Survivor Oz Top 10-Top 10 Survivor Auctions
It’s Wednesday, which means another Survivor Oz Top Ten is coming your way! The Survivor Auction is one of the most entertaining and fun challenges, both for the contestants to play and for us to watch. Only fourteen seasons have featured the Auction Reward Challenge, but it always seems to deliver memorable moments, whether it’s due to a contestant winning a “dud” item, devouring an entire chocolate cake in sixty seconds, or from the strategy that comes from bidding on an advantage item. This week, one of our newest Ozlets, Anthony Rossi, counts down ten of the best Survivor Auctions from seasons past. Do you agree with his choices? Read on and let us know your thoughts below.
On the whole, Survivor is a game in which manipulation and deception are key; but that’s not to say that Survivor thrives off of negativity, because there are many examples of joy and happiness. The Auction is a challenge that is so loved and brings so much joy to the contestants, as well as the audience. So far, Auctions have appeared in fourteen seasons, and now I bring you ten of the best.
10. Enil Edam – Caramoan
The first Auction that appears on the list is the most recent one. Survivor: Caramoan was not a popular season, but the Auction is fairly decent and definitely deserves its spot in this Top Ten. In this episode, Malcolm knows that he is in danger, so he hopes that he can buy all the advantages that he can at the Auction. This makes it quite amusing when he is the first person to buy a food item and possibly risk losing later bids. Reynold is next to buy an item; he and Cochran then exchange some words about Reynolds’ choice to trade his covered item for another. Cochran lets him know that he should change, but Reynold doesn’t trust him. Reynold ends up keeping what he originally bought, which is a slice of pizza when he could have had a whole pizza. When Jeff reveals the pizza, Sherri bids all her money for it, and Jeff accepts the offer. Dawn later purchases a chicken and while she is returning to her seat, Erik asks to smell it. Erik has always been such an interesting character, so this is not unusual of him. The last item is probably the most iconic. Eddie buys for the entire tribe a huge bowl of peanut butter. Once they return back to camp, almost all of the tribe mates read their letters from home covered in peanut butter. While the Auction may not be overly fantastic, it is still pretty memorable and entertaining, warranting its place in this Top Ten.
9. Barramundi – The Australian Outback
Next on the list is the very first Survivor Auction from the Australian Outback. This Auction is pretty noteworthy, because it had never been done before. Seeing the contestants’ reactions in this one is extremely exciting. While this Auction is not particularly extravagant, it has some great moments. It all starts when Jeff offers up four Doritos and a bowl of salsa. I remember this item so well, because Jeff asks Tina if she wants it, and she replies with a memorable quote, “That’s more than ten dollars a chip”, proving she does not want to waste her money. It is also pretty memorable when Elisabeth buys chocolate and peanut butter. She starts shaking when she begins to eat it, because she is so deprived of nutrition and flavour. The best part of this Auction is when they return to camp. Most of the contestants need to rush to the bathroom to remove all the food they had just consumed.
8. Aitutonga – Cook Islands
There is no denying that Penner was a huge character this season, and he is a huge character in the Auction as well. At this point of the game, he is greatly disliked by the majority of the contestants for backstabbing them, so they don’t want him winning a lot of food and enjoying himself. So when he ends up winning the first item, people get pretty upset. Up next for bids is a lovely bath with a nice piece of chocolate cake, and of course Parvati wants it the most. Penner decides that he wants to have Parvati spend more money, so he starts bidding even though he doesn’t want it. Jeff even comments on that when he says, “Jonathan, the guy no one wants to see take a bath, now leading the Auction.” At this point, no one wants to see Penner win anything, so some people probably weren’t too happy that he won an entire pizza next. This Auction is quite interesting with the dynamic of all the contestants against Penner and in the end is truly funny.
7. Tikiano – One World
One World is a very interesting season, and the Auction is no different. This Auction is particularly funny because the contestants talk back to one another, especially Kat. She is always keeping the viewers entertained and she definitely delivers at the Auction. She starts her comments when Leif tastes the drink he just bought and Kat tells him to sit back down. She also tries bidding thirty dollars for an item when you can only bid in increments of twenty. It is also pretty funny when Kim is getting into the shower and people make noises and comments. Sabrina even states, “Tarzan, don’t stare.” Kat keeps the funny comments coming when she buys a BLT and is surprised to see bacon on it. Kim is also entertaining during the Auction when she bids on an item in the shower. She ends up winning it and continues to eat and shower at the same time. Tarzan is another contestant this season that has delivered the funny moments, and he is also quite amusing during the Auction. Jeff asks Tarzan why he has not bid on anything yet and Tarzan replies, “I have shocks on my Jeep that I have to repair.” If anything, this Auction is most memorable for being exceptionally funny and entertaining.
