Okay so after last week you probably got the vibe that I'm a huge "Survivor" mark. Guilty as Charged.

The whole concept of "15:01" is picking up the pop culture microscope and brigning into focus the tiny organisms that used to populate the mainstream.

When Reality TV programming began a fixture on every night of the week, we got a lot of organisms and more often than not, they ended up being squashed like bugs...never to be heard from again.



As stated last week, the one show that started the trend of reality programming was "Survivor" that did 20 million viewers a week at its peak. Along the way there have been a number of contestants with possible crossover potential but time after time it has been proven that these "Survivors" have been anything but in the public eye.

This week I take a look at some of the names to come out of the "Survivor" placenta, but whom we never cared to watch grow up and become a celebrity.

RICHARD HATCH




The icon of "Survivor" and the star of the biggest season ever, the first one.

Hatch was the first contestant that audiences loved to hate because of his ruthless style of play on the island and his ultimate victory at the end.

Hatch was often shown walking around nude on the island and served as a strong endorsement of the gay community to appear on a mainstream show on CBS and not conform to the otherwise gay stereotypes that other networks focus on when showcasing a gay character.

Upon winning the $1,000,000, Hatch faced a wave of controversy as his adopted son made false claims that Hatch abused him. The son was taken away from Hatch and later Hatch sued the State of Rhode Island for wrongdoing, but the lawsuit was dismissed.

One of the great things I enjoy about living in Canada is that if I were to go on a Canadian reality show (they do exist), at least I can walk away with ALL of my winnings. Well I guess Hatch felt so strongly about gay marriage laws that he felt he was an honorary Canadian, because somewhere along the way he forgot he had to pay taxes.
A mental giant? Maybe not, Hatch has probably burned through the majority of that $1 million, and to be quite honest, what kind of prize is $1 million in the 21st century?

JOHNNY 'FAIRPLAY' DALTON



Fairplay was arguably the most hated character in the history of "Survivor" during the September 2003 - December 2003 season in the Pearl Islands. Fairplay is most remembered for working with a friend on the show to fake his grandmother's death in order to gain sympathy from the rest of the tribe. It was one of the greatest ploys in "Survivor" history.

After finishing in the Top 4 that season he was not invited back for "Survivor: All Stars" despite a ton of interest in his persona that everyone loved to hate.

It should come as no surpirse that Fairplay was a HUGE pro wrestling fan. This comes as no surprise as every week Fairplay would whip in a pro wrestling line during the vote at the end of the show.

After the "Survivor" fame, Fairplay got a job with a lower tier wrestling company known as Total Nonstop Action (TNA), based out of Florida. Fairplay played a heel manager and was not successful in the least as his character on "Survivor" didn't translate and just came off as a low rent version of a heel.

TNA was hopeful of getting another "Survivor" standout, Rupert, to come in and wrestle a match with Fairplay, which never materialized.



Fairplay did not make many friends in the wrestling world. Prior to appearing on "Survivor" he was the personal assistant to "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and got into a car accident driving Piper around that nearly killed Piper.



Fairplay has officially fallen off the celebrity radar and the wrestling radar.

ELISABETH HESSELBECK



Arguably the biggest staying power of any "Survivor" contestant. Elisabeth competed on the 2nd season of "Survivor" in the Australian Outback during the winter of 2001.

Hesselbeck is one of the co-hosts of "The View", so it really depends on your definition of success.

Talk about a contrast, going from starving on the island and eating bugs to survive and now you’re having lunch everyday next to Star Jones.

Hesselbeck is married to NFL quarterback, Tim Hesselbeck. Now, when you see a girl like Elisabeth and she's married to an NFL quarterback, I'm sure you don't imagine her with a guy like...



What went wrong there?

Last year Hesselbeck was pregnant and used "The View" to go on and on and on and on and on about it to the point that I... I mean 'my friend' had to change the channel.

ROB AND "AMBA"



Finally we have the 1st couple of "Survivor" and man was this nauseating to see play out on TV.

"Boston" Rob and Amber were the focus of "Survivor All Stars" as the two joined together as an alliance and the alliance led to both falling for each other and then Rob proposed to Amber on the season finale. Geez I want to puke now.

Since the show concluded, these two have been all over the TV from "Rob and Amber's" wedding to even getting an invite to the Muchmusic awards.

These two are instant channel changers for me when I turn on the tube, and I think society has taken a parallel approach to my method.

After 5-years of "Survivor" the only legitimate argument one can make of a star created out of the show is Elisabeth. The general rule with reality stars is that it's the epitome of 15 minutes of fame, with the gluttony of reality shows out there, people can't get behind everyday Joe and Jane's when everyone on TV is from the same mould. "Survivor" has become a successful franchise without the dependency on any one character and to their credit it's beneficial in that regard. The brand name draws people, pure and simple.
Let's open up the board to your favorite contestants on "Survivor" or any other reality show stars that have made the jump and shown any type of shelf life. I send out the challenge.

jopo