Jeff Probst spills the Truth on actor pay, and Rob Mariano’s massive earnings ignite fan debate

Since its very first season in 2000, the winner of “Survivor” has always walked away with a grand prize of $1,000,000. Today, 25 years and 49 seasons later, the long-running reality show’s payout remains the same for those able to outwit, outplay and outlast their competitors. But what about the castaways who don’t win the show? Do they get paid? And, if so, how much?

Well, thanks to three-time “Survivor” player Kelley Wentworth, we now know the answer.

The fan-favorite player, who got her start on the series’ “San Juan del Sur: Blood vs. Water” season in 2014, opened up about the compensation players can expect to walk away with, even if they don’t win the show, in a recent video posted to TikTok.

Kelley Wentworth Explains How Much ‘Survivor’ Players Get Paid

Wentworth, who has become a common source for spilling behind-the-scenes “Survivor” secrets since she joined TikTok in December 2020, has previously shared insider information about the show’s wardrobe department, casting process, and more.

Now, she’s opening up about how CBS compensates eliminated players after “Survivor 49” contestant Rizo Velovic said in an on-screen confessional that, for him, “being in 10th or being in 4th, makes no difference for me. I’m here to win this game.”

While Wentworth agreed all players should go into the game with the Rizo’s mindset if they want to win the million dollar prize, she quantified that, in terms of payout, “there is a massive pay difference between 10th place and 4th place.”

“Every player that goes on ‘Survivor’ does get some sort of compensation,” she explained, adding that the payouts are delivered “on a scale based on your placement.”

“If you’re voted out first, you’re gonna get the lowest amount of money,” Wentworth added, approximating the payout for first boot’s to be around $2500.

From there, the compensation increases. For players who make it the Jury, they can expect to take home at least $20,000 for their time and effort.

Rob Mariano’s Prize Winnings

The big headline here when it comes to Rob Mariano’s six Survivor appearances is that he won Season 22 of the long-running competition show. Survivor winners take home a cash prize of $1,000,000 dollars. Survivor notably has a large payout when it comes to runner-ups as well, and when his (now) wife Amber Brkich won in Season 8, Mariano came in second and would have taken home additional prize money, as well.

One interesting fact about returning players on network reality shows is that they are often incentivized to come back. While not verified by CBS, it has been reported that stars like Boston Rob and Parvati Shallow were paid a fee of $100,000 just to show up for Winners at War. Rob would definitely have been paid separately, as well, to appear as a mentor for Survivor: Island of the Idols, though Mariano would tell you it was more of a “pay it forward” idea than one about getting paid, as he recounted to EW.

Wentworth Reveals How Much Money She Made on ‘Survivor’

“Fourth place on ‘Survivor’ pays about $65,000,” said Wentworth, speaking from experience following her fourth place finish on “Survivor: Cambodia.”

During her most recent series appearance on “Survivor: Edge of Extinction,” she finished the competition in 10th place, which she revealed resulted in a payout of “probably between $20,000 to $25,000.”

So, between her 14th place finish on “Survivor: San Juan del Sur” (approx. $3,500), for 4th place finish on “Cambodia” ($65,000), and her 10th place finish on “Edge of Extinction” ($25,000), Wentworth pocketed around $93,500 – before taxes – between her three “Survivor” appearances.

“These numbers are based on Old Era,” she qualified, adding that she’s unaware if the show has altered the way it compensates players for New Era seasons.

While the payout is certainly impressive, it still pales in comparison to the show’s coveted $1 million prize for its winner.