Survivor season 49 week 11 recap - Sophie, Savannah, and Rizo feud as Steven shakes up the game

Survivor 49 moved into a critical stage of the game as the final seven players faced shifting alliances, new conflicts, and a journey challenge that shaped the vote. The Week 11 episode aired on December 3, 2025.

The group received a note describing the task as “strenuous,” which set the tone for the episode. Steven volunteered to take it on, and his trip became a major turning point.

His route around the rocky island, the risk of losing his vote, and the possibility of gaining an advantage created new tension as the players prepared for Tribal Council.

The episode also continued the emotional fallout from the previous blindside. Sage was still upset about losing her closest ally, and Sophie With an E explained that she felt Steven and Kristina saw her as an “assumption,” believing they always had her vote.

Different players talked about their place in the game, while the two Sophs weighed the idea of breaking up Savannah and Rizo before the finale.

With an advantage in play, an immunity challenge on the line, and multiple plans forming at camp, the final seven approached Tribal Council with different hopes for how the vote would take place.

The night ended with a clear message about how the remaining contestants viewed their paths to the end.

Steven’s journey and shifting targets in Survivor 49

Steven’s journey required him to travel around an island and collect numbers before the tide rose. The note had warned the tribe that the task would be “strenuous,” and the challenge proved difficult as he slipped, climbed, and raced the rising water.

After opening the lockbox, he earned a Block-a-Vote advantage. When he returned to camp, he explained the task and said he had completed it, but did not reveal what the advantage was.

Steven returned to camp and explained the structure of the journey, but did not describe the advantage he earned.

His choice to share limited information created uncertainty among the players, and several of them began to speculate about what the advantage might be.

The lack of details added to the shifting plans as they prepared for the vote.

Later, Steven won immunity in a rotating-platform block-stacking challenge. During the reward selection, Jeff used his familiar phrase “Full tilt boogie!” while describing the contest and the meal. Steven chose Kristina and Rizo to join him for pasta, bread, and tiramisu.

At the meal, Rizo discussed voting out Sophie E, and he framed her as a name that the two sides might agree on. The idea was kept open as they considered how to approach the vote.

Pre-Tribal plans and the vote outcome in Survivor 49

While Steven, Kristina, and Rizo ate at the reward, the remaining castaways continued discussions at camp. Soph and Sage talked about the option of voting out Savannah, but Sage remained upset about the previous blindside and stayed focused on targeting Sophie E.

Sophie E later spoke about her earlier decisions, explaining that Steven and Kristina often assumed they had her vote because of former Hina ties.

At the same time, Savannah acknowledged that she knew her name was being discussed.

Kristina, however, continued to prefer writing Savannah’s name down and said at Tribal Council that their personalities did not match.

Savannah responded calmly and did not argue the point. Sage remained emotional when discussing the earlier vote, and Sophie E said she understood the feelings involved while also recognizing the structure of the game.

No idols or advantages were used at Tribal Council. Steven held on to his Block-a-Vote for a future round. When the votes were read, Sophie became the unanimous target.

She voted for Savannah, but all other players wrote down her name. Her exit left six contestants competing for a place in the season’s final episodes.

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Stay tuned for more updates.