'Survivor 49' Winner Savannah Louie Reveals Her 'Sandra Approach' to Surviving Season 50 (Exclusive)
Savannah Louie didn’t have time to slide into anyone's DMs. While Survivor 50 legends may have been busy pre-gaming (or not!), the marketing specialist, 31, says she was busy making her speech at Final Tribal Council and winning Season 49.
Coming into the milestone 50th season with a mere 10 days of rest, Louie is very much aware that she's the "unknown" variable in a sea of pre-existing relationships. However, she knows exactly how to use that to her advantage.
"I will literally work with anyone at the beginning," Louie exclusively told Men's Journal on location in Fiji. "It's totally the Sandra [Diaz-Twine] approach: anybody but me. If I can just get through seriously the first three or four votes, I feel really confident that I'm going to be able to get far in this game."
But don’t mistake her "anybody but me" attitude for a passive game plan. Drawing from her former career as a journalist covering really serious stories, Louie is prepared to "compartmentalize" the paranoia and redirect the target toward anyone else, particularly the trios of players from the same seasons.
"I'm literally going to force that to come into play," she said of the targets on seasons like David vs. Goliath and Survivor 48. "I feel like I could spin a narrative… even making something up, like, 'I saw them interacting on social media.'"
Even her relationship with her only built-in ally, Rizo Velovic, comes with a disclaimer. While she finds comfort in having a "home away from home" on the beach, the reigning winner isn't letting her guard down. "The only person who you can actually trust out here 100 percent is yourself," she admitted. "I want to believe we have a special bond after 49, but I'm not a fool."
Below, Louie opens up more about her surprising connection to Rick Devens, why the Old Schoolers are in for a New Era wake-up call, and why she’s ready to work with Benjamin "Coach" Wade.
Men’s Journal: I cannot believe you're doing this back-to-back. I'm excited to get to know you. I know you can't really talk about your season, but how does it feel? I mean, you must have done something right; you're here on Season 50. Is it exciting?
Savannah Louie: Oh, my God. It's literally every emotion possible to feel, I think I've experienced over the past two weeks. Like, obviously the excitement, especially that initial excitement, and then you have kind of like this "oh s--t" moment where it's like, oh s--t, I have two weeks. I have less than two weeks to get all of my things in order. I have less than two weeks to physically recover and try to put on as much weight as I can, and less than two weeks to mentally and emotionally try to prepare myself—if you even want to try to make that mindset shift from going from 49 straight into 50, or try to take a little break from the paranoia that's constantly there. So it’s been a lot.
Men’s Journal: Did you consider saying no?
Savannah Louie: So when Jeff [Probst] first said, "Congratulations, we want to invite you to be part of 50," my immediate gut feeling was like, "Yes, I need to do this." However, I have a partner at home who I care very much about, and I know that the first go-around was really, really emotionally difficult for him. And so I told Jeff, it's like a conditional yes. Like, I want to say yes, but I need to have a conversation with my partner before I do this. My partner is super supportive. And you know, when we had that conversation, it wasn't like he was giving me permission necessarily to come on here for 50, but it was more like I was saying I want to do 50, how can we make this work?
Men’s Journal: Have you even had time to process this?
Savannah Louie: No, I haven't. And I don't think I'm going to even start processing everything that happens in 49 until after the full 26 days of 50—whether I'm actually here on Day 26 of 50 or not. And I think it's for the best. I used to work as a journalist. So I'm really used to compartmentalizing, because you would be covering a murder one minute and then going out to dinner with friends an hour after you talked about something absolutely awful that happened. So I'm used to compartmentalizing, and I think that's going to be one of my strengths out here.
Men’s Journal: How do you feel about your fellow castmate Rizo being out here? Is this a good thing?
Savannah Louie: Whether it would be like my best friend or my worst enemy from 49, I think there is some sort of comfort in knowing, "Hey, I'm not going through this crazy adventure alone." And so seeing Rizo's face, it is kind of like, "Oh my gosh." It's like a home away from home. We both went through this crazy 49 experience together. No one else is going to know what it's like to play this back-to-back game in a New Era like Rizo and I. It's really cool to have someone out here who can kind of share in that. But that being said, the only person who you can actually trust out here 100 percent is yourself, and I'm more than willing to have conversations with Rizo, but I don't know how far they're gonna go.
