"It's luck that got me off the show": Survivor 49's Jason Treul regrets not using his Shot in the Dark

Survivor 49 week 5 episode, titled I'm a Wolf, Baby saw Jason Treul unanimously voted off and eliminated from the game on October 22, 2025.

He was originally cast as an alternate, but Jason received a last-minute call just 10 hours before filming began, moving him into the game.

Despite his abrupt entry, he instantly emerged as a strong and intelligent player with exceptional puzzle-solving skills.

He led his original tribe, Hina, to victory in the first challenge, earning him the nickname Puzzle Jesus from the rival Uli tribe.

However, a tribe swap shifted the game as Jason found himself on the new Kele tribe, alongside Matt Williams. The Uli members, who dominated the tribe, swiftly aligned against Jason and Matt, voting Matt out in the last week and Jason this week.

In an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly, Jason admitted that his elimination was influenced by a combination of factors, expressing his regret about not using his Shot in the Dark advantage, further stating,

"It's luck that got me off the show."

Jason Treul opens up on what went wrong that led to his early exit from Survivor 49

Jason opened up in the interview with Entertainment Weekly that he was screwed by the tribe swap, although a little less than Matt.

He also thinks that Survivor is a game of luck because he got on the show by luck and even got eliminated due to luck, because if he had used his Shot in the Dark, then he would have been in the show.

Jason Treul admitted he came close to using his Shot in the Dark advantage, but advice from fellow players ultimately influenced him and held him back, as he reflected,

"By the time it happened, I was actually way more blindsided by it than I should have been. I think that part of it is obliviousness by me as a person, and part of it is also good gameplay by them, because it was a multi-episode arc of them trying to diffuse that bomb."

When asked how he felt when he realized his game was over, Jason Treul said he stayed optimistic initially, believing he could navigate the tough spot.

Reflecting on his missed opportunity with the Shot in the Dark, he said,

"Looking back on it, if your blunder is playing the Shot in the Dark right then, it's like ‘Okay, well you were put in a spot where you had a less than one in six chance of making it through.’"

Jason further explained his pitch to stay in the game, focused on honesty and using his connections with the original Hina tribe, positioning himself as a valuable tool for building future alliances.

He acknowledged it was a screwed if you do, screwed if you don’t situation, as being too honest earned him side eyes from Savannah, while throwing others under the bus could have damaged his value.

He further reflected on being asked if his puzzle skills were seen as a threat,

"When we did do the swap, the first thing everyone said was, “ Jason, you were like killing it on the puzzles!” Rizo had like a little nickname for me on the old Uli beach. He called me Puzzle Jesus. So I was very happy to know that people were kind of getting a little taste of what that was. Even if I didn't talk to them, they still felt my presence."

Jason admitted that after being voted out, he considered whether his former Hina tribemates on Kele could have thrown the challenge to protect him, joking that he might have whispered to them to deliberately miss shots in hopes of shifting the numbers.

Furthermore, he described a close bond with MC and Steven, noting that while the TV edit highlighted a majority alliance with Matt, Steven, Kristina, and MC, there was also a powerful alliance between him, MC, and Steven.

He recalls a particular favorite moment describing it as,

"When I was out there is there's this moment where MC shows me the idol. She's like, “Jason, I found it. We deserve to be here. We deserve to play this game.”

Jason Treul noted that predicting who would have been voted out on Hina was difficult, as Matt was a wildcard while Kristina was fatigued, and sitting by the sheltar, so the alliance never had to make that decision.

Describing the surreal moment when he learned he was no longer an alternate and was officially entering Survivor 49, he says,

"I immediately collapsed to the ground and I am screaming maniacally. It's such a fever dream. And then that elation lasted for days. I was waking up on the island thinking, “This is not real. I'm back on Ponderosa. This is like an Inception-style dream.” It was insane to have lived it."

He expressed that his close bond with MC wasn’t fully shown on TV but was meaningful to him as he cherished being on the same tribe and connecting personally, jokingly advising future contestants,

"if you want the screen time, think about throwing a challenge."

Lastly, he advised future Survivor contestants that if they want the screen time, they should think about throwing a challenge not for strategic reasons, but for egotistical ones.

Stay tuned for more updates.