Richard Hatch Movies
Initially known for his status as the first winner of CBS's popular series Survivor (the godfather of all 21st century reality television and a ratings bonanza), Richard Hatch turned heads by managing to outwit and outmaneuver his fellow competitors in the season one locale of Borneo, and walked away with a one-million-dollar prize as a result. The federal government subsequently honed in on Hatch and accused him of failing to pay taxes on his prize money, allegations he unsuccessfully attempted to dismiss in court by claiming that the network had agreed to pay off the taxes as a bribe. The trial resulted in a four-year stint in federal prison for Hatch, but he eventually rebounded. In 2006, he appeared as himself in the low-budget comedy Another Gay Movie, and he also returned to Survivor for season eight of that program (aka the "All-Star Season," 2004), which rounded up the victors from prior seasons and pitted them against one another in Panama's Pearl Islands. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
The standard "four horny guys" conceit of the typical teen comedy gets a change-up in this independent sex farce. Jarod (Jonathan Chase), Griff (Mitch Morris), Nico (Jonah Blechman), and Andy (Michael Carbonaro) are four close friends who are soon to graduate from high school, and at the end of the summer they'll go their separate ways as they go away to college. All four of them have something else in common -- they're virgins, and have made a pledge to one another to finally go all the way by Labor Day. Oh, did we mention these guys all happen to be gay? Griff devotes nearly every waking hour to improving his butt, Nico is the stereotypical flaming movie buff, Jarod is a jock worried about the size of his sporting equipment, and Andy has a bad habit of swiping vegetables from his mom's garden for purposes other than making a salad. With the help of their lesbian pal Muffler (Ashlie Atkinson), the guys go on the prowl looking for Mr. Right (or Mr. Right Now), with plenty of sexy, strange, and just plain gross hi-jinks along the way. Another Gay Movie includes cameo appearances from Scott Thompson, Graham Norton, Richard Hatch, and John Epperson (aka Lypsinka). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Carbonaro, Jonathan Chase, (more)
Originally slated to air in the final months of 2003, CBS' long-awaited Survivor: All-Stars finally saw the light of day in early 2004, its debut episode telecast just after the network's Super Bowl coverage on February 1. As the title indicated, this eighth season of Survivor featured several of the most popular contestants from the past seven seasons, including such celebrated "sole survivors" as Richard Hatch, Jenna Morasca, and Tina Wesson, as well as such also-rans as the original Survivor's Rudy Boesch, Jenna Lewis, Ethan Zohn, and Susan Hawk; Survivor: The Australian Outback's Amber Brkich, Jerri Manthey, Alicia Calaway, and Colby Donaldson; Survivor: Marquesas' Rob Mariano and Kathy Vavrick-O'Brien; Survivor: Africa's Tom Buchanan and Lex Van den Berghe; Survivor: Pearl Islands' Rupert Boneham; Survivor: Thailand's Shii Ann Huang; and Survivor: The Amazon's Rob Cesternino. Survivor: All-Stars marked a number of firsts for the reality game show: the first time three rather than two tribes were set up in the opening episode; the first competition in which the reward challenge and immunity challenge were one and the same; the first time that a romance between two of the players blatantly (but tastefully) developed in front of the cameras rather than being merely hinted at; and the first instance wherein two contestants quit the show voluntarily within a single season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeff Probst
- 2000
The first season of CBS's ratings-juggernaut Survivor changed the face of television for years to come. As the first big hit network reality game show, the program immediately became an American institution, inspiring countless rip-offs and making minor celebrities out of its contestants. The Mark Burnett-produced show began on May 31, 2000 with 16 castaways, including retired Navy Seal Rudy Boesch, future Rob Schneider co-star Colleen Haskell, and the infamous Richard Hatch. By the concluding episode on August 23, the number of contestants had been whittled down to four after weeks of challenges, alliances, manipulation, and backstabbing. By the end of the two-hour finale, one contestant was named the "sole survivor" and was awarded one million dollars. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeff Probst
