RHAP: We Know Survivor - Rick Devens & Savannah Louie Survivor 50 Preseason Interviews

Episode Date: January 31, 2026

Rick Devens & Savannah Louie Survivor 50 Preseason Interviews Mike Bloom (@AMikeBloomType) is here to chat to the cast of Survivor 50! Join us to hear from your favorite returning Survivor players! Survivor 50 is here, and Mike Bloom sits down with returning favorites Rick Devens and Savannah Louie in the latest preseason interview episode. With both Rick and Savannah sharing their journeys back to the island—one after years away, the other mere days after winning Survivor 49—this special episode dives deep into the cast’s first impressions, shifting alliances, and how returning players prepare for the ultimate game. The conversation opens with Rick Devens reflecting on the rollercoaster path that led him from being an alternate to officially landing a spot on Survivor 50. Rick shares how the shift in his mindset has him leaning into playfulness this season, hoping to harness the social chaos and lay low early. Savannah Louie follows up with her whirlwind experience of going from Survivor 49’s winner to immediate returnee, revealing the mental challenges and trust issues that come with no time to reset. Both players tackle Mike’s signature “Friend or Foe” game, sizing up legendary castaways and sizing up new-era powerhouses—flagging players like Dee and Sari as potential threats while seeking allies with similar life experiences. – Rick names “playfulness” and adaptability as his new mission for Survivor 50, after his alternate scare. – Savannah describes the whirlwind of going straight from a win to facing off against Survivor icons with little prep. – First impressions from the preseason: Dee and Cirie draw suspicion for their social prowess, while players like Colby and Coach bring nostalgia but raise questions about long-term alliance fit. – Both Rick and Savannah eye fellow returnees and new-school wildcards for early working relationships, but remain wary of pre-gaming and unspoken bonds. – Rick opens up about lessons from Chris Underwood and keeping silence during tense moments, aiming to adjust his social read this season. As anticipation builds, Mike teases the evolving dynamic between old-school legends and new-era stars, with questions swirling about loyalty, hidden threats, and who might find themselves blindsided first. Will Rick’s playful approach or Savannah’s tenacity break through the target-heavy field? Chapters: 0:00 Rick Devens Returns: Second Chance 6:13 Friend or Foe: Cast Breakdown 16:35 Strategizing Against Returning Players 26:12 Savannah Louie Joins Survivor 50 34:32 Savannah Assesses Survivor 50 Cast 44:12 Lessons from Survivor 49 Experience 48:00 Reflecting on Survivor 50 Prospects Never miss a minute of RHAP’s extensive Survivor coverage! LISTEN: Subscribe to the Survivor podcast feed WATCH:  Watch and subscribe to the podcast on YouTube SUPPORT:  Become a RHAP Patron for bonus content, access to Facebook and Discord groups plus more great perks!

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Looking to simplify this new year? How about the simple sounds of neutral vodka soda with no sugar added for the next 15 seconds? Neutral. Refreshingly simple. Hey everybody. Mike Bloom here back with day four of our Survivor 50 pre-season interviews. As you get to hear my chats with this season's on island news team, Rick Devons and Savannah Louis. We have officially reached

the end of our interviews with this first SELA tribe. If you're sitting there wondering, bum-puzzled as all get out, hey, we're at the end. What happened to the other interviews with the Sela tribe? Go back. Check out my interviews with Christian, Sari, Emily, Jenna, Joe, Ozzy, they're all

available at your fingertips. Go to we know-survivor.com for the podcast versions and Rob has a website.com slash YouTube for the video version. Let's get into the major headlines about these two former newscasters, starting with Rick Devitts. Rick, of course, a man of second chances on Survivor,

the first person to ever reenter the game via the edge of extinction mechanism, certainly made his mark subsequently before finally going down in flames, and clearly was someone who the show liked, especially through the latter 30s seasons. He was the first ever alumni co-host of the On Fire podcast. In a different world where there was no pandemic, Rick Devons would have probably made a cameo appearance as a shopkeep in an on island advantage store in Survivor 41. No, that is not a chat GPT generated sentence. That was an actual concept from the mind of Jeff Probst towards the beginning of 2020.

And so I think a lot of us, Rick included, would have assumed once the opportunity arose to come back, he would get the call. And he did. But what if I were to tell you that there was a world, once again, where Rick Devons did not make a return to Survivor? I'm just as surprised as you all are right now, and you'll get my reaction as Rick gets into his very unique journey. back to the island, how that's going to inform his return appearance. A couple of quick updates on Rick, courtesy of his bio, before we get into our interview. Rick is currently 41 years old, originally from Blacksburg, Virginia, currently lives in Macon, Georgia, and Rick has moved on from the news desk since last he played.

