The Silent Assassin finally strikes… and strikes out.

Survivor 49 recap: Chaos and confusion reign at Tribal Council

The Silent Assassin finally strikes… and strikes out.

By Dalton Ross

Dalton Ross is a writer and editor with over 25 years experience covering TV and the entertainment industry. *Survivor* is kind of his thing.

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December 10, 2025 9:30 p.m. ET

Sophi Balerdi on 'Survivor 49'. Credit:

*“Girl, you didn’t know him 22 days ago. Just take the idol and suck it up. Just do it.”* — Sophi’s dead grandmother

Look, this was a strong episode of *Survivor* featuring twists and turns and tears… and then more tears… and then even more tears after that. (I’m actually surprised they did not supersize this week’s installment to two hours considering all the R-I-Z-G-O-D RizGod Baby crying they had to cram in here.) So no complaints on the episode.

But can I make a simple request? Can we find a necromancer out there somewhere to raise Sophi’s dead grandmother from the grave and put her on *Survivor 51*? OH! You can even call it *Ghost Island,* but for real this time! Also, as a precautionary measure, please make sure said necromancer does not go and accidentally reanimate Yellow Sophie’s grandmother instead. (Someone also please go check on Sophie Clarke’s family and make sure everyone is good to go there as well.)

But Blue Sophi’s grandma sounds like a hell of a *Survivor* player. Now, granted, she may experience some initial confusion as she tries to ascertain 1) Why she is back alive. 2) Why her granddaughter’s name now has a color in it. And 3) Why Jerri Manthey was not on *Survivor 50.* But after that, it’s a quick step into the domination station as she steals idols, dominates challenges, and talks smack at Tribal Council. Forget the Silent Assassin. She’s the… and I love this nickname I just came up with… Grand Damn! (Kristina can call her Auntie G.)

But what would the Grand Damn have to say to her beloved granddaughter about *not* making the move that she kept threatening to make and saying she *had* to make in turning on Savannah and Rizo? If she’d simply been watching the show, her reaction might not even be printable here.

Sophi Balerdi on 'Survivor 49'.

That’s because it’s beyond frustrating as a viewer to see someone continuously talk about making a big move against their allies… and then never do it. I’m sure Sophi talked about *tons* of different scenarios in her confessional interviews in terms of possible directions she could go in the game, but by repeatedly showing us her acknowledging the need to do something and then not doing it, it paints her as a scared, passive player. Which I don’t think she is.

As I wrote last week, Sophi has felt to me like she was stuck in a no-win (literally) position, with no good options. You stay with your allies, you lose. You jump to the other side, you lose. I think at some point she sensed this very conundrum, which is why we have seen her waffling back and forth on what to do.

Was appearing to be swayed by tacos and margaritas while saying the reward feast may have been a sign from God to not turn on Savannah and Rizo a bad look? OF COURSE! Maybe Jawan was right this whole time, because hearing her say that *did* feel like watching a horror movie. Plus, everyone knows the *Survivor* gods *always* favor blindsiding your allies! But also, yeah, the appearance of being won over by food and friendship at the expense of gameplay is not anything any *Survivor* player ever strives for.

But a lot of talk out there about Sophi’s inaction assumes that Savannah and Rizo have been the biggest threats to win the game. But are we absolutely sure that has been the case? Everyone kept talking about wanting Savannah out at the merge, so we naturally assumed she was the winner-in-waiting if she made it to the end. She is a challenge beast, no doubt about it, but it has been proven time and time again that juries don’t care at all about challenge wins. They just don’t.

Rizo has made splashy move after splashy move, but we got our first hint this week that the jury may not exactly be picking up what he’s putting down. His over-the-top Tribal Council performing (go back and watch him jump up to take credit right after Jawan was voted out) could be seen as just that — over the top. Even more over the top was walking over to Jeff Probst this week to make a big speech about *an idol he was not even playing*. Make no mistake, *I* love it! But does the jury, or are they more exhausted than impressed at this point?

Rizo Velovic on 'Survivor 49'.

Robert Voets/CBS

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Steven, however, is a different story. Look at the jury right now. If he made it to the end, MC, Jawan, and Sophie (who called him the game’s biggest thereat) would seem to be in his corner, Nate would go with the Ulis, and who knows where Alex’s head is at, but he also seems more Team Steven. Kristina and Sage would likely go his way as well if they ended up in the jury. Steven has been seen as the leader of an alliance. He made a big splashy move with the Block-a-Vote. He’s got the challenge wins, which, again, don’t really matter but allow him to claim a well-rounded game.

