10 TV Show Winners Who Blew Their Earnings
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VOICE OVER: Jennifer Silverman
WRITTEN BY: Joe Shetina
From reality show champions to game show legends, these contestants proved that winning big doesn't guarantee a happy ending. Watch as we explore the fascinating stories of TV winners who lost their fortunes through tax troubles, substance issues, and questionable financial decisions. Our countdown includes contestants from shows like "Survivor," "Big Brother," "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," and "Press Your Luck." These cautionary tales demonstrate how sudden wealth can sometimes lead to unexpected challenges and dramatic downfalls.
Welcome to MsMojo, and today were looking at game show contestants who won the grand prize and then lost it all. Or, at least, most of it.
The Nickless family didnt win money, but they did win a new home. Widowed single mother Arlene Nickless thought her prayers had been answered when she won the chance to have her entire home made over. But these former participants of ABCs Extreme Makeover: Home Edition learned that dreams can turn into nightmares fast. In less than a decade, the family was evicted because they could no longer afford the property. With all the additions and improvements the show made, the taxes went way up;. So did the mortgage, and the family was unable to keep up once Nickless had a bad car accident.
This Australian reality show sees couples renovating properties on a budget. Teams earn money based on the profit they can turn on the properties. Season 14s Norm Hogan and Jess Eva won over $200,000 on the series. Within two years, it was all gone. They spent the money on gifts for friends, swimming pools, and real estate ventures that didnt pan out. They even took a major loss betting on a high profile tennis match that didnt go their way. Its not too surprising. Their questionable spending habits were even a problem during their time on the show. Eva and Hogan have since tried launching their own show, Budget Battlers, challenging themselves to renovate on a sparse budget.
After winning the fifth season of the smash hit CBS reality series, a used car salesman suddenly had a million dollars to his name. In a CNN profile from a few months after his win, Brian Heidik had grand, sensible plans for his newfound wealth. By 2009, he had spent much of his winnings on a collection of expensive sports cars. However, within a few years, Heidiks off-screen antics made headlines. In 2006, he was hit with charges for battery and animal cruelty. His then-wife, Charmaine, says winning the show changed Heidik in a major way.
He was the youngest winner in the shows history. Jud Birza, winner of Survivor: Nicaragua, a model who was nicknamed Fabio for his good looks, was an unlikely winner. But his post-show troubles began right away. Only a month after winning the show, Birza was arrested for a DUI and probation violations and held for a hefty $37,000 bail. He reportedly left jail in style. His friends picked him up in a white limo. He later told fellow Survivor player Parvati Shallow that he had his fair share of dumb financial decisions. But, he also bought his father a farm and a condo for himself.
The very first winner of the show was notorious for his arrogance, his strategy, and his nudity. However, Survivors first millionaire also became notorious for another reason. In 2006, Richard Hatch was convicted of tax evasion related to his grand prize and other earnings related to his time on the show. Hatch blamed CBS. He has even maintained that payment of taxes was actually hush money for his keeping quiet about producer interference on the show. He served over 4 years in prison. The associated tax fines alone are reported to be over three times the amount he won as the sole survivor.
He was called the real-life Slumdog Millionaire. In 2011, Sushil Kumars historic win on Kaun Banega Crorepati, the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? was a first for the series. No one had ever won its top prize in over ten years of airing. But Kumars fortunes were short-lived. After paying off some debts, buying a plot of land for a huge house, and batting away requests from viewers to send them some of his winnings, Kumar was miserable. His marriage ended, he developed a substance use disorder, and he was broke. Although his life has gotten better since, his winnings were quickly depleted.
In 2019, after winning the controversial 21st season of the reality franchise, this winner had half a million dollars to show for it. In 2025, Jackson Michie appeared on Big Brother host Julie Chen Moonves podcast and described how he lost it all. His hard time began way before the show and included substance use disorder, but winning the grand prize only exacerbated these preexisting issues. Two years later, he had moved back in with his parents, was unemployed, and had spent the entire $500,000. He has since turned his life around, but the sudden wealth was certainly a learning experience.
Six years after this flight attendant from Utah secured his million, he was on the stage of Dr. Phil. Todd Herzog had indulged in a pretty high-risk lifestyle after winning Survivor: China. His family joined Phil McGraw on his program to stage an intervention, saying Herzog had blown through his entire earnings and was on a collision course with complete ruin. Despite his multiple appearances on McGraws program, Herzog has come out against Dr. Phil, alleging the producers enabled him to drink on the set to make his entrance more dramatic. Since then, Herzog has maintained his sobriety and still connects with the Survivor community.
There were a lot of controversies surrounding the special winter season of Big Brother. Winner Adam Jasinski was just one of several housemates who made headlines for inappropriate remarks they made in the house. When he won the season, the prize money fueled his ongoing substance use disorder and helped fund an illegal venture that landed him in prison. A little over a year after the season ended, Jasinski was charged with drug trafficking and tax evasion. He went to prison and reemerged a few years later as a substance use disorder recovery consultant who specializes in helping parents navigate their childrens substance issues.
You may know about the cheating scandal that shattered game show records. Michael Larson hacked the Press Your Luck game board simply by recognizing and memorizing its patterns, and using it to his advantage. But after taking home over $100,000 in his single, historic appearance, Larson didnt have as much luck outside the show. He spent most of the money on gifts and financial schemes that didnt pay off. Most of it seems to have been lost to a burglary on his girlfriends home. It seems like such an ironic fate for such a legendary winner. Larson later got into trouble with a shady financial deal and eventually died in 1999.
