Spoiler: The Winner of ‘Survivor 50’ Doesn’t Actually Take Home a $2 Million Prize
Spoiler: The Winner of ‘Survivor 50’ Doesn’t Actually Take Home a $2 Million Prize
Spoilers for Survivor 50 ahead!
And just like that, the biggest season of one of the best reality TV shows of all time, Survivor 50, has come to an end. Fan favorites from every season returned for another chance to compete in challenges with each tribe for the title of Sole Survivor—and, of course, the show’s whopping cash prize. Typically, the Sole Survivor wins $1 million, but in this all-star season, the stakes were raised even higher since the prize increased to $2 million. Or…so I thought.
Aubry Bracco officially outlived all the other tribe members, making her this season’s Sole Survivor. “I’ve been waiting for this for ten years, and I couldn’t be more honored and grateful,” Aubry said through tears after winning the title. “Thank you to everybody who loves this show. So much heart and soul goes into it, and I’m just so grateful.”
So, is Aubry actually taking home $2 million? The answer’s a little complicated, but allow me to break it down for you.
How much does the winner of Survivor 50 take home?
While Aubry did win the money, the U.S. treats winnings from a lottery or game show as regular income. Meaning: Aubry will have to pay taxes on the prize pot. And, in the nature of being nosy, I went ahead and did the math so you don’t have to.
Per U.S. tax laws, production companies are expected to immediately withhold (at least) 24 percent federal tax if a prize is over $5,000. Because the Survivor 50 prize is much higher, Aubry will have to pay 37 percent of federal taxes on her winnings, deducting $740,000 from the prize pot.
Then, there’s the state tax, depending on where she lives. After some digging, it looks like she resides in Los Angeles, meaning she has to throw in another 13 percent, which could range from $180,000 to $265,000. So, after ^^^ all that, she’ll likely be left with a prize actually ranging from $995,000 to $1,080,000.