He is currently the Director of Communications at Middle Georgia State University, Go Nights. let's not delay any further I'll throw it to my interview with the man himself here's my chat with Rick Devon What's up Mike? I'm doing man dude I'm so happy to see you I'm doing really well Yeah so I mean we gotta jump into what your headspace is

Because I think that when it came to some of the people In the latter 30s you know you all didn't really have an opportunity to return for a while And so I imagine as the seasons went on You know you probably still had an eye on survivor obviously But there's also a little bit of like You know am I am I yesterday's news for like a better return. Very nice. So when that ends up finally happening, you get the chance to come back. What's your, what's your mindset coming in now? What, five, six years removed from it all? Yeah. So can I give you

a little bit of backstory? So first of all, absolutely, I thought I was coming right back because I was on a returning season, you know? They did them all the time back then. So I had such a good showing. I'm like, I can't wait to go back. Right when I got back, I get this for Christmas. It's a, it's a bracelet with Becca and Jack and Juliet, my kids' names on it. I wear that next time. And it's been in my drawer for seven years waiting for this. And I went through the casting process, felt great about it, like a couple awesome interviews seeing the great gang again. I was an alternate for a while. They called me out of nowhere and we're like, hey, will you be an alternate? Like, we think you have the great attitude for it. And I'm like crushed. But of course, of course, anything.

And then on Mother's Day, Jesse from casting texted me, he's like, we want to talk to you tomorrow. I'm like, okay. So I get on this Zoom and Jeff pops up. And I'm like, yes and then Jeff goes Devons you know how much we love you you know how much we think of you and my heart drops and then he's like and that's why we want you to come on season 50 and I'm like yes

so that was awful but in terms of my headspace now it was actually kind of a gift because I didn't think I was going to be here when they told me I was an alternate and I just started going like before I'd had so much pressure like I got to go back I got to do these things.

Yeah. I got to make it far. And then finding out I'm not going to be here. It was like, well, damn, like, I should have just gone out there and had fun and, like, gone crazy. And then they tell me I'm on and it's like, well, I guess I'll just go have fun and be crazy. Yeah. So I'm coming in with a total spirit of playfulness. I feel great looking around at the people I met.

Like, I think I'm going to fit in perfectly from a strategic standpoint. And I'm ready, man. I'm so am. Yeah. So from that perspective of playfulness, I mean, your reputation preceding you, right? Winning, you know, three, four immunities, finding four idols, making these big theatrics of tribal counsel, is that something you're going to steer into this time, giving your perception? Or are you going to try to do the like the Tony Winners Award?

Like, I'm not leaving camp. I'm sitting here. I'm sitting on my hands. Nothing's going on. Right. Tony is actually, it's great that you brought him up because I'm trying to learn from Tony. He did great on his first time, great on his third time. second time, Lama call, you know, running off.

That's what I have to keep myself from doing because I do want to lean into idols and advantages, real or fake. But I know that I got to pace myself. You know, it's a 26-day game. I can't do it all in the first 26 hours. Like, I got to kind of lay low, keep my head down, build some real relationships. And I think I can find my way in this game because I'm not connected to anyone, Mike.

Like, I'm sure we'll get into that. Yeah. But like, I see myself as being that extra piece in the beginning. And then when all these people that are connected, start turning on each other and it gets real messy and nasty, that's when I start picking up pieces. And then who knows what's going on with advantages at that point. And then, you know, the game just turns all Devons. Yeah. Well, let's get into this group.

Because you see you got a good vibe from them. Let's talk about specifically who I have a game for you. Okay. I love that. It's called friend or foe. So we're going person by person through this cast and you tell me if it's a good. friend, someone that you want to join up with or a foe, someone you're not getting good vibes from or someone you want to take out as a threat. You can give a few words to explain why. Thank you for making

this easy for me. I love it. All right. So let's start with Jenna. Friend, getting good vibes from Jenna. I think it's been a long time since she's played. She's going to want someone she can rely on and as like a fellow parent, like let's do this. Let's ride. Colby. Colby. Good. Friend. He's a friend. He's a little bit of a crumagin pregame. I got to be honest, but like... A little bit of ream in him? A little bit of reem in him, and I love Reim Daly, so I think Colby's going to work out.

I think he'll be more drawn to me than some of the newer folks or younger folks. Stephanie. Bo. Unfortunately, I thought Stephanie was going to be someone, and maybe she is, because it's all going to change when we get our feet in the sand, but like not getting a lot of good vibes around pregame. And I'm the guy like making eye contact with everybody,

smiling at everybody. She's not going to me anything, Mr. Bloom. How about Sarie? Surrey is a foe Unfortunately She's not giving me anything either And she's obviously so connected To so many other people

Yeah, Ozzy Ozzy kind of surprised me But I think a friend Like I think that we're going to be good And I was told by Stephen Fishback That if I approach Ozzy authentically That we could work together pretty well So Fishback says it

You know, you can be sabotaging you right now That would be just like Stephen Fishback to sabotage me. Coach. Friend. I was surprised by this too, but coach, I mean, he's giving it off to everybody. He's the one who talks more than anyone pregame. But like, I get a good vibe off coach.

Also, Fishback said, you know, you guys are both lunatics. I think you could work okay together. So friend. Let's get into, you say, you know, you're unfettered in these relationships. Let's talk about the one here. Give me your thoughts on Aubrey. Aubrey, friend. Even though we never played together, we spent three days on the edge of extinction.

one day end game at Ponderosa. I like her a lot. She's a mom now. So come on in. I want to work with all the moms. I want to be on the mothership alliance. So major friend. Chrissy.

