Richard Hatch

Richard Hatch is a celebrity unlike any other celebrity I have profiled here. He became famous as the $1,000,000 grand prize winner of the first installment of the hit reality show, Survivor back in 2000. He went from parading around discussing his Survivor victory and hosting a $300k+ radio show host gig after Survivor to serving a prison sentence for tax evasion and spouting conspiracy theories to deflect criticism from himself.

Hatch was born on April 8, 1961 in Rhode Island. Hatch is an openly gay man and searched for direction for many years as a young adult. He spent five years in the United States Army, two of which were at the United States Military Academy where he studied management. However, Hatch dropped out of the Military Academy after two years. Hatch also spent some time studying Oceanography and Marine Biology at Florida Institute of Technology, and General Studies at George Mason University, and a Masters' program in Education and Counseling at Providence College in Rhode Island.

Hatch adopted a son named Christopher because his gay lover was incapable of bearing his children. However, Hatch experienced some parental difficulties and was arrested and charged with child abuse in April 2000, after his son alleged to a school official that his father had pushed his face in the ground while doing push-ups. The charges were dropped a month later after a judge ruled that Hatch's son had exaggerated the details of the incident.

Back in 2000, Hatch was working as a corporate trainer when he found out that a new reality show was auditioning contestants by asking them to send in videotapes of themselves showing off their personalities. Hatch sent in a tape and was selected to appear on the first installment of the hugely successful Survivor reality show. The first season was entitled, Survivor: Borneo.





In Survivor: Borneo, Hatch was marooned with 15 other contestants on the Borneo island in Malaysia. The 16 contestants were initially divided into tribes of 8 contestants and one contestant was voted out at the end of each episode. The contestants generally had to fend for themselves in large part and Hatch was a valuable member of his team because he was physically strong, a good swimmer and fisher, and showed leadership skills. He famously formed a secret alliance with several other of his teammates, including the crusty former Navy SEAL, Rudy Boesch.

Although Hatch was a strong contestant, he did annoy the other contestants by periodically parading around the island naked with his balls and ass hanging out for the world to see. Hatch would occasionally sit naked on logs at his tribe camp, disturbing other contestants and rendering the logs unusable and reeking of the smell of ass. About his nakedness, Hatch said, "It's funny when I hear, 'How come you're naked all the time.' I'm naked less then 1% of the time. I'd like to be naked all the time. That would be smarter in this 100 degree weather."


One of his tribe mates, Sean Kenniff, assumed that Hatch was walking around naked because he wanted to hook up with some of the other male contestants or possibly even the camera crew. Kenniff said, "If there's any horny gay men out there that want a horny guy in return, I know one."


Hatch celebrated his 39th birthday while on the island by stripping naked. Hatch said, "I'm 39 today and I had intended for quite a long time to celebrate my birthday naked."

Another tribe mate, Jenna Lewis, said, "It felt awkward sitting next to a naked gay man. If he had something to cover the butt crack area, I'd be cool with that."


Rudy Boesch said, "When I go home, if my wife asks me, 'Who was with you," I'll say the queer who ran around bare-ass half the time." Despite his disapproval of Hatch's homosexual lifestyle and nakedness on the island, Hatch said, "Me and Richard got to be pretty good friends; not in a homosexual way, that's for sure."

Hatch's secret alliance proved to be successful as he was one of the last two contestants on the show. Hatch eventually won the $1 million grand prize in a close vote over the second place contestant, Kelly Wiglesworth.

Survivor: Borea aired for 13 weeks between the end of May and August 2000 and proved to be a tremendous success. The finale of Survivor was reported watched by 51.7 million viewers, making it the second-highest viewership of any American television episode during the first decade of the 21st century, exceeded only by the finale of Friends.

The success of Survivor: Borneo made Hatch a big star in 2000 and he was showered with offers. Hatch accepted an offer to co-host "Wilde Show," a Boston morning radio show for a salary of over $320k. Hatch also wrote the motivation book, "101 Survival Secrets: How to Win $1,000,000, Lose 100 Pounds, and Just Plain Live Happily" that was published in October 2000.

