“I don’t ever need to be liked by a hundred percent of people.”

Survivor 49 winner Savannah Louie reacts to Kristina’s diabolical jury question

"I don't ever need to be liked by a hundred percent of people."

By Dalton Ross

Dalton Ross is a writer and editor with over 25 years experience covering TV and the entertainment industry. *Survivor* is kind of his thing.

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on December 18, 2025 12:25 p.m. ET

Savannah Louie on 'Survivor 49'. Credit:

They desperately wanted her out at the merge. And with good reason, because they knew if Savannah Louie made it to the very end, that she likely would be walking out of Tribal Council a million dollars richer. And that’s exactly what happened.

Savannah was crowned the winner of *Survivor 49*, beating Sophi Balerdi and Sage Ahrens-Nichols by a vote of 5-2-1, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t some bumpy moments along the way. Like when Sophi put Savannah and fellow Tres Leches alliance member Rizo Velovic into the final four fire-making competition. Or when Kristina Mills asked her to name a loved one of every single jury member.

But Savannah’s aggressive approach and challenge domination (tying the record with most individual immunity wins by a woman in a single season with four) won her the jury’s respect, as well as their votes.

We talked to the newly minted champion the morning after her televised victory, and got all the scoop on everything we did and did not see on screen. You can watch or read the entire interview below

**: So, one season down, one to go, right?**

**SAVANNAH LOUIE:** Dude, I am so excited and, honestly the first season couldn't have gone better, so why not come back for round two?

**How confident were you walking into that final Tribal Council that you were about to be crowned the winner of *Survivor 49?***

What's so interesting is I feel like people assume, because I do put out a really confident aura — I'm always gonna be my own biggest fan, right? — but even in moments where I feel a lot of self-doubt, I still present as someone who's really confident. I feel like if you are self-talking in a really positive way, you're gonna manifest good things.

So going into the final Tribal, I felt like I had a good chance. But I also knew that Sage did play a really great strategic game. Very different from mine. And I knew Soph also played an incredible social game. She was also wonderful at strategy and I knew she was a lot better liked than I was, if I'm being honest. So I felt good and confident in my game, but I also recognized I had two other incredibly talented competitors I was up against.

Savannah Louie on 'Survivor 49'.

2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc.

**I’m sure you were doing jury math in your head, so what were the votes you were either most concerned about or were the votes that then surprised you after they were revealed?**

I felt pretty confident that I was gonna have Nate's vote, and that I was gonna have Sophie S's vote, and that I would have Rizo's vote and Alex's vote. I was unsure about Steven. I was hoping I would have his, but I knew that he had worked so closely with Sage. I knew Jawan was probably gonna go to Sage too. MC, I was a little bit more confident in having her vote. But you never know. And Kristina, I knew she was never gonna write my name down for the million dollars. [*Laughs*]

**You said you were confident for MC. I thought MC might go you as well because she’s very physical and very good challenge competitor. Is that why you thought maybe you'd have her vote?**

Exactly. And MC is like totally fierce, not only out there on the island, but in real life. She's an incredible trainer. She's a go-getter. She goes hard, and I thought that she would respect my gameplay, which was very much: *I'm gonna go all out. I'm gonna even steal your advantage, MC, if I can.* In hindsight, that was not the case and probably something I should have taken into account.

But one of the things I was thinking about before I even went out to *Survivor* was: I don't need everybody's vote to win. And that was in the back of my mind this entire game. So when people might say, “Oh, your social game was not that good.” My argument is that I was never trying to get a unanimous jury vote at the end of the day. I'm just trying to get enough. I'm doing the bare minimum here.

Savannah Louie on 'Survivor 49'.

**You mentioned that you knew you weren't going to get Kristina's vote. Tell me your first reaction when Kristina asks you to name a loved one for every jury member, because you paused for a minute there after she asked it?**

Dude, I was like, “Kristina, how dare you? Oh my gosh, you just blew up my Tribal Council!” Seriously though, I love her. Like she has been the greatest joy outside of this game to get to know, but in that moment I'm like, “Girl, how could you ask me that? That is such a crazy question.”

And so I tried to pivot and do the best that I could. I will say, clearly I'm a player who kind of likes when others give people a hard time. You don't want to let anyone easily walk across the finish line. Kristina did not let me walk across the finish line easily at all. And I respected her question so much. In the moment, I was very frustrated, but I respected it. You know, the jury is gonna ask what they want to ask. And if Kristina wants to award the million dollars to someone who remembers her husband’s name — Richie, by the way — then that's her prerogative.

Savannah Louie on 'Survivor 49'.

Robert Voets/CBS

**Do you think it was a fair question or was she just out to make you look bad?**

I think it was a fair question. It really was. Seriously, if she wants to give a million dollars to someone because they can remember her family member's name or remember everybody's name, that's totally fine. And that's one of the beautiful things about *Survivor*. There's no written rule book anywhere. And so the jury has so much freedom to give that title and that award to really whoever they see as fit.

