"We had that close bond:" Survivor 49's Sophie Segreti opens up on her friendship with Sage

Sophie Segreti’s elimination on Survivor 49 was surprising to her, not just because it was unanimous, but because it came from people she believed she could trust, including Sage Ahrens-Nichols, one of her closest friends on the island.

In a post-elimination interview with Parade, Sophie explained how her bond with Sage shaped her decisions, why Jawan Pitts’ blindside damaged that relationship, and how the two are now on good terms again.

Sophie admitted that her connection with Sage wasn’t just emotional, but it directly influenced her gameplay as she saved Sage earlier in the season because they had a good relationship.

Reflecting on her decision, if she had voted out Sage and chosen Jawan, Sophie feels it would have broken her trust and would have been much worse, as she explained her decision to vote out Jawan Pitt from Survivor 49:

"And in retrospect, maybe I should have just voted her out and stuck with Jawan. Because, in doing so, because we had that close bond, in breaking her trust, it was so much worse. Whereas I feel like, if I betrayed Jawan, we didn’t have as much capital in our relationship. And so it might not have hurt us badly."

Here's what the Survivor 49 contestant said in her interviews after exiting the show

Sophie’s deepest reflections about Sage came in her Parade exit interview, where she explained that her friendship with Sage directly affected the vote that ultimately changed the trajectory of her game, the night Jawan was blindsided.

Sophie explained that she had to choose between Jawan and Sage, and she decided to protect Sage:

“If you remember that episode where Jawan goes home, I am kind of the one who is deciding between Jawan and Sage… And the reason that I chose Jawan is because I was close with Sage. I was playing a little bit with my heart, not gonna lie.”

She added that Sage had shown loyalty to her:

“I had a closer relationship with Sage, and she also had proven to trust me and clued me in on things and really had my back. And so that’s why I was like, ‘I have to save her now.’”

But that decision cost her. Sage was devastated by Jawan’s elimination, and Sophie admitted she misread how deeply Sage felt that betrayal and completely underestimated Sage’s emotional response, as she noted:

“I don’t think I grasped how personally that would hurt her… Sage was down bad those couple days and was quite emotional, and clearly very, very upset.” 

The Survivor 49 star further said that it was her mistake to assume that Sage’s dislike of Savannah would outweigh the hurt and betrayal from her in getting Jawan out, and she realized that Sage’s anger made her an easy target, as she reflected:

“I definitely underestimated how much I pissed her off by getting out Jawan.” 

Despite everything, the friendship between Sophie and Sage survived outside the game as Sophie told Parade that they are on good terms:

“Sage and I are great now! It’s been so fun getting to watch her game on TV, because she is playing such an amazing strategic game. She really dances to the beat of her own drum… you can almost forget how strategic she is. I’m so grateful to have gotten to play the game with her. I mean, kudos to her. She really spearheaded ‘Operation Kick Sophie to the Curb.’”

Stay tuned for more updates.