"Your arrogance got the best of you": Survivor 49 fans react to Rizo's elimination in the finale

Survivor season 49 star Rizo’s journey on the CBS show finally concluded in the December 17, 2025, finale, when he lost the fire-making challenge to Savannah. 

After Sophi won the final immunity challenge and secured her spot in the final three, she was given the responsibility to choose one player to take to the finale with her, leaving the other two to fight in the fire-making contest for the last spot.

Sophi decided to take Sage along with her, which meant Rizo and Savannah had to face each other in the fire-making challenge, the loser of which would immediately be removed from the game. 

Although Savannah said that she was not confident about starting a fire from scratch, she managed to outperform Rizo in the final moments of the game, ending his journey on the show.

It was a difficult moment for her to bid farewell to Rizo because the two had worked together for a significant portion of the game, being each other’s allies. 

Regardless, Rizo’s torch was snuffed, as host Jeff Probst stated:

“RizGod, the tribe has spoken.”

Survivor 49 fans on X expressed a mixed reaction to Rizo’s elimination. While many appreciated his performance throughout the season, others were happy to see him exit. 

“Bye Bye Rizo… your arrogance got the best of you. Now, I hope the jury does the right thing and makes Savannah the winner of #Survivor49 and the $1,000,000,” a netizen commented.

However, many Survivor fans looked back on Rizo’s journey on a positive note. 

“rip rizzgod good game good game!! everyone’s reactions to jeff calling him that took me out that’s so funny oh i loved rizo being a part of survivor definitely lured me to watching this season,” a fan wrote. 

“Rizo a truly outstanding player. Would’ve been one of the all-time great seasons if he won (but always seemed to be trending for fourth place). Enjoyable character and awesome strategist. Heck of a showing. Excited to see him again on 50,” another one commented.

“Rizo is an amazing player & competitor, and an even better friend. im glad hes proud of himself and knows his worth, bc it’s the truth! Well done rizo (youre gonna kick a** again on your 2nd round…)” an X user reacted.

Other Survivor fans expressed a similar sentiment. 

“Rizo played an incredible game!!! The fact that he was able to hold onto his idol for that many tribals & make so many strategic decisions this merge was impressive. I can’t wait to see my king on 50,” a person wrote. 

“I’m sorry but THAT’s Rizo’s legacy? 4th?? Not even a tie vote or something??? How did he possibly get a spot on 50 they didnt even give him that big of an edit or anything??” another netizen commented.

“That’s good, Rizo did NOT deserve to be in it and i’m glad that i don’t have to listen to any more of his BS & drama. It did strengthen Savannah’s resume even more though,” a fan posted.

What happened in the fire-making challenge in Survivor season 49?

Despite her lack of confidence in her ability to start a fire, Savannah managed to take the lead in the fire-making challenge.

She got the first flames and managed to sustain the fire using sticks and twigs. Meanwhile, Rizo continued his effort to start one, and by the time he did, Savannah’s fire had already grown and was touching the rope above it. 

Meanwhile, Rizo’s fire went out, which put Savannah in the winner’s seat. Ultimately, the flames of her fire managed to burn the rope above it, and with that, she confirmed her spot in the final three. 

With that, Rizo was sent packing, and in his closing statement, he said that “sometimes not all the best players win,” adding that he had no regrets because he was able to have an “impact” on the game. 

That said, Savannah advanced to the final three and went on to defeat Sophi and Sage for the title of Survivor. 

Stay tuned for more updates.