I am not sure what the amounts are but I dont think the exhibitor gets all of the money, though they do get a pretty sizeable chunk. They ussually have guaranteed amount that the champion gets, a different amount for reserve, one for breed champs, breed reserves, etc, etc. Then they have a max that they will pay out at each level as well. The difference gets put in a pot and they draw out of it to meet the minimum on animals that may not make that amount, which I dont think that happens a whole lot, then they also use the excess for things like scholarships, scrambles, awards, premiums, etc.
I didnt know about the Champ and Res going to the zoo, but I thought everything got killed for carcass evaluations.
And for those that asked, it may not have been in this post, these steers can not go to the othe majors, they get branded and cant go on to the others, that is the same at the other majors, you will see different market animals at Ft Worth, San Antonio, and Houston