Survivor 49's Final Five reveal their jury strategies and how they plan to secure votes at the last Tribal Council

The final five contestants of Survivor 49 have outlined their approaches to securing jury votes at the last Tribal Council.

Rizo Velovic, Sage Ahrens-Nichols, Savannah Louie, Kristina Mills, and Sophi Balerdi each shared strategies they plan to use to address the jury members they previously voted out.

Their plans include emphasizing personal connections, strategic gameplay, emotional experiences, and transparency.

The cast members indicated that the jury's decisions will be influenced by the relationships built throughout the game as well as the clarity and honesty of each finalist’s explanations of their moves.

Insights into their approaches were shared in an exclusive Entertainment Weekly interview on December 12, 2025.

Rizo Velovic

Rizo Velovic intends to focus on social connections with the jury. He explained,

"I want to approach being their best friend. I want to know everything from where these people go to get their nails done, or what they like to eat for breakfast, all the way to what their third cousin's name is."

Velovic referenced previous Survivor gameplay, noting that the new-era winners are primarily "social" players, with Dee being the only notable exception.

His goal is for the jury to understand his personal story and to feel that he "deserves the title of Soul Survivor."

Sage Ahrens-Nichols

Sage Ahrens-Nichols plans to maintain transparency and accountability during the final Tribal Council. Ahrens-Nichols said,

"If I've stabbed you in the back, I'll own that. I'm not going to try to sugarcoat it. 'Of course, I stabbed you in the back and this is why.'"

She described her approach as being open and authentic while considering both the personal feelings and strategic elements of the game.

She explained that personal emotions should not take "front and center" over the gameplay when addressing the jury.

Savannah Louie

Savannah Louie emphasized strategy and intellectual gameplay in her jury approach. She stated:

"I will have to really emphasize the strategy that I used and why I particularly outwitted everybody."

Louie noted that her usual charm might not be as effective with this jury, indicating that the members "look like they are smart as hell and they're charming."

She plans to focus on demonstrating smart gameplay to gain respect from the jury rather than relying solely on personal appeal.

Kristina Mills

Kristina Mills intends to highlight her personal journey and the ways she applied her abilities throughout the game. Mills explained,

"I want them to really hear my story if they hadn't heard it before for whatever reason. I want them to know that this was a journey of me finding myself outside of labels."

She stated that she will not use financial need as a tactic, instead emphasizing how she "used all of that to do this self-discovery journey" and applied her background and skills to advance in the game.

Sophi Balerdi

Balerdi plans to be attentive to jury members and use those relationships to explain her moves. She stated,

"People just naturally open up. So I think I'm going to be able to pinpoint those moments that I have with people and use it to be like, 'Yeah, I backstabbed you, but the relationship I had with you was real.'"

Balerdi indicated that this approach could influence a potentially bitter jury while reflecting the relationships she developed.

Stay tuned for more updates.