Savannah Louie is feeling deja vu and whiplash simultaneously. Ten days ago, the 31-year-old had just become the most recently-minted Sole Survivor, putting a punctuation point on a season that had her tying a Survivor challenge record. And Jeff Probst made it impossible for her to come down from that high, offering her mere hours later a spot on Season 50 Despite the excitement, Savannah knows how seedy being an unknown identity in a group of returning players looks. So she plans on disclosing how she did in the game, in an effort to make a trustworthy first impression. From there, the former reporter hopes to fill her on-island news team with mostly old-schoolers and people who make her laugh (including someone she has an alarming amount in common with). And Savannah hopes to ultimately be the one to get the last laugh, becoming the first person in Survivor history to win two consecutive seasons.Read on for my interview with Savannah, and check in with Parade daily for interviews with this season's contestants and other tidbits. Survivor 50 premieres on Feb. 25 with a three-hour episode on CBS.
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Survivor 50 interview with Savannah Louie
[Author's note: As Survivor 49 had not aired during the filming of Survivor 50, the press was told to not ask Rizo and Savannah any specifics about their original season. If you'd like to check out what they had to say about their game, be sure to read our post-finale interviews from the end of 2025!]
I mean, Savannah, you should basically be buying land out here. Because this is the second time we're talking out here in two months!I know! And you said you didn't expect me to be back, which I'm still a little offended by. But, honestly, like, I'm so happy to be back. There is no situation where I would do a back-to-back season other than something as big as Survivor50.Well, that's what I more or less meant. Not that you specifically wouldn't be back, but that nobody from 49 would be back, given the back-to-back filming schedule. So what was your reaction when you got asked to return so quickly?I thought Jeff was punking me. I'm serious. So literally, the day after our season finished wrapping, we're still in Fiji at this point, I'm told that I have someone who needs to talk to me. And I go into this room, and I see Zoom is set up. And I assumed the Survivor producers wanted to get my family on the screen, or my partner on the screen. It's just like a congratulatory chat for everybody here. And I was maybe the first person to go. And so I walk in, and I get a little closer, and I realize, "Oh my God, it's Jeff Probst. What is this all about?" And he says, "Savannah, congratulations. We want to invite you to be part of Survivor 50." And I think I sank down in my chair. Like, thank goodness I was sitting, because I feel like otherwise I would have dropped to the floor. But I'm just shocked. I thought it was a joke for a minute, because immediately, when you think of Survivor 50, you think of the Survivor greats. You think of people like Ozzy and Coach and Jenna, who have been so instrumental to what Survivor is. And I'm like, "Wait, am I part of this?" It's nuts!And you absolutely are a part of this! So then, what has your prep been like in such a tight turnaround between seasons? Did you have to put the work in again? Or was it more decompressing and preparing for another stint on the island?I had about 10 days to totally prepare as much as I could. So I got my butt back in the gym. I'm so over the gym by this point. God, I never want to see another dumbbell again. But other than that, I got three massages in eight days, which is wonderful. I ate all the fried food, all the high-calorie food. So I've already gained back all the weight and then some, to be honest. But I think the hardest part about doing a back-to-back season, which most people don't think about, is the mental and emotional strain that it can put on you. Leaving your family and your friends behind to go no-contact again. And not only that, but to be out in the jungle with a bunch of psychos. Because, seriously, if you're playing Survivor, you're probably a little bit crazy. I mean that with all the all the sweetness in my heart. And hey, I'm a little bit crazy too! I wouldn't want to be stuck on an island with me for 26 days. But it's just a lot to get your mind ready for.And so to answer your question, there are some parts of me where, physically, I tried to prepare the best I could. But from a mental and emotional state, I'm trying to stay locked in. I've noticed I've been a little bit more suspicious of people in my everyday life, which is not something I want to continue post-Survivor. But I think for this awkward period of time where I'm going into 50, that's okay.Survivor history has been littered with people who have appeared on back-to-back seasons as complete unknowns, from Russell Hantz in Heroes vs. Villains to Malcolm in Caramoan to Zeke and Michaela in Game Changers. So what do you think your perception is, coming in as an unknown factor?I'm a little bit worried, to be honest with you. I mean, think about the game of Survivor as a whole. You want to try to eliminate as much uncertainty as you can in this game. Because Survivor is a game of uncertainty, and when you're not sure exactly what's going on, you're not able to prepare. So I'm worried that some of the people out here are going to see