Susan Hawk
Encyclopedia
Susan "Sue" Hawk was a contestant on Survivor: Borneo
(season one) and Survivor: All-Stars
(season eight). She is one of only seven people in the history of the show to resign from the game voluntarily, resigning on day seventeen of her second season.
, were rooting for the working-class, midwestern truck driver, who presented herself as outgoing, open, and opinionated. Hawk seemed to get far in the game by using her secret alliance with Richard Hatch, Kelly Wiglesworth
, and Rudy Boesch
during a time when other cast members did not yet use alliances, and several even considered allied voting to be "cheating". Hawk liked being viewed as a stupid redneck during the game, and kept her intelligence hidden in order to throw off her opponents.
As the fourth-place finisher, she launched into her "rats and snakes" speech about the top two, Richard and Kelly. In her speech, she said there are only two things on the entire island: rats and snakes. Richard was a snake and Kelly a rat, and Hawk told the Jury members that they should obey the laws of nature by letting the snake eat the rat. She also told Kelly that if she ever saw her in a desert, dying of thirst, she would not stop to give her a sip of water and that she'd like to see the vultures get her. This resulted in angering Colleen Haskell
and Gervase Peterson
, who voted for Kelly. Nevertheless, Hatch still won 4-3.
The "rats and snakes" moment is arguably the most remembered moment in Survivor history, as the season one finale was the highest rated episode of Survivor to date and it was the first (but not the last) time in Survivor that anyone ever expressed such bitterness and anger. Entertainment Weekly
put it on its end-of-the-decade, "best-of" list.
competition.
She did reasonably well in the All Stars season until an awkward incident prompted her to leave. During an immunity
challenge, a naked Richard Hatch
rubbed up against her, and during the entire subsequent episode Hawk seemed to become more and more angered, embarrassed, and upset over the incident. At the next reward challenge, Survivor host Jeff Probst
made a passing reference to the incident, which prompted Hawk to respond with a very angry speech, accusing Probst of making light of something that Hawk viewed as harassment. Due to the nature of the show, Hawk's competitors were unsure how much of her emotion was real and how much was part of the game. Despite the fact that Hatch had been eliminated on the prior episode, Hawk claimed that "her mind left the game 24 hours ago" and decided to remove herself from the stress of the game in order to be with her husband again.
television show Access Hollywood
broadcast a "Where Are They Now?" segment on Hawk. According to the report, she and her husband now live on a 60 acres (242,811.6 m²) ranch near Clever, Missouri
.
Survivor: Borneo
Survivor: Borneo is the first season of the United States reality show Survivor. It was originally broadcast under the name Survivor but its official title was changed to Survivor: Pulau Tiga to distinguish it from subsequent installments of the series, and then changed again to Survivor: Borneo to...
(season one) and Survivor: All-Stars
Survivor: All-Stars
Survivor: All-Stars is the eighth season of the United States reality show Survivor. It was filmed in 2003 and debuted in the United States on CBS on February 1, 2004 after Super Bowl XXXVIII. It was set on the Pearl Islands of Panama, where the previous Survivor: Pearl Islands had just finished...
(season eight). She is one of only seven people in the history of the show to resign from the game voluntarily, resigning on day seventeen of her second season.
Survivor: Borneo
During the original Survivor season she was a fan favorite and even celebrities, such as Rosie O'DonnellRosie O'Donnell
Roseann "Rosie" O'Donnell is an American stand-up comedian, actress, author and television personality. She has also been a magazine editor and continues to be a celebrity blogger, LGBT rights activist, television producer and collaborative partner in the LGBT family vacation company R Family...
, were rooting for the working-class, midwestern truck driver, who presented herself as outgoing, open, and opinionated. Hawk seemed to get far in the game by using her secret alliance with Richard Hatch, Kelly Wiglesworth
Kelly Wiglesworth
Kelly Wiglesworth is the runner-up on the original American version of the CBS reality series Survivor.-Survivor:...
, and Rudy Boesch
Rudy Boesch
Rudy Boesch is a former Navy SEAL. After his honorable discharge, he was the oldest competitor on Survivor: Borneo at 72 years of age, where he finished in third place. He set the record again when he competed on Survivor: All-Stars at 75. He currently lives in Virginia Beach.-Military...
during a time when other cast members did not yet use alliances, and several even considered allied voting to be "cheating". Hawk liked being viewed as a stupid redneck during the game, and kept her intelligence hidden in order to throw off her opponents.
As the fourth-place finisher, she launched into her "rats and snakes" speech about the top two, Richard and Kelly. In her speech, she said there are only two things on the entire island: rats and snakes. Richard was a snake and Kelly a rat, and Hawk told the Jury members that they should obey the laws of nature by letting the snake eat the rat. She also told Kelly that if she ever saw her in a desert, dying of thirst, she would not stop to give her a sip of water and that she'd like to see the vultures get her. This resulted in angering Colleen Haskell
Colleen Haskell
Colleen Marie Haskell is an American television producer and actress. She was a contestant on the first season of the American reality show Survivor.-Survivor:...
and Gervase Peterson
Gervase Peterson
Gervase Peterson was a contestant on Survivor: Borneo, the first edition of the popular CBS reality television series Survivor, which premiered in May 2000, and was the highest rated American series during the summer of that year...
, who voted for Kelly. Nevertheless, Hatch still won 4-3.
