Mike Gabler wins 'Survivor,' donates $1M prize to veteran's charity

[Michele]

Dec. 15 (UPI) -- The latest winner of the reality competition show Survivor has been announced.

Mike Gabler, a heart valve specialist from Houston was named the Sole Survivor of Season 43, taking home the $1 million prize. Gabler donated the money to the charity Veterans in Need in the name of his father, Robert Gabler, CBS announced on Thursday.

The 52-year-old heart valve specialist, the second oldest winner in the history of the show, was a surprise winner. At one point, he asked his team to vote him out. But in the end, the jury voted for him 7-1-0 over fellow contestants Cassidy Clark and Owen Knight.

No one knew beforehand that he would donate the prize.

"I was talking with a buddy of mine who's a veteran and my wife," Gabler told EW. "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 set up around myself.

I've got to work another eight years before I can retire. I've still got a kid in college, one more to go. I've still got a house payment, all that stuff. The money would have helped, sure. 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."

Hosted by Jeff Probst, Survivor has been airing for 22 years. It was adapted from the Swedish show Expedition Robinson and has become a reality TV juggernaut with dozens of Emmy Award nominations. Its 44th season is scheduled to premiere on March 1.


Link

I don't watch this show but know of it. This seems to be (I dislike that you have to qualify everything these days but he could be a secret serial killer) the case of a man and his family, who are doing well but could've done even better with the 1M prize money, giving his winnings to a charity that's near and dear to their hearts. God Bless them and our Veterans! 💕

[phillygirl]

Dec. 15 (UPI) -- The latest winner of the reality competition show Survivor has been announced.

Mike Gabler, a heart valve specialist from Houston was named the Sole Survivor of Season 43, taking home the $1 million prize. Gabler donated the money to the charity Veterans in Need in the name of his father, Robert Gabler, CBS announced on Thursday.

The 52-year-old heart valve specialist, the second oldest winner in the history of the show, was a surprise winner. At one point, he asked his team to vote him out. But in the end, the jury voted for him 7-1-0 over fellow contestants Cassidy Clark and Owen Knight.

No one knew beforehand that he would donate the prize.

"I was talking with a buddy of mine who's a veteran and my wife," Gabler told EW. "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 set up around myself.

I've got to work another eight years before I can retire. I've still got a kid in college, one more to go. I've still got a house payment, all that stuff. The money would have helped, sure. 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."

Hosted by Jeff Probst, Survivor has been airing for 22 years. It was adapted from the Swedish show Expedition Robinson and has become a reality TV juggernaut with dozens of Emmy Award nominations. Its 44th season is scheduled to premiere on March 1.


Link

I don't watch this show but know of it. This seems to be (I dislike that you have to qualify everything these days but he could be a secret serial killer) the case of a man and his family, who are doing well but could've done even better with the 1M prize money, giving his winnings to a charity that's near and dear to their hearts. God Bless them and our Veterans! 💕

I do watch the show (of course I do...I'm a sucker for reality shows!). He was a really interesting guy. I honestly would have thought that he was older than 52, but he reminded me of one of my clients who was an ER doc. This guy was very tatted up. Had a certain "zen" about him and I have to say, did a great job physically with hanging with much younger fit people out there. He was also the consummate cheerleader for others. And yes, who couldn't use $1million dollars? But I also think he probably felt that, as a doctor that has done well financially he didn't "need" the money. It was a classy gesture and it brought the whole cast to tears when he announced it. He also made it a "we" announcement...in other words he told the cast that "we" are going to make history by donating the $1m to charity. He tried his best to make it that the whole cast contributed to this donation, not just him, even though he was the one that won and certainly the other two finalists weren't going to make this gesture!

[Michele]

I do watch the show (of course I do...I'm a sucker for reality shows!). He was a really interesting guy. I honestly would have thought that he was older than 52, but he reminded me of one of my clients who was an ER doc. This guy was very tatted up. Had a certain "zen" about him and I have to say, did a great job physically with hanging with much younger fit people out there. He was also the consummate cheerleader for others. And yes, who couldn't use $1million dollars? But I also think he probably felt that, as a doctor that has done well financially he didn't "need" the money. It was a classy gesture and it brought the whole cast to tears when he announced it. He also made it a "we" announcement...in other words he told the cast that "we" are going to make history by donating the $1m to charity. He tried his best to make it that the whole cast contributed to this donation, not just him, even though he was the one that won and certainly the other two finalists weren't going to make this gesture!

Oh. I like him even more!

Thanks for adding to this story, Philly. 😊

[Celeste Chalfonte]

I think the single biggest perk of being wealthy would be being able to make life-changing donations to good causes (not always charities). If I had a fortune, I would ensure that every year, a kid who couldn't afford it otherwise got the early education that HRH had.

I would donate a whole house to Warrick Dunn's Homes for the Holidays.

Homes for the Holidays (HFTH) is the flagship program of Warrick Dunn Charities, Inc. Housing is the key to reducing generational poverty and increasing economic mobility. Moreover, according to research completed by Stanford, children living in stable, affordable homes are more likely to thrive in school and have greater opportunities to learn inside and outside the classroom. Warrick Dunn Charities, Inc, helps to break the cycle of generational poverty by providing a hand-up – not a handout – to single parents and their children. We surprise single parent families (who are actively working to support themselves) with home furnishings and down payment assistance.

Emphasis mine.

I would personally fund one of my mom's doctor's missions.

So many things one could do. One million wouldn't do it, but it would do a lot.

