Survivor’s so-called new era has brought a flurry of changes to the hit show, from the Shot in the Dark to a shorter format and game-changing “journeys.” One familiar aspect to old-school fans, however, returned in Season 45: the Survivor Auction.
But don’t expect the auction to return for season 46. Host and executive producer Jeff Probst revealed as much to Entertainment Weekly in a story on Wednesday, February 14.
“The auction is not back for 46,” he said.
The news might surprise many diehards familiar with Survivor’s production schedule. The series films two seasons at a time, with the 2023 cycle consisting of seasons 45 and 46. That means the castaways on season 46 played their game before 45 even aired, so they had no way of knowing at the time that the auction had made its return.
Players also would not have known the new twist that came with the Survivor Auction in the new era. In season 45, rather than each player being allotted a certain amount of money to spend at the auction, players had to search for their money in the jungle. They were also not told how many items the auction would include, and whoever was left with the most money remaining at the end lost their vote at the next tribal council.
“We could have got a free shot at it in 46,” Probst admitted, adding, “It really came down to resources.”
“That’s a gigantic lift from production,” he explained. “It looks simple, but you’ve got a chocolate shake, and you’ve got a bag, and somebody pays with money. Now there are so many departments involved.”
Probst elaborated, adding that season 45’s shift to 90-minute episodes (as opposed to one hour) further taxed the show’s crew. As a result, he admitted that the crew was exhausted by the end of 45 and had barely any rest before 46 began.
“All the heads of departments said, ‘Dude, we’re loving this, but we are on fumes. We are working harder than we’ve ever worked before,’” Probst said. “And then we had to turn right around and do 46.”
If Survivor fans know one thing about Probst, however, it’s that he rarely closes the door on anything regarding the future of the show. The Survivor Auction is no different. He told EW that if it does indeed return, it will need to be well-planned as part of the overall design of the season.
“Will we do it in 47 and 48? Probably one of the two. Maybe not both,” he said. “But we do love it, fans love it and I love that.”
Survivor 46 premieres on CBS Wednesday, February 28.
