“I’m not afraid to use that information. It is all about waiting for the right time and the right person to bring that to.”

Survivor 49 winner Savannah Louie wants to expose pre-game alliances on Survivor 50

"I'm not afraid to use that information. It is all about waiting for the right time and the right person to bring that to."

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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February 20, 2026 9:15 a.m. ET

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It would seem that Savannah Louie would be at a severe disadvantage heading into *Survivor 50* (premiering Feb. 25 on CBS). She only had around 10 days at home to recover after *Survivor 49*. The rumor mill was already swirling about her being a winner. People were determined to get the unknown quantity out of the game. And because she was home for less than two weeks and didn’t even know most of the season 50 cast, she did not have the same opportunity to make pre-game alliances off the island before heading back on it.

But like any strong gamer, Savannah was ready to turn that last disadvantage into an advantage. Because certain things *did* make it to her ears — even as she was getting on the plane to begin her *Survivor 50* adventure. And she is ready to expose them.

We spoke to the *Survivor 49* champion in Fiji in the days leading up to season 50 filming. While Savannah wasn't allowed to reveal her season 49 placement or talk about specifics in pre-season 50 press since her first season hadn't yet aired, she revealed plenty. Below, the 33-year-old shares how she plans to “use that information" she learned about pre-gaming, how she wants to communicate differently this time, and how she is sporting a little more wear and tear on her second go round.

*(This is one of 24 deep-dive, on-location interviews with the *Survivor 50 *cast. Links to the other interviews will be posted at the bottom of this article as they become available.)*

Savannah Louie of 'Survivor 50'.

Robert Voets/CBS

**: Tell me why you're going to win *Survivor 50,* Savannah.**

**SAVANNAH LOUIE:** Honestly, instead of why I am going to win *Survivor 50*, I feel like it's a why *not*? Why *wouldn't* I win *Survivor 50?* I'm going into this with the mindset that I can literally do anything, and if any of these people think that they can win, why can't I? And I feel like that should be especially meaningful because we're up against some incredible legends and some incredible players. And at first I was kind of like: Do I deserve to be here with such incredible people? But I need to get rid of that imposter syndrome and just play my heart out. And I played a great game in 49 and I have no doubt that I'm going to do the same thing in 50.

**How does it feel being back less than two weeks after playing 49?**

Dude, it's crazy. And I feel like physically I'm in okay shape. I had three massages during my two weeks at home. I ate all the fried foods. I've already gained the weight back, but there's parts of me… like, my left knee is still kind of messed up. I have a toenail that still needs to grow back. And then don't even get me started on the whole mental and emotional recovery.

You cannot recover from *Survivor* in two weeks mentally and emotionally. You probably need two *years* to recover from that, but at the same time, that's kind of to my advantage. I'm already suspicious of the average, everyday person. And so coming out here to play *Survivor* with a bunch of these nut jobs, I need to have that suspicious mindset and that game mode before we even set foot on that beach.

Savannah Louie of 'Survivor 50'.

Robert Voets/CBS

**Did you consider saying no because of the quick turnaround or was it an immediate yes?**

What's crazy is during *Survivor 49*, I think all of us were kind of thinking: *What if you get asked back for 50? *And during my season, I was like: *There's no way I would come back. *But when Jeff asked, there was literally a split second, and it wasn't an immediate yes because I have a partner back home who I needed to make sure he's taken care of, but it was more of a: How can I make this work? How can I get back out there and play again?

Because this game is honestly addicting and it's kind of like the chocolate cake that you get at the end of a big steak dinner. And maybe you tell yourself like, “Oh, I'll just have one bite.” But once you have one bite, you're like, “There's no way I'm just having one bite of this. I need to have as much as I possibly can.” That's how I feel about *Survivor*.

**When did they ask you to come back?**

Literally, we were still in Fiji. It was the day after our final Tribal Council. It was insane. I walked into this room, I was told that someone wanted to speak with me, and I go in and there's a computer and I see Jeff Probst on Zoom, and I'm like, “Oh my gosh, he wants to say congratulations on finishing your season,” and instead he blew my mind and asked me to come back.

**I've been through this rodeo before and I've been with other people like Zeke and Michaela for *Game Changers*, Russell Hantz, Malcolm — people that did the back-to-back and folks didn't know anything about them. How do you navigate coming into this game and people really knowing nothing about you?**

Well, I will say I think this back-to-back season is different from any other back-to-back season primarily because of the rise of social media. Everybody talks and it's so easy to get access to people. So I'm very aware that as I'm having this conversation with you on day zero of *Survivor*, there's already people out here who are pretty confident they know exactly how I did in my game in 49.

And so that being said, I'm going to come clean about my placement and my strategy and a lot of things about how I did. Not everything. Obviously, some things I want to keep close to my chest, but also Rizo is here and he is going to be kind of a fact-checker. So if I go totally crazy and I make out some outlandish lie, people are going to be able to go to Rizo and say, “Hey, is she being legit?”

