Millions tune in as 'Survivor' is selected

The summer of "Survivor" rode out the big wave Wednesday night. An estimated 40 million Americans watched a dramatic end to the adventure game show that captivated viewers and won a big island treasure for CBS. Since its debut on May 31, "Survivor" has engaged millions of viewers in a simple guessing game: Who won the $1 million first prize? To those who have watched the show faithfully, it may have come as no surprise that the two finalists wound up being eventual winner Richard Hatch, the 39-year-old corporate consultant widely acknowledged as the master of "Survivor's" island politics; and Kelly Wiglesworth, a 23-year-old river guide whose physical acumen made up for her lack of strategic savvy. Hatch, along with 38-year-old truck driver Susan Hawk and the country's sentimental favorite, 72-year-old ex-Navy SEAL Rudy Boesch, persisted to the final round of four largely on the strength of an alliance he formed midway through the 39-day contest. The show's conclusion proved no less a draw in Kansas City than around the ntaion. At Tanner's Bar & Grill in Kansas City, North, a large crowd came to swill beer, cheer their favorites and - without exception - jeer Richard. Most of the crowd divided their loyalties between crusty Rudy and free-spirited Kelly. "I like (Rudy's) point-blank attitude," said Chuck Coen of Kansas City as he stood at the bar. "He says what's on his mind." On the other hand, Kelly could probably use the money more than Rudy, said Coen's friend Bill Tousley. "He's retired from the Navy - you know he's getting some good paychecks," Tousley said. "Kelly's just starting out, she's young, she needs it more than the rest of them." Susan didn't have many supporters or detractors, although Laura Fredrickson of Kansas City didn't like the way Susan "tried to appear dumb and backward because she's from the Midwest. "She tried to be nonthreatening," Fredrickson said. Then there was Richard. Not a viewer in Tanner's admitted to rooting for the often-nude, frequently conniving castaway. Some of the printable descriptions of Richard from folks at Tanner's included bossy, cocky (three times), back-stabbing (twice), two-faced, evil, sneaky and floppy (this from someone who took issue with all that nakedness). From the first episode through Wednesday's conclusion, the "Survivor" alliance singled out contestants who were thought to be younger and stronger. One by one they were voted off. But someone forgot about Wiglesworth until it was too late. Ultimately, Wiglesworth undid the alliance. She may not have been the fleetest of foot or mind, but it was enough to beat her much older competitors in the game's last five "immunity challenges." The winner of each of these mental or athletic contests could not be voted out at the weekly "tribal council," the blackball session where one contestant was eliminated by secret ballot. Wiglesworth battled the elements and did all she could to stay alive, but like the women of the doomed Donner expedition, she refused to eat her own. In the end, that may have the crucial difference between her and Hatch, whose diabolical ways seemed to be well-known to the others. Perhaps the real survivors of this show were Mark Burnett and Charlie Parsons, the executive producers of "Survivor." A few years ago, they couldn't get American TV interested in this game show. They shopped it to Swedish television, where it was known as "Expedition: Robinson" and became a huge hit. By the time it arrived on our shores, Burnett and Parsons had three years under their belt. They knew what worked and what didn't. CBS was the lucky bidder for "Survivor," though at the time no one knew how lucky. Mostly CBS was trying to come up with something, anything, in response to the runaway success of last year's summer game-show hit, "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" on ABC. CBS signed up enough sponsors to make the show pay for itself ("Survivor" is far cheaper per hour to produce than an hour of, say, "ER"). Little did the sponsors know they were getting the deal of the century. The original sponsors paid the equivalent of $100,000 per 30-second commercial. Last night, a Johnny-come-lately company like Gillette or Subway forked over $600,000 per 30 seconds, comparable to regular-season hits like "Friends." Every three days, Burnett's team shot 150 hours of video, which were then edited down to taut, tense, surprisingly addictive 44-minute episodes. No matter who won, Mark Raby of Kansas City said he was just happy the saga was coming to an end. "I'm sick of it," Raby said. "It's dragged on, and the media's blown it out of proportion." Raby's friend Todd Nicholson of Kansas City had a simple explanation for why the show had become such a huge hit. "It's the extreme lack of anything else better on TV," Nicholson said. Nevertheless, some people did prove immune to "Survivor"-mania. One fellow sat at the end of the bar, nursing a Bud and a pack of Marlboro Lights, astonished at the "Survivor" talk swirling around him. "That's a TV show?" he asked. "Really? And they get a million dollars? I never even heard of that show. Never even heard of it." - The Star's Matt Stearns contributed to this report. - To reach Aaron Barnhart, phone (816) 234-4790 or visit the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com >>>