If you caught a sneak peek into episode 8 of Survivor 45, one thing might have caught your attention — the Survivor Auction is back, baby!
For those who are unfamiliar, the Survivor Auction is “a special Reward Challenge where the players are temporarily relieved from competing in strenuous challenges. Instead, they will be given a specific sum of money where they must outbid the other contestants for certain items, mostly food, with instances where a temporary use of amenities or a visit from loved ones are also offered.” Per the rules of the Survivor Auction, food that is bought must be eaten before leaving the premises, in order to avoid stashing their winnings or sharing it with their fellow castaways.
In past seasons, sharing money with other players was permitted (as long as they share the prize), however, this option has been voided since Survivor: Cook Islands. As far as the money goes, if a castaway decides to not use their cash, they may keep their unspent money to use beyond the game. Longtime host Jeff Probst has revealed on numerous occasions that some contestants intentionally do not bid, because they would rather have the money instead — how wild is that?
In addition to food, amenities, and loved ones’ visits, “there are also instances where there are game-changing powers that contestants can outbid on, such as the power to send another player to Exile Island, an advantage at the next Immunity Challenge, or a clue to a Hidden Immunity Idol” — with the ability to change the entire game, the stakes are at an all time high!
While the format of the Survivor Auction sounds simple enough, there will be certain points the Reward Challenge where Probst will offer covered items, which will remain covered until there is a winning bidder. Some of these covered items might end up being the best prizes that the Survivor Auction has to offer, however, some might end up being extremely undesirable, such as a cup of water, a cup of rice, and more — yikes!
Outbidding their fellow castaways for prizes, offering up however much money they desire, the contestants will draw rocks to decide who wins the item in the instance of a tie, which viewers saw occur during Survivor: Cagayan and Survivor: Worlds Apart.
With the Survivor Auction returning to our television screens this Wednesday (November 15) it is important to know the history of the Reward Challenge. Keep scrolling to find out everything you need to know…
In which seasons did the Survivor Auction occur?
The Survivor Auction made its debut in season 2, Survivor: The Australian Outback, and its most recent appearance in season 30, Survivor: Worlds Apart. As we know, after tomorrow evening, Survivor 45 will take the crown as having the most recent appearance of the fan-favorite Reward Challenge.
The Survivor Auction has occurred in the following seasons of the hit competition show.
- Survivor: The Australian Outback
- Survivor: Africa
- Survivor: Thailand
- Survivor: The Amazon
- Survivor: Palau
- Survivor: Guatemala
- Survivor: Cook Islands
- Survivor: Micronesia
- Survivor: Gabon
- Survivor: Tocantins
- Survivor: Samoa
- Survivor: One World
- Survivor: Philippines
- Survivor: Caramoan
- Survivor: Cagayan
- Survivor: Worlds Apart
Fun facts about the Survivor Auction
According to Survivor Wiki, the following are fun facts about the Survivor Auction, as well as the castaways who won big during this one-of-a-kind Reward Challenge.
Beginning with firsts, Amber Brkich was the first contestant to buy a covered item at the Survivor Auction, which ended up being a pitcher of river water.
On a much more positive note, Danni Boatwright was the first contestant to ever buy an advantage for the following Immunity Challenge, ultimately winning said challenge. While that strategy has primarily played out in the favor of the castaways who purchased an advantage for the following Immunity Challenge during the Survivor Auction, Corinne Kaplan is the only contestant not to win after buying said advantage — poor thing!
While notable castaways are being mentioned, Stephenie LaGrossa, Parvati Shallow, Jonathan Penner, Erik Reichenbach, and Malcolm Freberg are the only players to participate in more than one auction, with the Reward Challenge occurring in more than one season they were a part of.
As far as the money goes, Judd Sergeant has spent the most money at the Survivor Auction, sharing his cash with Cindy Hall and spending $880 during Survivor: Guatemala for his loved one. He got to choose two people who would also spend time with their loved ones after outbidding his fellow castaways, selecting both Cindy and Stephenie LaGrossa to join him — how sweet is that?
In addition to this, Ken Hoang holds the record for the most money on hand during the Survivor Auction. During Survivor: Gabon, Ken had $160 left when he took $500 from Bob Crowley, giving him a total of $660 at the auction.
To see if any of these records are broken during the Survivor Auction tomorrow evening, tune into episode 8 of Survivor 45 at 8pm ET/PT on CBS.