The winner of season 43 is the first in the history of the program to give away all of his money.
Mike Gabler’s victory over Survivor 43 shocked both the other finalists and the audience. The true surprise, though, came when Gabler declared at the reunion that he planned to donate his full million-dollar reward to organizations that aid soldiers. The expert in heart valves has now attested to having kept his word.
Gabler announced the news on Twitter/X on December 11 and said, “We did it! Survivor Season 43’s entire $1,000,000 has been donated! To get our veterans HOME, a LOT more work still has to be done. Both the USA and everyone else are blessed by God.
A picture of 25 different charities, including K9s for Warriors, No Fallen Heroes Foundation, and Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions (VETS), was posted by Gabler. He also made donations to charities that focus on reality TV, such as Born to Run Foundation, which was started by Noelle Lambert, a fellow contestant on Survivor 43, and Give Kids the World.
In a confessional, Gabler had revealed his intention to donate his riches before competing in the final Tribal Council, which he won 7-1. At the reunion program, he made the official news, shocking host Jeff Probst and the castaways.
The night of the finale, Gabler revealed in an interview with Parade.com, “I kept it quiet.” Before the show, I discussed it with my wife and a friend. And we said, “Let’s do something good and powerful if you make it to the end.” There’s a lot of bad news available these days. And I think, “Let’s use this money to do something really big.” I was all for it from the beginning, but I didn’t want to take advantage of veterans for my own gain. My goal is to help veterans.
With this act, Gabler becomes the first Survivor winner to fully contribute their winnings. Although some previous winners, such as Adam Klein from season 33, have made noteworthy public contributions, Gabler’s entire giving establishes a new standard. It’s unclear if his kindness will encourage other Survivor winners to do the same.