All I’m saying is that for folks like Sophi, Sage, and Kristina to take out Steven instead of someone else, I’m not arguing it’s a great move (because as Kristina noted, you still need someone to beat Savannah in challenges, and Kristana and Sage are down in numbers), but if he *was* indeed the most likely person to win the game — and I think there is a strong argument that he was at this point — it’s not completely crazy either.

What *was* crazy is what went down at Tribal Council. We’ll get into that as we recap episode 11 of *Survivor 49*, but first, a real quick programming note.

For decades now, I have always done *Survivor* season rankings in the penultimate episode recap. It started back around *Palau* after I had Probst rank all the seasons and then decided to do the same myself. Now that we’re approaching season 50, that gigantic write-up has gotten a little unwieldy to tack onto a recap, so I am hereby retiring it in this space. Don’t worry, you can still criticize my rankings, which will continue to live on and be right here in gallery form. So rest assured season 49 will be ranked there right after next week’s finale. Ah, but where?

Okay, let’s get to it and recap the rest of *Survivor 49,* episode 11.

Steven Ramm, Kristina Mills, and Rizo Velovic on 'Survivor 49'.

2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc.

Rizo shows another side

Can I tell you something? There was a moment during this week’s reward challenge where the R-I-Z-G-O-D RizGod Baby was so far behind everybody else that I had an epiphany: *Oh my God, he’s totally throwing this challenge! There’s no way it would take one person that long to thread some rope through a log.* And then I had another thought: *Oh my God, he been throwing ALL the challenges! That’s why he’s been so terrible in these individual challenges. The cagey bastard!*

But no, he wasn’t throwing this or any other challenge, because eventually he caught up and could be seen going for the win. Oh well. But maybe he *should* have been throwing it, because any reward competition where your reward involves depriving people messages from loved ones back home is fraught with danger. All it takes is one potential Bitter Betty to undo your game. Which is what made winner Savannah’s decision to take Rizo and Sophi, her two biggest allies, seem so ludicrous at first.

Until you consider that Rizo and Sophi were her *only* allies. The danger in winning this reward is if you are in an alliance of four or five and leave people out. By highlighting your pecking order, you incentivize someone to flip on you. But in an alliance of three, there’s no one to flip — and, therefore, no reason to worry. Plus, as it turns out, bringing Sophi not only secured her allegiance, but also brought God (Uncle G?) into the fold as well!

Before we get into our next section of the recap, I’d just like to welcome aboard our new corporate sponsor — Puffs! Whether being invited on a reward challenge, or reading letters from loved ones, or *talking* about reading letters from loved ones, or worrying about your new puberty-level facial hair, or heck, doing just about anything, you never know when you’re going to get a case of the cries. Whether you prefer Ultra Soft, Plus Lotion, or Plus Lotion with the scent of Vicks, Puffs tissues have you covered for any *Survivor* situation. When it comes to lotion-infused tissues, there’s only one choice, and that choice is P-U-F-F-S PuffsBaby.

A 'shocked' Sophie Segreti reveals what led to her 'Survivor 49' downfall

'Survivor 49' unaired scene shows Savannah feeling the pressure (exclusive)

Oh, I kid ‘cause I love. And anyone who knows how much I loved watching Stephen Fishbach cry can vouch for that. All kidding aside, I don’t usually get all soft and mushy watching this stuff because I have no heart and am a soulless shell of a man, but I did think it wassuper awesome hearing Rizo (through tears) talk about how much the letter from his dad meant to him, and how he and his brother with autism were both looking for purpose.

The R-I-Z-G-O-D RizGod Baby presents himself as this big showman, but he’s clearly an even bigger family guy, and that was equally cool to see. Hey, what can I say? I bought in! #RizGod4eva baby! You know what, f—it, I’m getting into my car right now, crossing state lines, driving down Central Avenue into Yonkers, maybe make a pit stop at the Cross County shopping mall to pick up a disposable razor for my main man, show up at Rizo’s place, take him into the bathroom (but not in a creepy way,) make sure he shaves those hideous and super unmanly specs of hair dotting his face, drive him over to the local YMCA, then sit back, relax, and watch the man, the myth, the legend drain threes over some weekend warrior substitute teachers and part-time real estate agents.

