Survivor claims he witnessed cheating

PASADENA, Calif. – A defense lawyer for first “Survivor” winner Richard Hatch has attacked the very integrity of one of television’s most enduring games.

Hatch, on trial for tax evasion in Providence, R.I., caught fellow “Survivor” contestants cheating, lawyer Michael Minns said Friday. When Hatch told producers about it they made a deal to pay his taxes if he won the $1 million prize, he said.

Hatch supposedly caught some of his opponents trying to have friends sneak food to them at their tropical location.

CBS refused to comment on the charges Friday, and a spokesman for “Survivor” executive producer Mark Burnett – who testified earlier at Hatch’s trial – said he would not comment while the trial was in progress.

“Survivor” has been a mainstay of CBS’ lineup ever since it became a sensation in the summer of 2000 and, after “American Idol,” is consistently television’s most popular reality game. The 12th installment of the show, set in Panama, begins on CBS Feb. 2.

It would be disturbing for television viewers if Hatch’s charges were true, said Robert Thompson, director of the Center for the Study of Popular Television at Syracuse University. People want the game played by the rules.

And if such charges came out five years ago, it might have really hurt the show, he said.

Now, he’s not so sure.

“I think most people consider the reality of reality TV as they do the reality of Santa Claus,” Thompson said.

A poll conducted by The Associated Press and TV Guide last September found that 82 percent of Americans believe that reality shows are either “totally made up” or “mostly distorted.”

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