6. Chuay Gahn and Sook Jai – Thailand
Survivor: Thailand is a season of many firsts. This season was the first time that the tribes were picked beforehand; the first time that Jeff will host the Reunion Show; and the first time there was a pre-Merge Auction. It was really interesting to see an Auction at this stage in the game. The best part about this Auction is when Jan gets Tree Mail and is announcing the challenge to the tribe. Once she opens it, she immediately starts counting the money out loud, which confuses the other tribe mates who are out in the water. It is so funny seeing the members of the tribe trying to communicate with Jan while she’s going crazy. This leads into one of the funniest quotes in Survivor from Clay when he tells the camera, “No s**t, Sherlock” in response to Jan pointing out that it was a “gambling thing”. At the Auction, one of the items up for bid is covered, and the Sook Jai tribe pays eighty dollars for it. They win a bowl of baked grubs, which disappoints all the tribe members except Stephanie, who isn’t bothered and eats it like it’s nothing. It’s really funny when Jeff asks Erin when is the next chance she is going to eat a grub. Later on, the Sook Jai tribe wins another covered item. The funny part about it is when someone mentions to Stephanie that no matter what it is, she will eat it anyway. One of the greatest moments is when the Chuay Gahn tribe wins a plate of nachos and Jeff asks Jan “What goes good with nachos?” It is so funny, because everyone is guessing completely wrong and they have no idea. The correct answer, of course, was margaritas. In my opinion, this is a successful and funny pre-Merge Auction and a twist that would be interesting to see again.
5. Dangrayne – Philippines
Survivor: Philippines is one of my favourite seasons, and the Auction is one of the better ones seen on the show. It is unique because so many contestants spend all their money on one item. Right off the bat, Denise spends all her money on a breakfast meal. The best part about it is how Jeff reacts: he is in complete shock that she spent that much this early. As Jeff is revealing the next item, Skupin immediately bids all his money. It’s quite comical when you think about it: only two items have been shown and two contestants are already out of cash. I really like when each contestant gets what he or she wants, which is what happened in this season.
4. Nobag – Gabon
After that extremely happy Auction, we now come to an unhappier one. Survivor: Gabon is a season full of conflicts that are displayed well here. Despite the negativity among the contestants, I found it to be incredibly funny. One of the greatest conflicts is between Randy and Sugar, and during the first item bid, we can clearly see their issues. Randy really wants to have the beers and peanuts, but Sugar keeps bidding on them only to raise the price so that Randy would have to spend more. Randy is such a great character and he is always there for some laughs. He displays his comedic prowess when he and Susie are bidding on the bath. He stops bidding and then offers to pay one hundred dollars to help Susie bathe if she wins. Like Caramoan, the most memorable moment involves the last item. Randy ends up winning for the whole tribe a plate of cookies (Angie should have been on this season). Out of the kindness of his heart, he offers a cookie to everyone and at first, Sugar does not accept one. After all the cookies are given out except his own, he offers again. Sugar accepts but instead of eating it, she gives it to Matty. The best part about the scene is when Jeff narrates what just happened and Randy responds to Jeff with, “Would you like to repeat that?” My favourite part of the Auction is when it ends, and before Randy heads back to camp, he hands Jeff a tip. This Auction is so full of tension, but that is what makes it so great.
3. Forza – Tocantins
Even though I am not the biggest Tocantins fan, this Auction is one of the best. It is not overly exciting or entertaining, but it has the one of the sweetest endings. The first item up for bid is a large bowl of french fries. Taj starts bidding at forty dollars, and then Debbie bids next at fifty dollars, even though they can only bid in twenty dollar increments. She then tries to correct her error by adding twenty to her fifty, which only gets her more confused. I don’t like Debbie, but at least she has one good moment here. Erinn is one of my Survivor favourites and she is such a great character. When Jeff reveals the chicken hearts that Stephen wins, she screams, which is hysterical. Erinn also yells at Coach when he makes a comment, which is probably one of the reasons I love her so much. As seen in prior Auctions, the best moments usually occur when the last item is offered. This time, the last item is a video message from home. All the contestants hand their money to Taj so that she can win. It is so touching to see so many people do this for one person. In the message, Taj’s husband, Eddie, mentions that he is back at camp. Once Taj realizes, she starts freaking out, almost hurting Jeff in the process. Jeff then offers her the option to sacrifice going back to camp with Eddie and instead go to Exile Island, where Eddie will join her and everybody else will get to see his or her loved one. Taj chooses the latter option, and I really like when everyone gets to see their loved one. The Auction is really sweet, which is why it is at number three.
