Kelly Wiglesworth, Greensboro's newest celebrity, almost became a millionaire Wednesday night.

She slumped off a remote island in the South Pacific and ended the tantalizing cliffhanger on "Survivor," the country's most talked-about TV show. She ended her 13-week stint in the country's unflinching spotlight and prepared to merge back into her life as a river guide.

Not so fast.

Sure, Richard Hatch, a corporate trainer from Newport, R.I., earned the $1 million prize on "Survivor" Wednesday night as thousands of TV viewers throughout the Triad watched. They included crowds at bars and Wiglesworth's own family at her dad's Greensboro home.

At 23, Wiglesworth is a survivor. Wiglesworth, a former Page High School student who spent part of her childhood in Guilford County, has become a national celebrity millions of Americans know by first name.

It's all thanks to "Survivor," a program Wiglesworth's friends urged her to apply for. Since its debut May 31, the show has drawn record numbers of viewers, given CBS a new audience, and turned into an exotic version of office politics that is the Triad's No. 1 summer hit.

Wiglesworth is bound to benefit, especially with nearly 25 million...