Survivor: Borneo is the first season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor.
It was originally broadcast without a season title, but was later officially given the title of Survivor: Borneo to distinguish it from other seasons.
The show filmed from March 13 through April 20, 2000, and premiered on May 31, 2000.
Hosted by Jeff Probst, it consisted of 39 days of gameplay with 16 competitors.
It was set in the South China Sea on the remote Malaysian island of Pulau Tiga in the state of Sabah, about six miles (10 km) off the north coast of Borneo, Malaysia.The 16 contestants were initially separated into two tribes, Tagi and Pagong, which represented the names of their beaches.
When 10 players remained, the contestants merged into one tribe, Rattana.
While Tagi and Pagong's names and makeups were picked by the producers, Rattana was named by contestants Sean Kenniff and Jenna Lewis, because of a large amount of Rattan wood on the island.
After 39 days of competition, corporate trainer Richard Hatch was named the Sole Survivor, defeating whitewater rafting guide Kelly Wiglesworth in a 4–3 jury vote.
On August 23, 2000, the Survivor: Borneo finale received the highest ratings of any Survivor episode to date with an average of 51.7 million viewers.
Nielsen reported that 125 million people watched at least some part of the finale.
The season was released on DVD on May 11, 2004.
In 2006, it was revealed that Hatch failed to declare his winnings, among other earnings, in his tax return and was sentenced to 51 months' imprisonment.