2. Moto Maji – Africa
Despite my dislike of Survivor: Africa, the Auction this season is simply fantastic, and there is no denying that. It starts off slow, but gradually builds. The star of the Auction is no doubt Big Tom. The third item up for bid is an ice-cold beer. Jeff prices it at four thousand Kenyan shillings, but Tom, a great lover of beer, bids a thousand. Jeff allows Tom to win the beer even though his bid did not match. Another great moment is when Kim P. wins an ice cream sundae. Once she starts eating it, Jeff asks how much she spent on it, to which she says she doesn’t even care. It is also pretty funny when Ethan offers Kim a thousand shillings to get one bite, but she counter offers at 1,500. Teresa gets really excited when Jeff offers a Hoagie sandwich. She wins the sandwich and while she is eating it, she exclaims that it is “Good enough to you wanna slap your mamma.” The last item is probably the funniest of them all. Both Tom and Ethan pool their money together to win this covered item. They win it and Jeff brings Tom up to see what they bought. Tom goes crazy with happiness when he sees what the item is: a plate full of bacon strips and pancakes. He then says probably one the most memorable quotes of the show: “Ham! He’s a Jew and he won’t eat the ham!” The Auction is so entertaining and hysterical; without a doubt worthy of making the list.
1. Dabu – Micronesia
Survivor: Micronesia is considered to be one of the greatest seasons, and the Auction is just as incredible. It is so memorable and quite funny as well. Cirie wins the first item for 120 dollars, and as she is handing in her money, she forgets to give it all to Jeff. Erik is such a loveable character and he is really loveable in this Auction. He wins the next item and is offered a trade; in the end, Erik decides to make the change. The best part about this exchange is Erik’s reaction when he realizes he made a good choice: trading raw octopus for nachos and dip. He proceeds to jump up and down and shout. Natalie later bids 240 dollars on a covered item, which then turns out to be an unpleasant surprise: fruit bat soup. Usually when a contestant wins a “bad” item, the Auction just continues and the next item is put up for bid. Not this time. James says he wants the soup and then casually starts eating it. I may not be the biggest James fan, but there is no denying that he is hysterical in the Auction. Next in line is the peanut butter and jelly sandwich, which starts a bidding war between most of the females. It is so funny to see all these women franticly bidding just for one sandwich, and it is also comical to see James’ reaction to what is going on. The last item is probably the most entertaining item to watch. Last, but not least, we have the famous chocolate cake for which the bidder and three other tribe members must eat in sixty seconds. It is extremely entertaining to watch these people try and stuff their faces in such a short amount of time. Erik then wants to pay money to lick their fingers, and Cirie accepts his offer. That is such a fantastic scene and it gets even better when Erik exclaims, “Oh, baby!” By far the greatest and most entertaining Auction in Survivor history.
What do you think of the top 10? Do you agree? Disagree? Is it in the wrong order or are there ones that didn’t make the top 10 that you feel should’ve? Leave a comment below to let us know your thoughts!
Survivor Oz 
Great List 🙂
Can we have a top 10 list of #blindsides only for Cagayan? 🙂 i have a feeling it will be at least 10 lol. If we have a good winner this season, this will beat Heroes vs. Villains as my all time fave!!!
yea i agree. i’ve only watched live nicaragua, phillipines, caramoan and cagayan and the best blindsides that i’ve seen is the 3 amigos taking out phillip, andrea and brenda and now cliff and sarah. i guess lj was a blindside but i saw it coming
And garrett was not?
Very poorly written. And how did Guatemala not make the list? It’s arguably the most important auction in Survivor history because Danni buys the clue which allows her to win immunity and eventually the game.
I agree with that
Love auctions! Good write up.
Just a comment:
I get that we all have opinions, but I noticed you said a lot of times that ‘I don’t like Debbie’ or ‘I don’t like Africa’ or ‘I don’t like James.’
I don’t think it is necessary to keep including that, especially since you could say ‘Africa may not be my favorite season, but I love this auction’ instead of ‘I hate Africa, but I love the auction.’
I just felt the article had a lot of negativity of who you like and don’t like, and some of the things you mentioned you did not like could be some of our favorites. I just think that it does not need to be full of this negativity.
Take this as constructive criticism because I appreciate all your hard work and I do agree with this list for the most part.
Great work.
PS I feel the parts where Jason and Candice were sent to Exile were overlooked while they made the auctions more entertaining.
This article wasn’t very well written, which is a bit distracting from the content but overall i would agree with the ranking. Anyways I love remembering the Survivor Auction ❤