But I think also as the new kid on the block, I want to bring any sort of information and honesty to these people as I possibly can at the beginning just to show: *Hey, information is currency. Let me give you all the currency you need about my game. Let me show you that we can work together and that you can trust me, even though you've never seen my season.*

Joe Hunter, Savannah Louie, Christian Hubicki, Cirie Fields, Ozzy Lusth, Emily Flippen, Rick Devens, Jenna Lewis-Dougherty of the Cila tribe on 'Survivor 50'.

Robert Voets/CBS

**I know everyone is talking and making alliances before they even head out here. How did you navigate that situation, knowing that was going on?**

Dude, I'm still trying to figure it out! And initially when I came out here, I decided: *I'm going to lie about my placement. I'm going to lie about how I did.* But I literally got a message as I was about to board the plane to go out to L.A. for this and that message was like, “Hey, I talked to someone who's from the new era and they know X, Y, and Z about your game.” And it was at that point where I'm like: *Crap, I got to pivot.*

Just like how you do in the game of *Survivor*, I guess my game this time is starting a little bit early and I'm going to have to adjust my strategy. But it's only going to make me a stronger player for it, I hope. But in regards to other pre-gaming, I know for a fact some people are pre-gaming very hard and I'm not afraid to use that information that they don't even know that I have to my advantage out here. It just is all about timing and waiting for the right time and the right person to bring that information to.

On the beach for 'Survivor 50': An exclusive, all-access first look at the biggest season ever

Watch cast members of 'Survivor 50' vote their first players out of the game (exclusive)

**I know you are not allowed to talk specifics of your 49 game with me right now, but in general terms, do you have any personal regrets from your first time out?**

I don't want to say regrets necessarily, because I know that I learned a lot about myself from the way that our season's about to go. But if I could do it all again, I would be very mindful with the way that I communicate with different people.

I have a very direct and assertive communication style, and some people can take that as being abrasive. And when I'm trying to have conversations or ask people who they're voting for, I'm never trying to make someone feel uncomfortable, whether you're playing the game of *Survivor* or just being a natural normal human being. I never want to make someone feel uncomfortable. And so the way that I speak to people I think is probably something I will keep in mind for 50.

Savannah Louie on 'Survivor 50'.

Robert Voets/CBS

**If I asked you to tell me what your weakness in the game was, would that be it?**

I think that would be one of my weaknesses. My other one, too, would be being too trusting of people. There are some people from 49 who I thought genuinely would have my best interests at heart all the way until day 26. And I played the game a little bit naively, I think. And it wasn't until very late in the game that I discovered I had been just believing everything out of someone's mouth because they told me that they were going to be my number one ally. That's not always the case.

**Tell me the people that you see here that you're really hoping to work with in this game.**

I mean, I'm so intrigued by Coach. Before I even came out here, I was intrigued by Coach as someone who is just this, I want to say bizarre person. I feel like bizarre might be a little strong, but you see Coach on TV and you are just mesmerized by who this man is. But the longer I've seen him around at Ponderosa and pregame, the more I realized Coach seems like he has a really big heart, and I can tell by the way he talks to some of the handlers out here, or by the way that he will nod at people.

He seems like he has a really nice fatherly energy. He let me go ahead of him and get the very last chicken curry last night, and I'm like: *Oh my gosh, you didn't have to do that.* He had no chicken curry when I got up there. And so I feel like there is this really kind, soft side of Coach that maybe I've never seen as a viewer, and I'm excited to tap into that.

Rick Devens I'm also very excited about. I mentioned Rick in my *Survivor* application video as someone who I want to play like, which I did not do. Rick is totally crazy. But here's the thing: When I'm out here and I'm so stressed playing *Survivor*, I want someone who can A, make me laugh and bring a smile to my face, which is Rick Devens, and B, also push me when I need to get a little more encouragement. And if my back is against the wall, I need someone, an ally who can encourage me to break out of that. So Rick Devens is definitely another one.

7:23 The Cast of ‘Survivor 50’ Reveals Who They Want to Vote Out First

**Anyone you’re wary of?**

Honestly this sounds bad, but I'm wary of anyone who is in the new era in this game, just because of the pre-gaming. I don't trust them. And I've heard that some of the new-era people are wary of me already and I'm sure the old-school people are wary of me too, but at least I'm not hearing about it. I can put my head in the sand and pretend like that doesn't exist.

And it's funny because before I played 49, Dee was someone who I said, “I want to play just like her.” She played an incredible game and now that I'm out here with her, I'm like, “No, she needs to go before it's too late. She's a dangerous player.” So Dee for sure.

