Jeff Probst Reveals “Survivor” Players Will No Longer Win Money from the Sia Prize: ‘A Triumphant End!’
The pop singer has awarded more than $1 million to her favorite 'Survivor' players since 2016
It’s the end of an era for Survivor players and fans!
Just two days after Survivor’s 46th season ended, host Jeff Probst announced that the Sia Prize has come to an end, meaning pop star Sia will no longer be awarding money to her favorite players every season.
On May 24, the Emmy winner revealed the news on his Instagram Story: “After eight years, 14 seasons, 19 players and over $1,000,000 awarded, Survivor is officially bringing the Sia Prize to a triumphant end!”
Sia, 48, quickly reposted Probst’s lengthy statement on her Instagram Story, adding animated hearts to express her gratitude toward his kind words.
“Over the many years, Sia has brought so much joy to so many players and it was always straight from her heart,” Probst, 62, continued.
“So it is with tremendous gratitude and admiration to Sia that we bring to a close one of the most unique relationships a TV show could ever have with a pop star of Sia’s global wattage,” Probst added.
Sia started her tradition in 2016 after at the 32nd season’s live finale for Survivor: Kaôh Rōng — Brains vs. Brawn vs. Beauty.
“I still vividly remember the day Sia stood up in the audience during the live finale ... and made her way onstage,” Probst recalled. “She was so taken by Tai [Trang]’s commitment to protecting a chicken from being eaten that she awarded him $50,000 of her own money.”
“Tai was shocked,” Probst admitted. “The audience was shocked, I was shocked! What was happening? Sia was onstage in her wig handing out money to a Survivor player!?”
Since then, the singer has gifted 18 more players with various amounts of money, including seven players who each received $100,000: Rick Devens (season 38), Elaine Stott (39), Janet Carbin (39), Drea Wheeler (42), Jesse Lopez (43), Carolyn Wiger (44) and Katurah Topps (45).
Related: Kenzie Petty Wins Survivor Season 46 — a Week After Revealing She’s Expecting a Baby
The other 11 contestants who were awarded money were Donathan Hurley (36), Davie Rickenbacker (37), Aurora McCreary (38), Joe Anglim (38), Jamal Shipman (39), Owen Knight (43), Ryan Medrano (43), Lauren Harpe (44), Carson Garrett (44), Jake O’ Kane (45) and Kaleb Gebrewold (45).
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“I’m really honored for Survivor to have this one of a kind association with Sia,” Probst concluded. “She’s in the Survivor Hall Of Fame of Superfans!”
The Sia Prize is not officially affiliated with the long-running CBS program. The winner of Survivor wins a $1 million prize.
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.