Did these TV winners make you second guess applying for a game show? Let us know in the comments.
Arlene Nickless
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (2004-12; 2020; 2025-)The Nickless family didnt win money, but they did win a new home. Widowed single mother Arlene Nickless thought her prayers had been answered when she won the chance to have her entire home made over. But these former participants of ABCs Extreme Makeover: Home Edition learned that dreams can turn into nightmares fast. In less than a decade, the family was evicted because they could no longer afford the property. With all the additions and improvements the show made, the taxes went way up;. So did the mortgage, and the family was unable to keep up once Nickless had a bad car accident.
Jess Eva & Norm Hogan
The Block (2003-04; 2010-)This Australian reality show sees couples renovating properties on a budget. Teams earn money based on the profit they can turn on the properties. Season 14s Norm Hogan and Jess Eva won over $200,000 on the series. Within two years, it was all gone. They spent the money on gifts for friends, swimming pools, and real estate ventures that didnt pan out. They even took a major loss betting on a high profile tennis match that didnt go their way. Its not too surprising. Their questionable spending habits were even a problem during their time on the show. Eva and Hogan have since tried launching their own show, Budget Battlers, challenging themselves to renovate on a sparse budget.
Brian Heidik
Survivor (2000-)After winning the fifth season of the smash hit CBS reality series, a used car salesman suddenly had a million dollars to his name. In a CNN profile from a few months after his win, Brian Heidik had grand, sensible plans for his newfound wealth. By 2009, he had spent much of his winnings on a collection of expensive sports cars. However, within a few years, Heidiks off-screen antics made headlines. In 2006, he was hit with charges for battery and animal cruelty. His then-wife, Charmaine, says winning the show changed Heidik in a major way.
Jud Fabio Birza
Survivor (2000-)He was the youngest winner in the shows history. Jud Birza, winner of Survivor: Nicaragua, a model who was nicknamed Fabio for his good looks, was an unlikely winner. But his post-show troubles began right away. Only a month after winning the show, Birza was arrested for a DUI and probation violations and held for a hefty $37,000 bail. He reportedly left jail in style. His friends picked him up in a white limo. He later told fellow Survivor player Parvati Shallow that he had his fair share of dumb financial decisions. But, he also bought his father a farm and a condo for himself.
Richard Hatch
Survivor (2000-)The very first winner of the show was notorious for his arrogance, his strategy, and his nudity. However, Survivors first millionaire also became notorious for another reason. In 2006, Richard Hatch was convicted of tax evasion related to his grand prize and other earnings related to his time on the show. Hatch blamed CBS. He has even maintained that payment of taxes was actually hush money for his keeping quiet about producer interference on the show. He served over 4 years in prison. The associated tax fines alone are reported to be over three times the amount he won as the sole survivor.
Sushil Kumar
Kaun Banega Crorepati (2000-25)He was called the real-life Slumdog Millionaire. In 2011, Sushil Kumars historic win on Kaun Banega Crorepati, the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? was a first for the series. No one had ever won its top prize in over ten years of airing. But Kumars fortunes were short-lived. After paying off some debts, buying a plot of land for a huge house, and batting away requests from viewers to send them some of his winnings, Kumar was miserable. His marriage ended, he developed a substance use disorder, and he was broke. Although his life has gotten better since, his winnings were quickly depleted.
Jackson Michie
Big Brother (2000-)In 2019, after winning the controversial 21st season of the reality franchise, this winner had half a million dollars to show for it. In 2025, Jackson Michie appeared on Big Brother host Julie Chen Moonves podcast and described how he lost it all. His hard time began way before the show and included substance use disorder, but winning the grand prize only exacerbated these preexisting issues. Two years later, he had moved back in with his parents, was unemployed, and had spent the entire $500,000. He has since turned his life around, but the sudden wealth was certainly a learning experience.
Todd Herzog
Survivor (2000-)Six years after this flight attendant from Utah secured his million, he was on the stage of Dr. Phil. Todd Herzog had indulged in a pretty high-risk lifestyle after winning Survivor: China. His family joined Phil McGraw on his program to stage an intervention, saying Herzog had blown through his entire earnings and was on a collision course with complete ruin. Despite his multiple appearances on McGraws program, Herzog has come out against Dr. Phil, alleging the producers enabled him to drink on the set to make his entrance more dramatic. Since then, Herzog has maintained his sobriety and still connects with the Survivor community.
Adam Jasinski
Big Brother (2000-)There were a lot of controversies surrounding the special winter season of Big Brother. Winner Adam Jasinski was just one of several housemates who made headlines for inappropriate remarks they made in the house. When he won the season, the prize money fueled his ongoing substance use disorder and helped fund an illegal venture that landed him in prison. A little over a year after the season ended, Jasinski was charged with drug trafficking and tax evasion. He went to prison and reemerged a few years later as a substance use disorder recovery consultant who specializes in helping parents navigate their childrens substance issues.
Michael Larson
Press Your Luck (1983-86; 2019-)You may know about the cheating scandal that shattered game show records. Michael Larson hacked the Press Your Luck game board simply by recognizing and memorizing its patterns, and using it to his advantage. But after taking home over $100,000 in his single, historic appearance, Larson didnt have as much luck outside the show. He spent most of the money on gifts and financial schemes that didnt pay off. Most of it seems to have been lost to a burglary on his girlfriends home. It seems like such an ironic fate for such a legendary winner. Larson later got into trouble with a shady financial deal and eventually died in 1999.
Did these TV winners make you second guess applying for a game show? Let us know in the comments.
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