Both true. He's an 'aspiring actor' so a more exciting show will draw more viewers making it more of a success. If he's able to say "I was director for a show that netted 5m viewers a week" that's huge for his CV. I didn't think of it like that before.
Even so, it's good viewing, but I can't...
They need to orchestrate the filming to some extent. What if Channel 4 went to great expense to get these guys on an island for 1 month, then come home and realise none of it was filmed properly and there are only 2 hours of usable footage? Needs someone to keep on top of the film crew.