Not many people would give away the $1 million prize the CBS reality show “Survivor” awards to the individual who outwits, outplays and outlasts the competition to come in first place.
That’s exactly what Mike Gabler, the winner of the show’s 43rd season did. He opted to donate every penny of his prize to veterans' charities.
“I’ve had the opportunity to serve but never the honor of serving,” Gabler said in an interview with VA’s Veterans Experience Office. “But it was my honor to be able to serve those who served us, and it was very important to me to be able to do something special.”
Gabler is the second-oldest American to ever win Survivor at age 51 and is the first contestant on the show to give their winnings — even a portion — to charities.
“To be able to save lives, even one life, would be incredible. I know we’re on the way to doing that now,” he said.”That money’s going to do a lot of good for a lot of people for many years to come.”
Gabler has so far designated 10 veteran organizations to receive a portion of his winnings. On the list are non-profits that help former service members with PTSD and traumatic brain injury (TBI) and who are at risk of suicide. He’s also reaching out to organizations with other goals, including one that provides “cradle to career” educational support for children of fallen Special Operations personnel and Medal of Honor recipients.
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The non-profits to which Gabler is donating include Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions; Special Operations Warrior Foundation; Rescuee 22 Foundation; PJ ParaRescue Foundation; The Mission Continues; Advocates for Healthy Minds and Heroic Hearts Project.
It was prior to the taping of Survivor 43, which began in May of last year and was filmed in the Pacific archipelago of Fiji, that
Gabler decided he would donate his prize to veteran causes if he finished first among the 18 contestants before taping began on Survivor 43 last year in the Pacific archipelago of Fiji. The show aired on CBS from Sept. 21 to Dec. 14.
He never spoke about his unique idea during the four-week taping period, including at the final Tribal Counsel. There, he pitched his case for why he deserved to be the winner, highlighting the fact that no votes had been cast against him during the show. The jury agreed and crowned him the champion over two other contestants.
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Gabler thought for a “split second” about mentioning his donation idea during the final Tribal Council before deciding otherwise.
“I immediately shied away from that because I didn’t want in any way, shape or form to be using veterans, using the population I care about deeply, to help me win,” he explained. “That would have been the wrong approach. By winning it on my own, then it’s just me taking care of veterans. Otherwise, there’d be an asterisk by my name right now. People would be going, `Well, he wasn’t going to win, but when he dropped that in there, he used the veterans to win.’ I just thought it was shady, to be honest. I wanted to win on my own merit and then pay it forward. I’m glad I did it that way.”
Gabler lives with his wife and two daughters in Meridian, Idaho and has worked as a heart valve specialist. He is now employed by Edwards Lifesciences, where he supports transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), a minimally invasive heart procedure to replace a thickened aortic valve that can’t fully open.
Gabler’s father was in the Army Reserve from 1966 to 1970, and some of his uncles fought in the Vietnam War. His father would invite surviving members of his platoon over to the house, where Gabler saw they were struggling physically and emotionally.
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He recalls a Green Beret who had a prosthesis for an arm that he had lost in combat in Vietnam.
“His helicopter went down,” Gabler said. “His unit had to blow it up while it was under heavy fire before they left it. When they were blowing it up, I guess it blew off his arm. It was just an obvious thing to me that the guy had a hook for a hand. The prosthetics they had back then were terrible. My dad decided I deserved an answer for it, and he explained it all to me.”
Gabler also attended a high school near Houston with fellow students who later served as Navy SEALS in the post-9/11 conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“They’ve all struggled and have lost friends,” he said. “Even one guy has harmed himself. It’s been a rough run for them.”
Gabler’s patriotism and the love and respect he’s eager to show to his country also played a role in his decision to donate his prize.
“Growing up, we would always take our hats off and stand for the National Anthem,” he said. “I have a very patriotic family because so many people have served. In fact, I’m one of the few who didn’t. So, this is my contribution. Be thankful for being in this great country.”
Gabler admitted he could have made use of the $1 million.
“I have a kid in college and another one on the way,” he said. “My wife needs a new car and we have house payments and all that stuff. But I got so much out of the adventure of being on Survivor. I went so deep into myself. I had so much fun. I made lifelong friends. But to be able to do something good with this money beyond me is by far the right decision.”
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.