"These people really are idiots": Survivor 49 fans criticize Sage and Kristina for flipping and voting off Steven

Survivor season 49 released a new episode on December 10, 2025, in which Steven was eliminated from the competition series after his own allies, Sage and Kristina, flipped at the last moment and voted to evict him. 

Their decision was heavily influenced by Rizo, who convinced Sage to turn against Steven and asked her to tell Kristina to do the same.

According to him, they should target Steven because he was a tough competitor and would be difficult to beat at the Final Tribal Council. 

While it was only Rizo’s strategy to gather the majority on his side before the Tribal Council, Sage began to consider the offer seriously. However, when she discussed it with Kristina, she was not impressed. 

Kristina argued that Steven was crucial to their survival, as with him, they stood a chance at beating Savannah later in the competition. 

Despite being divided, they went against Steven at the Tribal Council, eliminating him in a 4-1 vote. The journey of the Colorado rocket scientist ended on the show, even after he used his Block-a-Vote advantage to keep Savannah from casting her vote. 

Survivor fans were shocked by the betrayal, with many confused by Kristina and Sage’s decision to target their ally. They took to X to share their displeasure, as one commented:

“Why the hell did they flip on Steven?? These people really are idiots.”

Many Survivor fans were disappointed by Sage and Kristina’s decision, as they felt they lost the opportunity to go after their opponents. 

“Steven set up a FOOLPROOF strategy to get Kristina and Sage to the final three and ALL they had to do was vote Soph and they STILL messed up the play! They both dumber than a box of rocks! I’m sorry Stephen that you got stuck with the stupid alliance,” a fan wrote. 

“Steven seemed to be a true threat to win the game. He was endearing to watch and seemed to have a good head for how to maneuver, even when he was on the bottom. I’d be so pissed if this was how I went out. Sage & Kristina have some explaining to do,” another commented. 

“For Kristina and Sage voting out Steven literally has 0 upside and only downsides. You know you will have the majority because of the vote steal. Survivor casting gotta step it up,” an X user reacted.

Other Survivor fans expressed a similar sentiment.

“THE most frustrating tribal council as a fan I have watched in I don’t even know how long. What in the world are Sage and Kristina doing. Kristina uses her idol on Steven just to vote him out right after? Just hand Savannah the $1M on a silver platter,” a person wrote.

“The audience should be compensated for watching Kristina and Sage attempt to play Survivor,” another netizen commented.

“Seriously? Did production interfere  in that #tribalcouncil because,  that was the dumbest move on sage and kristina's part. WTACTUALFLIP?” a fan posted. 

Survivor season 49 star Sage apologizes to Steven after his elimination

In one segment of the episode, Steven revealed his Block-a-Vote advantage to Sage and Kristina, hoping to work in alliance and target Sophi, since they had the numbers. 

Steven hoped that, with his advantage in play, he would take the momentum away from Rizo and Savannah. However, his plans failed to come to fruition. 

Rizo convinced Kristina and Sage to betray Steven, portraying him as a tough competitor to beat. 

After Steven was eliminated, Sage apologized to him, admitting that she thought she “couldn’t beat” him. 

In his exit interview, Steven stated that he was happy that he did not have to portray himself as an “imposter.”

That said, he was pleased with his performance, realizing he was “capable of so much more” than what he anticipated. He concluded by noting that his run on Survivor was “a complete mission success.”

Stay tuned for more updates.