Original Survivor winner Richard Hatch is currently living his own version of Exile Island.

The reality champ, who was found guilty of tax evasion in January for failing to pay taxes on his $1 million prize as well as on other income, is in protective custody and being kept apart from his fellow prisoners at a Plymouth, Massachusetts, jail while awaiting sentencing later this month.

As a contestant on Survivor, Hatch was able to maintain his personal space by eschewing clothing and letting it all hang out, much to the disgust of the other contestants who subsequently gave him a wide berth.

However, his jail house segregation has nothing to do with his propensity for nudity, but stems instead from the fact that he is, by the loosest definition of the word, a celebrity, according to Charles Wyant, a supervisory deputy U.S. marshal.

"The situation he's in is the best possible position for him to be in at this point in time, the safest and most secure," Wyant told the Associated Press.

Wyant said that all prisoners spend their first three days at the jail in solitary confinement before being moved into the general population, but that Hatch requested to continue his isolation.

Hatch was detained immediately following his verdict because U.S. District Court Judge Ernest Torres felt that he posed a flight risk.

His lawyer, Michael Minns, told the Associated Press that his client's conditions had improved since he first arrived in jail, despite the shortcomings of the prison cuisine.

"I'd just hate for someone to think these are pleasant conditions," Minns said.

Though Hatch could face a maximum of 13 years behind bars as well as a $600,000 fine when he is sentenced on Apr. 25, Minns said he expected a sentence of between two years, nine months and three years, five months.

However, the Rhode Island native could face a stiffer sentence, as prosecutors have accused him of lying during his testimony.

Hatch's tax troubles began in January 2005, when he was charged with two counts of tax evasion for failing to report his Survivor winnings, despite the fact that an audience of more than 50 million was looking on as the hefty check was handed over.

After his arraignment, Hatch struck a tentative deal with prosecutors to enter a guilty plea in exchange for a maximum of five years behind bars and $250,000 in fines.

But in March, Hatch backed out of the deal, choosing instead to face trial on the charges. He was subsequently indicted on 10 charges, including filing a false tax return, wire fraud, bank fraud and mail fraud, in addition to tax evasion.

At trial, neither the reality vet's contention that he thought Mark Burnett was responsible for taking care of the taxes on his Survivor bounty, nor his lawyer's claim that Hatch was simply "the world's worst bookkeeper" rang true to the jury.

He was found guilty on three of the 10 charges against him, bringing his tax immunity challenge to a close.