Survivor

'Survivor' producers have dropped the hammer after a couple contestants broke their NDAs by posing together for a photo -- but only punished one of them ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to the production tell us Alec Merlino got the short end of the stick in the discipline department after posting a photo with fellow contestant Kara Kay and captioning their pic with a defiant "F*** it." We're told there's no decision yet on punishing Kara.

As for Alec ... sources say showrunners are withholding his appearance fee -- not prize money -- for the show, which comes out to about $10,000. He's also been disinvited to the finale episode broadcast, in which cast members come together and reflect on the season.

We're also told an email was sent to the rest of the cast addressing Merlino and Kay, explaining Alec had been punished ... and that others shouldn't follow suit.

All in all, we suppose Alec should consider himself lucky that he wasn't taken to court for violating his $5 million NDA. BTW ... Alec has since removed the photo from IG.

One of the best 'Survivor' contestants/lying scoundrels thinks producers should go easy on the 2 dimwits who broke their NDAs before airtime ... but says they still gotta pay.

We spoke to Jonny Fairplay of season 7 fame and podcast host Survivor NSFW -- known for lying about his grandmother dying and getting 3rd place -- and he tells us Alec Merlino and Kara Kay shouldn't be taken to court for violating their $5 million confidentiality agreements. He's got an alternative.

Jonny says the duo should lose their prize money from the show -- which he predicts is more significant than just a 1st or 2nd round payout, based on an apparent alliance/romance they seem to have formed ... which must've taken at least a few rounds.

BTW ... Jonny tells us just how much money is on the line for these two if showrunners go with his suggestion. It ain't $5 mil ... but it would definitely hurt a bit.

'Survivor' contestants can apparently get through weeks of competition and mind games, but not a basic NDA agreement ... as two numbskulls just proved, and it could cost them dearly.

Sources connected to the reality show tell us a pair of contestants, who we're told are starring in the upcoming season, flagrantly broke their confidentiality agreements this week by posting a photo together ... when they were specifically asked not to just last week.

Filming for season 37 wrapped last Wednesday, and upon arriving back home ... sources say contestants were emailed a reminder not to spoil anything with social media activity -- like following each other and, obviously, posing together.

Turns out, a guy named Alec Merlino and girl named Kara Kay did just that Sunday, captioning their pic with a not-so-subtle "F*** it" -- which fueled rumors they're on the show. Welp, those rumors were true ... Alec and Kara are on the show, and hit it off in Fiji.

We're told producers are now pissed at them for breaking protocol, and are now looking at possible legal action, withholding prize money ... or both.

Production sources say the NDAs have a $5 million penalty, but good luck collecting. Still, the contestants could possibly be on the hook for enough to make it hurt.

One of the Florida "hot cops" who went viral last year is getting another 15 minutes of fame courtesy of CBS' reality TV -- and we know what you're thinking ... it ain't THAT "hot cop."

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ that Officer Daniel Rengering of Gainesville, FL has taken a leave of absence to appear on the next season of "Survivor," which is about to start production. We're told his patrol job will be there for him if and when he returns.

In case you're unfamiliar ... Rengering and 2 of his cop buddies set the Internet ablaze during Hurricane Irma back in September, basically just for being "hot" and on the ground helping folks. Turns out, the guy in the middle -- Michael Hamill -- resigned after his anti-Semitic Facebook posts were uncovered. Rengering had nothing to do with that, though.

As for this latest shot at Hollywood ... sources tell us Rengering was approached by "Survivor" producers about 6 months ago, and that he agreed to be a contestant. He's getting paid for the TV gig ... no less than $10k ... and possibly up to $1M if he wins.

We're told he's flying out to Fiji to start filming season 37 by the end of this week. His last day at the Gainesville Police Department was last week. Good luck, bub.

'Survivor' winner Jenna Morasca allegedly was so whacked out on drugs she had to be revived with Narcan and, when she regained consciousness, she bit a cop.

Morasca, who won a million bucks on "Survivor: The Amazon" in 2003, was observed unconscious in her SUV in Washington, Pennsylvania in an intersection with the ignition on ... this according to the police report obtained by TMZ.

Cops were called, and they observed a passenger in the car trying to hide several syringes in a large Ziploc bag in her purse. Cops quickly determined Morasca was under the influence, administered Narcan, and placed her on a stretcher and into an ambulance.

According to the police report, Morasca, who also appeared on "Survivor: All-Stars" and "The Amazing Race," tried to bite paramedics on the way to the hospital. An officer entered the ambulance trying to subdue her, and cops say Morasca bit her on the forearm.

Todd Herzog -- the winner of "Survivor: China" in 2007 who has since battled alcoholism -- claims he was supplied with booze and drugs to get him loaded before he appeared on Dr. Phil's show.

In a shocking interview with STAT, Herzog says he was completely sober when he arrived to the TV studio in L.A. in 2013 to do "Dr. Phil" ... which was supposed to be about how his addiction was affecting his family.

Herzog claims he was struggling but was completely sober when he visited his dad's dressing room, but when he was shown his dressing room ... it was completely stocked with vodka and other drinks. Todd believes it was a deliberate move to get him drunk to make for better TV.

He also says someone on the show gave him a Xanax to "calm his nerves" -- which he'd never taken before -- and he was a complete mess when he appeared on the show because of it.

New "Survivor" champ Ben Driebergen gathered his inner circle of pals from the Marines and raised several tiny glasses to his $1 million victory. Oorah!!!

We got these pics of the retired Marine doing shots Wednesday night in Hollywood ... right after he won the 35th season of "Survivor." Ben and co. were celebrating at The Parlor where he was definitely the center of attention.

