Savannah Louie reflects on Survivor 49 victory and plans a social reset for Survivor 50

Savannah Louie has reflected on her Survivor 49 victory and revealed that she is planning a social reset for Survivor 50, acknowledging criticism of her “mean girl” image and vowing to make more genuine connections in the next season of Survivor.​

In a post on Instagram on December 19, 2025, Louie wrote, 

“I AM THE SURVIVOR 49 SOLE SURVIVOR!!! Living out this childhood dream is so surreal. I am so full of gratitude”.

She thanked her family, friends, and boyfriend, then turned to her two closest allies from Survivor 49: runner‑up Sophi Balerdi and Rizo Velovic, with whom she formed the dominant Tres Leches alliance.​

Savannah’s Survivor 49 win and gratitude

Louie described her Survivor 49 journey as a childhood dream come true, saying, 

“Living out this childhood dream is so surreal. I am so full of gratitude”.

She singled out Balerdi and Velovic, writing,

“My Tres Leches alliance, my brother and sister @rizgod34 and @sophibalerdi. It was an honor to play this game with two incredible players and best friends. I still cannot believe we did this lol”.​

She also praised the rest of her cast, calling them “genuinely some of the coolest people and who I’ve been so lucky to get to know off the island”.

In a separate interview with Parade, she said that winning Survivor 49 felt “incredible,” especially after tying the record for individual immunity wins by a woman, with four challenge victories.​

Reaction to being invited back for Survivor 50

Louie learned she would return for Survivor 50 just hours after winning Survivor 49, when Jeff Probst told her about the next season. She said, 

“I was like, ‘Jeff, are you pranking me?! What?!’ I was just so shocked more than anything”.​

She explained that the idea of Survivor 50 had been mentioned while the cast was still on the island, but only about 10 days before filming began: 

“They mentioned 50 when we were out there. But when Jeff told us about 50, I think there was like, 10 days before the season started. I’m like, ‘First of all, is this for real? And then, second of all, okay, how can I make this work?’”.​

By appearing on Survivor 50, Louie becomes the first winner in Survivor history to compete on back‑to‑back seasons, a rare move that underscores how central she is to the show’s 50th‑season celebration. Rizo Velovic will also return from Survivor 49 as the second representative from that season.​

Social reset for Survivor 50

In the Parade interview, Louie addressed the criticism she received during Survivor 49, particularly the “mean girl” label and the perception that she was not genuine with her castmates. She said, 

“Honestly, hearing the ‘mean girl’ comments and how people perceived me as this bitch during our season, it really made me think about how I come across to others. So going into 50, I was really, really conscious about my social game, and I did want to make genuine connections with others. And I know people thought on 49 I wasn’t genuine, but I really feel like I was. And so my goal with 50 was I got to make genuine connections with these people”.​

Louie said she wanted to show a different side of herself in Survivor 50, focusing on building real relationships rather than just strategic partnerships.

She acknowledged that her Survivor 49 edit portrayed her as cold or calculating, but insisted that her intentions were sincere and that she genuinely cared about her allies and many of her castmates.​

Thanking fans and looking ahead

In her Instagram post, Louie thanked fans for their support during and after Survivor 49, especially as the “noise has been so loud and intense”. She wrote,

“All of fans who have showed me so much love, who have reached out and shown love when some of the noise has been so loud and intense”.​

She specifically thanked TikTok editors, podcasters, commenters, DMers, and parents who messaged her about their kids loving her character on Survivor 49. She concluded, 

“I love this game so much. Can’t wait to do it again in two months for the ICONIC SURVIVOR 50”.​

Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans is set to premiere Wednesday, February 25, 2026, with a special three‑hour episode at 8/7c on CBS, marking the first time a recent winner returns immediately for the next season of Survivor.​

Stay tuned for more updates.