Friend. Chrissy. I have so much respect for Chrissy. I met her once at a hearts of reality thing. I know her story since she's played last and like I want good things for her. I don't want to make the mistake I made with Ream with Chrissy. Like I wish we hadn't voted out Ream first. And I want to keep Chrissy around for a while if that's a possibility.

Angelina. Angelina Friend. Lunatic Alliance, baby. She's someone who's given everyone good vibes. Like, she's like me pregame, playing with everybody. But I think that she and I can be friends. How about Christian? Christian is the wild card, Mike.

Here's the deal with Christian. Yeah. Not getting the good vibes I hoped I would, right? Like, we have a lot of friends in common. but we've never talked on the phone and we've never met in person, but he's actually the person I want to play with more than anybody. Like, he's who I see David Wright,

like sees the game totally different than me, very strategic, like, would love to work with him, but he's very locked down, I think, for everybody, but certainly for me, but friend, I'm still optimistic. Mike White. Mike White, friend, but barely. Yeah, he's given me some good vibes, but like,

He's Mike White. You know, who knows? Let's get into the new era here. Jonathan. Good vibes from Jonathan. Friend, I have never won a tribal immunity. So I hope I'm with Jonathan. That's a wild stuff that I guess, yeah.

I didn't necessarily think about it. Isn't that crazy? Yeah. All right, so he's going to be an asset for you there. I hope so. Let's talk about Dee. What are your thoughts? Foe. D scares the hell out of me.

She scares me more than anyone here. I podcasted for on fire. I was going to say. About her season. and told her when she was in the interview on the last episode, like best winner of the new era, and I believe it. And she's not giving me anything at pregame. No on-fire solidarity?

No, just wait for how little on-fire solidarity is. Oh, boy. All right, well, before that, Emily. Friend, this was someone I was skeptical about, but she's actually been like making eyes pregame, so I'm optimistic. All right. It's Paul up the Band-Aid. Give me your thoughts on Charlie. Charlie, I look at as a winner.

Like, I'm sorry, Maria, but I think Charlie should have won. Sorry, Kinsey, too. Yeah. But he's just, he's a huge threat. And part of me thinks, like, I could be a little Ben Katzmini. Like, maybe we could be great buds. But he's also just so good at this game and really charming and smart and good at a variety of challenges, like, scary guy.

And locked down pregame, like, not given much. Well, you cited a couple of quote-unquote, Cunitics, let's talk about a Cunitick. Talk to me about Q. CUNatic, baby. Cue, what a wild card. He has been giving me nothing all pregame. And then last night, smiles, this morning, smiles. Like, I'm like, where'd this guy come from? He's my son, Jack's favorite. And he, Jack specifically was like, play with Q. I'm like, I'm telling Q that. Yeah. It's going to be authentic. Like, my son wants us to play together. I don't do you really want to betray me and hurt your son's feelings? And I won't.

We'll go all the way to the end together and then I'll beat him. How about Tiffany? Tiffany is someone who is a friend. I don't know if she knows that. I don't know if I'm going to be her friend, but I've been having delusions of playing with Tiffany because I think we could kind to do a Kyle Camilla thing. Oh, interesting.

Where it's unsuspected. We don't have much in common on the surface level, but I like her so much. I think she's like kind of the least suspected to be on this cast. And I'm like, I was a freaking alternate, Tiffany. Let's go show them what the hell we're about. You know, that's kind of where I'm coming from. She might not have any time for me, but I'm hoping she's going to be a very good friend. How about Genevieve?

Oh, Genevieve. Friend, she puts off just this amazing air. Like, I like her so much. I want a coworker with her. That's scary as hell. But friend. How about, let's get to some of our recent faces. Joe.

Joe. Enemy, unfortunately. Fo. Foe Joe. Foe Joe. Fosho. Because, first of all, I want to win four more immunity challenges. And I'm sure he wants to win four more immunity challenges.

And I don't think there's a lot of overlap in the ones we're going to win. But he's, you know, I'm not doing honest integrity, man. I'm hoping to bounce back and forth a little bit. I don't think that's something he's going to like very much. How about Camilla? Camilla is someone I thought was going to be an enemy, a foe. I keep saying enemy. I thought Camilla was going to be a foe, but I really like her vibe pregame.

Like, there have been a couple little incidents where, like, I'm an idiot. And I'm acting even more of an idiot pregame, by the way. Purposely so? Really buying into this dad thing, Lion King T-shirt, like super dad t-shirt. I mean, you literally are saying like a Kunimitata. Yeah, totally. And I don't know if they mention it, but I'm like so fascinated by the birds. like so fascinated by the geckos and the tones.

You've been here before. Well, part of it's authentic. I do love the animals. But like, she laughs at these different things. Like, uh, and I'm like, man, maybe Camilla's someone I would want to work with, knowing that she's a killer. And we'll probably just dog me in a couple confessions, which will be hilarious. But friend.

How about Kyle? Same vibe, which isn't surprising, right? Because they have so much in common. Like, I want to be. maybe, you know, a little bit guy in ease this season. Like, just get in there. Because at first they both scared me so much. Huge targets.

We just saw them play. Winner, could have been winner. But now I'm like, that might not be bad. Like, if I vibe with them to have someone that big of a target next to me, like, why would they care about me if Kyle and Camilla are there? Any thoughts about the 49ers? Yes. I think they have a good team.

