There are long-running reality shows, and then there’s Survivor. CBS’s megahit series changed the TV world forever, and is currently gearing for its whopping 45th season on the air. Survivor 44 even earned an Emmy nomination. There are generations of fans who tune into the show on Wednesday nights, and we’ve come to know and love certain challenges. But there’s one that’s been missing for a number of years now: the Survivor auction. Although fans were delighted to learn it would return in Survivor 45. Here’s why the beloved competition show scrapped that challenge, which was included for years and years.
The Survivor auction was always good TV when it happened on new seasons. Rather than having a traditional Reward Challenge, the castaways would be given an envelope of money, and would bid for food, letters from home, baths, and advantages to the next Immunity Challenge. But the auction was scrapped after the 30th season Worlds Apart, to fans’ dismay. And the reason is actually directly connected to that season.
During Worlds Apart, castaways worked together to get the most out of the auction. Shirin insisted that whoever bought a letter from home paid just $20, since historically host/producer Jeff Probst would allow the rest of the tribe to buy theirs for the same price. She was right, and almost the entire tribe got their letters– including three people who were holding their money in hopes of getting an Immunity Challenge advantage. As a reminder, you can see that scene below:
In both Worlds Apart and its predecessor Cagayan, the castaways seemed particularly focused on finding an advantage, with a number of contestants unwilling to be tempted by food. And after Shirin and company broke the challenge, it was officially kaput. Around that time Jeff Probst did an interview with EW, where he spoke about the decision to drop the auction, saying:
I felt the Survivor auction was broken. It had become about one thing — getting an advantage. So I gave the challenge department their own challenge: How do we take the things we like from the auction — love, food, and advantage — and turn it into a challenge.
While this decision disappointing purists and OG watchers, we are in a new era of Survivor. Ever since the pandemic, the seasons have gone from 39 to 26 days. And in addition to the auction, there’s no longer a loved one’s visit, presumably because of quarantine rules related to production. Plus, who can forget the days of the new car challenge, or the Outback Steakhouse rewards?
In this new age version of Survivor we’ve gotten a number of wild new twists. There are a ton of advantages on every Survivor season, including ones fans didn’t like such as the hourglass. The shorter game has also cut down on some iconic rewards, and now the cast isn’t even given rice at their camp. Since the auction is returning in the new season, I'm hoping they bring back old favorites like the gross food challenge.
Survivor 45 airs Wednesdays CBS. Be sure to check out the TV premiere list to plan your next binge watch.
