Richard Hatch Thinks 'the World Saw Me as a Villain' Because They 'Didn't Understand Survivor' (Exclusive)

• Survivor season 1 winner Richard Hatch returns to reality TV for House of Villains season 2
• Hatch tells PEOPLE he believes viewers labeled him as a villain “because they didn't understand Survivor” when it first started in 2000
• “I'm not there to make buddies and not have conflict. I don't care,” Hatch says of his approach to House of Villains

Known for masterminding his way to winning the first season of Survivor in 2000, Richard Hatch just might be the original reality TV villain.

“They loved to hate me because they didn't understand Survivor,” Hatch, 63, tells PEOPLE. “The world saw me as a villain. I understood that the word meant something to people that wasn't reflective of what it means in the dictionary. Now more people understand the game, supposedly, and I don't know that they think of me as villainous. But I'll do whatever it takes in a game, and that's villainous to somebody.”

The reality star, who’s currently participating in House of Villains season 2, says that as competition shows have evolved over the last two decades, people who have watched that first season of Survivor in recent years message him to ask, “Why were they calling you a villain?”

Hatch actually thinks more reality competition participants should take a page out of his book.

“It's all these years later and participants still come on these shows and haven't a clue how to play the game,” he laments. “When you see House of Villains season 2, all you're going to see is tears, crying, emotion and whining. Where the hell were these people for the past two decades that they didn't know this is a game?”

The Rhode Island native entered House of Villains with the same mentality he brings to all the competitions in which he’s participated. “My strategy's always to adapt,” Hatch says.

He’s also learned not to be too trusting of anyone in a game. “I'm a skeptic,” Hatch says. “It doesn't matter what anyone says, positive or negative, it's all taken with a grain of salt.”

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That approach worked so far, keeping him off the Hit List in season 2’s two-part premiere as 90 Day Fiancé’s Larissa Lima became the first villain eliminated. Supervillain of the Week Safaree put Lima, 38, up against The Bachelor’s Victoria Larson and RuPaul’s Drag Race star Kandy Muse, who won her way off of the Hit List.

Hatch says 29-year-old Muse’s gameplay surprised him. “She knows how to compete and was there prepared to compete, but it was surprising how good she was,” he says.

Some of Hatch's castmates shocked him in a more negative way. “The thing that surprised me was that these people couldn't retain that they're in a game,” Hatch says. “They took everything personally. The emotions weren't fake. They were crying, they were angry, and I don't know what to do with that 24 years in. Stupidly, I came into this game thinking nobody's going to be that daft.”

Hatch also didn’t know how to handle Tiffany “New York” Pollard. “I've never met a human being like New York in my entire life ever,” the Celebrity Apprentice alum says. “I'd never seen her show before. I didn't know anything about it. I have never seen anyone interact the way she does.”

He didn’t think Pollard, 42, having competed on House of Villains season 1 gave her any kind of advantage in season 2.

“In fact, I thought, how can you conduct yourself like that and imagine that anyone would continue to interact with you, let alone find you reliable enough to be in an alliance with or to move forward with?” Hatch says. “I had no idea what was behind her strategy. I got to see pieces of who she really is toward the end and was really impressed with a few things that I learned about her that I couldn't tell through whatever it is that she does in these shows. It was interesting.”

Ultimately, Hatch kept his eyes on the prize rather than getting to know his castmates.

 “I'm not there to make buddies and not have conflict. I don't care,” he says. “Let's have some conflict. I'm fine with all of it. I want to win.”

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House of Villains airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET on E!