Shocking Survivor winner Savannah Louie has opened up about the amount she had to pay in taxes after her big win in Fiji.
Sage Ahrens-Nichols, Savannah Louie, and Rizo Velovic on Survivor 50. Pic credit: CBS
And yes, the number was eye-opening. Savannah said it even caught her off guard during a recent interview.
Reality competition prize money is taxed, and when the final bill arrives, it can be far bigger than viewers expect.
In some cases, contestants have even spent their winnings before the tax payment was due, creating serious financial trouble.
More recently, a Big Brother runner-up admitted she had found herself in exactly that kind of situation.
How much did Survivor winner Savannah Louie pay in taxes?
CBS
Savannah Louie took home the $1 million prize after winning Survivor 49, a life-changing payout that set her and her boyfriend up for years to come.
During the May 6 episode of the Financial Tea with Mrs. Dow Jones podcast, Savannah revealed the tax amount that left her stunned.
“It was like a punch to the gut,” Savannah said. “Because that’s more money than I have ever made in a year, by far.”
The two-time Survivor player said her tax bill came to around $380,000. That is more than a third of her prize money.
Even so, walking away with about $620,000 for winning the game is still a huge payday, even if it is not the full million dollars.
“To sign a check over, essentially, for that high, it was unreal. It hurts,” she added.
Savannah had to wait a long time to get her $1 million check
Many fans may not realize that reality show winners do not receive their money right away. The payout usually comes only after the season finale airs on television.
That means Savannah had to wait a long time, even though her season was filmed in the spring and the finale did not air until the following December.
“We have to wait until the finale airs, though, before we get that payout. And so, for me, our finale aired in December. So I was waiting a long time, very patiently. But literally, like less than 24 hours after the finale aired, I see that that $1 million straight deposited into my bank,” Savannah explained.
The delay is tied to NDAs, or Non-Disclosure Agreements, which keep castaways from revealing the results before the show airs. Breaking that rule could cost them their paychecks.
And because Survivor 50 filmed right after Season 49, those finalists have had to wait even longer for their checks.
Below is the full interview between Savannah Louie and Mrs. Dow Jones.
For more SURIVIVOR updates, follow Daily News. Come back here often for Survivor spoilers, news and updates.
