In the most recent episode of “Survivor 49,” which aired on Wednesday, December 3, castaway Sage Ahrens-Nichols declared that revenge was her new strategy as she set her sights on blindsiding fellow contestant Sophie Segreti in order to avenge her fallen ally, Jawan Pitts.
Longtime “Survivor” host Jeff Probst, who witnessed both Jawan and Sophie’s blindside eliminations in real time, has since reacted to Sage’s “revenge vote” on the “On Fire” aftershow podcast, saying that Segreti could’ve been a “legit threat to win” the title of “Sole Survivor” if she hadn’t gotten on Ahrens-Nichols’ bad side by taking out her No. 1 ally.
Everything to Know About ‘Survivor 49’s Final 7 Tribal Council Vote
Pitts’ elimination, which came during the preceding episode, saw Segreti flip on her alliance – which included Jawan, Sage, Steven Ramm and Kristina Mills – instead joining forces with Sophi Balerdi, Savannah Louie and Rizo Velovic to send the 28-year-old video editor to the Jury with the help of Louie’s Extra Vote advantage.
During Wednesday night’s Tribal Council ceremony, Sage was moved to tears discussing Jawan’s elimination after seeing her former ally appear as a member of the Jury for the first time.
While Segreti did extend an apology to Sage for flipping on their alliance at the start of the episode, for Ahrens-Nichols, the damage had already been done.
Thankfully for Sage, she already had Steven and Kristina – both of whom were similarly disgruntled by Sophie’s big move – on her side as she set to work convincing the rest of the remaining castaways to target Segreti at the next Tribal Council ceremony.
Rizo, who originally wanted his alliance to take out Steven, was forced to shift gears after the latter won Individual Immunity. It didn’t take much convincing from Sage for Rizo and his allies – Savannah and Sophi B. – to flip on Segreti, who up to this point was the only remaining player who had always been on the right side of the vote and had proved herself a serious threat in challenges.
CBS
At Tribal Council, the other six castaways did their best to make Sophie feel comfortable, with Kristina and Savannah bickering back and forth to convince Segreti that it was Savannah, and not herself, who was on the chopping block.
In the end, Sophie cast her vote for Savannah, while the remainder of the cast all voted for Sophie. The unanimous vote was called “sweet revenge” by both Sage and Savannah, who had been at odds with Segreti for multiple episodes, and was praised by both the Jury – including the recently eliminated Jawan who literally applauded the blindside – and Sophie herself.
Probst Reveals Sophie Segreti was the First Player Cast on ‘49’
In response to the latest “Survivor 49” elimination, Jeff Probst revealed on “On Fire,” that Sophie had applied for, and had almost been cast on, multiple “Survivor” seasons before joining “49.”
Robert Voets/CBSSophie Segreti on “Survivor 49”
In his casting notes for the currently-airing season, Probst added that he’d described Segreti as “even hungrier now” than she had been during previous casting cycles.
“She’s been in our wheelhouse for a while, but I really like her a lot. She really pops, great personality, very likable, and she goes for it,” Probst revealed, adding that Segreti might’ve had an “advantage” in the game after being selected as an alternate for Season 48, which aired earlier this year.
“Then we have our Zoom in 2025,” Probst continued, adding that Segreti “instantly took charge.”
“She’s fantastic. I want her on the show,” the host remembered thinking during the Season 49 casting process. “The clue to me was, we’re not missing this again. We didn’t have a spot last time. We’re going to start with her, and we are going to have a spot. She was a home run.”
Speaking further on Segreti’s determination to make her mark after so many seasons of applying to become a castaway, Probst continued: “Sometimes that hunger, when it percolates, you’ve got a little chip on your shoulder because we didn’t pick you, and you think you did something wrong. Sophie was a legit threat to win.
He added, “And unfortunately, when you have those qualities, you become a target, and you have to figure out how to survive the votes. It’s not unfair, it’s the game. Your job is to manage all of these things, and that’s why we jokingly say it’s impossible to win this game.”
Probst Praises the Season 49 Jurors: ‘They do a Great Job’
He added that “today’s jury does a great job” of setting high expectations for the season’s remaining castaways. According to the longtime host, the members of the “Survivor 49” jury – which so far includes Nate Moore, MC Chukwujekwu, Alex Moore, Jawan Pitts and, most recently, Sophie Segreti – walk into Tribal Council feeling, “Oh, I have a little power. You are desperate to know what I’m thinking.”
“If you’re really a fan of somebody that’s still in the game, you might wink at them and let ‘em know, ‘I still love you,’ like Jawan might do that to Sage,” Probst explained. “If you’re savage and you want a little control, you might make [a player] work for it. I don’t want you thinking you got my vote for sure. Show it to me, my friend.”
On Wednesday, December 10, one final castaway will join the Jury before the epic three-hour finale of “Survivor 49” hits CBS screens nationwide the following week on Wednesday, December 17 at 8:00pm ET.
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