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With the conclusion of Survivor: Winners at War coming fast, fans want to know what is to come in Survivor Season 41 and 42. According to host Jeff Probst, fire tokens are here to stay. He wants to build on the new Survivor currency by taking them to a whole new level.

Natalie Anderson's fire tokens
Natalie Anderson’s first fire token on ‘Survivor: Winners at War’ | Robert Voets/CBS Entertainment

How did Jeff Probst describe fire tokens on ‘Survivor: Winners at War’ before the season?

As Survivor changes and evolves, the producers introduce new twists to keep it fresh and new. After 40 seasons, they need something to keep viewers coming back for more. Probst gave us hidden immunity idols, and we know those little gems worked out well. This season we watched the evolution of fire tokens.

“Think of tokens as money,” Probst told Entertainment Weekly on location in Fiji before the season began. “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.”

Initially, players had the opportunity to pool their tokens together for things such as coffee/pastries for three tokens, a small bag of beans for four, a bag of rice for five tokens, pillows and blankets for four, a tarp for five tokens, or an advantage in the challenge for 4. Players on the Edge of Extinction island had a similar menu, but for individuals, with the addition of a hidden immunity idol for three tokens, and advantages in the competition to re-enter the game.

Jeff Probst will take fire tokens to a new level in ‘Survivor’ Season 41

Probst is very excited to take fire tokens through new seasons and help the currency to grow and evolve. 

“We get excited because we go, a currency, even though it’s not sexy, it’s a foundation,” Probst explained to Entertainment Weekly when discussing the possibility of reaching 50 seasons. “Maybe we can build on that. Maybe the next 10 seasons can be building on now Survivor has a currency.”

Probst also said that fire tokens might be hidden instead of immunity idols. Viewers saw this during season 40 when the Edge of Extinction players had to search for four tokens. The host likes to talk about the possibility of one player finding and earning all of the tokens.

 “There’s a mayor of Survivor. Oh my God, that guy’s a billionaire on Survivor. He has so many Fire Tokens. But he has no friends. He can’t buy anything. It’s crazy! He literally has all the money, and nobody will work with him! And then you’re once again in this microcosm of society, and you’ve got something. That’s what we’re trying to figure out.”

Probst hopes to play out new and unique scenarios with the Survivor currency on seasons 41 and 42. 

Is Jeff Probst happy with the way fire tokens are working on ‘Survivor: Winners at War’?

Probst’s favorite scene of the entire season of Survivor: Winners at War involved the extortion of fire tokens. In episode 11, Parvati Shallow and Natalie Anderson sent a note to Tony Vlachos. If he did not pay the women six fire tokens before the next challenge, he would not be able to compete or vote at the next tribal council.  

“I remember writing this note, and we laughed so hard when we realized the key to the note is the last line of the note that says, ‘By the way, you’re not the extorter. You’re the one being extorted,’” Probst explained.

The extortion played out precisely as Probst hoped it would. Tony coerced three players into giving him the extra tokens he needed, but not without some hysterical confessionals. 

It seems like a safe bet to say that the host loves how the new economy played out on season 40. Viewers are sure to be seeing fire tokens again soon. The season finale and reunion episode of Survivor: Winners at War airs May 13, 2020, at 8 p.m. EST on CBS.

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