Hatch was having the time of his life as a big star during the early years of this decade. He even appeared on the Australian version of the popular game show, "Who Wants to be a Millionaire," where he famously answered the $500 question incorrectly and left with no prize money.

However, Hatch's massive ego and hubris eventually led him astray as Hatch thought that he was invincible. Hatch never paid any taxes on the Survivor grand prize or the $320k+ that he received from his radio co-host gig. The IRS eventually came after he for unpaid taxes in 2005, and stated Hatch would be charged with filing a false tax return. Hatch initially agreed to plea guilty in exchange for a lenient sentence. However, Hatch withdrew from the arrangement, claiming that CBS had arranged to pay his taxes before awarding him prize money back in 2000.

Hatch's withdrawal from the plea agreement apparently pissed off the IRS, as they aggressively pursed their case against him. Hatch was indicted in 10-count indictment for failing to report income from Survivor and his radio show, as well as additional charges that he failed to report rental income from properties he owned, failed to declare an automobile he won on Survivor, used money as personal income that was paid to a charity organization he had set up, and submitted false tax statements.

A jury found Hatch guilty of tax evasion, although he was acquitted of seven bank, mail and wire fraud charges. On May 16, 2006 Hatch was sentenced to 51 months in prison, plus three years of supervised release after serving his sentence and began serving his sentence immediately. I wonder whether Hatch walked around naked throughout the prison like he did on Survivor. If so, one has to wonder whether his sphincter "survived" his prison sentence. Hatch served nearly a full 3 years in prison until being released on Thursday, May 14, 2009 to serve a period of home confinement.

On August 18, 2009, he was re-arrested and taken into federal custody for granting two supposedly unauthorized interviews with Access Hollywood and Rhode Island NBC affiliate WJAR. During the interviews, Hatch mentioned that he was broke and bitter about his predicament. Prisoners under house arrest are required to get permission from the federal Bureau of Prisons before any media contact. Hatch remained in prison until October 16, 2009 when he was released.

Notwithstanding the various felonies that Hatch committed, he maintains that he was prosecuted for committing his various felonies because "he is gay."

Richard Hatch rose from obscurity to be one of the most discussed celebrities in 2000 trough his cunning strategies that he implemented in his appearance on the smash hit Survivor: Borneo. However, Hatch quickly lost all of his money and the good will he had earned by evading taxes and then landing in prison for several years after foolishly spurning a plea agreement with the IRS. Hatch's arrogance and rapid fall from grace show that there can be no doubt that Richard Hatch is one washed-up celebrity!

*** Update - April 10, 2011 ***

Richard Hatch recently appeared on Celebrity Apprentice. Hatch made it through the fifth week before being "fired" after failing to sell artwork during a competition on the show.

Hatch was also sent back to prison for another nine months in March 2011 for tax evasion. Hatch reportedly still owes that IRS $2 million in taxes and penalties. Hatch is also being pursed by Malaysian authorities for failing to pay taxes on the $1 million he won in 2000 on Survivor. Hatch has been all but begging someone to give him the money to pay off Malaysian authorities!

Tara Reid

Tara Reid is an actress best known for her role in American Pie and her wild partying and plastic surgery nightmare.

Reid was born on November 8, 1975 in Wyckoff, New Jersey and began her acting career at a young age. Reid’s first broke into the entertainment business in 1982 when she became a regular on a children's game show called "Child's Play". Reid subsequently appeared in over 100 commercials for companies such as Jell-O, McDonald's, and Crayola.

Reid took a break from acting throughout much of the mid-late 1980s and early 1990s as she attended grade school and high school. In 1987 she had a small role in the horror movie, Return to Salem’s Lot. She waited until 1994 to appear in her next role as an extra in one episode of Saved By The Bell: the New Class.

Reid began acquiring other minor roles throughout the mid-1990s, including small roles on TV shows such as Days of Our Lives and California Dreams. Reid was a very attractive young woman at the time and movie producers began taking notice, casting her in small roles in the 1998 major motion pictures The Big Lebowski and Urban Legend. Reid followed up with her star-making role as "Vicky Lathum" in the 1999 smash hit comedy, American Pie. She also appeared in the hit movie Cruel Intentions in 1999.

