Survivor Millionaire Richard Hatch Subject of New Expose

Posted on October 19, 2000

Five-time Emmy winning investigative reporter Peter Lance, who spent the summer collaborating with Survivor millionaire Rich Hatch on his bio only to have a $500,000 deal with St. Martin's Press collapse, will now tell the full story in a blistering exposé: The Stingray: Lethal Tactics of The Sole Survivor to be published in November by Shadowlawn Press.

"I was the 17th Castaway to get voted off the Island," says Lance of Hatch. "Like other Tribe members, I trusted Rich and formed an alliance only to find myself on the wrong side of the Tribal Council bridge."

Lance, a former Investigative Correspondent for ABC News who won the National Headliner and Robert F. Kennedy Awards, says the St. Martin's deal fell apart when Hatch failed to deliver permission from CBS which controls his life rights. "Rich is muzzled," says Lance. "I'm not, so this is the real behind-the-scenes story of his victory."

Lance said the St. Martin's incident caused him to begin an inquiry into limitations on other Survivors and what he found was startling: "CBS is exercising incredible control over these people," says Lance. "They are literally acting as gate keepers on every attempt the Castaways make to capitalize on their Survivor fame."

In addition to nixing Hatch's $500,000 book deal, Lance discovered that CBS has also vetoed lucrative dates for other Castaways because the network believed they conflicted with Survivor sponsors or rival media entities.

"Castaways like Rudy have signed their life rights over to CBS," said Lance. "Even though he's a bona fide American hero, the ex-Navy SEAL is currently prevented forever from telling his life story in print without CBS' approval."

Lance's book also raises questions about the production of the series. "Clearly events that took place on the Island of Pulau Tiga were not as they always appeared in the broadcast," said Lance. "There's evidence that raises questions about whether the producers intervened with the Castaways in ways that might have affected the final outcome."

Lance's book operates on three levels: It's a tell-all with the real, unvarnished inside story on Hatch's Machiavellian strategy; it's a riveting page turner with shocking insights into Hatch's Dickensian roller coaster life and it's a textbook for reality show aspirants on how to jump-start their careers once they hit the hot white lights of media fame.

Lance's exposé of how Hatch went "from Richard The Lionhearted to Richard III," will hit bookstores in mid November, just before Hatch's "authorized" biography from Lyons Press.

Shadowlawn publisher William J. Birnes says: "Mark Burnett the series producer, gave us his unique perspective in Survivor: The Ultimate Game. Rich will serve up his spin. But The Stingray, a metaphor for Hatch's persona on the Island, will be the true critical look at this media phenomenon."