Not-so-nasty Rich: Lies and deception helped his cause

Each week the castaways voted to banish one of their own from the island - leading to all kinds of alliances and Machiavellian scheming.

Successful completion of the challenges earned the contestants immunity from being voted off the island.

Many say part of the programme's appeal was that it mirrored the office politics of corporate America.

During the two-hour finale, Hatch, 39, edged out his three remaining rivals in a series of "tribal councils" and votes conducted by a jury of seven former tribe-mates. Alhough many put his winning tactics down to his skill in the corporate world, his fellow contestants came from a wide range of backgrounds.

River guide Kelly Wriglesworth, 23, found herself edged out by Hatch in the final round, after former naval officer Rudy Boesch, 72, and truck driver Susan Hawk, 38, had earlier fallen by the wayside.

Made up: Hatch has been catapulted to stardom

Whereas Big Brother's action takes place live over the internet, Survivor! was actually filmed earlier this year, and the contestants returned in May.

CBS made all the castaways sign confidentiality agreements - with the threat of hefty financial penalties if they let slip the outcome of the series.

Friends and family in the state of Rhode Island said Hatch kept his secret well - though his house had undergone renovations since he returned.

"He walked in, and I said, 'What happened?' and he would only say, 'What do you think? How do you think I did?," said Karen Massaro, a fitness director.

"Believe me, I tried to get it out of him."

Now Hatch - who is gay - has been inundated with marriage proposals from men and women.

The ousted castaways have also become celebrities - they have won advertising contracts and secured TV sitcom roles.

The final four are in demand for ads

CBS is celebrating after the show gained more viewers than any other US TV broadcast this year, with the exception of the Superbowl. The company sold a 30-second advertising slot for $600,000 (�405,000).

The thirst for reality TV in the US shows no sign of abating, with 50,000 people applying to take part in Survivor Two, which will be set in the Australian outback.

However, the future for Hatch is not all rosy.

When he returned home from the island in April he was charged with second degree child abuse after his son, now 10, told police his father pulled him by the ear and wrapped his hands around his neck after the youngster became tired on a run.

The case has yet to come to trial, but Hatch is suing police and state officials for false imprisonment and defamation, and is claiming $1m in damages.