Sia shocks Survivor contestants with huge cash gift

If you’re a reality TV contestant, it really pays to be one of Sia’s favourites. The Aussie singer just surprised three reality stars with big cash gifts.

Sia and a Survivor contestant.

Australian singer Sia has continued her long-held tradition as the most recent US season of Survivor came to an end this week, surprising her favourite contestants with big cash prizes.

The season 44 finale of the long-running reality show aired yesterday, with – spoiler alert, for those who haven’t watched yet – contestant Yamil “Yam Yam” Arocho taking out the million-dollar prize.

But Chandelier singer Sia wanted to reward her favourites from the season, so she gave a massive $US100,000 ($A153,000) to second runner-up Carolyn Wiger, and $US15,000 ($A23,000) apiece to third and fourth runners-up Carson Garrett and Lauren Harpe.

The Aussie star is perhaps the world’s most generous Survivor viewer. Picture: Nick Demarais

You’d hate to be the season’s runner-up Heidi Lagares-Greenblatt, who was beaten by “Yam Yam” to the ultimate prize and also didn’t make Sia’s favourites list.

This certainly isn't the first time Adelaide-born Sia, 47, has splashed the cash on her favourite TV show.

The tradition began back in 2016, when Sia surprised one of the US Survivor contestants at that season’s finale with gifts of $US50,000 ($A76,000) for himself and another $50,000 for an animal charity of his choice.

Taking to the stage during the live finale, Sia – in her trademark wig disguise – explained that she was moved by contestant Tai Trang’s kindness to animals throughout the season.

Sia with Jeff Probst at the 2016 season finale.

The tradition continued since then, and last year she gave three contestants a combined total of $US200,000 ($A306,000).

This year, Sia even surprised one of her recipients, Lauren Harpe, by hopping on the line during an interview with outlet PopCrave to announce her cash gift.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, I just wanted to say that I love you, Lauren, and I wanted to tell you that you’re awesome, and I really felt the struggle for you and your kids and stuff,” Sia said in the video.

Carolyn was a fan favourite this season.

Sia hopped on the line to surprise Lauren mid-interview. .

“I wanted to give you not the biggest prize, but I wanted to give you $15 grand just to say, ‘I love you’ and, ‘Keep going.’”

Sia’s no stranger to public acts of kindness – during Thanksgiving season in 2019, she was filmed in a Walmart in Palm Springs, California, picking up the tab for various shoppers’ holiday grocery purchases.

Sia with shoppers at Walmart on Thanksgiving Eve, 2019. Pics: Twitter.

One eyewitness revealed that Sia told those she was helping that her name was “CiCi" and she’d recently won the lottery.

And in her personal life, the singer has spoken in the past about having adopted two 18-year-old boys in 2019.

“They were ageing out of the foster care system. Yeah, and I love them,” she said of her two adult sons.

Sia enjoyed some good fortune of her own earlier this month, marrying partner Dan Bernard in an intimate ceremony at the home of designers Dolce and Gabbana, in Portofino, Italy.

Originally published as Sia shocks Survivor contestants with huge cash gift