He posed for selfies with every fan who walked up to him -- including past players Bret and Hannah -- and by all accounts was totally humbled by his victory. While he was rightfully basking in the glory, some fans didn't dig the show's surprise ending -- Ben dodged elimination at final tribal council by winning a fire-making challenge.

The guy who won the first season of "Survivor," Richard Hatch, has split from his husband, and plans on getting divorced ... TMZ has learned.

Richard tells TMZ ... he and his hubby of 14 years, Emiliano Cabral, are no longer together -- and they're headed to divorce soon.

Richard -- who's 56 years old -- says Emiliano, 42, met someone else much younger ... in his 30s.

Hatch tells us he's devastated by the turn of events. That said, he vows to keep living his life and is looking again for love.

Richard and Emiliano tied the knot in Nova Scotia, Canada in 2005 -- but we're told they had a private ceremony amongst themselves in '03. Richard says they split 2 months ago.

We heard from Edorsson's lawyer, who informs us that the case against her client was "determined to be unsuitable for prosecution and the record of any charge has been dropped."

A 2-time 'Survivor' contestant is facing a battery charge after getting into an argument with her boyfriend and allegedly hitting him in the face.

Kat Edorsson was arrested early Saturday morning at an apartment complex by the Orlando PD after cops responded to a battery call. According to the police report ... Kat and her boyfriend were arguing in the lobby, and the security guard saw her strike him in the left side of his face.

Cops say the BF didn't retaliate and didn't want to press charges, but because she was determined to be the "primary aggressor" according to a witness ... she was arrested anyway.

Edorsson's facing a dating violence battery charge.

Kat tells TMZ ... she and her BF had a minor disagreement that "unfortunately got blown out of proportion when an uninvolved party observed the incident and falsely reported the circumstances."

Kat appeared on 'Survivor' seasons 24 and 27.

Transgender model Isis King is taking a strong stance in support of 'Survivor' contestant Zeke Smith after his televised outing, because she went through the same thing on "America's Next Top Model."

Isis was the first transgender contestant on 'ANTM' in 2008. She was outed on TV, and some rival models refused to acknowledge her transition. Tyra later funded her reassignment surgery.

Isis says Jeff Varner put unfair pressure on Zeke, especially because his being trans had NOTHING to do with winning or losing 'Survivor.'

She did say there's ONE situation where it's relevant, and we highly doubt it applies to tribal council.

Andy Cohen thinks the 'Survivor' contestant who outed his fellow castmate as transgender did a terrible thing, but believes there's a silver lining.

We got Andy Thursday at LAX where he was clearly disgusted by what went down -- Jeff Varner telling the whole tribe Zeke Smith is transgender. Andy told us what he'd like to say to Jeff, and didn't pull punches.

He did see some good news in how the rest of the cast responded. Varner has since apologized.

"Survivor: Game Changers" star Jeff Varner apologized again for outing his transgender co-star during Wednesday's tribal meeting, comparing the move to assault.

Jeff wrote a lengthy apology to Zeke Smith, who was born a woman, saying he "recklessly revealed something I mistakenly believed everyone already knew."

Jeff went on to say ... outing someone is assault since it robs a person of their power and protection.

Jeff outed Zeke to save himself at the tribal council. Most of the others jumped to Zeke's defense.

Former "Survivor" contestant Michael Skupin is now a registered sex offender, and on his way to prison for possession of child porn and running a Ponzi scheme.

Skupin -- who's been sentenced to up to 4 years behind bars -- is being transferred Monday to Michigan State Prison after being convicted last month.

Once Skupin gets out, some of his supervision conditions include ... no contact with any minors, staying 1,000 feet away from all schools, no owning or using a computer and random drug and alcohol testing.

As we reported ... law enforcement found Skupin's child pornography when cops were investigating his involvement in a Ponzi scheme.

Sia and her famous bangs handed out major bucks ... $100k to one of the 'Survivor' finalists, who was 100% surprised by her generous gift.

During Wednesday night's finale a voice was heard interrupting Jeff Probst ... and then Sia shocked everyone by jumping onstage and dishing out the dough to fan favorite Tai Trang. Sia's reason for the big donation -- she's a huge fan of the show and was moved by Trang's positive messages throughout the season.

$50k is going directly to Trang, and the rest to his favorite charities. Trang tells us he's still unsure how he'll spend his cut -- but is vowing to spread the other half around several charities in San Francisco, where he lives.

A contestant on "Survivor: Kaoh Rong" failed to outwit, outplay and outlast the feds ... because she pled guilty to felonies for falsifying Hurricane Katrina water test results ... TMZ has learned.

Debbie Wanner, a 49-year-old chemist from Reading, PA, was arrested in 2010 and charged with 3 counts of falsifying test results from Hurricane Katrina water samples.

Wanner worked for a private lab that did testing for various Pennsylvania counties and private companies. Her company was hired to ensure water met various environmental standards.

According to legal docs, Wanner took on clients when she knew her company did not have the proper equipment to provide accurate results. The criminal complaint alleges she falsified water test results.

Wanner pled guilty to 3 felonies for falsifying results. She was placed on 1 year probation.

It's interesting timing ... she's on the show in the middle of the Flint water crisis.

Debbie's strutting her expertise on 'Survivor' on all things water ... if they only knew.

Former "Survivor" contestant Michael Skupin -- whose claim to fame on the show was falling in a fire pit -- has been charged with several counts of possessing child porn.

Michigan's Attorney General announced the charges Friday ... including 6 counts of possession of child porn, 5 counts of larceny and 1 count of racketeering.

The A.G. says Skupin came under investigation after people came forward claiming they were victims of his Ponzi scheme, losing up to $10k. When investigators seized Skupin's computer, they discovered images of underage kids in sexual situations, according to the A.G.