Mike Gabler stunned his fellow finalists and fans when he won Survivor 43. However, the real surprise came during the reunion when Gabler announced his intention to donate his entire million-dollar prize to charities supporting veterans. Recently, the heart valve specialist confirmed that he has fulfilled this promise.
On December 11, Gabler took to Twitter/X to share the news: “We did it! The entire $1,000,000 from Survivor Season 43 has been donated! There is still much more work to do to bring our veterans ALL THE WAY back home. God bless everyone and God bless the USA.”
Gabler’s post included a photo of 25 different charities, such as Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions (VETS), No Fallen Heroes Foundation, and K9s for Warriors. He also contributed to reality TV-specific charities like Give Kids the World and the Born to Run Foundation, founded by fellow Survivor 43 contestant Noelle Lambert.
Gabler had disclosed his plan to donate his winnings in a confessional before entering the final Tribal Council, which he won by a 7-1 vote. He made the official announcement at the reunion show, leaving host Jeff Probst and the castaways in awe.
In an interview with Parade.com on the night of the finale, Gabler shared, “I kept it quiet. I talked about it with my wife and my buddy before the show. And we were like, ‘If you get to the end, let’s do something powerful, something good.’ There’s a lot of news out there, just terrible stuff. And I’m like, ‘Let’s do something big with this money.’ Even though I was very much about it all along, I didn’t want to use veterans to benefit me. I want to benefit veterans.”
Gabler’s gesture marks the first time a Survivor winner has completely donated their winnings. While other winners, like season 33’s Adam Klein, have made significant public donations, Gabler’s full donation sets a new precedent. It remains to be seen if his generosity will inspire future Survivor winners to follow suit.