One of the most entertaining elements of old school Why Survivor All-Star Rob Cesternino Thinks Carolyn Wiger Will Win
The Survivor Auction Needs To Return To The Show
The Survivor Auction was a staple of early seasons, and it should be brought back to the current game to add a degree of fun and levity to the show. Jeff Probst has remarked in the past that the auction was broken by the introduction of advantages, but if the show got rid of the advantage element, there is a great chance that it could lead to many entertaining outcomes.
Some of early Survivor's most enjoyable moments came from the auction. One example was when Africa's "Big" Tom Buchanan realized (in hilarious fashion) that Ethan Zohn's kosher diet would prevent him from eating any of the bacon he and Ethan won in the auction. Another was when the Tocantins auction featured Taj Johnson-George winning an in-person visit with her husband, NFL star Eddie George.
Australian Survivor Still Features The Auction Challenge
Some of the international Survivor seasons have featured clever elements to keep the auctions fresh. Australian Survivor, in particular, has done a remarkable job of working around the advantage-related elements that ended the American version of the challenge. The Aussie version of the auction has toyed with making advantages a secret part of food items. Most recently, that version featured the challenge in the pre-merge, as part of the Heroes V Villains tribe swap. The tribe swap auction in Australian Survivor was a prime example of what makes the challenge special. It featured strategy, of course, but more importantly, it showcased the contestant's personalities in fun ways. It led to an emotional moment, when a contestant got to speak with his pregnant partner, who was waiting for him at home.
The Survivor Auction is sorely missed in the American version's current product. The creative team should consider new strategies to make the auction a viable component of the show moving forward. Perhaps they can look to international iterations of the franchise for inspiration, and figure out how to bring the Survivor Auction back and keep it fresh. Regardless, it's been far too long since the show featured the legendary challenge.
Survivor 44 premieres Wednesday, March 1, at 8 p.m. EST on CBS.
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