Share Email Print RSS

Latest "Survivor" News

Update: With the treachery, deceit and charm of a corporate raider, Richard Hatch built an alliance that picked off those who would threaten his power one by one. Then, somehow he managed to convince the very same people whose exits he orchestrated to vote for him as the ultimate winner. Shakespeare couldn't have created a more compelling villain and victor than the most famous nudist in America. (Guess he'll have to start wearing clothes so he'll have pockets to put that million bucks in.)

Check back later for a detailed analysis of Richard's island takeover, plus our report from the party at Jillian's at Norfolk Waterside, where ex-Navy SEAL Rudy Boesch's daughters watched their father's defeat. (UPDATED 8/23/00 10:25 p.m.) The big news in Virginia, is of course, Rudy Boesch, the 72-year-old Navy SEAL whom many favor to go all the way in tonight's boffo two-hour finale. Richmond.com heard some interesting gossip about Rudy during our visit to his hometown yesterday. ( Read about it here .)

Rudy's three daughters will be appearing at a "Survivor" party at Jillian's bar and restaurant at Norfolk Waterside tonight from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. and will be bringing along their dad's yellow raincoat worn in the series.

Jillian's, a mammoth entertainment megaplex with a massive arcade, blues lounge, dance hall, and giant television screens everywhere, will be devoting about 45,000 out of its 60,000 square feet to the party. The daughters will appear in the Groove Shack, which coincidentally is already decked out in an apropos island theme with Day-Glo tiki idols and masks.

There's no cover to attend. Jillian's has been the hot "Survivor" destination for Rudy's hometown, generally attracting about 500 people each Wednesday night. Tonight, they expect as many as 1,200.

Good Morning America, CBS's Early Show, and Access Hollywood are among the television shows expected to be on hand at the party, and richmond.com will be there, too, ready to bring you the latest news and photos.

So relax. Don't pile into the car. But if want to enjoy the final "Survivor" in a party atmosphere, why not go to the party richmond.com is throwing with XL102's Jeff & Jeff Show and WTVR News 6 at Mulligan's in the West End . There will be specialty "Survivor" drinks, plus free snacks before the show starts. In Other "Survivor" News Jenna Lewis has reportedly joined Colleen Haskell in turning down a lucrative offer from Playboy to pose nude. But if you're just dying to see a "Survivor" besides Richard in the buff, Susan and Kelly haven't closed the door, apparently. "Me and Kelly don't belong in Playboy 'cause we've got tattoos,'' Sue told Newsweek recently. "We belong in Hustler -- and I heard Larry Flynt pays more!''

Rudy and the other Final Four will be on the Late Show with David Letterman tonight on CBS.

If you have a friend in Virginia Beach you may want to get them to tape tonight's 11 p.m. news broadcast on WTKR, the local CBS affiliate. They'll be doing the first live interview with Rudy after the finale airs.

A publicity photo has been released of a tanned, rested and ready Final Four. Check It Out . The Final Four have also been signed for the Got Milk? ad campaign.

Ever devious, Richard Hatch is quoted telling his hometown paper, The Rhode Island Journal, "God, I hope I win."

Vegas oddsmakers have the show tonight like this: Susan 2-1. Kelly 5-2, then Richard at 3-1 and Rudy at 4-1. Does the Mob know something we don't?

Nevertheless, Sue's brother, a mechanic, is quoted in her hometown paper, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, that he thinks his sister makes it to third place. Might be - Sue was seen recently back at work at her job as a truck driver, loading and smoothing cement.

Dirk Been, the guy whom Rudy ridiculed for bringing a Bible to the island as his luxury item, appeared on the 700 Club on the Christian Broadcasting Network in an interview with Pat Robertson's son, Gordon. Been, who spoke of his faith and virginity on "Survivor," told Robertson he was voted off the island because others feared his power as a Christian. He also said that he left the infamous Bible behind on the island and other survivors told him they read it a lot. Finally, Been hinted that he may be a has-been in the entertainment world, if not the evangelical world, as he has bombed a couple acting auditions.

CBS will be replaying the original "Survivor" episodes opposite NBC's Olympics coverage. (Special thanks to our good friend and fellow "Survivor" addict Jeff McKee at XL102 for spotting this one)

Folks down to the sound engineers at CBS had to sign legally binding confidentiality agreements, it's been revealed, so don't expect any leaks today from the 100 or so folks who know the winner's identity.

Someone with a good sense of humor has designed custom "Survivor" action figures on eBay. They're a scream. The Kelly doll comes equipped with a stolen credit card, and the Rudy doll has a rice cooking pot. Check them all out . Pick Of The Week Well, it's our final pick, and we frankly admit there's almost no way to accurately predict the show's ultimate winner - not that we're unhappy about that.

We did uncover some interesting things about Rudy that seem to point to his win, but then again "Survivor" creator/producer Mark Burnett keeps hinting that Rudy wins apparently and if true, that could be the kiss of death for Rudy's chances.

Sue is back at her job as a truck driver and Richard is going to be hosting a radio show and continuing his work as a corporate trainer. Almost nothing's been said about the perpetually endangered Kelly. To win, it's almost a given that she'd have to also win the next two immunity challenges, meaning that she would have won four in a row, an incredible task if she could pull it off.

We're not even going to bother going into the myriad scenarios that could bring any combination of Susan Hawk, Richard Hatch, Kelly Wiglesworth and Rudy Boesch to the final two. Richard and Rudy are loyal and there's always the chance they will make it to the end. Rudy seems to be viewed the most favorably of the remaining four, and Richard and Sue certainly haven't made many friends. So when the tribal council jury of seven meets to vote between the final two, if Rudy's in it, it's just as hard to imagine him not getting the vote as it is to see Richard or Sue getting the vote against Rudy or Kelly. Richard and Sue against each other would be a tougher call.

We'll just say that since he's the hometown hero - albeit, the homophobic, morally stringent hometown hero - we're rooting for Rudy.

What's the best evidence for a Rudy win?

Rudy's three grown daughters will be at that party in Norfolk tonight. If they don't know if their dad wins or not, their disappointment will be public. Do you think Rudy would let that happen?

We'll see. Keep checking with us tonight for coverage from the parties here in Richmond and in Norfolk.

Don't get voted out.