Back in 1999, psychologist Steven Stein received a call from a colleague about someone he met at a party.
The partygoer’s name was Mark, and he was interested in the tool Stein and his coworker developed to gauge emotional intelligence (the Emotional Quotient Inventory). He was also in search of a psychologist for a new reality TV show he was creating: A bunch of people isolated on an island, kicked off one by one every week.
Stein was dubious, to say the least.
“First thing I said was, ‘Who’s gonna watch a show like that?’” he told Fortune. Looking back, he admits his prediction was off. That show was Survivor, which ended up winning seven Emmys. The partygoer happened to be none other than producer Mark Burnett.
Despite his doubts at the time, Stein decided to take the job as the show’s psychologist, beginning his career in reality television psychology. He’s since worked in the field for more than 20 years, consulting for shows like The Amazing Race, Master Chef, and Big Brother Canada, which he works with the most these days.
It’s a psychologist side gig, of sorts: Stein, who is based in Toronto, is the founder of psychological assessment company Multi-Health Systems (MHS), a full-time job he juggles with being a reality TV psych for shows before and after they air. Working with larger-than-life characters and feeding the nation’s obsession with reality TV is a relatively new part of psychology. It’s a fun gig, Stein fully admits, that many aspiring psychologists covet—at least among the university students he gives talks to, who ask him when he’ll retire because they want his job.
The consulting work is also a nice break from Stein’s past experience working with clients as a clinical psychologist. “I spent my time working with people who are depressed and anxious…and all the usual psychological stuff,” he says. “And I think this time in my life, I want to have fun.”
He spoke with Fortune…