5 Richest Survivor Winners (Number 5 Alone Worth a Whopping $40 Mil)
These contestants may not have won the show, but they are winners in real life.
Survivor is a reality competition series where contestants are stranded on a remote island and have to survive in near-primitive conditions over the course of several weeks.
The cast take part in difficult challenges, form tribes, and vote out their rivals, making for a compelling show with plenty of extreme action scenes and personal drama.
Of course, it's not just the contestants' desire to survive in the wilderness and outdo their rivals that's driving them to win. A huge sum of money is at stake, and it goes to the one person who's deemed most worthy of the title of Sole Survivor. With a $1-million cash prize, the winner can safely survive in the US or anywhere else in the world.
Let's see which of the show's contestants have been the most successful money-wise. And no, none of them had to win the show to earn that much!
5. Jeff Kent
The Major League Baseball star became a TV celebrity in 2012, as he appeared on the 25th season of Survivor, which took place in the Philippines. Jeff did not win the competition, but he was the second member of the jury. Thanks to his successful career in sports, Kent's net worth is $40 million.
4. Jimmy Johnson
The former NFL coach competed on Survivor: Nicaragua. Johnson's coaching skills helped him become a leader of the Espada tribe, but the American football legend was eliminated as early as on Day 8. Although he did not win, Johnson is still more successful than many real winners, with his net worth estimated to be around $45 million.
3. Brendan Synnott
Survivor: Tocantins castaway Brendan Synnott is remembered as a resourceful and cunning contestant — or even downright slippery, according to some fans. He is an entrepreneur and founder of the food company Bear Naked, which was acquired by Kellogg in 2007 for approximately $80 million, making Synnott one of the show's wealthiest alums.
2. Heidi Hamels
Heidi Hamels (née Strobel) is a true veteran of Survivor, having appeared on one of the most popular and intense seasons, The Amazon. Known for her unconventional approach to survival, Heidi came very close to winning, but three people voted her out in the penultimate episode. After the show, she married famous baseball pitcher Cole Hamels, whose net worth is estimated at $105 million.
1. David Samson
The show's richest contestant competed on Survivor: Cagayan and was eliminated in the first episode because members of his tribe decided to punish him for targeting fellow castaways. But the loss meant little to Samson, who went on to become an executive with the Montreal Expos baseball team and president of the Miami Marlins. Today, Samson hosts several sports shows, and his net worth is a staggering $200 million!