The Season 1 winner revealed what it would take for him to return to Survivor for the show’s 50th season, before sharing what he really thinks of the current era of the show — which he still watches every week.
Richard Hatch isn’t ruling out a return to Survivor … even if he doesn’t totally agree with the current state of the show.
TooFab spoke to the reality TV veteran following his elimination from MTV’s House of Villains on Thursday, where he shared what his future on reality television looks like, and what it would take for him to return for the Survivor’s 50th season.
“Life has always been about opportunity. And I’ve really been intrigued by trying different things and exploring. I’ve had a really, really interesting life. It was sidetracked awfully, horribly by what happened after Survivor,” he told TooFab. “And that’s part of our system being broken and more than we can get into now — prejudice, et cetera, but I love life. I love me. I love exploring opportunity. And so there’s no telling where you’ll see me next.”
Hatch was convicted of tax evasion after failing to report approximately $1.4 million in income, including his $1 million winnings from the first season of Survivor in 2000. He was sentenced to 51 months in prison and three years of supervised release. After his release in 2009, he was ordered to refile his 2000 and 2001 taxes and pay what he owed, but he was returned to prison for an additional nine months for not doing so.
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As for what it would take Hatch to return after his life was, as he put it, “sidetracked” by the show, the reality TV veteran said he has a few “reasonable requests” that would have to bet met first.
“I have no idea where I stand with the franchise, but there are the folks behind … Mark Burnett and Jeff Probst, for example, who have acted incredibly irresponsibly with respect to not engaging with me and not correcting their own kind of mistakes that could have prevented my family and life from being devastated,” Hatch said.
“Do I hold a grudge? It’s not a grudge. I just feel it’s indicative of who they are as people. And it’s too bad that they aren’t a little more responsible. They’re in positions of power where they could have made a difference, can make a difference, and they choose not to act. And I think that’s irresponsible. And I think people can can kind of see that that’s how they act, how little they care about the participants that they engage on the show,” he continued.
During his tax evasion trial, Hatch’s lawyer reportedly said his client caught fellow contestants cheating and the show’s producers agreed to pay his taxes if he won. Burnett, however, testified Hatch’s contract with the show stipulated he was responsible for taxes.
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“That doesn’t have anything to do, from my perspective, with the game. I love the game. I’ve never missed an episode,” he clarified. “And so, you know, there would be some things that would have to happen were they to call me. And I think those would be simple and reasonable requests. And then I would play if they did.”
The current era of the show has largely changed in format and style from Hatch’s day, with host Jeff Probst recently saying Survivor no longer wants to cast “villains,” a term many fans of the show have labeled Hatch. But the show’s shorter and altogether different gameplay, involving numerous idols and advantages, only does a disservice to the viewers, Hatch tells TooFab.
“I think Jeff is particularly responsible for problems with the show, and I don’t think he gets it. And his whole holier-than-thou approach to this idea of no villains anymore is really misguided,” Hatch maintained. “I’ve talked about that before, but it’s just … he doesn’t understand the game. And I think people will hear me say that and think, ‘Oh, what an ego. He’s a host.’ He does it well, but he’s not aware of what it takes to play the game well and what’s going on. And I think, frankly, he’s just not bright enough to understand why viewers are drawn to the show.”
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He continued, “And he misses it. He misses the boat in a big, big, big way when he says things like that and when he’s made some of the changes that he’s made. And I feel bad only for viewers and for participants who are subjected to the changes he makes, instead of his reaching out to actually learn what could be done to make the show even better and better and better, and serve both participants and viewers in a way that would be, respectable.”
TooFab has reached out to Probst for comment.
Catch House of Villains Thursdays at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on E! and stream from the beginning on Peacock.