Men’s Journal: Do you plan on sort of being honest with the rest of the cast about what happened on your season or lie?
Savannah Louie: A little bit of both. I am going to be really upfront and own my placement, just because within the Survivor community, I think people talk. And so I'm assuming that some of these people on the beach, even though I've never spoken to them, they already have a good idea about how I did and maybe how I played, so I do want to own some things. But in regards to some of my other accomplishments in the season, I don't want to necessarily give everything away. I want to keep some of these people on their toes a little bit and maybe choose who I decide to disclose things to. My purpose for being really honest is because I really want to build trust with a lot of these people. I think that a lot of these people have known each other for years and years; they've already built some of those strong bonds. So in my head, I'm like, "How can I build a bond with some of these people who I have never met?" Information is currency out here. Let me share information with you to show that, hey, I'm down to work with you.
Men’s Journal: Is there anyone you feel is sizing you up a little bit?
Savannah Louie: I can already tell you right now, Rizo and I are both gonna have targets on our backs from Day 1. Just because in a game like Survivor, where the game is so filled with uncertainty, and as a player you want to try to eliminate as much uncertainty as possible just so that way you can strategize and get further ahead in the game. So if I were any of these players, I would be also looking at me and saying, "Hey, I don't know this girl. I don't know her game, I don't know her strategy. I don't know anything about her." So I want to get rid of her Day 1.
Men’s Journal: How have the Ponderosa vibes been?
Savannah Louie: It's been really interesting, and especially as we've been in this pre-game mode for a few days now, people are starting to get a little bit more comfortable. They're starting to smile more. You know what's really been interesting to me—and maybe I'm more sensitive to those because of my past dramas or whatever—but some of the women, especially of the New Era, feel very familiar to one another, and I can see that in the way that they smile at each other or lock eyes at one another. I noticed this primarily happening with the women, and maybe this is because I was formerly in a sorority, and I have survived the high school cliques and the drama that comes with being on a women's sports team before, but women's social bonds can be so difficult to break into. And so while I would love to work and be part of like a strong female alliance out here, I'm curious if some of these bonds that have already been created might be a little too strong for me to break into.
Men’s Journal: Had you applied to be on the show before?
Savannah Louie: I had. Getting on 49, that was my third time applying. I first applied when I was 17 years old. I first applied when I was 17, and then I applied for the second time about five years ago, and I had to stop going through the process because I got a dream job opportunity. And so then, after my contract with my news station ended about a year ago, I applied again. Timing is everything, because I can tell you right now, when I was 17, if I actually got on the show, I would have made a bigger fool out of myself than I did last season.
Men’s Journal: Are you picking up any good vibes from people looking at this cast?
Savannah Louie: Surprisingly enough, I really want to work with [Benjamin] Coach [Wade]. I feel like by looking at us, just if you were to take a picture of me and take a picture of Coach, we don't look like people who would get along or be friends, but I really like his energy. He's such a one-of-a-kind person, but I feel like he also has like this fatherly and really sweet and good-intentioned energy about him, too. I would love to have a conversation with Coach and see where it goes. Now, in my "old age" of 31, I've learned a little bit. And I've learned like, sometimes you meet someone who's a little bit not like you in order to make something really great work. So Coach is one of the standouts. Christian [Hubicki] also, I feel like he's just such a comforting guy and just really well-intentioned.
Men’s Journal: Do you think having groups of players from other seasons may help take the target off you and Rizo?
Savannah Louie: Not only am I hoping that will come into play, I'm literally going to force that to come into play. We've all seen just how close Kyle [Fraser], Kamilla [Karthigesu], and Joe [Hunter] are. Those three went to the freaking end together. That is scary. And you look at the trio that was part of 46—that’s Tiffany [Ervin], Q [Burdette], and Charlie [Davis]. I don't know if they're necessarily that close, but I feel like I could spin a narrative to where I could say, "Hey, I know that these people are going to work together." David versus Goliath—that’ll be an interesting trio, too. Because I mean, obviously Mike [White] and Angelina [Keeley] went far together. If someone asks me, I'm gonna say, "Yeah, I think it's a major concern. We should go after them." As far as the two winners here, I do want to approach with caution. I don't think that someone should be written off just because they won. Some of the people who I'm most scared of—take Tiffany, for example. She was one of the earlier boots. I feel like she's going to be so under the radar, and Tiffany might get further than some of these previous winners, just because people are thinking about placements.