me and also my fellow castmate, Rizo, as people who are threats just because they don't know our game. I could be the least threatening person out here, but just because they don't know how we play or know how we did, we're automatically sitting here with this big bullseye on our back. So my job here is to go in and try to seem as friendly and sweet and nice to everybody as possible and as less of a threat as possible.Now, the good news is they haven't seen any of 49. Have you thought about telling them a certain version of events that happened to help further that perception?I did, and part of me is gonna do that. There are a few things that I definitely don't want shared out here. But you have to think about the other people who are involved in Season 49. Rizo is out here. I don't know what he's gonna tell or not tell. Did you not collude on a story to give everyone before coming in?I mean, as much colluding as you can do. At the same time, though, the Survivor community is very talkative. Even my own parents don't know how I did for 49. They don't know everything that I may have accomplished or not accomplished. I think there are some people out here who might be a little clued in based off the talking. So my thing is, I'm gonna come clean. I feel like coming clean, honestly, might be a decent strategy when it comes to some of the things I did accomplish. And hopefully it'll show people that they can trust me. Because otherwise, if I lie about it, they're gonna know right away. And then everybody out here is gonna know that I'm a big fat liar, and they also can't trust my game.Last time we were here, you talked about being stereotyped into a Parvati or Venus-like role. Is that something you want to steer into with this group?Honestly, knowing how Season 49 went, I don't think I can do that. And part of the reason for that is I went into Season 49 thinking I was going to do X, Y and Z. I had my strategy all lined up in my head, and I thought it was going to be easy to accomplish. Maybe not easy to accomplish, but I felt like it was going to fuel the way I played my entire game. And then I get out here, and I realized you can only plan for so much. People are going to perceive you how they want to perceive you. And now, after playing, I don't think I'm like a Venus, and I don't think I'm like a Parvati. I would love to be like a Parvati, but I don't think I am. I think I'm just a Savannah Louie, and I'm gonna lean into that role as much as possible.
Related: Meet the Full Cast of Survivor 50Well, let's talk about the roles these people around you are going to play in your game. We're gonna play a game called "Friend or Foe." I'm going to give you a name of someone on the cast, and you have to tell me if they're someone you want to work with, or someone you see as an enemy or threat. Starting with Jenna.I want to say Friend. I don't know that she's gonna see me as a friend. I think she might see me as a threat, especially being new era. But I'm looking at this woman as we're in pregame. And she just has such a positive energy about her, and she just seems like she's so friendly and fun. And I'm like, "That's someone who I want in my normal life." That's definitely someone who I would want on a crazy island out here, too.Colby.[Pause.] I'm gonna say Friend for Colby, too. I did notice a pause, though.Because now I feel like I'm just gonna say Friend to everybody! But like, dude, Colby is someone who I looked up to as a kid. How could I not want to align with someone who was this hero in my mind for so long?That's gonna be an interesting thing to face this season. The idea that, while these are people who are foundational to how you got into the show and eventually became a player yourself, they are people at the end of the day.Well, let me say this. I would like to align with Colby, but I don't know that we actually have enough in common. I don't know if we would actually be likely to work together long-term. We could vote together for a few votes if our agendas match up. But overall, I like the guy. I'm not opposed to it.How about Stephenie?Ooh, Stephenie scares me. I want to say Friend, but honestly, I think she might be more of a Foe. She is a fierce competitor. I feel like she is someone who has very strong energy. And I'm also a woman who has very strong energy. And I know firsthand that sometimes when you have two strong women, it can be either the best thing in the world or there can be fireworks in the worst possible way. And with Stephenie, she kind of intimidates me, so I might go with Foe for her.Cirie.Foe. She needs to go Day 1, before I would even go to Tribal Council. I'm sorry. Because here's the thing, she is so slick. She's gonna charm everybody out here, probably including me. As I'm saying Foe, I would probably have a conversation with her and immediately say Friend. So getting rid of Cirie as early as possible, before she has the opportunity to charm any of us into what we need to do.Ozzy.I'll say Friend. I want the fish. I want to be taken care of! So here's the thing, in my real life, I have a partner, and he takes such good care of me. He's always keeping me fed. He's always making sure I'm happy. Ozzy — I don't want to call him my Survivorboyfriend or anything like that. But I do like being taken care of. Coach.Friend. I am obsessed with Coach. He has no idea that I am so obsessed with him, but like, oh my God! I think he's such