Cirie Fields wins the Sia Prize at the Survivor 50 finale

The Sia Prize returns for Survivor 50

The Sia Prize made its comeback at the Survivor 50 finale, and this time fans had the final say. According to Billboard, the Grammy-nominated pop star awarded a $100,000 cash prize on May 20 to Cirie Fields, who was selected through a fan vote. It was a deliberate twist on the tradition, one that Sia herself proposed.

Cirie Fields, chosen by the fans

Fields placed sixth on Survivor 50, but her name carries serious weight in the franchise. Fans may know her from multiple previous appearances on the show and from winning the inaugural U.S. season of The Traitors. She was not a stranger to the moment: on May 13, she commented under a joint Instagram post from Survivor, Sia, and host Jeff Probst announcing the prize's return, writing "Sia is a real one; thank you, Sia."

Sia did not appear in person at the finale, but Probst's announcement drew loud applause from the studio audience.

A prize with a decade of history

The Sia Prize first appeared in the Survivor universe in 2016, when the singer behind "Cheap Thrills" started rewarding players whose personal stories moved her. Over the following years, she gave away more than $1 million to 19 different contestants. The prize was last handed out during Survivor 45 in 2023, when Katurah Topps received $100,000 and Jake O'Kane and Kaleb Gebrewold each took home $15,000.

For this 50th season, themed "In the Hands of the Fans," Probst told Rolling Stone he reached out to Sia because the concept fit perfectly. "She loved the idea of fans having a real voice in shaping the game," he said, adding that the fan-vote twist was entirely her idea.

Music runs deep in Survivor 50

Sia is not the only artist connected to the season. Probst himself wrote and recorded an original song titled "Survivor 50 Come and Get It" at Hollywood's A&M Studios, the same facility where Joni Mitchell's Blue and Carole King's Tapestry were recorded. He performed it live alongside The Roots on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong and his son Jakob also recorded a cover of David Bowie's "Heroes" for the season's promos.