Survivor Skills.com - Loser Lodge: Richard Hatch

After a tribal merge, the newly formed Chaboga Mogo tribe didn't waste any time practicing the art of politicking and deception, to the horror of certain tribe members. Although Rob had assured him he'd be taken care of, Lex van den Berghe, the 40-year-old All-Star of Survivor: Africa from Santa Cruz, California, was shocked to hear he was on the chopping block after losing an extremely close Immunity Challenge. At a rain-soaked Tribal Council, Lex realized that his earlier choice of saving Rob's girl, Amber, had been a disastrous mistake as the Chaboga Mogo tribe evicted Lex in a seven-to-two decision.

Stunned, Lex simply sighed, "I came into this game the wealthiest man in the world. I have an amazing wife, two beautiful sons, a loving family and the greatest group of friends a man could ever hope for. Everything above and beyond that is gravy as far as I'm concerned."

Final Words:

I'm still not really sure why I did this a second time. I couldn't imagine saying no. I'm such a sucker for an adventure and a challenge. You throw anything in front of me and dare me to do anything, I'm all over it. You double-dog-dare me, I'm jumping at it. The opportunity to do Survivor a second time? Survivor the first time around was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I got it twice in a lifetime. Pretty lucky for me! I'm glad I did it again. No regrets, man, no looking back. I guess it's just my nature. You throw something like this in my way, I've got to grab at it; I've got to go for it.

I had a good time. It was tough; it was different the second time around. I have to say I had a lot more fun the first time around. The first time around was an exquisite adventure; it was the trip of a lifetime; it was like nothing I'd ever experienced. The second time around, it was business, and I feel like I did pretty good business. Not quite what I wanted, not quite as far as I wanted to go, but I'm still proud.

I think I bumped things up a notch as far as playing a hardcore game. I made a pretty big effort coming into this thing to play it harder. By harder I mean to pull a few tricks out of my bag that I wasn't prepared to pull out of my bag the first time around as far as maybe bending the truth a bit, doing a little bit of deceiving, a little bit of lying, maybe, to get to where I had to go. It was necessary this time around. The players were all seasoned veterans. These were hardcore players, and you really had to be prerpared to do more.

But with that said, in the end, I ended up not being able to get away from my true self. It's what cost me the game. I broke the biggest promise I made to myself coming into this thing: I mixed friendship with the game. The two cannot mix together; they don't go together. As soon as you try to work it out both ways, as soon as you allow a little too much compassion to show through, as soon as the friendship and game lines blur, you're setting yourself up for disaster. It's what happened to me. But I have, again, no regrets about it. I am what I am. I played the game the only way I can play it: as myself. It's the way I live my life; it's the way I'd play the game if I ever did it again, and I make no apoligies to myself or anybody else. What you see is what you get. That's all you're ever going to get.

Honestly, I'd have to say that I didn't really have any new, life-altering experiences out here. I kind of knew what to expect. I would say rather than life-altering experiences, I had life-affirming experiences. Being out here once again just confirmed how lucky I am in my life, and how this game was really a great time, it was a great adventure, but it really was just a blip in the grand scheme of my life. The important things to me are my family, my wife, my kids, my friends, my life back home in Santa Cruz. That's the stuff that defines who I am. That's the stuff that gives my life value. I'm the luckiest man in the world. I was before I came out and played Survivor the first time around; I was still the luckiest man in the world before I played it the second time around. I don't have to win the game to know that that's true. A million bucks really ain't gonna change my life the way all the other good things in my life have. I walk out of here looking forward to nothing but a great future, a great life. It's all good. I'm happy.

Stats

Days on the Island: 27
Tribe: Mogo Mogo/Chapera/Chaboga Mogo
Total Votes Against: 7
Slip-Up: Lex's big mistake was trusting Boston Rob. Rob had assured Lex that if he voted to save Amber, Rob would make sure Lex was taken care of after the tribes merged. Lex obliged, lobbying successfully to save Amber. When the merge happened in the very next episode, though, wily Rob orchestrated the vote that ousted Lex.
CBS Chat Transcript
TV Guide Interview

Video

Tells All

Final Words

Next Day

The Early Show

The Early Show Pt.2

Voting Booth Cam

Episode 11 Voting History

Voted Out

Survivors voting against Lex