Fans of American Pie were enamored with Reid. She was a beautiful young woman and was generally regarded as one of the most attractive actresses in Hollywood. Despite her good looks, however, most people thought that she was a horrible actress. After American Pie, Reid followed up with big roles in several box office flops, such as Body Shots (1999), Just Visiting (2001), and Josie and the Pussycats (2001). Josie and the Pussycats was a huge flop, costing $39 million to produce but garnering only $14 million worldwide at the box office. Reid’s career was rejuvenated in 2002, however, by a small appearance in American Pie 2 and by a major role in Van Wilder.

Reid’s acting career has been on a downward trajectory in 2002, however, likely due to her well-publicized penchant for excessive drinking and partying. She has had numerous acting roles since 2002, but none are very notable. She had a recurring role during the 2004-05 season of Scrubs, but her character was written off after the season due to conflicts reportedly caused by her off-camera lifestyle. Reid had a well-publicized relationship and engagement with Carson Daly that ended in 2001, likely as a result of her partying.

Reid was offered a job hosting Taradise, a spin-off of the travel show Wild On, in 2005. However, Taradise was canceled after only eight episodes, reportedly due to the excessive costs of Reid’s partying associated with her role.

Over the past few years, the roles offered to Reid have been few and far between. Her best roles have been in poorly reviewed straight-to-DVD flicks such as Silent Partner (2005) and Clean Break (2008).

Reid is undoubtedly aware of her lack of acting ability and knew that the best way to remain successful in Hollywood was by maintain her good looks for as long as possible. This realization apparently made Reid feel extremely insecure, leading her to undergo many plastic surgeries that were completely unnecessary and disfigured her.

In 2004, Reid had a boob job. Reid has claimed that "asked for big Bs" but that her plastic surgeon instead gave her C’s, which she did not want. Reid also had a procedure called “body contouring” which was performed by the same plastic surgeon. This surgery disfigured Reid’s stomach, giving it a rippled look, as shown below. Reid claims that she was unable to wear a bikini on camera and lost acting roles as a result.




Reid apparently began hanging out with/dating other people whose stomachs looked even weirder than hers in an effort to take the attention off her. (This is a tactic similar to the one used by fat women who hang out with even fatter women so that they look thin/normal in comparison.) Reid had to undergo subsequent surgeries to fix her botched plastic surgery.

In 2004 Reid suffered ridicule when she was on the red carpet at a party to celebrate P. Diddy’s 35th birthday. Reid was waving to cameras when her left dress strap rolled off her shoulder, revealing her left breast. Various photographs of Reid’s surgically enhanced breast were snapped and published throughout the Internet.

Reid had a growing reputation as a party girl at the time and was known to hang out with other famous party girls such as Lindsey Lohan and Paris Hilton. Reid cemented this "party girl" reputation when she appeared on Taradise. Reid has claimed that her appearance on Taradise irreparably ruined her career. Reid stayed true to her reputation in 2007 Reid when she was lost a lot of weight and was reportedly hospitalized for alcohol abuse. Reid also checked into rehab in November 2008 to deal with alcoholism and anorexia. After a 60-day stay, she was released and reportedly sold her story to In Touch Weekly for $150,000.

Reid’s partying lifestyle and botched surgeries have taken a toll on her public image. At the height of her fame earlier this decade, Reid reportedly commanded $60,000 per appearance (according to People Magazine), but by late 2008 was struggling to bring in $1,500 (according to Us Weekly). As a result of her excessive partying and botched surgeries, Reid’s acting career is practically on life support. Accordingly, Tara Reid is undoubtedly one washed-up celebrity!

Andrew Dice Clay

Andrew Dice Clay is a stand-up comedian and actor best known for his raunchy stand-up comedy routine during the late-1980s. Clay was very successful for several years until the public quickly tired of his highly profane shtick.

Clay's birth name is Andrew Clay Silverstein and he was born on September 29, 1958 in Brooklyn, New York. Clay began his stand-up career in the late 1970s, at age 20. Despite not knowing anyone in comedy, Clay worked hard to tighten his routine and craft a unique on-stage persona. As a stand-up comedian, Clay was known for being extremely crass, racist, and misogynist. While performing his stand-up routine, he would refer to himself as "Diceman."

