Thursday, August 24, 2000
Snake trounced the rat, and we were mesmerized
'Survivor' was gripping TV
Nature tells us that the snake eats the rat, and that's what happened in the terrific two-hour conclusion of Survivor on CBS.
Unpredictable to the very end, the hit summer series ended with the least likable and most manipulative contestant, Richard Hatch from Rhode Island, winning the $1 million prize and a new car in a 4-3 vote.
Mr. Hatch, who offended some castaways with his birthday romp in his birthday suit and organized the "Tagi” tribe alliance that eliminated the rival “Pagong” tribe, was the surprise winner despite failing in the two "immunity” challenges Wednesday. The island games kept one castaway from being subjected to being voted off the island.
In one competition, to see which of three contestants could keep a hand on the "immunity idol,” Mr. Hatch, 39, gave up and took a nap on the beach. You snooze, you lose? Not Wednesday.
The other finalist, Kelly Wiglesworth, 22, from Las Vegas, won both competitions Wednesday, giving her five straight immunity victories. Yet she still lost after being called a "rat” in an ugly, vindictive diatribe by former friend Susan Hawk, 39, the self-proclaimed "redneck” truck driver from Wisconsin. Her crass re marks made everyone feel uncomfortable — on the island, or at home. In other words, it was great, dramatic television.
“You lied to me. ... You're very two-faced and manipulative,” Susan said at the final tribal council before seven participants voted by secret ballot.
Ms. Hawk called Mr. Hatch “an openly arrogant, pompous ... snake who knowingly went after his prey. And Kelly is the one who turned into a rat. I feel we owe it to the island spirit ... for the snake to eat the rat.”
And that's what happened. The next Survivor, to be filmed in October in Australia, may be very different, now that future participants have seen the necessity of alliances, which Mr. Hatch, America's newest millionaire, was the first to figure out. But this first Survivor was great fun to watch, to the very end. And definitely worth the hype.
Complete coverage from Associated Press
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