Inside TV’s most disappointing prize pots as fans slam Survivor, Family Feud & more as ‘cheap’ but Jeopardy! stands tall

AFTER the latest season of Survivor ended in May, fans have been debating the prize money on social media.

Many have said they don’t think the prize money is enough, with some pointing out inflation and how expensive things have become.

Getty

CBS Archives // Robert Voets

On the 46th season of Survivor , which ended in May, Kenzie Petty was victorious and went home with the $1 million jackpot.

But Survivor isn’t the only reality TV show to get called out.

Others have mentioned family favorites such as Jepoardy! and Family Feud’s rewards, saying they don’t think they’re quite enough for what the contestants must do.

Here’s a breakdown of the cash prizes contestants win and what social media users have said about it.

SURVIVOR

Getty

Since its debut 24 years ago in 2000, the winner of Survivor has taken away $1 million.

Most recently, this was given to Kenzie, who told the Charlotte Observer she was “very full of the survivor experience.”

She said, “You know, never say ‘never,’ but I think I’m very full of ‘Survivor’ experience.

“My cup runneth over. I got to do everything I wanted on my bucket list.”

However, despite Kenzie’s good time on the show, viewers have said they wish the winner got more than just a million.

“As another season of Survivor wraps, I have to say I really think it’s beyond time for the show to up the prize money.

“$1m now is nowhere near what it was worth when the show started 24 years ago. The equivalent now would be approx. $1.82M,” penned one user on X.

“I was saying this during the finale!!!! how is it still a million,” another agreed.

“Honestly, I feel like CBS should also just go ahead and cover the taxes too.

“Let the winner pocket the FULL winnings. Never gonna happen, I know, but it would be the classy thing to do IMHO,” a third said.

Family Feud

On Reddit, people have been talking about Family Feud’s overall prize , which comes in at $20,000.

The show, which has been hosted by Steve Harvey since 2010, first began in the ’70s.

However, because the show’s format has contestants in groups, it’s split five ways.

“Definitely. $100k. A family of 4 winning $20k isn’t really that much. I’m amazed how excited some of the families get on that show,” one person wrote.

Another said, “I thought of that a long time ago. 20k sounds good, but that divides into 4k per member. Additionally, after taxes, it is only about $2,500.

“Not exactly life-changing money. It needs to be at least 50k to make it more worthwhile.”

Someone else penned, “I think $20,000 is fine for a base amount, but you could jack up the amount to $100,000 on the final Fast Money for a 5x champ, eliminating the car.

“Or do an escalating jackpot for finding all 5 #1 answers like some international versions did.”

Jeopardy!

Getty

In Jeopardy! , there are three rounds, and contestants can pick up money amounts ranging from hundreds to hundreds of thousands.

Though it has changed since the show’s inception in the ’60s, the amount stands at $200–$1,000 and $400–$2,000 per clue.

Unlike Family Feud and Survivor, Jeopardy! has no set amount for contestants to win.

In a Reddit thread earlier this year, people discussed the amount winners claim as their prizes, with some saying it should be higher.

“They doubled the money in Nov. 2001. It had been the same since the 1984 premiere. It’s now been more than 22 years and inflation is through the roof.

“I know they increased 2nd and 3rd place consolation prize money, but isn’t it about time to double the entire game’s values?” the poster asked.

“I think they should leave the values on the board just for simplicity but payout an appropriate value like 1.5x to keep up with inflation,” someone said.

Jeopardy! Host Timeline

Jeopardy! has had a tumultuous history regarding hosts after the death of the iconic Alex Trebek in 2020. Here are all of the hosts since the game show's inception in 1964.

Art Fleming – 1964 to 1975, he was the original host of the daytime version of Jeopardy! on NBC.

Alex Trebek – 1984 to 2020, the late, great Alex hosted Jeopardy!’s modern iteration for 36 years until his death from pancreatic cancer.

Guest hosts – 2020 to 2021, Jeopardy! tested out a series of guest hosts for week or two-week stints, including Anderson Cooper, LaVar Burton, and Aaron Rodgers.

Mike Richards – 2021, he was named host for one week before resigning amid controversy. He was the show’s executive producer at the time.

Mayim Bialik – 2021 to 2023, when Mike was announced as the show’s new host, Mayim was chosen to host tournaments and primetime specials.

Mayim and Ken Jennings – 2022 to 2023, 74-time champion Ken (the longest-winning contestant ever) joined Mayim as a guest host and they split hosting duties.

Ken Jennings – 2023 to present. Last December, Mayim announced on Instagram that she would “no longer” host Jeopardy! after a lengthy hiatus, having stood with the writer’s strike, and Ken was named sole host.

Ken now helms all editions of Jeopardy! including Celebrity Jeopardy!, the nightly show, and other primetime specials like Masters.

“If it was just by inflation, this would’ve been the year to do it — $100 in 1984 was equivalent to $170 in 2001, and $100 in 2001 was equivalent to $173 in 2023.

“Plus it would’ve been fitting if the 40th season had values of $400-$4000, which would be 40x what the values were on the original Fleming version,” a second penned.

“OMG I was just thinking about making a post on this.

“I checked the math. We are now past the point inflation-wise that made Jeopardy double it the last time they did in 2001, we are not however at the point where the current point values are only 50% of their value in 2001,” another wrote.

Jeopardy!, however, did make a positive change and increased their consolation prizes this season by $1000 – now second place gets $3000, and third gets $2000.