Catching up with the First 9 Survivor Winners
How Their Lives Have Changed Since Winning the Million Dollars
Jul 10, 2009
Hard to believe, but it’s been almost nine years since Richard Hatch became the first-ever Survivor million-dollar winner. Over the years, the show has awarded $18 million in prize money to its winners, some of whom have been catapulted to fame and others who’ve faded into obscurity. What has become of these millionaires, and what have they chosen to do with their winnings?
1. Richard Hatch
The original Survivor winner was arrested and jailed for tax evasion after he failed to report his $1,010,000 Survivor earnings, as well as an additional $321,000 earned from appearances on a Boston radio show on his income tax returns. In 2006, he was found guilty of the charges, despite his defense that he believed CBS paid the taxes on his Survivor winnings. He was sentenced to 51 months in prison, plus an additional three-years of supervised release. After two unsuccessful attempts to appeal the decision, Hatch was finally released from prison on May 14, 2009, reportedly for good behavior. He is now in a half-way house in Pennsylvania, where he is expected to remain until October 2009.
2. Tina Wesson
Survivor: The Australian Outback winner Tina Wesson continues to reside in Tennessee with her husband and two children. She told her personal story in her book titled “Out Live, Out Laugh, and Out Love,” which was released in late 2006.
3. Ethan Zohn
After winning Survivor: Africa, Ethan Zohn founded Grassroot Soccer, a non-profit organization which uses soccer to promote HIV/AIDS prevention in Africa. He also invented the EZ Crunch Bowl, which is a bowl to keep breakfast cereal from going soggy. It has been sent to Telebrands engineers for development before being made available to the public.
Most recently, Zohn was diagnosed with stage two CD20-positive Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a rare form of cancer. He began chemotherapy in May 2009.
Zohn is currently in a long-term relationship with Survivor: The Amazon winner Jenna Morasca. They have been together for six years.
4. Vecepia Towery Robinson
While Survivor: Marquesas was airing, Vecepia Towery married fiancé Leander Robinson, who visited her in the Marquesas for a Reward Challenge involving the survivors’ loved ones.
After winning the game, Robinson starred in her own local show called Survivor Chasers. She also writes online columns and does motivational speaking.
This wife and mother currently resides in northern California, where she lives what she calls a “simple but busy life.”
5. Brian Heidik
Survivor: Thailand winner Brian Heidik is certainly one of the most controversial winners. On July 5, 2006, Heidik was arrested after allegedly shooting, with an arrow, a shepherd-hound mix puppy that had wandered into his yard. Despite claiming that he thought the animal was a fox or a coyote, Heidik was subsequently charged with cruelty to animals.
The Quartz, California husband, father, and former used car salesman purchased several automobiles with his million dollar prize.
6. Jenna Morasca
Survivor: Amazon winner Jenna Morasca, the youngest winner ever, currently works as a professional wrestler for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. In 2005, Morasca replaced season one winner Richard Hatch as the co-host of CBS’s live Internet talkshow Survivor Live. She remained for five seasons until the show’s cancellation in 2007.
Morasca works with the Humane Society, and is heavily involved in campaigns for animal rights. She is also going back to school, and was recently accepted to Columbia University where she plans to obtain her Master’s degree in Psychology.
Morasca is currently in a long-term relationship with Survivor: Africa winner Ethan Zohn. They have been together for six years.
7. Sandra Diaz-Twine
Survivor: Pearl Islands champion Sandra Diaz-Twine currently resides in Fayetteville, Arkansas with her husband and two children, where she works as a bank teller. Like Towery Robinson, she has gone back to being a wife and mother, and says that her life was not changed by winning the show.
8. Amber Brkich Mariano
After winning Survivor: All Stars, Brkich married runner-up Rob Mariano, who proposed to her live at the season finale. They went on to compete on The Amazing Race 7 and The Amazing Race: All Stars together. They also filmed a 10-episode reality called Rob and Amber: Against the Odds, which showcased Rob’s attempts to become a professional poker player in Las Vegas.
9. Chris Daugherty
On February 13, 2005, Survivor: Vanuatu winner Chris Daugherty married his fiancée Lorie Graves, who visited him in Vanuatu for two challenges involving the survivors’ loved ones. The wedding took place in Victory Lane at Daytona International Speedway.
Also in 2005, Daugherty asked for vacation time from his job at the Ohio Department of Transportation. Since he had no vacation time left, he submitted a doctor’s note that said he needed a month off of work due to stress and anxiety. Investigators found out that Daugherty had really left work in order to participate in a European promotional tour of Survivor. He was suspended from work for twenty days without pay.
Daugherty still lives on the same property that he lived on prior to appearing on the show, but admits that he did buy himself a Harley, which is something he’s wanted since he was a teenager.
Daugherty is also involved in wetland restoration, which is part of a business owned by his family. He plans to work for another 10 to 12 years at the Department of Transportation before he retires, and then hopes to travel.
Click here to catch up with the last nine Survivor winners.
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