Sean Kenniff

Survivor: Borneo, originally known simply as Survivor or Survivor: Pulau Tiga, is the first season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor.

The show was filmed from March 13 through April 20, 2000, and premiered on May 31, 2000.

The season started with 16 participants tasked with being left to survive in a remote area in Borneo, Malaysia, with minimal tools and supplies.

Hosted by Jeff Probst, it consisted of 39 days with consecutive participants being removed by a majority vote.

The series was set in the South China Sea on the remote Malaysian island of Pulau Tiga in the state of Sabah, about 6 mi off the north coast of Borneo.

The contestants were initially separated into two tribes, Tagi and Pagong, which represented the names of the beaches they were on.

When 10 players remained, the contestants merged into one tribe, Rattana.

While Tagi and Pagong's names and makeups were picked by the producers, Rattana was named by contestants Sean Kenniff and Jenna Lewis, because of the rattan wood that was at their camp.

The series was won by Richard Hatch defeating Kelly Wiglesworth in a 4–3 jury vote.

The finale of the season had an average of 51.7 million viewers, the highest of the franchise.

Nielsen reported that 125 million people watched at least some part of the finale.

On March 7, 2000, the contestants were flown to Los Angeles, then to the city of Kota Kinabalu in Malaysian Borneo.

From there they were taken by boat to their island.

Contestants were not allowed to speak to one another until they got on the boat headed toward their beaches.

The two tribes shared the island of Tiga, which was divided by over 20 mi of forest.

They were surrounded by wildlife such as pythons, kraits, adders, monkeys, monitor lizards, and white-bellied sea eagles.

Filming began on March 13, 2000, and lasted until April 20, 2000.

This was the only season to have the winner revealed on location at the Final Tribal Council until the show's 41st season in 2021.

There were 16 contestants, divided into two tribes, Pagong and Tagi.

After six contestants were eliminated, the tribes were merged to form one tribe, Rattana.

The final seven eliminated contestants made up the jury that decided who would be the winner.

Below is a list of the participants of the series.

Rudy Boesch, Richard Hatch, Susan Hawk, and Jenna Lewis returned to Survivor for Survivor: All-Stars.

Gervase Peterson returned for Survivor: Blood vs. Water alongside his niece, Marissa.

Kelly Wiglesworth returned for Survivor: Cambodia.

Outside of Survivor, Richard Hatch, Susan Hawk, Sean Kenniff, Ramona Gray, Gretchen Cordy, and Joel Klug competed on a special edition of NBC's The Weakest Link.

Susan Hawk and Gervase Peterson made an appearance on Big Brother 2.

In 2006, Hatch was sentenced to 51 months in prison after failing to declare his $1,000,000 winnings.

Survivor is a reality television show based on the Swedish show Expedition Robinson created by Mark Burnett and Charlie Parsons.

The series follows a number of participants being isolated in a remote location, where they must provide food, fire, and shelter for themselves.

Every three days, one participant is removed from the series by majority vote, with challenges being held to give a reward (ranging from living and food related prizes to a car) and immunity from being voted out from the series.

The last remaining player is awarded a prize of $1,000,000.

Over 6,000 people applied for the show; 800 were then interviewed in 16 cities.

Forty-eight people were then chosen, and after background checks and psychological evaluations done by the producers, the final 16 contestants and two alternates were picked.

As the participants awaited the game's start, crews prepared the island for reward and immunity challenges, removing harmful items, checking for harmful animals in specific locations, and building a set.

Camera and other crews were sent to the island three weeks in advance for testing.

On the opposite side of the island from the tribes, headquarters were set up for the producers and crew to live in.

This facility included traditional trailers with running water, televisions, and a phone line.

The set used for the Tribal Council was built 200 yards from the crew's facility.

Hatch competed in the 11th season of The Apprentice (known as the fourth season of The Celebrity Apprentice) and appeared on the 17th season of The Biggest Loser.