**As you were reading the jury, what was their reaction to the way you handled it?**

I mean, I started off rough. I knew Nate's family. Obviously, I spent so much time with him at the beginning when your brain isn't totally fried. And then I got to MC and I'm like, *Oh my gosh. I cannot even remember my own mother's name at this point it feels like.* I was struggling so much there, and I felt like MC in that moment was like, “Ooh, that's not good.”

I got to Alex and  that's when it kind of hit me. I'm like, *I feel like Alex doesn't care if I remember his family members' names.* We talked so much about work and how work had kind of taken over our lives and how we were feeling a little burnt out at times. So we really connected about that on the island and that's where I kind of was like, *You know, I'm just gonna start talking about what I know about these people because I'm awful with names in the first place*.

But I do know them and I don't think that it's a name thing. I know who they are as people. I know what drives them, what motivates them. And for me it, it was bigger than just a name to remember.

Savannah Louie on 'Survivor 49'.

**My favorite answer of yours was to Jawan when he asked your *why* and you basically said, “I hope that doesn't factor into your decision and I personally don't think it should” I love that, but that's a dangerous answer. I think it played well because it was on brand for you and it made you seem like a reliable narrator up there that you weren't just going to tell them what they want to hear. But were you worried when you delivered that answer? Because that could have easily gone the opposite way.**

Absolutely. But my goal with going into final Tribal Council was to just be myself, to own my game. My game was not pretty, and I think anyone will be the first to tell you that. But that's okay. I didn't feel like I needed a pretty game, a perfect game to win. As a viewer, I have always respected people who have played and who have owned everything at the end of the day.

And I think oftentimes it can be discouraging a little bit if you're applying to be on the show, but you don't necessarily have the best or most compelling story. And my closest allies, Rizo and Soph, those are two people who have two incredibly compelling stories. And I was hoping in that moment to, you know, obviously win some points with the jury, but also encourage other people. Like, dude, you don't need to have this amazing heroic story in your own life to play *Survivor* and to win *Survivor*. You can be a regular person. It is okay.

Sophi Balerdi and Savannah Louie on 'Survivor 49'.

**What didn’t we see at that final Tribal? Anything of note that went down and didn’t make the episode?**

Oh my gosh. It was really long, I'll say that. And I was kind of surprised at how upset some of the jury members seemed to be with Sage. *Survivor* is a game of betrayal. And, of course, people always have hurt feelings when they exit the game no matter when they leave the game. And I think some people were really frustrated with some of Sage's decisions, and she got the brunt of it for quite a while. And it was hard to watch and hard to listen to, to be honest. But she handled it like a champ. And like I said, the jury members are always so valid in whatever they ask. This is ultimately their decision at the end of the day.

**It's interesting you bring up Sage, because when you brought her on your reward, I'm like, “Oh my God, this is brilliant jury management.” But you said if anything, you thought it was *bad* strategy and that it was just personal. Is that true? Was that just a personal decision?**

I think it was, yeah. Earlier that day, Sage had told me she had gone the longest without eating. And at this point I would rather go towards the end with Sage. I didn't really want go to the end with Kristina because I was so in my head and worried about the fire stuff.

And so honestly at that point I'm like: Okay, well, Kristina's probably eating tonight anyway. I just took Rizo and Soph on a reward. This is something I want share with Sage. We've had a lot of ups and downs and I felt like during the game…. I never purposely tried to be mean to her. And I hate that she felt that way and I spent a lot of the game from the merge forward trying to make it up to her — apologizing and trying to show her I am a genuine person.

I felt so bad that I had hurt someone unintentionally. And I think that was kind of like my last opportunity. I mean, you saw in the family letters reward that I took Rizo and Soph as a thank you. And this reward that I shared with Sage, it was maybe not a thank you, but it was, *Hey, I see you as someone who I want to share this nice dinner with and I genuinely enjoy you. I genuinely did want to work with you during this game*.

Savannah Louie on 'Survivor 49'.

Robert Voets/CBS

**Fair to assume you would have voted for Rizo to win had you lost to him at fire?**

Yeah, absolutely.

**Speaking of which, how annoyed were you when Sophi not only put you into fire, but wouldn't even let you plead your case?**

I remember saying earlier that day before we even had the immunity challenge: Okay, I have three chances to get to the finals. I could win this immunity challenge. Second option is I could do fire-making and win. Probably not gonna happen because I can't make fire. My third option is being able to convince someone to take me to the end. And I felt like my relationships with Rizo and Soph were strong enough to where they might consider taking me to the end.

And when, Soph didn't want to speak with us, it felt like I was being denied that opportunity. That said, it was her moment. She doesn't want to have that conversation? That is totally her prerogative. And I'm glad that she did what she felt was right in her heart. I'm never gonna knock her for doing that.