Kyle Shanahan's an overrated coach. Yeah, exactly. Christian McCaffrey, you still got it, do we get injured again? If I was on season 49, I would have so many 49er gear. Riz God. I like him. You know there's a monster in there. He seems like a nice young man around here.

But I'm like, if that monster wants to play with me, like, that could be cool. I think a lot of people screw up with younger folks, like kind of Bruce. Like, you want to be a dad, you want to impart knowledge or, like, impressive. him. I'm just like an immature dude. Like Gavin was 23 when we played me. He's my best friend. And so I think I can relate to him on just a level. And if he wants to cause mischief, which is God, I kind of feel like he does, then I can be his Rick God. We can go in there and just do it. What about the other one? The other one who I think is named Savannah, who if Reddit's correct, is a news reporter from Georgia, I'm like, Channel 4 News team a little bit. Like,

that could be fun. But if it's true that she's a news reporter in Atlanta, and she's that young. A, she's a much better reporter than I am. And B, like, she's tough as hell and maybe a little bit cutthroat. Because you have to fight for the good stories in a market like that. And you maybe had to burn a couple sources on your way to get to that big market. So it'd be fun to work with her. If she's a newscaster and we can do the news team thing, get a conch shell out here,

but also very wary. So, fro. There we go. Just like I'll have by the end of the game. So when it comes to, I mean, you play with new players and returning players in the same season. Do you find there is a significant difference in like how to approach those two different groups? Yeah, I think that, well, I learned so much from David Wright and a little bit from Kelly Wentworth. David being my teacher and Kelly just observing.

The TA. That I do know there's a huge advantage to playing once and coming back. And so I assume if you played twice, three, four times. Like, that's an even bigger advantage. So I'm in kind of solidarity with these one-time players. Like, I, of course, I'm a huge fan of Surrey. But, like, how much does one person need? Like, come on.

Like, go beat the world. But let us have season 50. So, yeah, I'm wary of folks that have played a whole lot. That being said, like, if we vibe, and again, big target next to me, like, that might all go out the window. Looking back on Survivor History, who's one player that you wish? was out here right now on season 50. I'm sure everyone says they wish they could name more than one.

Gavin and Brendan Shapiro. T-bird, though, is the obvious choice to me. She should have been in second chances. She should be here now. I live with her in Georgia, so I see her more often, but there's no one that does more for the survivor community. And if you're a castaway, like whether you were out first, you won the game, you're a hero, you're a villain.

Fans love you, fans hate you. T-Bird will love you and embrace you and be there for you. and I wish he was here. I'm a little relieved because I would never be able to vote her out. But, God, I wish he was here. It's sometimes been said that when people come back for a season who haven't won, they sometimes look to the winner of their season for certain like tenets or facets that they could take and incorporate into their game.

You have a very unique situation. But did you glean anything from Mr. Underwood and his, you know, very unique time on the show that you're bringing into this one? Absolutely. I'm hoping to be able to kind of leave this. game from day three till the very end. Yes, exactly. Come back in and win.

Just go fish for a while. Exactly. Practice fire and fish and just be lovely to everybody. No, Chris is a badass. Chris is actually a great player and I did learn a lot from him. One of them, obviously I practiced fire. Hope it's not there, but I practiced it. But one of the real takeaways from Chris was I'm a guy who fills the silences.

Like whether I'm asking the question or you're asking the question, I feel the question. I feel that silence. And something he did that I didn't realize so afterwards is he just is comfortable in that silence and lets you feel it. Interesting. And give him that information or feel uncomfortable and read you. And that's something I'm going to try to concentrate on. And I love Chris.

And so, yeah, I would love to help rep our season with him as a winner of 50. Do you find that having participated in On Fire, you look at the show or even like the game itself in a different way that you're bringing in the second time around? Really, no, because I learned a lot about the behind-the-scenes stuff, and it was so cool. I mean, I learned a lot, but in terms of gameplay, like, I was the guy there to talk about gameplay. Jeff doesn't really get into all that. And, you know, what can I learn from myself? I didn't even put anything out there that great.

I'm just trying to be funny. So I probably learned more listening to Dee and Charlie on On Fire than I learned from myself. Which is why they're scared. Yeah. Well, last thing I want to ask is the loved ones visit, but you can only bring out a celebrity or a fictional character as your loved one. Who would you pick and why? Oh my gosh, Mike, you have great questions. Thank you, man. That means a lot coming from you. A celebrity or a fictional character. As long as it's just not friends or family. I would bring out Chet the Dog from the Chet the Dog adventures.

You're going to describe this to me. So he's just a great dog. He was a police dog that failed police school. So now he helps his private. But the idea is I would just love to have a dog out here. I miss my puppies. So you're just like come out any dog that I know. Right.

Or maybe, you know, maybe if Mike White would be a good one to bring out. They just have him step over the line. Yeah, get that cameo in the White Lotus, you know, prep for that. Yeah. I don't know. I'll go with Chet the dog. I love that. Yeah.