One other thing I want to note about the reward challenge before we start getting bogged down in Knowledge is Power shenanigans. The editors totally, completely, utterly rubbed my face it in this week. I always talk like such an annoying know-it-all about how you can always tell who is about to win a challenge by the musical cues.

The music will build to a big crescendo right before the final shot lands. So when the music went big and then dramatically dropped out as Steven threw his sandbag up for the win, it was a done deal that he would win. Only he didn’t. Great fake out by the production team as Savannah then surprised everyone (and maybe even herself) by winning. Nice.

Rizo Velovic, Sage Ahrens-Nichols, Steven Ramm, Kristina Mills, Sophi Balerdi, and Savannah Louie on 'Survivor 49'.

2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc.

Having a ball

Before we get to the all-important immunity challenge, can we pause for the cause to acknowledge my favorite part of the entire episode that did not involve the Silent Assassin?

It occurred when Tres Leches returned to camp post-margaritas to rejoin the losers who had been busy guarding themselves all night against giant rat attacks. The reunion was… awkward, leading Savannah to note, “I have no idea what to say right now because honestly, the reward was literally the best day that I’ve had out here in Fiji, and you didn’t get to experience it and it’s kind of my fault.”

That’s a relatively innocuous statement that on its own is maybe not even worthy of inclusion in the episode. Like, they could have easily cut that for 10 more seconds of Rizo crying while Probst explained the next challenge or something. But what made that quote so incredible were not the actual words, but rather the face on the person saying it.

Go back and watch. Savannah is *totally* smiling. She doesn’t feel bad at all about the others not getting to join them on the best day ever and instead having to starve while worrying about catching beach rabies. Au contraire, mon frere! She actually *loves* it! Go back and look at the smile! It’s so evil… but, like, in an awesome way. Her words are saying one thing, but her face is saying the complete opposite, and I’m not sure I’ve ever loved Savannah more because of it. Seriously, no notes.

No props are necessary to Savannah for winning yet another immunity challenge — this time balancing a ball on a beam with one foot — because the props are implied. She’s a badass. But let’s give it up for my girl Sage. You all know Sage is my *Survivor* soulmate because we’re both total weirdos who obsess over our own mildly disturbing urination habits. But no way did I see her going over 35 minutes long and strong in this competition.

The woman was *hurting*. She tried to convince Savannah to drop. Didn’t work. She pushed through the pain by reciting the names of the people in her life and how much she loved them. There was no way she was going to beat Savannah, who was like a well-fed and well-fueled statue up there. But Sage kept fighting anyway. I know it was crushing for her to lose this. You could see it all over her. But I hope when she watched it back on TV that she felt proud for how hard she fought. I’m sure her loved ones feel that for her.

Jeff Probst with Rizo Velovic, Sage Ahrens-Nichols, Steven Ramm, Kristina Mills, Sophi Balerdi, and Savannah Louie on 'Survivor 49'.

2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc.

Blocking votes but not blocking public embarrassment

Okay, we’ve waited long enough. Let’s get into the madness surrounding the Block-a-Vote and the long-awaited public debut of the Silent Assassin! Even before all that went down, it was an interesting Tribal Council. Probst once again randomly went into a Shakespearean accent, the jury was being super animated and straight up laughing at Savannah’s decision to bring her two biggest allies on reward, and Kristina was throwing Savannah shade that may or may not have been a ruse (“She could have used me as a number this time, but she didn’t take the opportunity”).

But it was all leading up to Sophi’s moment to shine. She had waited and waited and waited patiently for this moment. She had passed up taking MC’s idol. She had passed up swiping Kristina’s idol. She had passed up stealing Rizo’s idol in what would have been the splashiest of splashy moves. She had kept her special power under wraps until finally succumbing to the power of margaritas and perhaps drunkenly spilling her big secret. But now was her time! The jury would finally see her and be bowled over by her big game-changing move!

“There has been a lot of talk of ammunition and what side has more of it,” she began after stopping Probst from kicking off the voting. “And *Survivor* 101 is when you have something in your pocket, you really shouldn’t be so vocal about it, because there could be a silent assassin in the midst.”

