NEW YORK – Sneaky “Survivor” winner Richard Hatch is finding life a bit tougher in the reality show known as prison.

Hatch, who used mind games to help win the $1 million prize on the first season of the hit show, is trying to concentrate on long-shot legal appeals since he was tossed behind bars for tax evasion last month.

“I’m … getting to know the place,” Hatch, 45, told the Dominion Post of Morgantown, W.Va. “But I don’t think I will adjust to any of this until I can prove I was unethically prosecuted.”

Instead of stripping off his clothes as he did on the small screen, the flabby Hatch will have to stick to the standard prison wardrobe of khaki shirts and pants.

It’s a little unnerving being around 1,300 fellow inmates who all seem to know his name – and have questions about his 15 minutes of TV fame.

“Sure, people know my name. (They) think they know me, so it’s an interesting experience,” Hatch said. “They all have questions – want to know what this experience is like and what “Survivor’ was about.”

Hatch became a pop culture icon in 2000 when he outmaneuvered other contestants to win the pioneering reality show. The former management trainer formed an alliance with other contestants, then used a series of underhanded tricks to help oust them one by one from the high-stakes show.

Over time, he revealed he was gay, stripped down to his birthday suit, caught plenty of fish and gloated over his win. It made for great TV, but Hatch somehow forgot to tell the IRS about his seven-figure windfall for being the last one standing on the island. The Newport, R.I., resident was convicted by a federal jury in January of failing to pay taxes on the prize and other income.

An angry judge sentenced Hatch in May to 51 months in prison, saying he had blatantly lied on the witness stand.

Hatch reported to a minimum-security facility in Morgantown on July 25.

Because of his extensive background in corporate culture, Hatch will spend his jail time tutoring fellow inmates, helping them to earn their high school diplomas and honing their job-hunting skills.

His lawyers are working on appeals, which experts have given little chance of succeeding.

Meanwhile, Hatch said, he is using his captive time to read and write a book about his experiences on “Survivor” and his subsequent legal problems.

“I’m focused on writing what has gone so terribly wrong,” he said.