He's good. Well, you have the happiness. of, you know, a dog with a bone out here right now. I mean, and it makes so much sense now. I mean, obviously you have this ebulance about you, but it makes so much sense now, given the situation that you were talking about, that, like, listen, you were a man of second chances,

and this is represented here, too. It's your second chance. It was a second chance of getting onto the cast. You're someone who made, you know, a cut into the game on your second chance. So it feels like two is the right number for you, man. And it's going to end up with you being number one, I think. I totally agree.

And I got to say, like, you know, I thought about, it's a little embarrassing being an alternate. Not really, but like, man, I wasn't their first choice. And that part of it puts a chip on my shoulder. Like, I want to prove to them that it was crazy I was having an alternate. But at the other time, like, I was like, you know what? I'm going to be open about it. Because this season, I am trying to be more vulnerable.

That's something I learned the first time. Interesting. Like, I'm very surface level out here and in real life. But I think survivors, I realized what a unique opportunity it was last time to do different things. And that's something I want to do this time, is be just a little. little bit more vulnerable, open myself up a little bit more when it's appropriate, you know, not force it. But yeah, so I was an alternate. They almost didn't want me. And everyone out there who feels like they were almost not one, and you know, let's go show them what we're made of,

baby. And there's my interview with Rick. Very, I would say, akin to the survivor experience in general that I think any preconceived notions he might have had about how he's going to come into his second season, were promptly changed with the circumstances that surrounded him. But what matters at the end of the day is that he is back on the beach and he is once again ready to cause some mayhem. And coming up, you'll hear my interview with someone who caused quite a lot of recent mayhem on Survivor 49 in Savannah, Louis. You'll hear my interview with Savannah right after this.

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You just heard about Rick Devons waiting on pins and needles for seven years until he got the call to come back for Survivor 50. For Savannah Louis, it was like seven hours. Because just 10 days before I talked with her, she was being crowned the winner of Survivor 49. and she barely had time to kind of digest that or digest a lot of food before she had to get everything back together and make a return trip to Fiji to hopefully make history

as the first person to win consecutive survivor seasons. Now, something I want to put out as a disclaimer for both Savannah's interview and Rizzo's interview. These are going to be a bit different from the other 22. Of course, at the time that we talked with, the cast of Survivor 50. Survivor 49 had not aired outside of this one trailer that gave everyone a certain image of the man the myth of the legend,

R-Z-G-O-D, Riz God. As a result, CBS told the press out there that we were not allowed to ask either Rizzo or Savannah about any specifics from their season. That includes how they placed. That includes any descriptive, detailed actions that happened during their time on the island. That includes any major details

about their relationship to each other. Of course, now we know after having watched the entire season how close they were and presumably how close they will be on Survivor 50. But I just want to put that out in advance that if I sound purposely vague

in questioning Savannah about Survivor 49 and her answers are subsequently vague as well, that is the reason why. If you want Savannah to go into more, specifics about what her Survivor 49 game was like and how actually Christina's final travel counsel answer may have influenced her approach to Survivor 50. Be sure to check out my interview with her over at Parade, Rob's interview with her as well following the finale of Survivor 49. But if you want an intro on Savannah, here is what we do know about her. Savannah Louis is

31 years old, originally from Walnut Creek, California, currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia. is currently a marketing specialist, but the big story from her from Survivor 49 is that she was a newscaster in Georgia, decided to leave the industry behind due to a couple of traumatic incidents that occurred. So again, a lot of interesting connections with Rick Devons, even mentioned Rick Devons in my preseason interview

for Survivor 49. It was so interesting to get into Savannah's headspace, just given not only the limited turnaround, but what turned out being a very successful season for her, albeit one that was certainly not without its obstacles. We talk all about how that informs Savannah's approach here as one of the big mystery factors of Survivor 50. Without further ado, here's my interview with Savannah.

I mean, you basically should buy land here at this point, because you are right back here. We talked basically a month ago at this point. I know. And you said you didn't expect me to be back, which I'm still a little offended by. But, like, honestly, like, I'm so happy to be back. There is no situation where I would do a back-to-back season, I think, other than something as big as Survivor 50. So that's the thing. I met him with absolutely no offense to you and how lovely of a person you are. It was more so that I think a lot of people expected, honestly, that, like, okay, 49, it's too much of a back-to-back thing.

They wouldn't have people back. So what was your reaction when you were asked to come back for 50? I thought Jeff was punking me. I'm serious. It is. So literally, the day after our season finished rapping. Yes. 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 like my partner on the screen. It's just like, you know, a congratulatory 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. like 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 like sank down in my chair.

Like, thank goodness I was sitting because I feel like otherwise I would have dropped to the floor. But like 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 Great. You think of people like Ozzie and coach and Jenna who have been so instrumental in everything that Survivor is. And I'm like, wait, am I part of this? Like, it's nuts. And you are part of it.

Hell yeah. I know. So then what has it been like from a prep perspective? Is this sort of like just keep on going? Did you put in work again? Or was it more so given the tight turnaround like, all right, I'll just sort of coast off of this and come back in and do it all over again? You know, I had about 10 days to totally prepare as much as I could.

