswana, etc.) with no clothes on their back. All they’re allowed to bring is one item from home, which usually ends up being a machete or firestarter, and a small cross-body satchel given to them to hold their map and item.

They’re both dropped in their location and meet up, naked as the day they were born, and make very awkward small talk and begin the journey. They have to survive 21 days and then make it to an extraction point to be picked up by a rescue crew. Within that time frame, they need to find fresh water, food and construct a shelter to stay protected from the elements. If they can’t hack it, they have the option of “tapping out,” in which case they lose the challenge and are taken back to civilization.

A very small crew accompanies them part of the day for footage, but the crew is not allowed to interact with the exception of extreme emergencies. The survivalists are given a necklace with a small microphone embedded and each a camera to record their journey at night when the film crew returns to their base camp.

What are they playing for? Nothing. No prize money, no trophies. Just the satisfaction of knowing they survived. I know, it sounds crazy, but I think it’s pretty amazing that people would put themselves in such a situation just for the sake of seeing if they can make it. Depending on where they’re placed, they typically face anything from dangerous reptiles during the day to hypothermia at night. It’s pretty wild stuff.

Why do I watch? For a few reasons. First, I’ve always been a fan of survival shows for educational purposes. I like to learn, especially when it involves tidbits of info that could hypothetically save a life. I know the next apocalypse isn’t likely anytime soon, but having a few primitive survival tricks up your sleeve could quite possibly come in handy down the road. There are hundreds of stories out there from folks who got caught in a natural disaster or became stranded on a deep hike in the forest who credit various survival shows with their survival. I think that’s pretty cool.

Second, I enjoy watching “Naked and Afraid” for perspective. We are so unbelievably lucky to have a supermarket stocked full of food and drink right around every corner. Do you know what real hunger is? Go without food for a few weeks and you’ll find out. Even in 2014, many people in this world still have to live that way.

It’s unbelievable. It’s always the first thing survivalists say after the challenge is complete — that we take our everyday conveniences for granted and that each meal and drink of fresh water, really, is a gift.

And, they’re right.

Check out the show sometime. It airs Sunday and Wednesday nights.