Dice initially made several appearances on TV shows during the early 1980s, such as M*A*S*H, Diff'rent Strokes, and Crime Story. He also had a memorable appearance as a bouncer in the 1986 cult classic, Pretty in Pink. Clay was also perfecting his stand-up routine at this time and was selling out show after show throughout the late 1980s and into the early 1990s as his fame grew from good word-of-mouth. One of the trademarks of his routine was the recitation of absolutely filthy derivations of popular nursery rhymes, such as:

Hickory Dickory Dock,
My balls fell out of my jock.
I laid them to rest
On some hooker's chest
And paddled her face with my cock.

Roll, roll, roll your cunt
Gently down my prick.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
Then you'll suck my dick.

Clay was rewarded with his first HBO special in 1989, entitled "The Diceman Cometh" and filmed in front of a live audience in Philadelphia, PA. Clay's HBO special effectively increased his exposure and fame by an order of magnitude, leading to other media appearances, such as a 1989 appearance on the MTV music video awards and an opportunity to host Saturday Night Live in 1990.

However, as Clay's fame grew, his ego inflated to epic proportions. Meanwhile, many people became vocal opponents of his brand of gross-out comedy. During his 1989 appearance on the MTV video awards, Clay used so much profanity on the air that the network executives banned him from appearing on the network again. Women's groups also protested his brand of comedy, labeling him a misogynist.

Leading up to his 1990 appearance on Saturday Night Live, comedienne Nora Dunn, one of the headliners on the show, and the scheduled musical guest, Sinead O'Connor, threatened to boycott the episode unless Clay's invitation to host the show was rescinded. Despite the boycott, Clay did appear on the show - although the show was taped live, it was broadcast was a delay of several seconds to give censors the chance to bleep out any curse words that Clay might utter. (As an aside, Nora Dunn was fired from the show for her boycott.)

The public quickly began to tired of Clay by the early 1990s as people tired of his stale act. Although Clay had a starring role in the 1990s movie, The Adventures of Ford Fairlane, the movie performed poorly at the box office. Moreover, Clay was no longer able to routinely sell out huge auditoriums anymore and eventually decided to take some time off to regroup. Clay moved his wife and two boys to Florida for a couple years where he ran a Gold's Gym and underwent therapy.

Clay returned to Hollywood in 1995 to appear in a starring role on the CBS family comedy, Bless This House. Clay attempted to distance himself from his previous raunchy persona, claiming that his on-stage personality was merely an act and that he never meant the horrible things he used to say, and that he only said them to be funny. The public didn't seem to like Clay's more family-friendly character on Bless This House and the show was canceled after one season.

Clay subsequently had roles in other unsuccessful TV shows during the late 1990s-early 2001, at which point he stopped receiving offers for decent acting roles. Clay had tremendous difficulty coming to terms with the state of his career and became extremely bitter about his treatment by the public. Clay also vocalized his jealously of other, more successful comedians whom he deemed to be inferior. Regarding Jerry Seinfeld, Clay has stated:

"Watching Jerry Seinfeld on stage is like watching a fucking accountant. It's just so absolutely God-awful. I would rather watch a Monday night amateur who doesn't know any better try to create something funny rather than going, "Have you been to McDonald's lately?" Yeah, I have. What's so funny about it? The fries are good. You put me on stage, I'm the greatest stand-up ever in the history of American culture.

Clay's acting roles dried up after 2001 as the public wanted absolutely nothing to do with him. Clay attempted to revive his career in 2003 by appearing for an interview on the now-defunct CNN business news channel, CNNfN. Clay became extremely upset when the show's host asked him about his career and his time away from Hollywood when he was managing a gym. Clay's awkward and profane appearance did nothing to help his career, as should be no surprise to anyone who has seen this clip from his appearance:



Clay laid low again before attempting another comeback in 2007 with a reality show based on his life, entitled: "Dice Undisputed." The apparent purpose of the reality show was to show the human side of Clay. However, the only thing that the few viewers of the show saw was a deeply insecure fat and balding man. The amazing thing is that although Clay is overweight and clearly out of shape, he apparently has the deluded idea that he is in great shape - perhaps that explains why he wears sleeveless shirts which accentuate his flabby arms:


Clay also appeared in the celebrity version of The Apprentice in 2009. However, he quickly made enemies and was booted off during the first episode.

