Reality Stars Who Treat Their Co-Stars Like Trash

Publish date: 2024-05-08

"Survivor" tells its contestants to "outwit, outplay, and outlast," and Season 1 winner Richard Hatch took that to heart, becoming the show's first villain. The show gives each contestant a "buff" to indicate their tribe, an article of clothing that can be worn in numerous different ways including as a head covering, an armband, or a neck cover. Hatch played the game "in the buff" in a different way: he was often naked. Hatch is gay, and he later told "For Real: The Story of Reality TV" (via Heavy) that being naked was a strategy to get the straight cameramen to leave him alone. "They were following me and literally I would watch them go, 'ugh,' and turn away and go somewhere else," he said. "And I realized, 'Oh if I'm not wearing any clothes, they're not gonna follow my a** around!'"

His co-stars didn't appreciate that strategy. When Hatch returned for "Survivor: All-Stars," he rubbed his naked body against fellow contestant Sue Hawk during a challenge. He was voted off that night; Hawk quit the show the next day because she was so upset. "I just kept reliving the incident. It just kept eating into me more and more like a cancer," she told "The Early Show."

Many years later, Hatch was kept off of Season 40 — "Winners at War" — because of how he'd behaved. Host Jeff Probst told Us Weekly, "We were in a different time and different culture back then."

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

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