an interesting character. He's probably the number one person out here who I'm most excited to like me and hopefully work with.He is such a character. Even when we're not allowed to talk, he's doing his yoga poses. He's doing these drawings, these lines in the sand. He's got one of his big toenails painted silver, And I'm like, "What's up with that?" I've never seen that, especially on a man. Dude, we have these snacks back there. It's like these peanut brittle things, literally for old people. And Coach has been downing them like crazy. So I just want to have a conversation with this guy. How about Aubry?I would say Foe. Too strategic. I don't trust her. And, honestly, when I'm out here, I want to work with someone who is strategic. But I feel like she would, ultimately, backstab me. I can't have that.Chrissy.Originally, I would have said Foe. She's intimidating, but I feel like she's just a little socially awkward. Friend. I don't think she's actually that intimidating. And I feel I can work with her.Angelina.Oh my gosh. If we're getting drinks, I would say Friend. But this is Survivor. She's gonna be my Foe out here. Honestly, I think she has too many friends out here already. I see the way that she's laughed with certain people. And I'm like, "Dude, this woman has too many friends." Maybe there's been a little pregaming out here. She's gotta go.Christian.Friend, easily. I saw the way that he — I'm gonna sound like I'm looking for a man to take care of me. [Laughs.] And I swear that's not what's gonna happen. But I saw the way that he took care of Gabby in David vs. Goliath and was literally her shoulder to cry on. And just from a human perspective, I appreciated that so much. I thought he was just a stand-up guy. He's also a lot smarter than I am, and I need someone who knows strategy out here to balance out the fact that I'm not the best strategist. So I would love to work with him.Mike.Friend, easily. One of my things in 49 that I wanted to do, which I did do, was align myself with someone who made me laugh. And he made the game that is so stressful at times a lot more enjoyable. And I really see that in Mike. I feel like he's a total goofball. I loved his sense of humor in David vs. Goliath. I feel like I could use that out here too.Now, the last time we talked, I had said, "You're a former news reporter from Atlanta. Do you know Rick Devens?" And you said you had mutual friends, but never met. You're meeting him now. So give me your perspective on him.I'm obsessed with Rick Devens. If Coach is my number one out here, Rick Devens is a close number two. Literally, I talked about Rick in my Survivor application video, how I wanted to play like him, and how he brought so much fun to the game. And it kind of goes back to what I'm saying about Mike White. I want to play Survivor with someone who's going to make me laugh, who I'm going to have fun with. And I totally see that in Rick. I know he used to do the morning show, and I was evenings. And I don't want there to be any animosity of mornings vs. evenings, because I really do feel like Rick and I could work together. We can have a lot of fun out here. So I would say not just a Friend, but like a Super Friend.
Savannah Louie on 'Survivor 50'Robert Voets/CBS
Let's move into your fellow new era cast members, starting with Jonathan.Friend, until we get to the merge. I need Jonathan to take care of my tribe in the challenges leading up to the merge, because I do not want to go to Tribal Council. I want to get as far into this game without going. Well, maybe I'll go to one Tribal Council. Going to Tribal before merge is definitely a good thing. But I need to align myself with people who are gonna take care of me, so to speak. And Jonathan has definitely got the muscle for that.How about Dee?Foe, which is crazy! Because, dude, before I got on 49, she was someone who I wanted to play the game like. She was the winner whose game I wanted to emulate out here. But, I mean, I feel like she's been pregaming, and I feel like that's very dangerous when you're in a season like this.And so I mean, here's the thing, and I'll say this about a lot of the new era people. I think that with the technology that's out there, and also the Survivor events, you're gonna have people more likely to establish these relationships and create these social bonds than maybe when you were playing Heroes vs. Villains forever ago. And so I'm kind of wary. I would love to work with any of the new era people, but I'm also very wary of the ones who seem like they are better connected.Emily.I'm a little sus about Emily too. I mean, for all these people, I want to say Friend, but I feel like they're going to be my Foe.You're ready to spill some new era blood!Yes, I am! Which is crazy. Because as a new era person myself, you'd think I'd want to unite with people who are playing the same game as me, literally. But I don't trust them. How about Charlie?Foe. I would say that even if he was old era too. There's something about Charlie I just don't trust. You know who my least favorite person in the world is? Who?Taylor Swift. Seriously, anyone who's obsessed with Taylor, I'm just like, "There's something wrong with you."Which is different from the thing that's wrong with you to make you want to play Survivor![Laughs.] Exactly. But the Taylor Swift fans, I don't get on a human level. But definitely not someone who I would want to work with either.
