Survivor 49 winner Savannah Louie revealed how much she had to pay in taxes after her time in Fiji.
Hint: It was a lot. The number even shocked her, and Savannah spoke about it during a new interview.
Yes, the winnings from reality competition shows are taxed. And it can add up quickly.
Sometimes, players have been known to spend their winnings before the tax bill was due. That can lead to problems.
Recently, a Big Brother runner-up admitted to being in that situation.
How much did Survivor winner Savannah Louie pay in taxes?
Savannah Louie won the $1 million prize on Survivor 49. It was a huge windfall for her, setting her and her boyfriend up for a long time.
While speaking on the May 6 episode of the Financial Tea with Mrs. Dow Jones podcast, Savannah revealed her shocking tax bill.
“It was like a punch to the gut,” Savannah stated. “Because that’s more money than I have ever made in a year, by far.”
The two-time Survivor player revealed her tax bill was about $380,000. That’s more than a third of her winnings.
Still, taking home $620,000 for winning a game is a nice chunk of change, even if it isn’t quite the full million dollars.
“To sign a check over, essentially, for that high, it was unreal. It hurts,” she also stated.
Savannah had to wait a long time to get her $1 million check
Fans may not realize that the winners of these shows don’t get paid right away. They have to wait until after the final episode of their season airs on television.
So, despite filming her season in the spring, the season finale didn’t 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.
Why the wait? Because the castaways sign Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) stating they won’t reveal the results. Leaking the results could cost them their paychecks.
Since Survivor 50 filmed right after 49, those finalists have had to wait even longer for checks to be cut.
Below is the full interview between Savannah Louie and Mrs Dow Jones.
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