After a season that began gradual, picked up momentum and tore into the finale at break-neck velocity, Survivor 49 lastly has a winner.
Warning: Spoilers under for the finale of Survivor 49.
Savannah Louie earned the title of Sole Survivor on the Wednesday, December 17, season finale, defeating Sophi Balerdi and Sage Ahrens-Nichols within the closing jury vote, 5-2-1.
The trio reached the ultimate tribal council after voting out Kristina Mills within the closing 5. When Sophi gained immunity on the closing 4, staging an unbelievable comeback within the course of, she elected to take Sage along with her to the ultimate three, forcing Savannah, 31, and Rizo Velovic to sq. off in a fire-making problem to find out the final finalist.
In any case three had their say, Savannah stood out for exhibiting how she, as she mentioned, dodged extra bullets than anybody within the sport. Focused as a bodily risk from the merge to the top of the sport, Savannah by no means gave her opponents the chance to get her out of the sport. As Steven Ramm mentioned when he solid his vote for her, he went from writing her identify right down to get her out of the sport to lastly having to jot down her identify right down to win as the last word present of respect.
Because the cherry on high, Savannah will go down in Survivor historical past as she tied the the document for many immunity problem wins for a girl with 4.
All 5 finalists needed to earn their method to the top, and so they did so in a season stuffed with clutch problem wins and game-changing strikes — some strategically savvy and others that left us screaming at our TVs.
Savannah needed to win challenges to remain alive as her goal grew with every passing vote. Rizo was enjoying video games together with his idol and slowly flying nearer to the solar every time. Sophi seemingly torpedoed her probabilities at profitable the sport by making an attempt — and failing — to steal Steven’s Block a Vote benefit, not figuring out he had already performed it.
“From a fan viewpoint, watching Savannah, Rizo and Sophi work their approach by an obstacle has been actually enjoyable,” host Jeff Probst advised Parade in an interview printed Wednesday, December 17. “And it’s a robust reminder that you’re not out of the sport till your torch is snuffed. You may always remember that. There’s typically a approach again in in case you are intelligent sufficient and might discover somebody whose wants align with yours — even when only for one vote.”
On the opposite aspect, Sage developed into an adaptable strategic participant who knew precisely the place she stood and who she might belief after her ally Jawan Pitts was blindsided. Kristina entered the night time as maybe the least probably winner, however her story of perseverance and an endearing character made her unimaginable to depend out, not figuring out what the jury would worth.
Kristina additionally had one of the vital memorable moments of the season, breaking down earlier than a reward problem because the bodily and psychological rigors of the sport left her lacking her mother, who died a number of years in the past.
“It wasn’t deliberate, it wasn’t prompted. It was only a human being carrying actual grief, and the calls for of this loopy sport introduced all of it to the floor,” Jeff mentioned, calling it his favourite second of the season.
Every participant entered the finale from a wildly totally different viewpoint, making for a closing 5 that would have swung nearly any approach. The memorable ending additionally meant that regardless of who took house the $1 million, there can be personalities to deliver again for Survivor 50: Within the Fingers of the Followers.
CBS confirmed a sneak peak of the subsequent season on the finish of Wednesday’s finale, revealing what had lengthy been rumored — Rizo and Savannah can be again on our screens in February. Which means Savannah may have an opportunity to grow to be simply the third two-time Survivor winner within the present’s U.S. historical past and the primary to ever win back-to-back seasons.
Survivor 50 premieres on CBS February 25, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET.
