“I played aggressively”: Survivor 49 winner on being perceived as a villain on the show

Savannah Louie took home the crown in Survivor 49's dramatic finale on December 17, 2025, winning the $1 million prize in a 5-2-1 jury vote against Sophi Balerdi and Sage Ahrens-Nichols, marking the first all-women final three since Survivor: San Juan del Sur in 2014.

Despite starting at the bottom after the merge, Savannah climbed to the top with her ally Rizo Velovic, four immunity wins, and sharp instincts, and now revealed that she'll return for Survivor season 50 alongside Rizo.

Savannah opened up about her bold style in an interview with USA Today when asked if she counts as a Survivor villain.

She embraced the label with a twist, calling herself a "villain light," explaining,

"You watch some of the old seasons of 'Survivor,' and you see people who are truly diabolical. I look at my game, and I'm like, OK, I played pretty hard. I did rub people the wrong way. That I guess, is the quality of a villain. I played aggressively, and I was a bold player, too."

The Survivor 49 champion further opened up about her game journey, her return to season 50, and much more

She welcomed the tag, proudly grouping herself with iconic names who were once criticized for their gameplay, saying:

"If you want to call me a villain, put me alongside people like Parvati (Shallow), Tony (Vlachos), Boston Rob (Mariano), Jonny Fairplay, and Sandra (Diaz-Twine), all people who have been called villains before. Yeah, I will gladly take that title and run with it. That is a huge compliment to me." 

Savannah balanced authenticity with game lies throughout her run. She shared how she entered the game determined to be fully herself,

"I grew up watching the show, and when I was watching the old school 'Survivor,' I always appreciated how authentic some of these people were when they would put themselves on camera. And to finally be able to be part of the show, I told myself, 'I am going to give it all.' People are going to know me 100% and they might love me. They might really hate me, but either way, I want them to be fully equipped with everything that I am and know me through all of this."

The Survivor champion also reflected on her unique path from top to underdog. Early on, she controlled votes, then the merger blindsided her.

She admitted she started the season in a dominant position but had to completely reset once she found herself at the bottom, adding:

“I got punched in the face at a merge, so to speak, and I had to readjust my strategy. I think it's the hallmark of a good player if you can get through both.”

The Tres Leches alliance powered her success. She clicked with Sophi right away on Hina Beach. Talking about her, Savannah said, “She really did remind me of a friend from back home.”

Her relationship with Rizo was different but just as meaningful. “For me, Rizo was literally like my brother out there,” she said. 

Savannah pondered if Rizo made the final three instead. She admitted:

"It's so hard to say, because I don't know if I would have won, and that's not to knock my game or anything like that, but we all played really wonderful games. I think that some of the votes that Rizo may have gotten were votes that I got at the end there."

Savannah addressed one of the most uncomfortable moments from the final tribal council, when Kristina asked her to name family members. She defended her response honestly.

“At that point, dude, in my mind, like I could not remember,” she said, explaining how exhaustion and hunger made simple details hard to recall, adding that:

"A lot of my conversations with people weren't necessarily about remembering a family member's name; it was more about what drives you?"

She further opened up about losing the final immunity challenge, which prevented her from breaking the record for most immunity wins by a woman, saying:

"I'm maybe someone who's always going to be a little optimistic. I think that not winning, even though it would have been so incredible, was probably a good thing for my game. I think it was important for me to show, at the very end, that everybody, including my closest ally, wanted me out of the game."

Finally, Savannah shared how she learned she would be part of Survivor 50. She said it happened just hours after the final tribal council.

“I thought he was going to congratulate me,” she recalled, describing the moment Jeff Probst revealed the news, adding:

“I felt just so humbled to be even asked and considered for it. I grew up watching the show. And you didn't know at that time who all was going to be on 50, but you hear rumblings and rumors about people who are possibly going to be on the season. To even be in the same sentence or let alone the same beach as some of these icons, it's crazy and mind-blowing and just so freaking cool." 

Stay tuned for more updates.