"I have no regrets about how I spent my Fear Factor prize because that is basically how we started our lives together," Ryan explains. "That said, I would now use the money to plan for the next chapter. I would buy some stocks that look good for the future. My goal with $10,000 would be to grow my money to double it or even triple it over time."  {relatedarticles}

As for Vanessa R., debt and investments hardly make the cut. For her, it's all about building her assets...and a whole lot more. The seasoned editor says that she would put her $10,000 toward a better body. Liposuction and a breast enhancement top her wish list. And the Alabama resident is not alone. In 2012, there were more than 10 million surgical and nonsurgical cosmetic procedures done in United States. The most popular procedure? Breast augmentation.  

While she knows it would be more practical to save a $10,000 windfall for a rainy day, she admits she would secretly keep the funny money all for herself.