How Survivor Winners Spent Their Prize Money

With Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans now wrapped — and Aubry Bracco walking away with a historic $2 million prize courtesy of a MrBeast coin toss — the question that always comes up after every finale is back: what do these people actually do with the money?

The answer, it turns out, is all over the map.

Survivor

Aras Baskauskas spent 39 days starving and sleep-deprived off the coast of Panama to earn his million at the age of 24, then used it to start a hat business. Five years later, he was $50,000 in debt. “There’s some idea that having a million dollars improves your life,” he told CNN. “It just changes it. And whatever problems you’re gonna find yourself in, you’ll find them with or without that money.”

Cool. Great. Very comforting.

Then there’s the more inspiring end of the spectrum. After Ethan Zohn won Survivor: Africa in 2001, he was approached by two former teammates from Zimbabwean football club Highlanders FC about starting a charity. He donated the funds to co-found Grassroot Soccer, which for the last two decades has helped educate teens worldwide on issues like HIV prevention and mental health through the sport. “I was all in,” Zohn said. “Of course I splurged a little bit!”

Earl Cole used some of his winnings to travel, visiting 35 different countries rather than buy material items. “I wanted this life experience because that’s priceless,” he explained. He also went back to Fiji — the location where he played — to experience it properly, and used the money to create the Earl Cole Fund with the Perthes Kids Foundation for a bone disease he’d had as a child.

Yul Kwon started the SMART Tire Company, which was featured in TIME’s Best Inventions in 2023 for its airless bicycle wheel. He also gave money to family, traveled to over 60 countries, and “invested wisely,” he said. Not bad.

And then there’s Richard Hatch. The season one winner famously did not pay his taxes. According to court documents obtained by People, a judge ruled in March 2024 that Hatch owes $3,293,471.56 — plus interest accruing until the full amount is paid. With penalties, the total is more than three times the original $1,010,000 prize. The case covers federal income tax liabilities from 2000, 2001, and 2012. Alas.

As for the newest winner: Aubry Bracco told E! News post-victory that she has a two-and-a-half-year-old, and wants to make sure his future is taken care of — though she’s hoping that doesn’t completely dry up her funds. Fair enough. That’s $2 million, so she should have a little breathing room.

So How Do Survivor Winners Spend Their Money?

Here’s what we could find out about each seasons winner.

S1 – S10

Season	Winner	Reported use of winnings
1 – Borneo	Richard Hatch	Failed to properly pay taxes on the prize, leading to legal troubles and prison time.
2 – The Australian Outback	Tina Wesson	Unknown
3 – Africa	Ethan Zohn	Invested much of the money and later supported charitable work, particularly soccer and humanitarian projects in Africa.
4 – Marquesas	Vecepia Towery	Unknown
5 – Thailand	Brian Heidik	Unknown
6 – The Amazon	Jenna Morasca	Unknown
7 – Pearl Islands	Sandra Diaz-Twine	Used money for family security, home-related expenses, and investments.
8 – All-Stars	Amber Mariano	Helped establish her life with Rob Mariano, including family and real-estate expenses.
9 – Vanuatu	Chris Daugherty	Unknown
10 – Palau	Tom Westman	Unknown

S11 – S20

11 – Guatemala	Danni Boatwright	Unknown
12 – Panama	Aras Baskauskas	Unknown
13 – Cook Islands	Yul Kwon	Donated a significant portion to charitable causes and community organizations.
14 – Fiji	Earl Cole	Spent heavily on travel, visiting 35–40+ countries, and later supported charitable work through his foundation.
15 – China	Todd Herzog	Unknown
16 – Micronesia	Parvati Shallow	Traveled extensively and invested in personal/business ventures.
17 – Gabon	Bob Crowley	Unknown
18 – Tocantins	J.T. Thomas	Unknown
19 – Samoa	Natalie White	Unknown
20 – Heroes vs. Villains	Sandra Diaz-Twine	Similar approach as her first win: family security, investments, and long-term financial stability.

S21- S30

21 – Nicaragua	Jud Birza	Unknown
22 – Redemption Island	Rob Mariano	Contributed to family finances and real-estate investments.
23 – South Pacific	Sophie Clarke	Unknown
24 – One World	Kim Spradlin-Wolfe	Invested the money rather than making large luxury purchases.
25 – Philippines	Denise Stapley	Focused on family support and financial security.
26 – Caramoan	John Cochran	Paid student loans and used the cushion to pursue screenwriting.
27 – Blood vs. Water	Tyson Apostol	Invested and used the money to support family life.
28 – Cagayan	Tony Vlachos	Paid debts, invested, and later got involved in house-flipping and real-estate ventures.
29 – San Juan del Sur	Natalie Anderson	Used winnings to create financial flexibility and pursue opportunities outside traditional employment.
30 – Worlds Apart	Mike Holloway	Unknown

S31-S40

31 – Cambodia	Jeremy Collins	Used winnings to support his family and future financial goals.
32 – Kaôh Rōng	Michele Fitzgerald	Unknown
33 – Millennials vs. Gen X	Adam Klein	Paid debts and focused on long-term financial planning.
34 – Game Changers	Sarah Lacina	Unknown
35 – Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers	Ben Driebergen	Paid off debt and supported family needs.
36 – Ghost Island	Wendell Holland	Reinvested in his furniture and design business.
37 – David vs. Goliath	Nick Wilson	Unknown
38 – Edge of Extinction	Chris Underwood	Unknown
39 – Island of the Idols	Tommy Sheehan	Unknown
40 – Winners at War	Tony Vlachos	Won $2 million and continued investing, supporting family, and pursuing real-estate projects while remaining a police officer.

S41-S50

41–48	Various New Era winners	Most have not publicly detailed how they spent their winnings.
49	Savannah Louie	Publicly discussed the tax impact, noting that roughly $620,000 remained after federal taxes.
50	Aubry Bracco	Has said she plans to invest the $2 million prize and use it for her son’s future rather than luxury spending.

UK fans looking to follow Bracco into next season should note that the US version of Survivor doesn’t air in the UK — though Brits can catch the sole season of the homegrown version for free on BBC iPlayer. For the American series, a VPN and a US Paramount+ subscription is currently the workaround.

We’ll keep you posted on updates about Survivor as the project develops.