Matt Gabler, the winner of Season 43 of the CBS show Survivor, announced what he plans to do with his $1 million prize.
The heart valve specialist-turned-reality show champion said the funds will be donated to the Veterans in Need Foundation to help veterans recovering from post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health struggles.
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“There are people who need that money more,” Gabler, 53, said during the after-show, adding that the prize would be donated in the name of his father, Robert Gabler, a former Green Beret.
“We’re going to save lives and do something good,” he added. “Season 43, all of us did this. A million dollars is going to them. We made history guys.”
Sharing how the experience on Survivor affected him, Gabler called it a “chance of a lifetime.”
“We all have the chance of a lifetime out here, the adventure of a lifetime. … What we all learned from each other is priceless. It all made us better,” he told host Jeff Probst.
#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
Asked by Probst about his financial situation at home, he said he didn’t come from money but has been “fortunate enough to come from a military family” and wanted to give back.
“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,” said Gabler, who is the second-oldest winner in the show’s history.
“I need to be a better husband. I need to be a better father. I need to be a better brother. I need to be a better son. I’m going to do all those things, just like all of us are going to do that when we go home,” he added.
Gabler teased the good deed even before the season began, and on Wednesday, he made good on that promise.
“I was talking with a buddy of mine, who’s a veteran, and my wife. And we were talking about, ‘What if you win this thing?’ You know, I’ve worked really hard [all] my life. I’ve built a good financial setup around myself,” he said at the time.
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“But my father’s a veteran. My uncles are veterans. A lot of guys I went to high school and college with are veterans. And they need some help,” he added.
Survivor took place once again in Fiji. The finale featured the final five contestants, with Gabler coming out on top over Owen Knight, Jesse Lopez, Cassidy Clark, and Karla Cruz Godoy.
