In a show as legendary asSurvivor, few moments excite audiences as much as the auction. Created byCharlie Parsons, thisCBSreality serieschallenges its players in various ways; from difficult physical competitions to strategic gameplay, these contestants have to conquer it all if they want to win the $1,000,000 grand prize. And while certainly not as physical as these other hurdles, the auction has always been a fan-favorite challenge that sees our group of starving castaways get to bid for some of the delicious food they’ve been missing. This has created some of the series' most iconic moments, especially with how brutal some of these folks will be in their questto get ataste of something instead of coconuts and fish.
It’s because of how entertaining this concept is that so many fans were sad to see the auction go missing for years, and what made them so thrilled to see it return in the franchise’s “New Era” — kind of. Because while they were happy to see the auction back, they were confused by the myriad of new rules introduced to try and preserve what had made the concept so great originally. It was a convoluted attempt to bring the series mainstay back and, as the latest auction ofSurvivorseason 47 showed,it only served to distance this challenge further from the always-amazing moment it once was.
The Auction Is a ‘Survivor’ Classic
Fans who missed theSurvivorauction when it went missing only have one group of people to blame: the players. Because once the series became the mega-hit it’s known as today and many of the cast had in-depth knowledge of previous seasons, these went from thrilling bidding wars to quiet affairs as players sat on their money, waiting for the game advantages often sold at these auctions.Viewers could see the frustration on host Jeff Probst’s face in some of the later iterationswhen he saw contestants ignore his delicious meals for these much less exciting (at least to him) perks in the game. It’s what made the show take a break for so many years and is the reason why,when the auction made its much-awaited return inSurvivor45, it came with some caveats; the players would have to find tubes of money at their beach to use, Jeff would pull a random number to determine how many items were being sold, and, to the horror of all, the player with the most amount of money at the end would lose their vote at that night’s tribal council. These initially seemed like ingenious changes, ones that would prevent the patient monotony of previous auctions and would re-invigorate this premise for a whole new generation of watchers — and then viewers actually saw how these new rules played out.
‘Survivor 47’ Already Has a New Villain
Don’t let the smile fool you! This player is out for blood.
While penalizing the player with the most money prevented these contestants from holding onto their cash, it caused almost every person to just bid all their funds on whatever item was presented to ensure they kept their vote for the night. This created an unsurprising domino effect with viewers being able to tell who would get what item — not because these players were so desperate for the food, but because they were willing to spend everything on whatever if it meant keeping their vote. The episodes tried to spice this up with the random number of items mechanic and, in the 47th season, a strange cashback program that meant some contestants received money with the purchase of an item (a twist that amounted to nothing gameplay-wise). Yet despite these small quirks the auction’s second New Era showing continued to be a predictable competition that provided some fun moments but paled in comparison to earlier versions. It has become a flawed challenge,which becomes even worse when audiences consider just how easily these issues could be fixed.
Twists Don’t Taste That Good on ‘Survivor’
While there’s always a method to the decisions made bySurvivor’sproduction team, it’s dumbfounding how the people behind challenges like the auction fail to see the easy ways this challenge could be reinvented for the audience. This season saw someone randomly get an advantage hidden with their food, a great tactic that includes the excitement of advantage while still encouraging contestants to bid as much as they can. And the threat that the person with the most money loses their vote continues a recent shift where the series seems determined to meddle with players' chances to win by stripping them of their freedom (in a game that depends on their ability to make choices). Rather than that, online viewers have discussed the show utilizing more of the covered plates that it throws into the auction, hidden items that not only create some fun questioning but drive people to spend their money rather than save it. There are many paths forward to bring this challenge back to its former glory, but in their determination to prevent the issues of their past while re-capturing the original version’s magic,Survivorhas turned the auction into a needlessly complex process that is quickly approaching its expiration date.
A reality show where a group of contestants are stranded in a remote location with little more than the clothes on their back. The lone survivor of this contest takes home a million dollars.
Survivoris Available to Stream on Paramount Plus in the U.S.
WATCH ON PARAMOUNT+
