Who Won Survivor 49? A Roller-Coaster Season Finally Finds a Winner

After a slow start to the season, it picked up momentum and reached the finals at high speed, Survival 49 finally you have a winner.

Warning: Spoilers below for the finale of Survivor 49.

Savannah Louie earned the Sole Survivor title on the Wednesday, December 17, season finale, losing Sophie Balerdi again Sage Ahrens-Nichols in the final vote of the judges, 5-2-1.

All three made it to the final council of nations after voting Kristina Mills in the last five. When Sophie won immunity in the final four, showing an incredible comeback, she chose to take Sage with her to the final three, forcing Savannah, 31, again. Rizo Velovic to succeed in the fire counting challenge to determine the finale.

After all three gave their voice, Savannah stood out by showing how she dodged more bullets than anyone else in the game. Targeted as a physical threat from the mix until the end of the game, Savannah never gave her opponents a chance to take her out of the game. As Steven Ramm he said when he voted for him, he went from writing his name down to get him out of the game and ended up writing his name to win as a final show of respect.

As a cherry on top, Savannah will fit in A survivor history as he tied the record for winning the vaccination challenge for a four-year-old woman.

All five finalists had to earn their way to the finals, and they did so in a season full of clutch challenge wins and game-changing moves – some brilliant and others leaving us blank on our TVs.

Savannah had to win challenges to stay alive as her goals grew with each passing vote. Rizo played games with his idol and flew slowly towards the sun all the time. Sophie appeared to have ruined her chances of winning the game by trying – and failing – to steal Steven’s Block a Vote, unaware that he had already played it.

“From the fans’ point of view, watching Savannah, Rizo and Sophi go through hardships has been really fun,” the host said. Jeff Probst he told The Parade in an interview published on Wednesday, December 17. “And it’s a powerful reminder that you’re not out of the game until your torch is extinguished. You’ll never forget that. There’s usually a way back if you’re smart enough and you can find someone whose needs match yours — even if it’s just one vote.”

Sage, on the other hand, grew into a flexible strategic player who knows exactly where he stands and who he can trust behind his friend. John Pitts his eyes were closed. Kristina entered the night as perhaps the most successful, but her story of perseverance and endearing personality made her impossible to count, not knowing what the judges would appreciate.

Kristina also had one of the most memorable moments of the season, failing before challenging for the awards as the physical and mental demands of the game left her missing her mother, who died a few years ago.

“It wasn’t planned, it wasn’t told. It was just someone carrying real grief, and the demands of this crazy game brought it all to light,” Jeff said, naming his favorite moment of the season.

Each player entered the finals with a very different perspective, making for a final five that could swing almost any way. The memorable ending also meant that whoever took home R1 million, there will be people who will come back with them. Survivor 50: In The Hands Of The Fans.

CBS showed a sneak peak of the next season at the end of Wednesday’s finale, revealing what has long been rumored – Rizo and Savannah will return to our screens in February. That means Savannah will have a chance to become just the third of two times A survivor winner in US show history and the first ever to win back-to-back seasons.

Survivor 50 premieres on CBS February 25, 2026, at 8 pm ET.