The latest survivor winner, Mike Gabler, who won season 43 of the show, is making headlines after he donated his entire $1 million prize to Veterans, saying, “There are people who need that money more.”
Why Survivor Winner Donated Entire $1 Million Prize
In case you haven’t heard, the season 43 Survivor winner is 52-year-old, Mike Gabler. The heart valve specialist from Houston, Texas is apparently a specialist in caring and generosity, too.
In the after-show, the survivor winner talked about what he had planned to do with the money all along. Even from the beginning, Gabler had planned to donate the entire $1 million prize to a cause that matters to him.
The Survivor show posted some footage to Twitter, with a “mind blown” emoji, showing their surprise at the Survivor winner’s announcement. Watch it here:
#Survivor: 43 made history in more than one way!🤯 Hear what our Sole Survivor is planning to do with the grand prize.👏🏽 pic.twitter.com/ROOxcv9t3H
— SURVIVOR (@survivorcbs) December 15, 2022
When asked by Survivor host, Jeff Probst, what he was feeling, knowing he would be receiving $1 million in prize money as a result of being the Survivor winner.
In his response, Gabler, celebrated that he was only the second person over 50 to win Survivor, saying that season 43 made history because of it.
That’s when the Survivor winner began to explain what he planned to do with the money.
“And I’m going to donate the entire prize – the entire $1 million prize, in my father’s name, Robert Gabler, who was a Green Beret,” He said. “…to veterans in need who are recovering from psychiatric problems, PTSD, and curb the suicide epidemic. We’re going to save lives and do something good. Season 43, all of us did this. A million dollars is going to them. We made history guys.”
Becoming emotional in his announcement, it was clear that the mental health wellness of Veterans means a lot to Gabler. He noted that he has several family members who have been in the military.
One might assume that Gabler is rich, thus giving the entire $1 million prize away would be easier for him, but he told Probst that he’s not saying, “I’ve worked very hard, I’ve been fortunate. But, you know, I realized being through this experience, I am rich at home. I have an amazing life at home. I have an amazing family. I have amazing friends.”
The whole Survivor experience made Gabler introspection, realizing what matters to him more than money. He said, “I need to be a better husband, I need to be a better father, I need to be a better brother, son. I’m going to do all those things just like all of us are going to do that when we go home.”
