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Survivor Season 49 winner tonight: How much prize money will the lone survivor get? Whopping sum revealed
Survivor is once again set to crown a champion, closing the book on another grueling chapter of one of television’s longest-running reality franchises
Survivor is once again set to crown a champion, closing the book on another grueling chapter of one of television’s longest-running reality franchises. The Season 49 finale is taking place on Wednesday, with Kristina Mills (36), Rizo Velovic (25), Sage Ahrens-Nichols (30), Savannah Louie (31) and Sophi Balerdi (27) battling for a whopping prize.
Survivor prize money details
While the exact amount for Season 49 has not been revealed, former contestant Corinne Kaplan, who appeared on seasons 17 and 26, shed light on the show’s payout structure during a 2021 appearance on the Trading Secrets podcast.
“I think people are always surprised to learn that we do earn money,” she said. “The same pot of money exists no matter how many players there are.”
What does the Survivor winner actually receive?
Every season since the show’s launch has awarded the Sole Survivor a $1 million prize. The amount, however, is before taxes.
Has the prize ever been higher?
Only once. To mark Season 40, Survivor: Winners at War, CBS reportedly doubled the prize to $2 million in 2019. The season featured 20 former champions, with Tony Vlachos emerging victorious.
“The $2 million prize was all CBS,” host Jeff Probst told Entertainment Weekly in 2020. “The truth is, Kelly Kahl is the guy at CBS who back in season 2 moved Survivor to go up against Friends. And we beat Friends in the ratings and his career was really made in that moment.”
Probst added, “He’s been invested in Survivor forever… and this season he said, ‘Can you try to make winners happen? And can we give them a $2 million prize?’”
What about second and third place?
Finishing just short of the title still comes with a substantial reward. According to Today and confirmed by Kaplan, the runner-up earns $100,000, while the third-place finisher receives $85,000.
Do all contestants get paid?
Yes, every castaway earns something. Kaplan explained that payouts are based on placement, with earlier eliminations receiving smaller amounts.
“So, what happens is, roughly, the first person voted out makes like $2,500, [and] it goes up very incrementally,” she said. “Those people only make a few thousand, and there’s a couple hundred [dollars] difference between them.”
Once contestants reach the jury phase, compensation increases significantly. “It works backwards,” Kaplan explained, meaning each juror earns $10,000 less than the person who finished just ahead of them, excluding the winner.
What was the Sia Prize?
In 2016, pop star and Survivor superfan Sia created an unofficial bonus award after giving Season 32 standout Tai Trang $50,000 when he failed to win. The gesture evolved into the “Sia Prize,” which she awarded to her favorite players across multiple seasons.
Over eight years and 14 seasons, Sia distributed more than $1 million of her own money to 19 contestants. Probst announced in 2024 that the tradition would end following Season 46.