I will say I also think Tiff is a really interesting player because of her placement. When I look at all the people out here, there's so many who either won or got second, third, fourth. Tiff has one of the lower placements out here. And to be honest, I think she's an amazing social player. I feel like she has what it takes strategically too, and I think she's going to get by under the radar for a good amount of this game. So she's someone who I think we all need to be very wary of going into this.

Savannah Louie of 'Survivor 50'.

**Tell me what else you've noticed in this pre-game out here besides Coach and the chicken curry. Anything else you've noticed positively or negatively about people?**

Yes! So initially when I heard Jonathan was on this cast, I'm like, “I need to be on the same tribe as Jonathan. He's so strong. He's literally going to carry me to merge. But the more I spend time with this guy, the more I'm like: *We cannot be on the same tribe.* He is just someone who's very loud. He likes to hear himself talk. We're in the car on the way to the boat dock today — it's like 4:30 in the morning — and there's the radio playing and Jonathan starts singing along, and I'm like, “Why are you singing at 4:30 in the morning? This is unnecessary. This is almost like a little attention seeking. It's weird. You don't need to be doing that.” So that annoyed me.

Angelina is another person who talks a lot. I can tell even though we're not talking. She's someone also who laughs a lot and then will make eye contact with different people. She made eye contact with Q and I saw them laughing about something on the boat yesterday. I don't even know what it was, but I'm like, “If you're laughing and you're not looking at me, you got to go.”

**I just love hearing those little details.**

Oh, I have another one, because this is annoying to me. So you've seen our tents and everything. There are these coolers of water and sandwiches and stuff. Out of all the places you could lay down by the tent area, Q decides to lay down on the only cooler that has water. I'm like, *Dude, I am so thirsty!* But I don't want to wake up Q. And I drink a lot of water. So I don't want to keep annoying him. I don't want him to have an eye on me, but I'm like: *You could have picked any other place to lay down. Lay down on the ground. There's plenty of room on the ground!* So Q is another person who's stuck out to me.

**What do you make of Mike White being part of the cast?**

I'm excited to talk with Mike White — just from a *Survivor* fan and a *White Lotus* fan perspective. Obviously, it's tricky because I don't see Mike as a big physical threat, which means even if he didn't have the name Mike White, he would probably still be in this game for quite a long time because no one's going to think that he's going to be a threat in these individual immunity challenges.

As we go further, I really want to try to treat Mike as just a normal person. I know he has a lot to his name. I'm sure there are people who are auditioning for *The White Lotus* already, but if I'm on the same tribe as Mike White and he's making us lose challenges and go to Tribal Council, I do not care what his name is. I do not care about what he's accomplished or about the dollars that are attached to his name. I will vote him out happily if it means that I can avoid Tribal Council.

***Want to be kept up with all things Survivor? Dig deep and sign up for 's free Survivor Weekly newsletter to have all the latest news, interviews, and commentary sent right to your inbox. ***

**Other *Survivor 50 *deep dive player interviews:*****• Survivor 50* star Ozzy Lusth opens up about hitting 'rock bottom of my life'**• *Survivor 50* star Aubry Bracco opens up about the 'freedom when you fall from grace' **• Colby Donaldson reacts to playing *Survivor* for the first time without Jerri**• Angelina Keeley refused to do *Survivor 50* unless they gave her a jacket**• *Survivor 50*'s Coach goes deep on evolving from an 'arrogant ass' into the… Tide Walker?** • *Survivor 50* star Jenna Lewis-Dougherty is 'here to f--- you over in every way, shape, or form'** • Cirie Fields says winning *The Traitors *does not take sting out of *Survivor* loses** • Mike White on how he is handling *Survivor 50 *castmastes angling for *White Lotus* cameos** • Chrissy Hofbeck opens up about controversial season 35 finish and being bashed by previous cast** • Rick Devens explains why he is a lunatic that wants to play with other lunatics** • Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick wants to prove that 'mom really is a badass'** • Christian Hubicki wanted to tell Survivor 50 pre-gamers to 'f--- off'** • Genevieve Mushaluk on why watching *Survivor 50* will be more terrifying than playing it** • Dee Valladares welcomes being one of *Survivor 50*'s biggest threats: 'I want them to come for me'** • Q Burdette reveals ridiculous things he did to prep for *Survivor 50*** • Kamilla Karthigesu feared she would be cut from *Survivor 50* for pregaming** • Emily Flippen says 'If I win *Survivor*, something crazy has happened'** • Jonathan Young shares the *Survivor* lessons Boston Rob gave him before season 50** • Tiffany Ervin reveals her plan to manipulate Q's ego on *Survivor 50*** • Charlie Davis says he will 'in some ways never get over' his shocking *Survivor 46* loss** • Joe Hunter reveals his wife helped him scout the *Survivor 50* competition** • Kyle Fraser thinks constantly about joining the *Survivor* two-time winner club** • The RizGod says he was put on *Survivor 50 *to be both loved and hated**

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