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Sia is done giving cash prizes to her favorite Survivor contestants.
“It’s the end of one of the most unique eras in the history of Survivor,” host Jeff Probst wrote in an Instagram post a couple days ago. “After eight years, 14 season, 19 players and over $1,000,000 awarded, Survivor is officially bringing the Sia Prize to a triumphant end.”
The pop musician began giving out monetary prizes during the finale of each season starting with season 32, when she came on stage seemingly spontaneously to award $50,000 to fan favorite Tai Trang. “I still vividly remember the day Sia stood up in the audience during the live finale of Survivor: Kaôh Rōng and made her way onstage,” Probst wrote. “She was so taken by Tai’s commitment to protecting a chicken that she awarded him $50,000 of her own money. Tai was shocked, the audience was shocked, I was shocked! What was happening? Sia was on stage in her wig handing out money to a Survivor player!?”
“That was the beginning of what became affectionately known as ‘The Sia Prize,’” he continued. “And over the years Sia has brought so much joy to so many players and it was always straight from her heart. So it is with tremendous gratitude and admiration to Sia that we bring to a close one of the most unique relationships a TV show could ever have with a pop star of Sia’s global wattage.”
“I’m really honored for Survivor to have this one of a kind association with Sia,” Probst concluded. “She’s in the Survivor Hall Of Fame of Superfans!”
The last unofficial Sia Prizes to be handed out were during the finale of Survivor season 45 in December. Last week’s Survivor season 46 finale had no Sia Prize, though finalist Ben Katzman did release a new song to celebrate.
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