[phillygirl]

[scott]

I think the single biggest perk of being wealthy would be being able to make life-changing donations to good causes (not always charities). If I had a fortune, I would ensure that every year, a kid who couldn't afford it otherwise got the early education that HRH had.

I would donate a whole house to Warrick Dunn's Homes for the Holidays.



Emphasis mine.

I would personally fund one of my mom's doctor's missions.

So many things one could do. One million wouldn't do it, but it would do a lot.

I used to (and will again) pay off cars for struggling families, co-sign rent for single mothers escaping domestic abuse but didn't qualify for other grants (usually failing weed piss tests) and I bought out a wing of a motel for illegal immigrant families stranded near my church about 10 years ago.

I got out more than I ever put in on those episodes.

[phillygirl]

I used to (and will again) pay off cars for struggling families, co-sign rent for single mothers escaping domestic abuse but didn't qualify for other grants (usually failing weed piss tests) and I bought out a wing of a motel for illegal immigrant families stranded near my church about 10 years ago.

I got out more than I ever put in on those episodes.

That's always the case when giving.

[Lady Marva]

What a wonderful thing for that winner to do!
Course...... he is a Texian........... so there ya go.

[Adam]

It's essentially physically impossible for me to give less of a damn about reality shows, but I think this is a great gesture.

Everyone (I think) has their own cause/charity that they support. For me personally, it's the Nashville Union Rescue Mission and the Nashville Humane Association (not the Humane Society or the ASPCA, which are corrupt organizations, IMO). I've gotten more interested in the Gary Sinese (sp?) Foundation of late, particularly since he moved that here. He did a great show here a few weeks back as part of a charity "ball" with the Lieutenant Dan Band, and I'm sorry that I missed it. Schedule just didn't work out, and it was at a distillery, and since they took away my drinking license, I would have not been able to enjoy it as much as everyone else there. It still sold out, regardless.

Regardless of what your particular cause/charity is, whether it's Catholic Charities or some manner of homeless help or you want to help out critters or whatever else (within reason), I think that it's an honorable act. If you've already got enough money and a career that will pay you well for life, then doing something like this makes good sense.

[Frostbit]

This is wonderful but in the day and age of gofundme get back to me when the money actually gets to where it should. Reality shows are a crock of shit from beginning to end. How do I know? Because Alaska is the epicenter of reality shows now and I know quite a few people involved with them.

[Newman]

This is wonderful but in the day and age of gofundme get back to me when the money actually gets to where it should. Reality shows are a crock of shit from beginning to end. How do I know? Because Alaska is the epicenter of reality shows now and I know quite a few people involved with them.

True, true. I haven't watched ANY of the Alaskan Crazy Misanthrope shows.

"Survivor" is the grandfather of the current generation of elimination contest shows, and has settled into a successful routine. It's always in Fiji now, for example. It's my wife's favorite show of its type, and last night we watched the finale "on tape," another expression that will soon mystify the young'uns. I think this one was a very entertaining and satisfying season, despite its annoying intersectional wokeism.

We've enjoyed "Alone," a starvation contest, mostly because of the skills and grit exhibited. My quirky favorite was a show I don't recall the name of, in which a group of skilled outdoorsmen set out to establish a communal society. It was my favorite because it didn't even last its premier season, as the "communal" part quickly unraveled and the participants went home. It reminded me of my very dim (and possibly mistaken) recollection that a young Bernie Sanders was evicted from a commune because he wanted to be the resident chattering philosopher and didn't actually work.

What a preview of his career.

Not for nothing, giving away the million and avoiding tax liabilities is tricky, and I assume lawyers and CPAs will be involved.

[Adam]

True, true. I haven't watched ANY of the Alaskan Crazy Misanthrope shows.

"Survivor" is the grandfather of the current generation of elimination contest shows, and has settled into a successful routine. It's always in Fiji now, for example. It's my wife's favorite show of its type, and last night we watched the finale "on tape," another expression that will soon mystify the young'uns. I think this one was a very entertaining and satisfying season, despite its annoying intersectional wokeism.

We've enjoyed "Alone," a starvation contest, mostly because of the skills and grit exhibited. My quirky favorite was a show I don't recall the name of, in which a group of skilled outdoorsmen set out to establish a communal society. It was my favorite because it didn't even last its premier season, as the "communal" part quickly unraveled and the participants went home. It reminded me of my very dim (and possibly mistaken) recollection that a young Bernie Sanders was evicted from a commune because he wanted to be the resident chattering philosopher and didn't actually work.

What a preview of his career.

Not for nothing, giving away the million and avoiding tax liabilities is tricky, and I assume lawyers and CPAs will be involved.

If they want to impress me, they'll do Survivor: Chicago South Side.

[Frostbit]

If they want to impress me, they'll do Survivor: Chicago South Side.

Starring, Mitt Rapp, John Horvath, James Reese, and Gabriel Alon.

[Celeste Chalfonte]

If they want to impress me, they'll do Survivor: Chicago South Side.

I would volunteer Oakland, but a crafty and actually mentally all-there contestant could probably access all the services intended for "the homeless" and live pretty well.

[Lady Marva]

I think that it's an honorable act. If you've already got enough money and a career that will pay you well for life, then doing something like this makes good sense.

Even if a person is not well off, a little bit helps.
Years ago did fundraising for Avon breast cancer walks. Surprising, a lot of people who gave the minimum $20 were poor people. While some people I expected to give a lot gave............ nothing.