Jeff Probst announced during the Wednesday, May 13 episode that the Fan Favorite vote is returning for the season 50 finale of Survivor
NEED TO KNOW
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Fans can vote for their favorite player to win Sia's $100,000 Fan Favorite prize
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Voting closes Wednesday, May 20, at 12:00 p.m. PT/3:00 p.m. ET
Survivoris celebrating season 50 with fans voting for their favorite.
Host Jeff Probst announced during the Wednesday, May 13 episode that the Fan Favorite vote is returning and is now “in the hands of the fans.”
The Fan Favorite is awarded $100,000 bySia, who has previously personally awarded the players she's loved the most. Sia's Fan Favorite prize began in 2016, and she's since awarded over $1 million to various players.
In honor of the milestone season,Survivorhas allowed fans to vote on featured key elements of the game, ultimately prompting Sia to give fans the opportunity to vote for their favorite.
Votingopenedat the conclusion of the May 13 episode and will close Wednesday, May 20, at 12:00 p.m. PT/3:00 p.m. ET. The season winner and Fan Favorite winner will be announced during the live finale that same day. The finale premieres at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on CBS and streams on Paramount+.
The return of Sia's Fan Favorite comes two years after Probst, 64, announced in May 2024, afterSurvivor's 46th season, that Siawould no longer be awarding moneyto her favorite players.
“After eight years, 14 seasons, 19 players and over $1,000,000 awarded,Survivoris officially bringing the Sia Prize to a triumphant end," Probst wrote to his Instagram stories at the time. The pop star began the tradition in 2016 at the 32nd season's live finale forSurvivor: Kaôh Rōng — Brains vs. Brawn vs. Beauty.
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Probst recalled that the tradition began after "Sia stood up in the audience during the live finale ... and made her way onstage. She was so taken by Tai [Trang]'s commitment to protecting a chicken from being eaten that she awarded him $50,000 of her own money.”
“Tai was shocked,” Probst admitted. “The audience was shocked, I was shocked! What was happening? Sia was onstage in her wig handing out money to a Survivor player!?”
In the years that followed, she gifted winnings to 18 more players. Seven players who each received $100,000: Rick Devens (season 38),Elaine Stott (39), Janet Carbin (39), Drea Wheeler (42), Jesse Lopez (43),Carolyn Wiger (44), and Katurah Topps (45).
The other 11 contestants who were awarded money of varying amounts were Donathan Hurley (36), Davie Rickenbacker (37), Aurora McCreary (38), Joe Anglim (38), Jamal Shipman (39), Owen Knight (43), Ryan Medrano (43), Lauren Harpe (44), Carson Garrett (44), Jake O' Kane (45) and Kaleb Gebrewold (45).
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Fans can vote for the season 50 favoritehere.Survivorseason 50 finale airs on Wednesday, May 20, at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on CBS and streams on Paramount+.
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