The Big Picture
- Survivor 45 introduced new rules for the auction, making the game harder. Castaways now have to "earn" everything, including money.
- The new auction rules include no advantages and a random number of items available for bidding. The person with the most money at the end loses their vote.
- The auction was a fun nod to the show's early years and should become a staple. It follows the theme of the new era, where castaways have to "earn" everything and there is a risk of losing something.
"Following a Dead Horse to Water" showed the Survivor 45 cast competing in the first auction since 2015. But like everything in the new era of the game, there are changes to make the game harder, according to Jeff Probst. Fans have grown tired of these changes because they usually get in the way of castaways playing their social game. However, the new auction rules are interesting and should appear every season.
What Are the Survivor 45 Rules For the Auction?
The castaways are no longer given anything to start the game whereas in previous seasons they had rice, a pot, and flint. Everything needs to be "earned," so a boat came and dropped off a table and a basket with everyone's names. "This afternoon, you will each have a chance to bid on food items," Kendra McQuarrie read to the cast: "But first you need money. Scattered in your jungle are forty bamboo tubes of cash. You can only collect one at a time. Then you must toss it in your basket before racing back to retrieve another."
The cast then brought their money to the auction and new rules were revealed. "The second change, there are no advantages so get that out of your head," Probst told them. The cast clapped in approval. "The last change is this...we have prepared 15 items for today's auction. Only the first five are guaranteed. Once we get to beyond five, between six and 15, that number will be determined by me drawing a number between six and 15 from this bag." The cast won't know the number and the auction will end without warning. Whoever has the most money in the end will lose their vote.
Bruce Perreault found the least amount of money because he refused to run. Probst pulled the number 10 and the auction ended with Emily Flippen having 60 left and Bruce having 80. He lost his vote, which left him vulnerable.The good news was he had a hidden immunity idol and the people on Lulu knew about it. The cast then had to fight for immunity. It was endurance and everyone had to hold up a third of their pre-game bodyweight. Bruce won and couldn't be in danger of going home.
The biggest complaint about the new era of Survivor is that the changes are tedious. The castaways are dared to risk something in order to gain an advantage or an idol. So we saw them saying silly phrases repeatedly in hopes of getting an idol. Or three separate tribes had someone asking for beads from everyone in their tribe for one. This makes their secrets a lot harder to keep, which also lessens the power of the idol.
The scramble for money in the jungle was fun to watch, especially since Bruce refused to run for it. But the people who had the most money also could've been in more danger if they were caught with the most money. Advantages should help balance out the game, so anyone can win it. The hidden number of bids is also fun for a viewer because the ending of the bid was a surprise. It's even better than a Shot in the Dark, which has a very low chance of being successful.
Likely, the auction was back to make season 45 a little more special. The show did state the season wouldn't be full of bells and whistles celebrating the anniversary. But the auction was a good nod to the seasons before it. If the auction was brought back to recognize the show's early years, it did its job. But producers should make the new auction a staple because it follows the theme of the new era. Castaways have to "earn" every part of the auction, and there is a risk someone will lose something.
Austin Li Coon Gets Revenge on Survivor
Austin Li Coon previously went on an adventure with Kellie Nalbandian and J. Maya. They had the choice of eating sandwiches or taking amulets with different levels of power. Three of them in the game are an extra vote, two left are a steal-a-vote advantage, and one is an idol. Austin saw this as a disadvantage because there was reason for them to target each other. But J. Maya wanted the amulet and Kellie was convinced.
J. Maya, Kellie, and Austin agreed to work together. But Austin was angry at them for choosing the amulets over the sandwich. He vowed to get revenge. Kellie oddly got a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in the auction with a margarita. The episode ends with her blindsided at the Tribal Council. She turned to Austin and asked if he did it and he nodded. J. Maya was previously voted out, so he now has an amulet.
Survivor 45 can be streamed on Paramount+.