The "rats and snakes" moment is arguably the most remembered moment in Survivor history, as the season one finale was the highest rated episode of Survivor to date and it was the first (but not the last) time in Survivor that anyone ever expressed such bitterness and anger. Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
put it on its end-of-the-decade, "best-of" list.
Survivor: All Stars
Hawk returned to Survivor in 2004, for the special Survivor: All-StarsSurvivor: All-Stars
Survivor: All-Stars is the eighth season of the United States reality show Survivor. It was filmed in 2003 and debuted in the United States on CBS on February 1, 2004 after Super Bowl XXXVIII. It was set on the Pearl Islands of Panama, where the previous Survivor: Pearl Islands had just finished...
competition.
She did reasonably well in the All Stars season until an awkward incident prompted her to leave. During an immunity
Immunity (reality television)
Immunity in reality television is a concept that is widely used in weekly elimination-type reality television shows by which a contestant participating in such a show may not be "kicked off" or eliminated from competition in a particular time period...
challenge, a naked Richard Hatch
Richard Hatch (reality TV)
Richard "Rich" Hatch is the $1,000,000 winner of the first American Survivor series, and was a contestant on The Celebrity Apprentice 4.-Early life:...
rubbed up against her, and during the entire subsequent episode Hawk seemed to become more and more angered, embarrassed, and upset over the incident. At the next reward challenge, Survivor host Jeff Probst
Jeff Probst
Jeffrey Lee "Jeff" Probst is an American game show host, executive producer and a reporter. He is best known as the host of the U.S. version of the reality show Survivor.-Biography:...
made a passing reference to the incident, which prompted Hawk to respond with a very angry speech, accusing Probst of making light of something that Hawk viewed as harassment. Due to the nature of the show, Hawk's competitors were unsure how much of her emotion was real and how much was part of the game. Despite the fact that Hatch had been eliminated on the prior episode, Hawk claimed that "her mind left the game 24 hours ago" and decided to remove herself from the stress of the game in order to be with her husband again.
Life after Survivor
On May 22, 2007, the infotainmentInfotainment
Infotainment is "information-based media content or programming that also includes entertainment content in an effort to enhance popularity with audiences and consumers." It is a neologistic portmanteau of information and entertainment, referring to a type of media which provides a combination of...
television show Access Hollywood
Access Hollywood
Access Hollywood is a weekday television entertainment news program covering events and celebrities in the entertainment industry. It was created by former Entertainment Tonight executive producer Jim Van Messel, and is currently directed by Robert Silverstein. In previous years, Doug Dougherty and...
broadcast a "Where Are They Now?" segment on Hawk. According to the report, she and her husband now live on a 60 acres (242,811.6 m²) ranch near Clever, Missouri
Clever, Missouri
Clever is a city in Christian County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,809 as of the 2009 census. It is part of the Springfield, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area. They have recently built a new high school and library. For being a small town they have some good businesses and are...
.
Other appearances
- Hawk appeared in the Survivor edition of The Weakest LinkWeakest Link (US game show)The Weakest Link is an American game show that aired on NBC from April 16, 2001 to July 14, 2002. It is based on the British show of the same name. Ten episodes were left unaired until appearing on PAX in 2002, with the remainder eventually airing on GSN...
competing against Ramona, Gretchen, Joel, Sean and Richard. She was the second person eliminated from the game. - Hawk appeared with Hatch in the reality show edition of the short-lived game show Dog Eat DogDog Eat Dog (US game show)Dog Eat Dog is an American game show, which originally ran from June 17, 2002 to August 26, 2003, it is loosely based on the UK version of the show by the same name...
. She won $25,000 as the episode's "top dog". - Hawk appeared with Hatch and other Survivor alumni on Family FeudFamily FeudFamily Feud is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. Two families compete against each other in a contest to name the most popular responses to a survey question posed to 100 people...
. - Hawk was twice a guest on The Rosie O'Donnell ShowThe Rosie O'Donnell ShowThe Rosie O'Donnell Show is an Emmy Award-winning American daytime television talk show hosted and produced by actress and comedian Rosie O'Donnell. It aired for six seasons from 1996 to 2002...
. - Hawk guest co-hosted Live with Regis in 2000, and interviewed future president George W. BushGeorge W. BushGeorge Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
. - In 2001 Hawk was a guest on an episode of the second season of Big Brother.
- Hawk guest hosted Talk SoupTalk SoupTalk Soup was a television show produced for cable network E! that debuted on January 7, 1991, and aired until August 2002. Talk Soup aired selected clips of the previous day's daily talk shows—ranging from daytime entries like The Jerry Springer Show and to celebrity interview shows like The...
. - Hawk was a contestant on Battle of the Network Reality StarsBattle of the Network Reality StarsBattle of the Network Reality Stars is a television series that aired on the Bravo channel in the US in August and September 2005. Based on the popular 1970s and 1980s television competition Battle of the Network Stars, the show consisted of thirty-three competitors from several different reality...
. - Hawk appeared on Hollywood SquaresHollywood SquaresHollywood Squares is an American panel game show in which two contestants play tic-tac-toe to win cash and prizes. The "board" for the game is a 3 × 3 vertical stack of open-faced cubes, each occupied by a celebrity seated at a desk and facing the contestants...
with fellow Survivor alumni in 2000. - Hawk was a guest on Politically IncorrectPolitically IncorrectPolitically Incorrect is a late-night, half-hour political talk show hosted by Bill Maher that ran from 1993 to 2002. It premiered on Comedy Central from 1993 to 1997, and later on ABC in 1997, which cancelled it in 2002....
with Survivor opponent Kelly.