Winners of The Amazing Race receive a not-so-paltry million dollars, but that’s not always the full story. In fact, it’s not as if those who take home the big prize on shows like Survivor, Big Brother and more always get their money right away. In fact, there’s a lot of red tape in the process, and it’s becoming more and more common for reality winners to speak out about it.
Such is true of the most recent The Amazing Race winners for Season 37, Carson and Jack. The two fought through obstacles like the Fork in the Road twist and quietly racked up more wins than any other team. Even more impressive, they did this without being seen as major threats, which led to them being targeted less than other teams. In the end, they won the money… or at least in theory they won the money. Here’s their viral TikTok:
@dweebwars
♬ original sound – Dweeb Wars with Carson & Jack
story mimicked that of fellow winners Ricky and Cesar in 2024.
Gabby kept going off in delightful videos of her own. Finally, back in April, Windey confirmed she’d gotten her money, but that was several months after the finale aired and many, many moons after she’d filmed the series.
So, it happens. On pretty much all reality shows, the contestants don’t land the prize money until after the finale airs, which makes sense, as the shows don’t want the winners going out and spending, which could alert savvy people to spoilers. But some shows seemingly pay out more quickly, as Survivor‘s recent winner Kyle Fraser said he was paid a few weeks after the finale aired.
In fact, he was alerted in advance, and he and his wife watched the payment come in together (via Business Insider). The experience as winners can vary, but one thing is for certain: A lot of stuff in reality is faked, but the delayed payment thing is very real.