Sia Keeps Giving 'Survivor' Contestants Money

BY Matt BobkinPublished May 24, 2018

When you admit to still being a fan of long-running reality TV game show Survivor, most people will respond to you with a "That show's still on?" or "You know it's fake, right?" But Survivor fans can count among them Sia, the platinum wig-clad pop star, who has occasionally used her profile to financially support her favourite contestants. 

Last night (May 23), at the live finale of Survivor: Ghost Island, the show's 36th season, host Jeff Probst informed contestant Donathan Hurley that the pop star was going to give him $10,000 after being moved by his life story. The 26-year-old caretaker frequently spoke about growing up openly gay in eastern Kentucky. 

Later that night, Sia took to Twitter to announce that she was increasing her gift to $14,000, the maximum amount she could donate tax-free. 
 
Though Sia didn't appear on the program itself, she was in attendance, revealed Hurley to Entertainment Weekly. After Probst's announcement, Hurley was taken to privately meet with the singer. 

"After I got off stage, it kind of hit me. I was just like, bawling and stuff. They took me down to see her, and I was just like, amazed," said Hurley. "She's just like, one of the best artists that's out this decade, and I'm just so overwhelmed. I got a hug, I got a picture, she said she's going to tweet it out, and I'm like, 'OK girl, you do that!' But I was just bawling, I was just crying, I couldn't help it."

This isn't Sia's first donation to a Survivor contestant. Two years ago, at the finale of 32nd season Survivor: KaĂ´h RĹŤng, Sia made an on-screen appearance to donate money to contestant Tai Trang. During the game, Trang, a 51-year-old gardener, spoke about animal rights, even domesticating a chicken that his tribe had won in a challenge.

Sia gave Trang $50,000 for himself, along with an additional $50,000 to an animal charity of Trang's choice. 

In musical news, Sia has teamed up with Diplo and Labrinth for a new supergroup called LSD.

No news yet on who she'll be supporting for Survivor's upcoming 37th season, Survivor: David vs. Goliath, which premieres on CBS in the fall.

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