Survivor is one of the best reality shows of all time, and laid a blue print or tons of shows that followed. The long-running series (which is streaming with a Paramount+ subscription) is gearing up for the highly anticipated 50th season, which will feature returning players. That includes Season 49's Savannah Louie and Rizo Velovic, and the story behind them getting invited is getting me seriously pumped.
The cast of Survivor 50 is stacked and features some beloved classic players like Cirie Fields and Colby Donaldson. It should be interesting to see how the New Era players compete with those fan favorites, and in an interview from Dalton Ross's Instagram, Savannah explained how she found out both she and Rizo were going to be back. As she shared:
So I figured this out on my own because production pulled both of us separately. And I saw Rizo kind of go into this back room and I was like 'Oh, that's weird, Rizo's going over there.' And he walked out in a different direction and he was walking with a little pep in his step.
Even though Savanah had just won Survivor 49 (and the million-dollar prize that comes with it) it seems like her head was still very much in the game. She clocked when Rizo got the call to return for Season 50 simply by seeing how he stepped out of a room. Talk about being observant.
In the same interview, Savannah went on to share how she got the call to return for Season 50 shortly after Rizo got his. As she put it:
So production later calls me into that very same room. And Jeff is on the screen, the zoom call, and invites me. He's like 'You know, we would like you to come back.' And I'm like 'Okay, well Rizo was just in this room about 15 minutes ago, and he looked so happy when he left.'
The writing was on the wall for the winner of Survivor 49, and she quickly realized that both she and her ally Rizo would be back for Season 50. They're jumping right back into the game in Fiji, and from the pre-game press, it looks like that might make them a target. After all, the rest of the cast wasn't able to watch their season before filming.
Rizo also shared his POV of getting the call to return, and his mix of shock and joy at the chance to get another go at Survivor. He said:
I get into the room, and Jeff's there on Zoom. And granted, I thought Jeff just checks on all the people at the finale. So I went 'Jeff, what's going on man? It's so good to see you. You just called me Riz God two days ago. Like, I miss you.' And then Jeff does his speech about how Survivor 50 so great and we want you on. And I'm like 'Holy fuck this is cinema.' Like 'Yes, I'm on!'
Early into Season 49, Rizo stood out as being super strategic, easily outplaying a number of his competitors. I mean, the way he used that Immunity Idol to stay safe for weeks was impressive. But Savannah had his number about his return for Survivor 50, as she told it:
So at Ponderosa I went up to Rizo and and all I say is, I'm like 'Hey congratulations.' And he's like 'What are you talking about?' And I'm like 'You think you're the only person invited back for 50?'
I'm super curious about how this pair of players will perform next season. They were put on separate tribes at the start of the game, which might help to diminish their threat level. But as previously stated, there are some folks on the cast who are targeting Savannah and Rizo simply due to them being unknowns.
Survivor 50 will premiere on February 25th as part of the 2026 TV schedule. Fingers crossed that Savannah and Rizo don't get eliminated too early.
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