Do ‘Survivor’ Contestants Get Paid For Taking Part in Show?

Winning Survivor means collecting a $1 million payday ($2 million for Tony Vlachos on Season 40, Winners at War). But only one person can win the season, so what about everybody else?

While very little has been said about the salaries of Survivor contestants, there is a bit known about whether players who aren’t the Sole Survivor actually walk away with any money. Scroll down for everything we know!

Are Survivor contestants paid?

Yes, Survivor contestants do get paid, but the amount is dependent upon how long they last in the competition.

In 2021, Corinne Kaplan, who appeared on Seasons 17 and 26, opened up about how much contestants earn from the show. “I think people are always surprised to learn that we do earn money,” she said on the Trading Secrets podcast. “The same pot of money exists no matter how many players there are.” This, of course, means that the amount each person gets is dependent on how many cast members appear on each season to begin with.

Kaplan also claimed, “CBS never accounted for inflation. There’s never any more money in the pot.” She said that the first person voted off the show makes $2,500, with subsequent castoffs getting a gradually increasing amount until the point where players who are voted out become jury members.

“Then it starts going up by $10,000 each jury member,” she said. “$1 million is first place, second place is $100,000, third place is $75,000.” (Other reports have stated that the first boot gets $3,500 and third place gets $85,000). Prior to Season 40, there was a live Survivor reunion show, and Kaplan said that players earned an additional $10,000 if they showed up (and didn’t breach their contract prior).

On Season 17, Kaplan came in sixth place and walked away with $45,000. When she returned for Season 26, she came in 12th place and made $20,000.

Who has won the Fan Favorite Award?

During Season 8 of Survivor, the Fan Favorite Award was introduced (it was later referred to as Sprint Player of the Season award). Fans got to vote for their favorite player to receive a significant prize, even if they were the person who had won the season.

For the All-Stars season, Rupert Boneham, who finished in fourth place, was voted the winner and got to take home $1,000,000 — the same amount as that season’s winner Amber Brkich!

The award returned in Season 12, where Cirie Fields (fourth place) won a GMC Yukon car. In Season 13, runner-up Ozzy Lusth also won a car (a Mercury Mariner).

The Fan Favorite Award was part of the show from Seasons 15 through 26 before it was retired. All of those winners received $100,000. In order, they were: James Clement (seventh place), Clement again (seventh place), Bob Crowley (winner), J.T. Thomas (winner), Russell Hantz (runner-up), Hantz again (runner-up), Jane Bright (sixth place), Rob Mariano (winner), Lusth (fourth place), Kim Spradlin (winner), Lisa Whelchel (third place), and Malcolm Freberg (ninth place).

Who has won the Sia Award?

Sia is a longtime Survivor fan. In 2016, she fell in love with Season 32 contestant Tai Trang and wanted to reward him. Trang finished the season in third place, but still walked away with $50,000 thanks to Sia. She also gave him $50,000 to gift a charity of his choice.

The singer brought the award back in future seasons when certain players’ stories resonated with her. In Season 36, Donathan Hurley, who came in fifth place, was awarded $14,000 from Sia. Season 37’s Davie Rickenbacker was also given $14,000 from Sia after his sixth place finish.

Sia Furler speaks onstage during the 5th Daytime Beauty Awards

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

After Season 38, Sia said that if Joe Anglim chopped off his hair and donated it to a wig-making charity for children’s cancer, she would give him the Sia Award. He wasted no time, cutting his locks backstage at the live reunion show. Sia gave him $15,000, which he donated to charity. That season’s seventh place finisher, Aurora McCreary, also received $15,000 from Sia, and Rick Devens, who came in fourth place, got $100,000.

On Season 39, Jamal Shipman came in 12th place, but got $15,000 from the Sia Award. Two other contestants from that season, Elaine Stott and Janet Carbin, earned $100,000 each from Sia following their respective seventh and fifth place finishes.

The Sia Award returned during Season 42 when Drea Wheeler, who came in seventh, got $100,000. Season 43’s Ryan Medrano, who finished in ninth, got $50,000, and so did second runner-up Owen Knight, while Jesse Lopez, who came in fourth, got $100,000.

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On Season 44, Lauren Harpe (fifth place) and Carson Garrett (fourth place) got $15,000 each from Sia, and Carolyn Wiger (third place) took home $100,000. Season 45 was the last time the Sia Award was given out. Kaleb Gebrewold (11th place) and Jake O’Kane (third place) each got $15,000, while Katurah Topps (fourth place) received $100,000.

Probst confirmed in 2024 that the Sia Award was being discontinued. “Over the many years Sia has brought so much joy to so many players and it was always straight from her heart,” he shared. “So it is with tremendous gratitude and admiration to Sia that we bring to a close one of the most unique relationships a TV show could ever have with a pop star of Sia’s global wattage.I ‘m really honored for Survivor to have this one of a kind association with Sia.”

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