What Does The ‘Survivor’ Winner And Runner-Up Get? Winnings After Taxes

“Survivor” viewers are about to be introduced to a new sole survivor come Wednesday’s finale of “Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers.” But before host Jeff Probst reveals the Season 35 champion of the CBS competition series, you might be curious to know just how much the winner and runner-up will be taking home.

Like past seasons, this year’s “Survivor” finalists will awarded a cash prize come the live conclusion. However, every contestant is not awarded the same amount for outwitting, outlasting and outplaying their competitors.

Wednesday’s first-place winner -- which could be any of the five remaining contestants including Ben Driebergen, Chrissy Hofbeck, Devon Pinto, Ryan Ulrich and Mike Zahalsky -- will walk away with $1 million. That winning amount is not only stated during each season’s premiere by Probst, but also stated in the show’s official rule book, which leaked in 2010.

That number, however, is cut down significantly due to the winnings being considered taxable income. The show’s rules state that all winners are responsible for paying “any and all applicable state, federal and/or foreign taxes on the prize as well as on any other monetary or non-monetary prizes won by the winner.”

While “Survivor” does not state how much of the winner’s prize will be cut down due to tax reasons, previous contestants have revealed there is a decent chunk of the winnings that go back to the government.

After being voted off the series in 2012, former baseball player Jeff Kent revealed roughly $400,000 would have been removed from the $1 million prize if he won. “…It’s not even a million bucks, it’s $600 grand by the time Obama takes it,” Kent said at the time. AOL reports the first-place winnings would end up being closer to $580K.

As for the runner-up, the second-place contestant is usually gifted $100,000. From there, the number only decreases. The show’s guidelines state producers can gift contestants “consolation cash prizes” for competing based on their order of elimination (the lowest amount being $2,500), but are not obligated to do so. The rules also state that, like the winners, all contestants must pay taxes on their earnings.

“Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers” will name its winner Wednesday night at 8 p.m. EST on CBS.