Andrew Dice Clay went from being one of the most popular stand-up comedians of the late 1980s to a washed up joke within a few short years. His massive ego and extreme jealously of more popular comedians have been him a very unlikeable person. For this and the other reasons discussed above, Andrew Dice Clay is one washed-up celebrity!

Ron Palillo

Ron Palillo is an actor best known for his role as "Horshack" on the hit 1970s sitcom, Welcome Back, Kotter.

Palillo was born on April 2, 1949, in Cheshire, Connecticut. Palillo was interested in acting from an early age. At the tender age of 14, he started his own summer theater in his hometown. Surprisingly, his summer theatre actually made money.

After high school, Palillo attended the University of Connecticut, majoring in drama. Palillo pursued his dream of acting while at Connecticut, appearing in many school plays. After graduation, Palillo took a job with a touring company which performed William Shakespeare's plays. Palillo later moved to New York and acquired a role in the successful off-Broadway play, Hot l Baltimore, with which he stayed for over a year. Palillo's stage success led to his breakthrough role as Horshack on Welcome Back, Kotter.





Welcome Back, Kotter was a hit sitcom that originally aired between 1975 and 1979. It is the sitcom that launched John Travolta's career into stardom. Welcome Back, Kotter was a sitcom about a wise-cracking teacher, Gabe Kotter (played by Gabe Kaplan), who returned to high high school alma mater (the fictional James Buchanan High in Brooklyn, New York) to teach a rowdy group of remedial wiseass students known as the "Sweathogs." According to the storyline, Kotter had attended the same remedial classes when he was a student at Buchanan and was a founding member of the Sweathogs. Believing that he was the last chance for the students to acquire a sufficient education to succeed beyond high school, Kotter befriended his students. Kotter even allowed the students to visit his apartment in Bensonhurst. Although inviting innocent young boys into his home would likely be frowned upon in today's society, Mr. Kotter surprisingly didn't attempt to molest any of the boys.

Palillo's Horshack character was the "Screech Powers" of 1970s sitcoms. Horshack was the class clown of the Sweathogs and was known for his odd and unique observations and his wheezing laugh, which was akin to that of a hyena.

Horshack was a popular character on Welcome Back, Kotter, although certainly not as popular as Travolta's Vinne Barbarino character. Despite his success on the show, Palillo struggled to find acting work after the cancellation of Welcome Back, Kotter in 1979. Palillo managed to acquire some non-recurring minor roles on shows such as The Love Boat, The A-Team, and CHiPs. Acting roles were so sparse that Palillo got a nose job in an effort to distance himself from his Horshack character.

However, Palillo's career never recovered. Palillo returned to the University of Connecticut to teach an acting class in the late 1990s. Palillo eventually decided to accept any TV roles offered to him, regardless of how sleazy they might be. In 2002 Palillo was so desperate to make a dollar that he actually agreed to fight fellow washed-up celebrity Dustin "Screech" Diamond in Fox's Celebrity Boxing.





Fox billed the boxing bout between Diamond and Palillo as a match to "dork it up" in the ring. Although much smaller than Diamond, Palillo decided to go through with the match, apparently thinking that some media exposure would help his career. However, Palillo was in for a rude awakening when he stepped in the ring with Diamond. Palillo started the match by pushing Diamond and trying to punch Diamond in the head. However, Diamond eventually started unloading on Palillo and quickly began beating the crap out of Palillo, eventually giving Palillo a puffy black eye and causing the boxing referee to call the match in favor of Diamond.

Palillo was not a happy camper after the match. Diamond claimed that Palillo asked the producers of Celebrity Boxing to talk to him before the match and asked him to go easy on Palillo because Palillo had just gotten nose and chin jobs. However, Diamond was infuriated when Palillo tried to punch him in the head and decided to get even by whaling on Palillo. Palillo was very upset with the beating he received; after the match Palillo said to Diamond, "Don't even talk to me. Just get away from me. I never want to see you again." Diamond has also claimed that Palillo's gay lover told Diamond that Karma was going to get him.

