Wondering how long it takes to get paid if you win Survivor? Well, as it turns out, it's a long time, almost a full year for some winner!
Kyle Fraser was crowned the winner of Survivor 48 on May 21 on a 5-2-1 vote over finalists Eva Erickson and Joe Hunter. Despite winning Survivor 48 a year earlier in 2024, basically, Kyle still hadn't been paid by the time the season finale aired, according to a report from Business Insider.
In the interview, Kyle shared that he was paid shortly after the finale, ending a 10-month wait between his season of Survivor ending and the $1 million hitting his bank account. He also revealed that he and his wife watched the payment hit the account together.
"I was with my wife when it happened, and we were both incredibly excited," he told Business Insider.
I can't imagine waiting from July of last year to the end of May this year to tell everyone that you won Survivor and $1 million at the same time. Let's be real: I can barely wait to cash my paychecks every month. According to the report, Kyle was able to tell his fiancée about winning the season, along with his immediate family. To everyone else, Kyle, like all of the other new era Survivor winners, had to keep the win a secret, which had to be such a challenge. It has to be hard for the full cast, you know?
And, the wait is not created equally at all for each Survivor cast. For example, the Survivor 47 cast ended filming in May 2024. Then, the finale aired in mid-December. Survivor 47 winner Rachel LaMont only had to wait from May to December with that secret. It's still a long wait, but it's only about seven months.
Because of the gap between seasons, Kyle and that cast had to wait an additional three months-ish because Survivor 48, which filmed in June and July, didn't air until February and just finished in late May.
It makes a lot of sense why CBS and Survivor wouldn't pay out the prize winnings until after the season. It might be a bit easier to see a person living a bit more lavishly. They could easily spoil the season, too, with a very clear paper trail confirming the win. Of course, there are legalities preventing the cast members from spoiling the season, but money, as we have seen, can get away from people quickly. Having that time to wait before receiving the $1 million prize hopefully gives the winners time to plan for that incoming payment before actually receiving it.
I'm glad the wait is officially over for Kyle and the rest of the cast to finally get the opportunity to talk about what happened out in Fiji. It has to be such a relief for everyone, especially Kyle.
Right now, we're in the middle of a long wait to find out who wins Survivor 49! The season just finished filming out in Fiji, so we do know that cast is going to be keeping a secret for a long time, too. Survivor 49 premieres in September and ends in December.
For Survivor 50, which starts filming now, we don't know if the winner will be announced in Fiji or if we will have to wait for the live finale. Fans were able to vote on that for the new season, but we still don't know what was decided. I have a feeling we'll be having a live finale and reunion for Survivor 50.
We'll share more updates about Survivor 49 and Survivor 50 when we find out!