So I got my butt back in the gym, which I'm like so over the gym by at this point. I know. I was going to say you have lived in the gym for the entirety of 2025. Oh my 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, like, 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 the emotional strain that it can put on you. So, like, leaving your family and your friends behind to go no contact again. Yeah. And not only that, but to be out in the jungle with a bunch of psychos. Because, like, seriously, if you're playing Survivor, you're probably a little bit crazy, you know what I mean?

Lovingly so. Yes, yeah. I mean that with all the sweetness in my heart. And hey, I'm a little bit crazy too. Exactly. I don't know if I would 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, like, there are some parts of me where, like, physically I tried to prepare the best I could. But like, from a mental and emotional state, I'm, like, trying to stay locked in.

Yeah. I've noticed I've been, like, a little bit more suspicious of people in my everyday life. Ooh. Which is not something I want to continue post-survivable. But I think for this awkward period of time where I'm going into 50, that's okay. So when it comes to your own perception, I mean, the survivor history has been littered with people like a Russell or like Zika Michaela who came in as this unknown entity that nobody knew anything about what do you think your perception is.

Oi, I'm a little bit worried, to be honest with you. I feel like people, 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 Rizzo

as people who are threats just because they don't know our game. We could be the least threatening people 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 49.

Have you debated at all about coming in and stretching some truths or coming up with some narratives that didn't necessarily happen one way or the other? I did. And part of me is going to 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. Rizzo's out here. I don't know what he's going to tell or not tell.

I was going to say, did you not collude of like, let's get our story straight? I mean, as much colluding as you can do. Okay. At the same time, though, the survivor community is very talkative. And so even though 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. Interesting.

Based off of all the talk, talk, talking. So my thing is like, I'm going to come clean, even if, 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. Yeah. Because otherwise if I lie about it, they're going to know right away. And then everybody out here is going to know that I'm a big fat liar. And they also can't trust my game or whatever. When we just talked last time, you had said that you kind of see yourself being stereotyped in like a Venus role or a poverty role. You're out here now with

people who play with Venus and play with Parvety. Is that something you plan to steer into a little bit? 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, and 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 realize, like, 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 poverty. I would love to be like a poverty, but I don't think I am. I think I'm just a Savannah Louis, you know, and I'm going to lean into that role as much as possible. Well, let's talk about some of these people around you. I got a game for you this time around. It's called friend or foe. Oh, I love that. So we're going to go down the cast.

Okay. And you're going to tell me, friend, someone that you got good vibes with, you want to be in an, you know, you want to ally with. Then we got foe, which is either not good vibes or like I see you as a threat. I want to get rid of you. Okay, I love that. So you can provide it, write it, validation. if you want to. Let's start with Jenna. Oh. That's already hard with you. I know. Starting you off with the 90s. I know. The OG. I want

to say friend. Okay. I don't know that she's going to see me as a friend. I think she might see me as a threat, especially being new era. But like, 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. Yeah. That's definitely someone who I would want on a crazy island out here, too. How about Colby? You know, I'm going to say friend for Colby too. I did notice of applause, though.

Because now I feel like I'm just going to say friend to everybody. But like, dude, Colby's someone who I looked up to as a kid. Like, how could I not want to align with someone who was this hero in my mind for so long? You know what I mean? And I imagine that's going to be an interesting thing to face is like this idea of playing alongside these people that are foundational to the way that you saw this show that you fell in love with so much. And then realizing that they are people. 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 actually would be likely to work together long term. I could see, like, we could vote together for a few votes of our agendas match up. But, like, overall, like, I like the guy. I'm not opposed to it. How about Stephanie? Oh, Stephanie 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, Yeah. 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 Stephanie, she kind of intimidates me. So I might go with foe for that. How about Surrey? Oh, Sarri, faux. Oh, okay. Foe. She needs to go day one. I'm sorry. Before we even go to travel council. Because here's the thing. She is so slick. She's going to charm everybody out here, probably including me. as I'm saying foe. I would probably have a conversation with her and immediately say friends right after. So getting rid of Surrey, like as early as possible before she has the opportunity to charm any of us is like what we need to do. How about Ozzie? Oh, Ozzy, I'll say friend. I'll say friend because, you know, I want the fish. I want to be taken care of.

You want to say friends with fish, yeah, than Ozzy more so. Here's the thing. In my real life, like I have a partner and he takes such good care of me. Like, you know, he's always keeping me fed. He's always making sure I'm happy. Ozzie, like, I don't want to call him my survivor boyfriend or anything like that, but, like, I do like being taken care of. Yeah. Coach. Friend.

Ooh, okay. 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. Just to see if the Dragon Slayer thing is real. Oh, my gosh.

He is such a character, even when we're not allowed to talk. Like, he's doing his yoga poses. He's doing, like, these dronelier. these lines in the sand. He's got like one of his big toenails painted silver, which I'm like, I don't know what that's about. Wait, so like one on each foot or just one out of the 10? No, no, no. So it's two total, but it's the big toenail. And I'm like, what's up with that? I've never seen that, especially on a man. Um, dude, we have these snacks back there. It's like these peanut brittle things, like literally for old people. And coach has been like downing them,

like crazy. So I'm like, I just want to have a conversation with this guy. How about Aubrey? Oh, I would say faux. Interesting. Okay. Two strategic. Yes, I don't trust her. And, you know, honestly, like, when I'm out here, I want to work with someone who is strategic, but I feel like she would, like, ultimately backstab me. Yeah. I can't have that. All right.