Related: The 50 Best ‘Survivor’ Challenges Ever — According to the People Who Made Them (Exclusive)What about Q?Okay, I want to be Friends with Q. But again, he's so all over the place, I feel like he'll be a Foe. I don't trust him for a second. Tiffany.Foe. Here's why, especially for Tiffany, she didn't get as far as some of the other people who are playing Season 50 have gotten. So I think Tiff is going to be very under the radar, especially at the beginning. And I think that's going to give her a huge advantage out here. I don't think people are going to realize how big of a threat Tiff actually is. Because, honestly, I feel like she will have an amazing social game. I feel like she'll be able to hold her own in some of the challenges. And I feel like before any of us realize, she'll end up being at the Final Three or something.Genevieve.Foe. She's so smart. No, no, we cannot have that. And maybe there's a chance I could align with Genevieve. I feel like our personalities might actually really mesh well together. But again, it's the pregaming I don't trust.Let's get into 48. Because when you played, you had only watched the first half of the season. So you really didn't get to see the dominant performance Joe put together in the endgame. What are your thoughts on him based on what you know, going into this season?Don't worry, I binged and I caught up with everything. And here's where I will say, I'm switching it up. And I'm saying these are some new era people I might work with. Joe, to me, just seems like such a nice stand-up guy. I don't think he's gonna come out here and play that same loyal game again, because I think that was kind of like a detriment to his previous game. But he is someone who I feel like I just naturally would trust out here, especially at the early stages of games. So I'll say Friend for Joe.Kamilla.I would say Friend for her too. And she's extremely smart and strategic. But the reason why I really like her is because I look at her and I'm like, "Okay, fellow short queen out here!" I feel like, in a sense, we have to stick together. And I know that's the most superficial reason ever. But I don't know, I like her. How about Kyle? I know he just won, but I feel like that increases his threat level. And so maybe he's looking for people to play with and people who won't just write him off first thing. And [I'm] someone who I feel like, when I look at myself, I'm a little bit worried people will write me off first thing. So in a weird way, I might be able to relate to Kyle in that sense. So I'll say Friend for Kyle, too.Obviously, you can't get into any specifics on what happened on 49 right now. But what are your thoughts on your relationship with Rizo going into this season?I'll say Friend at first. I mean, I'll say Friend, but inevitably turning Foe.Which previous player do you wish were out here on the island with you right now?I am obsessed with Carolyn from Season 44. She just has this radiant energy about her. She made the game fun to watch. I have no doubt she would make the game fun to play with. And then I think on a bigger level than that, right now, when I'm playing Survivor 50, I'm looking for people who will give me a chance and who will hear me out. Who won't just say, "Hey, we don't know your game. We don't know you. So you've got to go ASAP."I feel like Carolyn was always willing to hear people out and willing to give people a chance. And not only that, but actually listen to what they say and consider whether it was best for her game or not to work with them. And I would love that in an ally in a game like this. So I really wish Carolyn was here. Give me one similar thing and one different thing you're bringing into your second season as compared to your first.So from my first season, and in my life, actually, one of the best things about me is that when I feel pressure, or my back's against the wall, I will do whatever it takes to just push through. And it's kind of just putting your head down and just getting through the s—t, for lack of a better word. And so there were a couple moments where, in Season 49, I felt just so defeated. And it's like, well, what do you do? You just put your head down. You get through it as best you can. You give it your all. And maybe you don't always get through it, but even if you don't get through it, you'll end up a stronger human being because of that. So that tenacity, that's something I'm going to bring with me into Survivor 50. Something I'm doing different, dude, I cannot be as trusting as I was in Season 49. I was so naive. Oh my gosh. I thought I knew working in a newsroom to never trust anyone. And I found myself way too trusting out here. I mean, you get to know these people, too, on a human level. And they become not just your friends after a certain amount of time, but it's a stronger bond, I think, in a weird way, than friendship. I don't even know how to describe it. But when you create a bond like that with someone who isn't your ally, you might not believe that they could ever stab you in the back or try to do you wrong. But it's Survivor; anything can happen.Finally, what celebrity or fictional character would you bring out for a Loved Ones visit? When we did this only a couple of months ago, you went with Miley Cyrus. Do you want to double down on that?Jesus Christ. You wanted the fish. He can give you the loaves and fishes!Exactly! I'm gonna be fed. And I'm also probably gonna get some great advice too.
Related: ‘RizGod’ Returns: Rizo Velovic Back on 'Survivor 50' Just Days After Season 49 (Exclusive)
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