Survivor has been capturing the hearts of millions for the last two decades. Along with its difficult tasks that test the physical as well as the emotional strength of the participants, the show is also famous for its grand prize money. Initially, the show followed a 39-day cycle but later after Season 40 of the show it shifted to 26 days.
While many such changes have been added to the show especially after Jeff Probst took over the showrunner duties, one thing has remained constant, that is its $1 million prize money. While the show is currently airing its 47th season, Survivor fans are already buzzing with the updates of the milestone 50th season.
But before that let’s take a closer look at what would be the possible payout of the winner of Season 47 as well as what would each contestant make on the show, including the paycheck of host Jeff Probst.
Prize Money That the Winner of Survivor Season 47 Will Take Home
Survivor has managed to keep the ratings as high as they were two decades ago with its dedication to quality above anything else. From exotic locations to tasks that truly test a candidate’s physical and emotional strength, it’s not easy to win the game. But for the one that does manage to win the show, there’s also a hefty prize money to take home.
In the case of all the Survivor seasons, the prize money has been fixed at $1 million, and the ongoing Season 47 is also expected to follow suit. While this was the case for the majority of seasons, for Survivor: Winners at War the prize money was doubled to an unprecedented $2 million.
This was done in order to celebrate the show’s 40th season, making it one of the biggest payouts in Survivor history. Jeff Probst talked about the same in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, and gave all the credit to the CBS network, adding:
The $2 million prize was all CBS. 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.
He continued:
He’s been invested in Survivor forever. And he has given us free rein to do what we want for a long time. And this season he said, ‘Can you try to make winners happen? And can we give them a $2 million prize?
Not only this but every participant that will set foot on the island is guaranteed to take home at least $35,000. Everybody is now already aware that the show has a sliding scale of prize money with the first person to be voted out receiving $2,500 which goes up to $1 million for the winner.
In Winners at War, the players got at least $25,000 and the extra $10,000 for appearing in the reunion show totaling $35,000. If he or she gets back on the show with the Edge of Extinction twist, then the paycheck would be even more.
How Much Money Does Each Contestant of Survivor Make?
The grueling tasks and challenges definitely test the patience of the participants, but Survivor also makes sure to pay them nicely for their work. While the winner takes home $1 million, the runner-up also receives $100,000 for their participation. Not only this but the third rank holder takes home $85,000, which is obviously less than the prize money but still a decent amount to take home.
The fourth-place holder takes home $70,000 and as the ranks come down, so does the prize money but the players do receive more than what many expect. While the money is definitely eye-catching, past players have also spoken about just how tough the show really is.
For instance, Benjamin “Coach” Wade who has participated in Survivor several times talked about the exact moment when he realized just how real the show was. He added via Entertainment Weekly:
I thought I was ready for Survivor. I had lifted weights, ran for miles, mentally meditated … and as soon as we started the hike from the truck, I knew I was in trouble.
He further added that the hike took place in 120-degree weather and went on for 6 long hours. To add more to this they had no water, and during a brief break, Coach felt as if he was blacking out and needed immediate medical attention.
Jeff Probst’s Paycheck from Survivor
Jeff Probst has been the proud face of Survivor for several years now and has no plans of stopping anytime soon. While he is currently television’s most beloved presenter, his early career also saw him working unusual jobs to make ends meet. But one radio pitch made by Survivor creator Mark Burnett changed everything for him and he applied to the show through a demo tape.
In this, he also added a snippet of his Access Hollywood stint in which he had interviewed actress Sandra Bullock. Burnett was so impressed with his skills and got Probst on board as the host of the show. That’s the story of how the show landed with catchphrases like “the tribe has spoken” and “I’ll go tally the votes” to name a few.
While now it’s almost impossible to picture anyone else in Probst’s place, Phil Keoghan was also in the running for the host position. Ultimately, Probst got the role and the rest is history. For his participation, the host is also paid handsomely and reportedly earns around $200,000 per episode via Distractify. Given that on average there are 7 episodes in a season, this equals about $8 million per season.
This is a considerable jump given that almost a decade earlier he was making $50,000 less per episode than he is making today. Not only Survivor, but Probst has made cameo appearances in several shows as well such as Two and a Half Men, Family Guy, and How I Met Your Mother to name a few.
This has added considerably to his net worth which currently stands at $50 million via Bustle. This would definitely increase in the coming years given that he has no plan of concluding the competitive reality show anytime soon.
You can watch all seasons of Survivor on Hulu and rent it on Apple TV.