How about Chrissy? Mm. You know, originally I would have said foe? She's intimidating, but I feel like she's just a little socially awkward. So I'm going to say friend. I don't think she's actually that intimidating anymore. Like a friend who means well. Yes, yes.

Yeah, and I feel like I could work with her. All right, getting into our David versus Goliath group, Angelina. Oh my gosh. If we're getting drinks, I would say friends. But this is Survivor. She's going to be my foe out here. Interesting. Why's that? Honestly, I think she has too many friends out here already. Yeah, like I see the way that she's like laughed with certain people. And I'm like, dude, this woman has too many friends. Maybe there's been a little pre-gaming out here. She's got to go. All right. How about Christian? Friend, easily.

You know, I saw the way that he, like, I'm going to come out here. I'm going to come out here. I'm going to like sound like I'm looking for a man to take care of me, and I swear that's not what's going to happen. But like, I saw the way that he like took Gabby in David v. Goliath and was like literally her shoulder to cry on. And like, just from a human perspective, like I appreciated that so much. I thought he was just like a stand-up guy. He's also a lot smarter than I am.

And I need someone who knows strategy out here to like, you know, balance out for, I'm not the best strategist. So, you know, I would love to work with him. Mike White? Oh, friend, easily. Yeah. Not just to get another spot on the White Lotus. No, I mean, hey, that would be a great plus.

But, like, also, like, 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 who made the game that is so stressful at times, like, 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, David versus Goliath. And I feel like I could use that out here, too. All right.

Let's crack into this next one. Now, remember when we talked last time, you know, I said, oh, you're a former news reporter from Atlanta. Do you know Rick Devon? You said, well, we've never met. we've had mutual friends, you're meeting him now. So give me your perspective on him. I'm obsessed with Rick Devin. If coach is my number one out here, Rick Devons is a close number two.

Literally, I talked about Rick in my Survivor application video, how I wanted to play like him and how, like, 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. And, you know, I know he used to do like the morning show and I was evenings and I don't want there to be any animosity of mornings versus evenings, because I really do feel like Rick and I could work together very, very well.

Make some headlines. Yes, exactly. We could have a lot of fun out here. So I would say, like, not just a friend, but like a super friend. Let's move into your beloved new era, Jonathan. Ooh. Friend, until we get to the merge. Oh, okay.

Is this another Aussie fish situation? Kind of, yes. 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 travel council. I want to get as far into this game without going, well, maybe, like, I'll go to one tribal council. Going to tribal performer is, like, definitely a good thing. But I need to, you know, align myself with people

who are going to take care of me, so to speak. And Jonathan has definitely got the muscle for that. How about D? Fos. I say Faux, which is crazy because, like, dude, before I got on 49, like, she was someone who I wanted to play the game like. She was, like, the winner whose game, I wanted to emulate out here.

But, I mean, I feel like she's been pre-gaming. And I feel like that's very dangerous when you're, you know, in a season like this. And it must be tough for you considering that, like, couldn't really do any of that. Exactly. Not only given the turnaround time, but you can't really be like, hey, by the way. I mean, Dee hi. You don't know me, but I'm playing in a future season. Like, I think they would leave you on red.

They'd be like, this person's clinical. Exactly. And so, I mean, like, 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, like you're going to have people more likely to establish these relationships and create these social bonds than maybe when you were playing Heroes First villains, like forever ago, right?

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. Let's go to Emily. What do you think about her? I'm a little suss about Emily, too. I want to say, I mean, like, for all these people I want to say friends, but I feel like they're going to be my foes.

I feel like they're going to be getting for me. Spell some new era blood. Yes, I am, which is so crazy, because as a new era person myself, like, you would think I want to, you know, reunite with people who are playing the same game as me, literally, right? Yeah. But I just, I don't trust them. Charlie.

So, I would say that even if he was old era, too. Like, I don't, there's something about Charlie, I just don't trust. You know who my least favorite person in the world is? Who's that? Taylor Swift. So anyone who, like, seriously, I'm not. seriously anyone who's obsessed with Taylor I'm just like there's something wrong with you like I don't trust it's different than the thing that's wrong with you to make you play survivor

yeah exactly he's got a lot of issues he's the center of that bin diagram yes exactly but for someone who I don't know there's the Taylor Swift fans I just don't get on a human level but definitely not someone who I would want to work with level either how about Q okay I want to be friends with Q but again like he's so like all over the place I feel like he'll be a foe I don't trust him for a second Tiffany. Tiffany. Because 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 like she has an I feel like she will have an amazing social game. I feel like she'll be able to hold her own and some of the challenges. And I feel like before any of us realize, she'll end up being at like the final three or something. Yeah. Genevieve.

Well. She's so smart. Like, no, no, we cannot have that. And maybe there's a chance like I could align with Genevieve. Like, I feel like our personalities might actually really mesh well together. But again, it's the pre-gaming. I don't trust her. Now, 48 is interesting. Because you left to play about halfway through the season. You came back basically near the end of the season. So I'm intrigued to see what your perceptions are of these people, starting with someone like Joe, who during the time you were away, really dominated that end game.

