Survivor: Winners at War is about to include a big new twist!
Host Jeff Probst revealed one big new surprise on Wednesday (January 15) that will surely affect how the game is played on the upcoming Season 40, debuting on February 12 on CBS.
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“One of the things we wanted to accomplish with 40 was to try to find some ground that might give us room to play going forward. So we went back to the basic idea: Survivor is about a society that forms, and they form their own rules. And they decide who stays and who goes home. And over time, every society ends up having a currency. So we’re looking to add another layer to the society with a Survivor currency in the form of fire tokens,” he revealed to EW.
“Think of tokens as money. And the way it works is, everyone starts with one. And when you are voted out you have to will it or bequeath it to somebody still in the game as you head to the Edge of Extinction.”
“Now players in the game have tokens. People on the Edge have nothing. But what the Edge does have are advantages — that are of no value on the Edge of Extinction but are very valuable in the game. So it becomes supply and demand,” he went on to explain.
“The next layer is, as the game progresses, and you’re on Extinction, you don’t really know who has tokens left. You don’t know what’s been happening over there. So I’m offering to sell to somebody, hoping that they either have enough money — and, if not, they can borrow it — or go into cahoots with somebody to get enough, because they have only until sundown to pay for it.”
Players can use their tokens to purchase food, items or advantages at any challenge.
“I got what you need, you got what I want. Supply and demand. It will ebb and flow. And the idea is, if it works, in future seasons, who knows? Maybe you’re not looking for idols, you’re looking for tokens. And with tokens, you buy whatever you need. That’s the big idea,” he said.
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