Survivor Contestants Get Paid Far Less Than Fans Expect, And The Winner's Salary Is Even More Surpri

Highlights

• Survivor fans may not know that players get paid significantly less than the $1 million prize, with some receiving as little as $3,500.
• Celebrities can impact the game, and body doubles are used, showing the show's secrets go beyond what fans typically see on TV.
• The $1 million prize has lost value over the years due to inflation, and winners now receive less than what the original prize was worth.

Even though Survivor has one of the most devoted fan bases, there are a lot of secrets about the show that many viewers don't know. For example, most fans don't know the first player who was medically evacuated went to jail, that celebrities affect the game, and that the show uses body doubles.

On the other hand, it seems like even new fans who are trying to figure out which seasons to watch first know that the winner gets $1 million. However, the truth about how much money Survivor winners and other players get paid to compete is more complicated than that.

This article will reveal how much money the people who compete on Survivor actually get paid. Then, this article will look at how much more the $1 million prize was worth during the early seasons than it is in the 2020s.

Survivor Winners And Players Don't Get Paid As Much As Most Fans Think

In the years since the first season of Survivor aired, certain aspects of competing on the show have become a lot more valuable. For example, more and more players have become more concerned about being able to call themselves the Sole Survivor than about the money.

On top of that, many modern players speak at length about how they are Survivor "superfans". For many of those players, just being able to go on the show, try the challenges, and interact with Jeff Probst is the main prize they are after.

As it turns out, it is a really good thing that many Survivor players see value in the game outside of the prize money. The reason for that is the truth that Survivor players and even the winners get paid a lot less than many fans think.

In May 2018, Survivor fans got a window into how much the show's stars get paid to appear. That came when an infamous player spoke out about how financially rewarding competing on Survivor is.

At that time, Fortune reported on a conversation that Jon "Jonny Fairplay" Dalton had with TMZ. While Jonny Fairplay has been duplicitous, his comments are credible in this case because they are in line with other reporting.

Clearly, Jonny Fairplay believed that starring in a season of Survivor was rewarding enough. While talking to Inside Survivor in October 2017, Fairplay revealed he was open to playing again. "If invited… depends on the theme... I’m interested in a Legends season, I’d like to prove to the other Survivors, the fans and myself that I’m the best of the best."

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As Fairplay explained to TMZ, the first player eliminated during each season would receive $3,500. From there, Fairplay spoke about how much money players who serve on the jury get paid for their efforts.

According to Fairplay, making it far enough to vote on who would win will get a player paid $40,000.

Of course, the most interesting question is how much the final three Survivor players get paid. Fortunately, Fairplay revealed what those figures are during seasons that have three players during the final tribal council.

According to Fairplay, the two runners-up from each season receive $110,000.

While most people believe that Survivor winners get $1 million, Fairplay told TMZ that winners actually get paid $1,010.000.

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The reason winners got paid a little bit more than fans think is fascinating and simple. Survivor players got paid $10,000 to appear during the reunion. However, since Survivor has adopted the aftershow instead of the reunion, it is unclear if players still get that money.

During the 40th season, Survivor: Winners at War players received more money. According to an Entertainment Weekly article, every cast member for that season received at least $35,000 . The season's winner got a $2 million prize with a possible reunion bonus.

If the reunion fee no longer gets paid, winners get $1 million, runners-up get $100,000, and jurors get $30,000. The first player out still gets $3,500 with the possibility of a $10,000 bonus if the reunion salary is still in effect.

Sadly, it has to be noted that winners don't take home $1 million and runners-up don't get $100,000. Instead, players have to pay a huge chunk of their winnings in taxes.

Richard Hatch is a cautionary tale about that since he spent time in prison because taxes weren't paid on his Survivor winnings. Hatch has always maintained that he was told that CBS would pay the taxes, but a court of law found him responsible and he was sentenced to more than four years in prison.

On the bright side for Survivor players that get eliminated before the jury, they also get an all-expenses-paid vacation.

Survivor Winners Now Get Paid A Lot Less Money Than The Early Winners

From the very start, every Survivor player has competed to win $1 million and the title of sole Survivor. However, what that means for a person financially has changed a lot over the years.

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When Survivor began, the idea of winning $1 million was so thrilling it almost felt unfathomable. Even now, that is a lot of money, but it certainly isn't what it used to be.

On the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis' website, there is an inflation calculator. That features allows fans to see how much further winning Survivor in the year 2000 would have meant.

According to that website, $1 million in US dollars from the year 2000 would be worth the equivalent of 1,769,465.74 as of June 2024. Considering how much more winning was worth during Survivor's first season, it is pretty shocking the show hasn't even tried to keep up with inflation.

Survivor

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