Survivor 49 is in its endgame, and the final five players are ready to battle to the end in order to achieve their goal of becoming the Sole Survivor. However, its penultimate episode demonstrated how nothing is set in stone until a player’s torch is snuffed.
At the beginning of the episode, there was a clear division between the final six players: Steven Ramm, Sage Ahrens-Nichols, and Kristina Mills on one side, with Savannah Louie, Rizo Velovic, and Sophi Balerdi on the other. Whichever faction got the majority at the end of the night was going to be the frontrunners to reach the Final Tribal Council, until a couple of shenanigans and a few questionable strategic decisions completely flipped the game.
Sage and Kristina flipped on Steven, but Steven revealed he's most hurt by Sage
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Steven was asked by writer Dalton Ross how he felt about what happened on the island and what his reaction was when he saw he had been voted out unanimously.
"I was hoping watching the episode back would maybe provide a little bit more clarity as to the rhyme or reason behind the decision-making process," Steven responded. "And to me, it doesn't make sense. I felt like that was not a great move for me or my allies.”
Ross then prompted Steven to reveal who he felt the most betrayed by, to which Steven replied, “Both Sage and Kristina, but I mean, probably Sage.” Steven proceeded to explain that he and Sage had grown closer throughout the season, particularly after they formed the ‘Bottoms Up Alliance’ alongside Jawan Pitts.
So many things had to go right (or wrong) to blindside Steven
Firstly, Savannah won the reward challenge and brought Rizo and Sophi to the Sanctuary to enjoy a Mexican feast and letters from home. Then, after a strenuous endurance battle, Savannah once again claimed victory and won individual immunity, leaving Sage, Steven, and Kristina to choose between Rizo and Sophi.
As Rizo had an idol, Sophi was looking to be the next voted out, especially after Steven still had his Block-a-Vote advantage. However, Sophi had a Knowledge-is-Power advantage too, which she revealed to her allies at the reward. Prior to Tribal Council, Steven played his advantage on Savannah, which was why, when Sophi tried to steal it, she was unsuccesful, and her future in the game seemed to be sealed.
At the last second, it was Steven of all people who was eliminated, as his allies Sage and Kristina flipped. A visibly shocked and hurt Steven went to Probst to have his torch snuffed, with a dumbfounded jury in the background, while also leaving the Savannah/Rizo/Sophi collision at the driver’s seat for the season’s finale.
Why Steven was shocked Sage flipped on him
Steven added he thought Sage’s game was better than his when it came to their resumes, which further mystified him as to why she and Kristina ended up switching their votes for him instead of Sophi. Regardless, Steven doesn’t hold any animosity towards his fellow tribemates and doesn’t blame them for playing the game.
Lastly, Steven recognises he had everything he needed to win the game and could’ve gone on to win the season, especially against Kristina and Sage.
“This is gonna sound so cocky, but no," Steven said. "I genuinely felt like I played one of the best, well-rounded games there. I felt that if I made it to those final three seats, I could have talked my way to that million dollars. I think people knew that. I mean, I had a lot of friends on the jury.”
Watch the Survivor 49 finale on Wednesday, Dec. 17, on CBS and Paramount+.