5 Survivor 49 players most likely to win after the tribe swap

After Survivor 49 episode 4, there are a few players who are in a much better position to win the season than they were a few episodes ago!

Survivor 49 flipped upside down a little earlier than we were expecting with a tribe swap. The three tribes became two after Jeremiah Ing was voted out and Jake Latimer was pulled from the game after a shocking snake bite.

Alex Moore

“Lovable Losers” – An unprecedented medical emergency leaves the castaways shaken. A second beware advantage is found in the game, and its finder must earn their vote back before it’s too late, on SURVIVOR, Wednesday, Oct. 8 - Credit: CBS

Alex Moore has been a huge focal point of the season so far, and that's mainly because his tribe keeps losing. After several losses in a row, Alex finally got a win when the new Kele tribe vanquished its losing streak. Alex has fallen in with the majority former Hina alliance on his new tribe, and that's a good spot to be in. He's able to team up with them and pick off the former Uli players. If that happens, it basically guarantees Alex will make the merge. And, if that happens, he seems smart enough and savvy enough to make a deep run in Survivor 49.

Savannah Louie

“Go Kick Rocks, Bro” – An unexpected shakeup shifts the castaways’ game trajectories in an all-new direction. Teammates must rely on one another to succeed in a grueling immunity and reward challenge. Then, a wild goose chase unfolds to reinstate one castaway’s vote after the discovery of a beware advantage, on SURVIVOR, Wednesday, Oct. 15. Pictured (L-R): Nate Moore and Savannah Louie. Photo: Robert Voets/CBS ©2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Savannah Louie has been another central character of the season. She's basically been at the center of all the action for the Uli tribe and the new Hina tribe. And, that's interesting given that she hasn't had too much to do so far in the game.

In the way Savannah talks about the game and thinks about the game, it's clear she's playing chess. She's working her alliance to stay loyal to her, but she's also not playing too hard yet. That's definitely something to watch moving forward. Sometimes of the pace of Survivor means everything, and the players who are trying to make the moves too soon, as we saw with Matt Williams in the fourth episode, get voted out next.

Steven Ramm

“Cinema” – Reality and hunger begin to take their toll as the castaways grapple with their limited resources to find food on the island. Generational differences come into sharp focus as some castaways find it challenging to keep up with the younger players’ current lingo. Then, a never-before-seen disadvantage appears in the game during this week’s immunity challenge, on SURVIVOR, Wednesday, Oct. 1. Credit: CBS

Steven Ramm is the play I like most to make a deep run in Survivor 49 from the former Hina tribe. Steven seemed to have a good thing early, but that has completely changed since the tribe swap. Still, Steven is in the majority on the new Kele tribe. He's been great in challenges all season long, and I think he's navigating a little bit under the radar. A strong challenge player with a good feel for the game and allies? That's dangerous in Survivor.

Sophi Balerdi

I don't think any player's game changed more in a positive direction than Sophi's after the tribe swap. Sophie was basically a 50/50 decision by Alex Moore from going home in episode 3, but in episode 4, she's already a part of the tightest majority alliance in the game so far. In one episode, she might have jumped Jawan Pitts in the pecking order of the new Hina tribe, too. She's already really close with Nate Moore, Rizo Velovic, and Savannah, and that could be the alliance that controls the game.

We just saw a four-person alliance of Joe Hunter, Kyle Fraser, Eva Erickson, and Shauhin Davari basically control Survivor 48. I don't know if Survivor 49 will be as straightforward, but there's a lot to like about Sophi's spot on her new tribe.

Rizo Velovic

Rizo has been the star of Survivor 49 so far! Every episode, he has a memorable moment or a memorable quote, and for not really being part of the action so far, that makes me thing that he's getting a winner's-type of edit early in the season. Maybe, the Survivor team just loves Rizo's larger than life personality? But, it's clear that he's not here to entertain us. He's playing to win, and he's in a great spot to do so in a tight alliance.

We have a long way to go in Survivor 49, but I'll be shocked if one of these five players doesn't win this season of the series.