Hatch Wins Survivor Prize
Aug. 24 -- In America they say nice guys finish last, and Richard Hatch proved that expression true, scheming and conspiring his way to become the winner of the $1 million Survivor prize in a show broadcast Wednesday night.
An estimated 51 million viewers tuned in to watch Hatch, the 39-year-old corporate trainer from Rhode Island who forged a secret alliance to knock out other contestants, outlast runner-up Kelly Wiglesworth, a 23-year-old whitewater rafting guide from Las Vegas.
Preliminary Nielsen ratings are calling Survivor the most-watched program on TV this season except for the Super Bowl. When the series debuted in May, viewers quickly latched on to the reality TV show, in which the contestants had to eat rats and bugs, weather torrential rains and endure their lying, conniving beachmates.
During the two-hour finale, Hatch edged out three rival castaways on the tropical island that served as the setting for this game-show hit, outlasting Wiglesworth, Rudy Boesch and Susan Hawk. Sixteen castaways marooned themselves on remote Pulau Tiga at the series’ launch in May.
The final choice — between Hatch and Wiglesworth — was handed down by a jury of seven former tribemates. Their vote was a squeaker: 4-3.
“I wouldn’t change anything that I did,” Rich told the jury in a final statement.
When Survivor premiered three months ago, critics called it Gilligan’s Island meets Lord of the Flies. But for much of America, it was the must-see TV event of the summer.
Forty million viewers were expected to tune in. CBS touted the finale with the kind of fanfare usually reserved for the Oscars; a 30-second commercial spot went for $600,000; unheard of for summer TV.
For the sake of comparison, 40 million viewers is roughly the audience size attracted by a big episode of NBC’s ER. That hardly ranks it among the all-time highest rated programs, but for August, it is considered very impressive.
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