I think in that moment it was kind of a punch to the gut, because I had thought that we were so diehard loyal girls and it was just feeling that betrayal and shock and *Oh my gosh, how could I be so stupid? My best friend doesn't actually want to go to the end with me. She's playing the game*! Of course she's playing the game! That's why I love her so much, because she's an incredible gamer. But in that moment, it was really, really hard.

Rizo Velovic, Savannah Louie, and Sophi Balerdi on 'Survivor 49'.

**You would've had to put one of them into fire if you had won that last challenge, so who would it have been?**

I've already told both of them this: I would've gotten the three of us together and we would've had a conversation, because ultimately my goal really was to sit next to Rizo. Not necessarily because I thought it would be the easiest path to win, but because I just felt like it was right to do. And I felt really confident in my game and my ability to argue that I would win the game.

So if I were to win that final immunity, I would've sat the three of us down. “Who's the best at makng fire? Who wants to go up against Sage?” And I probably would've phrased it, “Who wants this responsibility and this moment?” And honestly, I think Rizo would've stepped up. So that would probably be my answer.

Savannah Louie and Jeff Probst on 'Survivor 49'.

**I know how competitive you are, so instead of asking you if you’re proud of tying the mark for most challenge wins by a woman in a single season, I will ask you if you were frustrated to come so close to setting the record with five, but coming up a bit short.**

I think that is such an insightful question, Dalton, and yeah, I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little frustrated and disappointed. That said, I have at least tried to convince myself that that's probably the best thing for my game because everybody saw that I could win these challenges and win out and win my way to the end. And being able to be up there in fire against Rizo and have Rizo go out, that might have been better for my end game if I'm being truthful. I think everything worked out just the way that it should have. And if I don't break the record in 50, I hope that another time I can come back and shatter the record. [*Laughs*]

Savannah Louie of 'Survivor 49'.

**There’s been a lot of chatter about Savannah on social media all season long. You played aggressively, so you knew there was going to be an aggressive reaction to how you played. So what do you make of all that?**

Oh my gosh, it's been crazy. I will say I've had a lot of love, which I honestly didn't anticipate, and then I've had a lot of hate, which I also didn't anticipate. I didn't realize how emotionally invested some people get in these people who they're seeing an edited version of. But I will say the coolest thing and my biggest hope for how I was portrayed in the season is that I inspire other people to go out and play kind of like I did.

I want to see people, especially women, play their butts off and do whatever it takes to get ahead in the game. I think it's so fun as a viewer. And to be perfectly honest, I felt like I was myself a hundred percent out there. The person who you see in those confessionals, that person who you either fell in love with or who you think is so annoying, so grating, so arrogant, whatever, that is me.

I don't ever need to be liked by a hundred percent of people, but I'm so proud of myself for having this authentic if, you know, partially edited version of myself out there. And I think the editors did a fantastic job at showcasing a winner who is so multidimensional, because how often do we see winners who are painted in this heroic light who are so loved by everybody? That was not me. And if editors painted me in that light, that would be so untrue to the narrative and untrue to the show. So I know it's come with a lot of chatter, but I think that it's for the best that I'm getting it and shows I'm a polarizing character. Okay, bring it on!

Savannah Louie on 'Survivor 49'.

Robert Voets/CBS

**You and I were both out there for *Survivor 50* so we’ve already spoken pretty extensively about that, but would you have gone back-to-back if it wasn’t *Survivor 50* and was, like, *Survivor 52?***

Just a random season? I think I would think long and hard about it. But you were hearing rumblings and rumors then of people who were going out there, and the opportunity to play with some of these big names, these people who I literally grew up cheering for and rooting for and rooting against in some cases — that is literally a dream.

There's no world in which I could have turned it down. And I had a long talk with my partner before I went out there. I had long talks with my family to make sure everything was in order, but I was just so grateful that *Survivor* and production extended that invite and thought that I was worthy of playing with some of these legends. It was so crazy and surreal.

Savannah Louie and Rizo Velovic from 'Survivor 49'.

Robert Voets/CBS (2)

**Who told whom first? Did you tell Rizo or did he tell you?**

So I figured this out on my own because production pulled both of us separately. I saw Rizo kind of go into this back room and I was like, *Oh, that's weird*. *Rizo's going over there*. And he walked out a different direction and he was walking with a little pep his step and I'm like, *Huh, that's interesting*.

So production later calls me into that very same room, and Jeff is on the Zoom call, and I put two and two together. He invites me. He's like, “We'd like you to come back.” And I'm like, *Okay, well, Rizo was just in this room about 15 minutes ago and he looked so happy when he left*. So at Ponderosa, I went up to Rizo and all I say is, “Hey, congratulations.” And he is like, “What do you mean?” I'm like, “Congratulations.” And he is like, “What are you talking about?” And I'm like, “Oh, you think you're the only person invited back for 50?” So that's how we connected the dots.

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Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Survivor”