"Absolutely driving this game": Survivor 49 fans react to Rizo manipulating the elimination and keeping his idol

Survivor season 49 returned with a new episode on November 19, 2025. The segment saw Alex getting eliminated from the show after receiving five votes from his co-stars. 

His exit came after Rizo was able to turn the majority against him, while evading elimination and keeping his idol safe.

Rizo had been on the radar of his opponents for having an idol. However, he did not intend to use it and “scrape by” the Tribal Council with his idol intact.

But those plotting against Rizo and his ally, Savannah, especially Sage and Jawan, were determined to flush his idol and take out Savannah. 

Their plan fell apart when Kristina shared their strategy with Soph, who relayed it to Rizo, Sophie, and Savannah.

Consequently, to turn the tables and get the target off their backs, Rizo took matters into his own hands and put Alex on the block for playing in the middle. 

Rizo went around camp spewing lies about Alex, hoping to sway their opinion of him and overturn the majority. 

Although Alex tried to counteract, his efforts were unsuccessful, and Rizo’s plan worked. During Tribal Council, Alex received the most votes and was sent home, while Rizo was able to keep his idol active in the game despite it being public knowledge.

Survivor 49 fans on X reacted to Rizo’s gameplay as one commented:

“Say what you will about Rizo, but that's two tribals in a row where people have tried to flush his idol and he somehow managed to spin a majority vote on someone else and kept his idol. Bro is absolutely driving this game.”

Survivor fans were impressed by Rizo’s ability to turn the game in his favor and disappointed in others for being unable to oust his idol. 

“Rizo not playing his idol for the third tribal in a row and surviving?!?! honestly I underestimated your genius, this is wild,” a fan wrote.

“Letting that man stay in the game knowing he has an idol that he’s c*cky enough to not use is so dumb omg,” another one commented.

“and once again, RIZO GAGGED IT!!!!! Another vote going HIS way while holding onto HIS idol!!! the other girls better wake the hell up, we got a potential winner on our hands!” an X user reacted.

Other Survivor fans expressed a similar sentiment. 

“this cast is so dumb #survivor49 they’re letting rizo keep his idol for a THIRD week in a row!! just give rizo the win already omg,” a person wrote.

“Rizo really is the rizgod how the hell does he manage to keep flipping the vote and hold on to a publicly known idol... I see why he got that Survivor 50 spot,” another netizen commented.

“rizo surviving for the third week in a row with his idol still in his pocket is CRAZY but i’m here for it,” a fan posted.

Who is Rizo Velovic on season 49 of Survivor?

Rizo is a 25-year-old tech sales employee from Yonkers, New York, who grew up wanting to become a farmer, as per his interview with Parade, published on September 4, 2025. 

However, as he got older, he realized his dream would not come to fruition since he lived in the “concrete jungle” of New York. 

He then expressed an interest in broadcast journalism and even “went to school for it.” But he ultimately changed lanes and entered sales, confident in his ability to manage people. The change was made after he realized he could not support his family financially working as a journalist. 

“I essentially sell tech to people. And if they buy it, great; if not, on to the next. And I’ve been there for the last four years, and I love it. I’ve got two of my best friends in the company. So, I really can’t complain. It allowed me to be here,” he added. 

While speaking about his self-assigned nickname “RizGod,” Rizo revealed that he gave himself the name to stand on par with people his age and be relatable. 

He recalled that while people his age were calling themselves “that guy” and “him,” he was busy sorting his parents’ taxes and helping them get their first house. Consequently, he took over the nickname. 

Stay tuned for more updates.