SURVIVOR TOPS 51 MILLION VIEWERS
In the end, it came down to the game. In a stunning upset Richard Hatch, the 39-year-old gay corporate trainer who engineered the infamous Alliance that incurred the wrath of his fellow castaways (not to mention an entire nation), was named the winning Survivor castaway last night in a thrilling two-hour finale that accomplished a bit of a pop culture miracle: It actually exceeded its hype. Hatch walks away with $1 million and a shiny new Pontiac Aztek. And CBS walks away with a huge audience. The two-hour conclusion attracted an audience of 51 million with a 28.2 rating and a 44 share, according to preliminary Nielsen numbers. By comparison, the Academy Awards scored a 29.2/48 and last season's much-hyped ER finale had a 25.0/39. The Super Bowl remains the top-rated show of the year with a 46.3/63). For more Survivor wrap-up, see Insider. And be sure to join TV Guide Survivor expert
In the end, it came down to the game. In a stunning upset Richard Hatch, the 39-year-old gay corporate trainer who engineered the infamous Alliance that incurred the wrath of his fellow castaways (not to mention an entire nation), was named the winning Survivor castaway last night in a thrilling two-hour finale that accomplished a bit of a pop culture miracle: It actually exceeded its hype. Hatch walks away with $1 million and a shiny new Pontiac Aztek. And CBS walks away with a huge audience. The two-hour conclusion attracted an audience of 51 million with a 28.2 rating and a 44 share, according to preliminary Nielsen numbers. By comparison, the Academy Awards scored a 29.2/48 and last season's much-hyped ER finale had a 25.0/39. The Super Bowl remains the top-rated show of the year with a 46.3/63). For more Survivor wrap-up, see Insider. And be sure to join TV Guide Survivor expert Mark Schwed tonight for a live chat (7 pm/ET).