Yeah, don't worry. I binge and I caught up with everything. And here's where I will say, I'm switching it up and I'm saying, like, okay, 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 going to 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 the game. So I'll say friend for Joe. Camilla. You know, I would say friend for her too. And she's extremely smart and strategic. But the reason that I really like her is because I look at her and I'm like, okay, fellow short girl, fellow short queen out here.

Like, I feel like in a sense we have to stick together. And I know that's like this most superficial reason ever. but like, I don't know. I like her. How about Kyle? Kyle, you know, 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. Yeah. And as someone who I feel like, you know, 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 see a friend for Kyle too. And then without getting to too much,

Rizzo, what are your thoughts on him, going in here. It's complicated. I'll say friend at first. Okay. But I mean, I'll say friends, but inevitably turning film. Is there one person from Survivor history that you wish could be on this cast? Who would it be? Yes. You know, I am obsessed with Carolyn from season 44. She just has like 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, like 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 and who won't just say, hey, we don't know your game, we don't know you, so you got to go ASAP. Yeah. I feel like Carolyn was always willing to hear people out and willing to give people a chance. And then not only that, but actually listen to what they say.

Yeah. 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. But, you know, it's the 5 or 50. Anything can happen. Jeff could bring her out day one. What is one thing that you are bringing similar into your second season from your first? And what is one different thing you're going to do from your second season from your first? So from my first season, I ended my life actually. You know, one of the best things about me

is that when I feel pressure or my backs against the wall, I will do whatever it takes to just like push through. And it's kind of just like putting your head down and just getting through the shit, you know, for lack of a better word. And so there were a couple moments where I felt, you know, in season 49, like 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 and then something I'm leaving behind. Or something you're doing different, yeah. Oh, something I'm leaving, I'm doing different. Um, yeah, dude, I cannot be as trusting as I was in season 49. Wow. I was so naive. Oh my gosh. And I'm like, dude, I thought I knew like working in a newsroom to never trust anyone.

And I found myself way too trusting out here. Well, it's because you're like, you're doing one of those stories and we were like living with like a homeless encampment for a week, right? You just kind of like get immersed in the environment and you sort of forget. You don't see the force for the trades in a manner speak. Exactly. And 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 like it's a stronger bond, I think, in a weird way than friendship. Yeah. I don't even know how to describe it. But when you create a bond like that with someone who's at 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.

So you know how we finished things last time when I asked you about a celebrity or fictional character you wanted as a loved one? Oh, yes. So you mentioned Miley Cyrus. I love her. I want to give me an opportunity. Do you want to double down on that? Or is there another person you want to mention here? You get one of these per season.

Is it fictional or anyone? As long as they're not your friends or your family. Probably Jesus Christ. All right. There we go. Listen, you want the fish? He's got the lobes and the fishes. Exactly.

I'm going to be fed. And I'm also probably going to get some great advice too. There we go. Amazing. This is so awesome. Thank you. Listen, I know that I said like I didn't expect to see about it. It was purely from before.

And listen, I'll say this on the record now. You were my winner pick for 49. No way. Are you serious? Listen, us journalists got to stick together, you know? Wait, really? That means the world to me. I had such a great time getting to chat with you out there.

Thank you. And so it means the world to me that you're out here for so many reasons. That's so sweet. You know, it's crazy because, like, honestly, going into 49, I was like, I wonder if anyone's even going to want to draft me. Like, I listen to, like, you know, draft podcasts and stuff like that. And I'm always like, I wonder if I'll be at the end, you know? Like, if no one's going to want me.

So that means a lot, especially coming from you because I know you've talked to a lot of incredible players. I had such a great time getting to do it, and I'm so grateful we got this chance to do it now for many reasons. Because get the chance to fucking play Survivor again. I know. I'm so excited. There you have it, folks. Eight interviews up, eight interviews down,

as you have heard from all of the members of the SELA tribe, from a Survivor One stand out to a Survivor 49 standout, but who will stand out amongst this group? We're going to be talking about that very soon. As just a reminder, tomorrow, there will not be an interview podcast. Instead, Rob and I are going to get together and discuss the eight interviews that you have heard from this tribe. We're going to talk about some specifics from each player's chats, as well as their opinions of one another, certainly corresponding matching up a lot of the friend or foe game with one another.

and seeing who might be some of the most ironclad alliances in this group, who might be some immediate enemies, who is set up to do well, and who is set up to flame out. I'm very excited to get into all this with Rob, but let us know your thoughts. I can only assume you have many now that you've checked out one third of the cast and their thoughts going into this season. Once again, we know survivor.com to subscribe to our Survivor,

your podcast feed. Rob has a website.com slash YouTube for the video version of these interviews, as well as my podcast with Rob. Don't miss out on these folks. I have been so joyful at the responses to all of these.

Puts me right back in that folding chair in the middle of Fiji, getting to talk with all these wonderful individuals. So I'm so happy that you all are experiencing them as well. And now we get a little bit of a taste as to how this particular octet is going to work. together or maybe not so much. We'll talk about it all tomorrow with Rob. Thank you all again so much for listening. Until tomorrow, everybody, take care. Bye-bye.