Men’s Journal: Are you thinking a lot about the tribe divisions?
Savannah Louie: I've tried to figure out if I could see one person from this crazy group of 2024 who could possibly be on my tribe. I'm from the South right now. Is there anyone else who's from the South? Rick Devens, for example, he's from the South and he was a news anchor, too. I used to anchor and report. So there’s a total connection; I have so many mutual friends with Rick. He probably doesn't know that, and I sound like a crazy stalker person, but before I got on the show, I would tell people in Atlanta, "Oh, I'm a huge fan of Survivor," and their immediate question would always be like, "Oh, do you know Rick Devens?" So some of my old coworkers know who this guy is. If I'm on the same tribe as him, that's gonna be the first thing I mention. He is gonna think I'm literally a crazy person.
Men’s Journal: No one from his season, at least, is here.
Savannah Louie: I know, and I've thought about that. And like, if you think about Rick's game, too, he threw everything against the wall to see what would stick. He was a very aggressive player, and I loved watching him as a fan. I would love to work with him too as a player, but I think that some people are going to be really scared of him, so I'm hoping that'll work in my favor. Right now I feel like I am kind of grasping for straws and seeing, "Will anyone work with me?" I will literally work with anyone at the beginning.
Men’s Journal: If someone's looking for stragglers to pick up, are you willing to just kind of go where you need to go?
Savannah Louie: Yeah. I mean, it's totally the Sandra [Diaz-Twine] approach: anybody but me. If I can just get through the first three or four votes, I feel really confident that I'm going to be able to get far in this game. I don't need to connect with 100 percent of people right here; I just need to connect with enough people out here and the right people.
Men’s Journal: If Rizo isn't on your tribe, are you worried about what he would say about you?
Savannah Louie: Yes and no. It's putting a lot of trust into someone who isn't you. Especially in the New Era, there are so many opportunities for either tribe swaps or journeys where you're going to meet random people. So that's one of the other reasons why I'm like, "Shoot, I have to own my game and own how I played." Because you're right, I don't know what Rizo could say to some of these people if we're not on the same tribe. Even if Rizo and I are on the same tribe, who's to say that he wouldn't go off with another person and share a different side of the story than what I'm sharing? With Rizo, I want to trust him, and I want to believe we have a special bond after 49, but I'm not a fool.
Men’s Journal: You played a 26-day, much more fast-paced game. Do you think some of the Old School players are going to have a hard time catching up?
Savannah Louie: I think it's a totally different game in a lot of senses. I don't think an Old School era player quite understands exactly how fast-paced the New Era is because you don't have as many days to rest and physically recover from challenges, but it's so much more than that. You don't have time to let alliances marinate. If you thought your mind was constantly going in Old School, dude, get ready for a wake-up call in new school. But let me tell you, as a New Era player, I fully plan to come to some of the Old Schooll players with my knowledge and say, "Hey, let me help you," because I don't have any alliances out here with the new school people. I haven't been the one who's pre-gaming. I haven't been the one who's sliding into the DMs. I can literally see that, because when all these people were doing that, I was in Fiji playing. I think that the Old School players have a real opportunity here to use me to their advantage, and I'm open to working with them.
Men’s Journal: What do you want your legacy or your experience to be when you leave this game?
Savannah Louie: When I had the opportunity to return for 50, I was very excited, but I was also scared out of my mind, because you have no time to rest. You're playing with some serious, intense players—players who I've looked up to and who inspired me to play the game. In my normal life, one of the things that I always try to do is when something scares me or brings out fear in me, I look at it as a sign that I absolutely need to do it. I want part of my legacy to be the person who does things that scare them, because oftentimes when we do things that scare us, it makes it possible for us to level up and for us to evolve and become better people and stronger people. And then the second part of my legacy: I want to be, other than Rizo, the only other New Era player to do this back-to-back thing, and I had 10 days of rest. I want to do this to prove to myself that I can do it, but also to maybe make a little statement in Survivor history.
The interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.