She then dropped the hammer in what was sure to be the most awesome hammer dropping of all-time.

“I want to apologize in advance because I do respect what you did to earn it (no apology necessary!). “I’m sorry, Steven, but do you have an advantage?”**The response: “Nope!”**The response to the response: “Oh my God, he gave it to somebody else.”**The response to the response to the response: “Nope!”

A huge smile on Steven’s face. Confused looks everywhere else. Absolutely delicious. This is the exact result we all prayed for after Probst clarified for us last week that since Steven had to officially name his Block-a-Vote victim back at camp, and Sophi could only play her Knowledge is Power at Tribal Council, that she could not, in fact, steal the advantage even though the Block-a-Vote victim had not yet been notified. Absolute perfection.

Rizo Velovic, Sage Ahrens-Nichols, Steven Ramm, Kristina Mills, Sophi Balerdi on 'Survivor 49'.

2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc.

Naturally, the host had to then do us viewers a solid and rub some salt in the wound: “So Steven doesn’t have an advantage, and now, Soph, neither do you.” Hahahahha! So unnecessary! And so great.

I will say this. It is inevitable that viewers are naturally going to be laughing at Sophi for such an epic public blunder. Maybe they are even making like Rizo and doing the Fortnite Take the L dance in their living room. And people *should* laugh! It was funny! Funny as hell. But it’s not like Sophi did anything dumb here.

There is no way she could have possibly known that Steven’s advantage had to be played back at camp. Was that wrinkle put into play by producers for the specific reason of putting such a humiliating scenario onto the screen? I sure hope so! Because, again, hilarious. But it’s not like Sophi is joining Erik, James, JT, Tyson, and entire Manono tribe on the widely celebrated Worst Move Ever list.

There was simply no way to know. (If you want to argue she should have taken Rizo’s idol instead for maximum jury management impact, totally fair.) My sincere hope is she can laugh about this undeniably funny moment alongside the rest of us.

Plus… she didn’t even go home because of it! That’s the craziest part of all of this. After Steven delved deep into his Nopebook, it seemed a sure bet that Sophi would pay the price… WITH HER LIFE! (Well, life in the game. Let’s not get too dramatic.) But that’s not what happened at all.

Steven Ramm on 'Survivor 49'.

2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc.

Yes, there was some talk back at camp from my *Survivor* soulmate about flipping and taking out Steven because he had winner tattooed all over him. But Kristina took time out from scarfing down spaghetti with her hands to shut that s--- down. She told us she couldn’t do it. She told us they needed Steven to beat Savannah in challenges. No hedging. No waffling. It was a non-starter. Or so we thought.

So that led to the biggest shock of all when after Steven blocked Savannah’s vote, and Sophi’s Knowledge is Power fizzled in spectacular fashion, and Tres Leches seemed despondent and defeated… that Steven ended up being unanimously voted out anyway! Wut the wut???

“That’s why I love playing *Survivor*,” announced Rizo. And that’s why we love watching *Survivor*. But there is only one more *Survivor* episode in 2025 to go. Considering how even Kristina’s biggest ally saw her as a sloppy player, and seeing as how Sophi just face-planted in front of a jury that may have already seen her as too passive, they would seem to have very long odds to taking home the $1 million. How are Rizo’s antics playing with the jury? Do they view him as a mastermind or an attention-grabber? It very well could be the latter, so even with a fast pass to the final four, he could potentially be in trouble should be make it past fire.

That would seem to paint Savannah (universally recognized as an aggressive threat who is still standing) and Sage (was credited with running the game at certain parts and has allies on the jury) as the frontrunners. But Sage needs to get past that final five vote, and assuming everyone wants to sit next to Kristina at the end, Sage could be on the receiving end of a unanimous vote herself. Which makes Savannah’s path (two strong allies, strong résumé, even stronger challenge skills) the clearest.

We’ll see how it all plays out next week, and we will have tons of exclusive pre-finale preview stuff for you as well. That’s not even counting this week’s bounty, including an exclusive deleted scene, Probst’s reaction to what just went down, and our exit interview with Steven. You can knock yourself out with all that goodness and subscribe to our free *Survivor* newsletter for all the news and interviews sent right to you. Meanwhile, I’ll report back to the kitchen to start prepping for next week’s scoop of the finale crispy!

- Survivor Fandom

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Source: “EW Survivor”