After his bout on Celebrity Boxing, Palillo was very embarrassed because many people were poking fun at him for losing badly to Diamond. However, Palillo now claims that he never received a black eye, despite the swelling around his eyes that is clearly visible in the pictures shown above. Palillo claims that the referee called the match because Diamond had knocked a contact lens out of Palillo's eye. Palillo also asserts that he gave Diamond a vicious beating during the bout and that Diamond thought that Palillo had broken one of his ribs in the one-sided match!

Ron Palillo's acting career quickly peaked with his memorable role on the hit 1970s sitcom, Welcome Back, Kotter. However, after the cancellation of the show, Palillo's career swirled down the toilet and has yet to recover. Palillo is currently so hard up for cash that he will speak to anyone on the phone for $20! As a result of his stalled acting career and his desperate attempt to revive his career by appearing on Celebrity Boxing and receiving the pummeling of a lifetime at the hands of uber-nerd, Dustin Diamond, there can be no doubt that Ron Palillo is one washed-up celebrity!


*** Update - August 14, 2012 ***

Ron Palillo died of an apparent heart attack this morning.  He was 63 years old.  

Kirstie Alley

Kirstie Alley is an actress best known for her role as "Rebecca Howe" on the hit mid-1980s-early 1990s sitcom Cheers.

Kirstie Alley was born on January 12, 1951 in Wichita, Kansas. Alley attended Kansas State University and the University of Kansas for a short time, dropping out during her sophomore year to pursue an acting career. Her first TV appearances were on game shows - in 1979 she appeared on Match Game and won $6,000, and in 1980 she appeared on Password Plus.

Alley's first major role was as supporting role in the hit 1982 movie, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn, where she played Lieutenant Saavik. Star Trek II was a major hit and Alley was offered a role in Star Trek III, which she turned down when the producers failed to meet her salary demands.

Alley later had a major role in the popular TV miniseries about the Civil War, North and South. Alley also had minor roles in other movies and TV shows throughout the mid-1980s until she was cast in her career-defining role as Rebecca Howe, the manager of the Cheers bar on the sitcom, Cheers.

Fans of Cheers liked Alley's character on Cheers - she was a very attractive woman and definitely had acting abilities and comedic talent. Alley won an Emmy for her role in 1991. Alley co-starred on Cheers from 1987 until the series finale in 1993.

While Alley was on Cheers, she also found time to appear in several popular major motion pictures, including Shoot to Kill, Look Who's Talking, and Look Who's Talking Too.

After Cheers went off the air in 1993 Alley continued acting in minor roles on various TV shows and movies through the mid-late 1990s. In 1997 she was cast in the starring role of Veronica's Closet, a sitcom about the head of a lingerie company. Veronica's Closet ran for three seasons, until its cancellation in 2000.

After the cancellation of Veronica's Closet, Alley cut back on acting a little bit and turned to the other passion in her life - greasy and fatty foods. Although once known as one of the sexiest actresses on TV, Alley tarnished her image by adding at least 100 lbs of pure fat to her body, becoming a morbidly obese woman and reportedly topping the scales at over 300 lbs. Her fans were shocked and saddened to see her so overweight.

Alley, however, maintained a good nature and decided to do something about her appearance - she starred in the 2005 mockumentary, Fat Actress, a sitcom inspired by real events in Alley's life. Alley also became the spokeswoman for Jenny Craig and kept to a strict diet between 2004 - early 2008 when she was fired for being too fat. During her reign as spokeswoman, Alley kept to a strict diet, eventually trimming down to 145 lbs at one point.

However, after being fired as spokeswoman, Alley stopped exercising and pigged out on food once again and has admitted that she has gained 83 lbs since early 2008.




Kirstie Alley is apparently addicted to Hostess Ho-Ho's and Ding Dongs, and almost certainly purchases 2-lb bags of M&M's and cuts open the bags and pours all of the M&M's directly into her open mouth. Although Kirstie Alley has had a very successful acting careers, the fact that she morphed from one of the hottest actresses in Hollywood into a morbidly obese hog means that Kirstie Alley is one washed-up celebrity!