‘Survivor’: Fire Tokens Twist Explained — What Are They, How Can They Be Used & More To Know

CBS

The Edge of Extinction is back for season 40 of ‘Survivor,’ but there’s also a brand new twist for the all-winners season — fire tokens! Before the premiere, host Jeff Probst broke down exactly how these will work.

Twenty former Survivor winners will compete against each other on the show’s 40th season, Winners At War, which premieres Feb. 12. This is sure to be the most intense season EVER, so it only made sense that the showrunners added a new twist to spice things up more than ever before. Season 40 will include the addition of ‘fire tokens,’ which will be like a form of currency on the island. Everyone will start with one fire token, and when they are voted out, they will be able to gift their token to one of the remaining players. Then, the voted out player will head to the Edge of Extinction to wait it out for a chance to return to the game, and the fire tokens will come into play.

“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,” Jeff Probst explained to Entertainment Weekly. “It becomes supply and demand. I have what you have in terms of an advantage, and I’m going to sell it to somebody in the game for [their] fire token.” The people on the Edge want to collect as many fire tokens as possible, because when it comes time to fight for a spot back in the game, they’ll be able to use the tokens they’ve collected to buy an advantage of their own.

“Now we have a true economy in which you have what I need, and I have what you want,” Jeff said. “And here’s the price I’m offering to sell it to you.” Of course, choosing who to give fire tokens to will not be an easy decision for the players, as there are plenty of layers to Survivor to consider.

“As the game progresses and you’re on Extinction, you don’t really know who has tokens left,” Jeff explained. “You don’t know what’s happening over there. So you’re offering to sell to somebody, hoping that they have enough money.” The person who is offered the advantage, which is done in secret, will only have until sundown to decide if they want to pay up. If they don’t take the deal, or they can’t afford it, it goes away completely. The players still in the game are allowed to borrow tokens from another player, or combine tokens with another player to get enough money.

“As the game gets deeper, these advantages become more valuable,” Jeff revealed. “There’s only a few people left and they all want them, which means you can charge more for them. And the more [you] charge, the more tokens [you] get.” Players can also use their tokens to buy “food, items or advantages” at challenges. We’ll see how this twist plays out when Survivor premieres with a two hour episode on Feb. 12 at 8:00 p.m. on CBS.