Richard Hatch (Survivor Contestant) - Personal Life

Personal Life

Hatch was born and raised near Newport, Rhode Island, graduating from Middletown High School in 1979. He first majored in Marine Biology and Oceanography at Florida Institute of Technology before he enlisted in the Army in 1980. He served five years, before dropping out in 1985. First he was stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas, and Fort Stewart, Georgia, before attending USMAPS in Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, and the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. Hatch left West Point for New York City where he worked for Ian Schrager and Steve Rubell (owners of Studio 54) at Palladium. He later attended Baruch College in New York and George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, during which time he became a sperm donor. Hatch spent eight years in the Washington, DC, area and graduated from National-Louis University with a Bachelor's degree in Management/Applied Behavioral Sciences. Hatch returned to Newport, Rhode Island and adopted a 7-year-old boy. He later attended Rhode Island's Providence College pursuing a Master's degree in Education and Counseling.

Prior to winning CBS' original Survivor series, Hatch worked as a bartender, auto salesman, and licensed real estate agent before nearly fifteen years as a corporate trainer and consultant for his own company.

Following his Survivor win, Hatch was charged with tax evasion. He was convicted and served a 51-month sentence in federal prison. Hatch and his attorneys have argued that the prosecution and conviction were flawed because the IRS never completed investigation of his 2000 and 2001 tax returns and never determined that any particular sum of taxes was due. Hatch served an additional nine months in prison for not amending his 2000 and 2001 tax returns.