‘Survivor: Thailand’ Winner Brian Heidik Arrested

What is the deal with former Survivor winners?

First, Reality TV Hall of Fame inductee Richard Hatch found himself going into the Reality TV Hall of Shame because he failed to pay taxes on his winnings, among other criminal issues. Then Chris Daughtry got himself in trouble at his job for telling them he was sick when he was really on a Survivor-related tour outside the country. Oops.

Now Richard’s fellow Reality TV Hall of Fame inductee, Brian Heidik, winner of Survivor: Thailand, finds himself in trouble with the law as well.

Heidik was arrested in Douglas County, Georgia, on Wednesday after his wife said he shot a puppy with an arrow. He was charged with cruelty to animals and battery, and released on bond after a pretrial hearing. At that hearing, Heidik said he thought the dog was a coyote that had been harassing his own pets – so basically, he turned the claim of cruelty to animals around by saying he was actually protecting animals.

Heidik’s wife called police around 3:00 in the morning to say Heidik had shot a puppy and planned to shoot another one, according to police. Then, when the cops showed up, he tried to flee in his car. Well, that shows innocence, doesn’t it? But he was quickly caught in any case.

The battery charge does not relate to the puppy, but to evidence of family violence the police say they found in the home. As some readers may recall, Heidik had problems with his wife shortly after returning from Thailand. At that time, she was the one arrested for spousal abuse after she punched him in the nose when she said she came home and found him passed out on the floor while their baby (now five years old) was crying. At the time, he said he planned to file for divorce, but they reconciled, and were even seen together at the Survivor: Thailand post-finale party.

Now, if the charges are correct, the shoe is on the other foot. Or maybe Heidik’s wife realized that turning him in to the police was more effective than getting the police called on her.

Still, no matter who is doing the punching, it seems unlikely the puppy had anything to do with it. Furthermore, Heidik’s “coyote” excuse seems even less likely to be true. Heck, it sounds less believable than some of the excuses Richard Hatch came up with at his tax fraud trial!

However, we must remember that Heidik is innocent until proven guilty. Even Hatch, who was found guilty on some charges, was also found not guilty on others that seemed to be a lock from reading about the evidence. And considering that Heidik’s wife is involved in this – at the very least by turning him in – means we have no idea what could really be motivating the whole situation. They obviously have a rather stormy and complicated relationship. Thus, we at RealityNewsOnline will continue to monitor the story and keep you updated. But for now, despite the many calls for induction into the Reality TV Hall of Shame, we will hold off until more is known.

David Bloomberg is the Editor of RealityNewsOnline and can be reached at RNO@pobox.com.

Be sure to sign up for our e-mail update so you can stay informed about new articles on the site! And take a look at the rest of the site. You can find all of our recaps and other info on this show at the Survivor: Exile Island page, and take a look at our The Amazing Race 8 page and our Apprentice: Martha Stewart page. You can even buy reality show stuff at our Reality TV Store!

For more news about Survivor, be sure to check out SirLinksALot: Survivor and Survivor Fever!