There's no doubt that Survivor 49 has strayed from the path the new era has set fans to expect from the long-running show. Specifically, this season has been more "villainous" than ever in the new era—and I'm here for it. But because of that, it's so hard to know where the chips may fall come Final Tribal Council.
The last eight seasons have given us a game based on loyalty and trust so it was a little easier to predict who would win in the end. But this time around, we're back to the classic Survivor debate of whether the best strategy should get the top prize or if the people who remained loyal until the end will secure the votes of the jury. Rather than let my mind ping-pong between all the possibilities, I decided to see what fate had to say about it.
For this experiment, I shuffled the deck while focusing on a player and waited for a card to present itself by separating from the deck. That card would then share a little more insight into what we can expect from our castaway as we move further into the game and possibly reveal who is most likely to win.
(Disclaimer: this is for entertainment purposes only.)
Sage Ahrens-Nichols
After shuffling the deck for a couple of minutes, The High Priestess finally popped out for Sage. This major arcana card represents the subconscious mind; someone who wants to trust and rely on gut instinct by knowing there is always more information than what is simply on the surface. But it also shows someone who waits for answers rather than seeks them out, opting to talk less and listen more.
Sage has definitely perfected the art of listening as she's been a key spy this season, passing information between alliances in multiple attempts to eliminate her biggest threats—seeing success with Shannon Fairweather, but none so far with Savannah Louie. But in her latest attempt at a big move, she lost her no. 1 ally, which could lead to her straying from the path of instinct to play more head on like her competition, but in doing so, it could lead to a swift end to her game.
Sophi Balerdi
Within a few shuffles, the Queen of Pentacles gracefully fell out of the deck for Sophi, which is very fitting. The suit represents grounding in the physical and resourcefulness, while the queen is the caregiver of the court, holding wisdom and marking a point of personal growth.
This card is the definition of how Savannah first described Sophi when bringing her into the Uli alliance—she feels like home. And with its nature, Sophi has a chance to use this card to invest in her game. This could mean a Knowledge is Power play has potential to shift the tides, moving Sophi forward with safety, but without compromising the strong social game she's built thus far.
Savannah Louie
The Seven of Wands leapt out of the deck without hesitation for Savannah. This suit is strength and determination personified and in numerology, sevens represent a moment in the journey for reflection, often confirming that it's time to reach the goal set at the beginning of the path.
This card screams winner. In the simplest of terms, it's someone who isn't about to back down from what they're after and if that doesn't sound like the game Savannah's been playing so far, then we're clearly not watching the same season. There is absolutley no low point she can go that she won't still be driven to standing her ground and protect herself in this game, taking down whoever she needs to ensure her own safety to the end.
Kristina Mills
Kristina had the Three of Cups lift out of the deck like it was being presented on a silver platter for her. This water-based suit is centered in healing and maternal energy with the number three being focused in community—a reminder that there is no journey we ever truly walk alone. At its core, this card represents relationships with people who show up without hesitation.
And after last week's episode, this card is 100% pointing to the fact that Kristina's Survivor journey was not put in place for her to win $1 million, but rather for her to reconnect with her mom. Because while this card is about joyful celebrations and sacred bonds, it doesn't only reflect experiencing those with the people around you, but also those safely kept in our hearts. That's what Kristina will win coming out of this game, even if she might not make it much farther.
Steven Ramm
It took a few shuffles for the King of Swords to reveals itself for Steven. I would have been surprised if any other suit came forward for Steven. Swords represent both knowledge, communication, and quick-wit needed to easily maintain the two. And the king, as the leader of the tarot, means they are a master in their field.
Steven has proven he is both a strategic and a social threat. Nearly all of the current jury was aligned with him at some point, and he could be a very dangerous person to sit next to at Final Tribal Council. But this card also means that Steven's going to have a choice coming up, and if he doesn't take on the leadership role—building his resume in the process—he might just fall short of actually having what it takes to win $1 million.
Sophie Segreti
I shuffled the deck for a very long time before the Ten of Swords finally presented itself (so there's a chance her fate still hasn't been made up yet—even though I know everything's already been filmed...) but there's no sugarcoating this card: it's over.
Sophie took a really big chance last episode by helping the core trio blindside Jawan rather than eliminating her biggest competition—Savannah herself—and it doesn't seem like this is going to pay off the way she hoped. With this card comes betrayal, backstabbing, and a devastating ending, but that ending will lead to a new opportunity. So maybe Sophie ends up being one of the Survivor 50 players from this season?
Rizo Velovic
Last, but not least, Rizo gets the Two of Wands which makes a lot of sense as it's the same suit as he top ally—representing that same strength and determination—and the two in tarot (and in life) brings forward the theme of partnerships and aligned decision-making. This card specifically invokes bold visions, brave choices, and wild possibilities.
The two of them are collectively thinking 20 steps ahead of everyone else, the difference between the two being that Rizo is always considering Savannah in his plans and Savannah might not be doing the same for Rizo. This is where his strength is alliance might end up being his weakness and cost him the title in the end.