What You Didn't See in the 'Survivor 49' Premiere (Exclusive) Mike BloomSeptember 24, 2025 at 9:00 PM 0 The Survivor 49 premiere just packed a lot into two hours.
- - What You Didn't See in the 'Survivor 49' Premiere (Exclusive)
Mike BloomSeptember 24, 2025 at 9:00 PM
0
The Survivor 49 premiere just packed a lot into two hours. Across the debut episode of the most recent season of the CBS reality series, we got two challenges, a come-from-behind "Fight for Supplies," myriad alliances formed and tested, and the first person voted out, their million-dollar dreams crushed. And still, there was so much more that didn't make the edit.Luckily, Parade was fortunate enough to get the chance to go out onto the Survivor set in Fiji to not only interview the contestants before the game begins, but also witness the events from the first three days. As such, I had a firsthand perspective on the major events from the premiere, from challenges to camp life to Tribal Council. Here are the biggest tidbits from my time on Survivor 49 that you didn't see in the premiere.
🎬 SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬
The Marooning and opening challenge
The energy and excitement from the cast of Survivor 49 were palpable, even from the run-up to the tribe mats. While the final cut showed Jeff Probstspeaking to about five contestants, nearly everyone got a chance to introduce themselves. Here are some highlights:
While Probst was calling out Steven Ramm for his "Price is Right" introduction, it actually was a label assigned to the entire cast. Steven's response came in the middle of a string of castaways using their first words in the game to say how excited they were to be there. Even after Probst's comment, the players continued to do so. Consider it the first running bit of what Probst has said is a very funny cast.
In his opening confessional, Rizo Velovic touted that he was the first person of Albanian descent to play the game. He touts that during the mat chat as well, before he gets into his origin story with Survivor, namely when he saw Probst give J.T. Thomas his tooth back during a challenge in Tocantins."My whole lifespan has been me babysitting my brother while you're babysitting me," he says. "So now that I get to meet you face to face, on behalf of my parents, I just want to let you know how much they owe you for babysitting."
Alex Moore also opened up about his fandom, while also calling the host out in a move 15 years in the making. "I was king of the Survivor fan club in high school with teachers and students. Don't worry, there's nothing weird going on there," he clarifies. "We all loved Survivor. And we were watching Heroes vs. Villains, and we wrote in to you. And I'm gonna make you feel awkward right now. You never responded. But it was at that point that I was like, 'I gotta meet you in person!' So I applied, and here I am."
Jeff asked Matt Williams if anyone had told him there was anything he should be wary of about himself before going on the show. After making a crack about his age, the airport employee admitted, "My wife said, 'You know you're gonna be filmed 24/7. You better watch what you say.' I said, 'What does that mean?' She said, 'You know what that means.' Apparently, I don't have much of a filter." His answer elicited a muted reaction from the other contestants.
While the tribe names this season are Fijian translations of the objects on their tribe flags (and common props found in a shipwreck, the aesthetic theme of the season, Probst also said they represent the qualities it takes to win Survivor. Hina represents intuition, Uli represents patience and Kele represents courage.
As Jason Treul brings up on the mat, Survivor 49 kicked off with an unprecedented situation. Two people were removed from the cast due to talking in the pregame, meaning he and MC Chukwujekwu became castaways 12 hours ago. In the downtime before the opening challenge began, Probst took the time to assure the castaways, "We're good." Despite the shock that came with the last-minute cast switch-up, it seems the players and production alike were happy to move on and start fresh.
The episode showcases a little bit of this. But, after Hina got their final puzzle together in the challenge, Nicole Mazullo actually began to head over to look at how theirs was put together. She was not as successful in this copying ploy as Rizo would be in the Fight for Supplies, as Hina had pretty much already clinched the win.
Related: Everything to Know About Survivor 49
Camp visits
As part of the press trip, I was given the opportunity to visit each of the tribe camps for a brief portion of time on Day 2. It's an incredible opportunity to not only see what the early day-to-day life is for these contestants, but also get a glimpse at the ever-moving work of the camera crew, always on the balls of their feet to set up a new shot or follow the players on the go. Here are some notable moments from my experience at each camp:
At one point, while visiting the Uli camp, Savannah Louie asked Rizo out of the blue, "Do you have a nickname?" As a bystander, I held my breath. This would be the first test as to whether his claims of his persona as "the man, the myth, the legend, R-I-Z-G-O-D, RizGod, baby!" would truly be only in his confessionals. Rizo took a brief pause to the question."Honestly, I prefer Rizo," he responded. Consider the first test passed!
Rizo followed up his answer by saying that he doesn't like the nickname "Rizz" due to its modern-day connotation. Showcasing the age gap he feared his socks presented, Nate Moore then asked for a crash course in what the term means. If he lasts all 26 days, he may have a Gen Z encyclopedia to accompany his million dollars.
While the Uli men were working on chopping up a stubborn piece of bamboo, Savannah and Sage Ahrens-Nichols were having an incredibly deep conversation while weaving palm fronds. In essence, Sage came out to Savannah, talking about her journey with her sexuality. It speaks to not only the clinical social worker's ability to be vulnerable and open, but also the former reporter's skills to listen and support. "I actually identify as queer," Sage revealed. "That's why I didn't really want to date growing up. I didn't really feel attraction to anyone. You know the term demisexual? I feel like that term represents me the most, because it's just really hard for me to feel attraction to people.""It's like who you're attracted to," Savannah agreed. "It's like their energy, their spirit. I totally get you. It sounds like you're also becoming more true to yourself.""Yes!" Sage affirmed excitedly. "I feel really connected to my child self again."It's a beautiful moment that showcases a small, but meaningful connection between two people who just met a day ago. And, while the episode shows that Sage isn't in any of Savannah's alliance, it's clear she still wants to keep the door open through these one-on-one relationships.
At Tribal Council, Nicole humorously described Jeremiah Ing as "Service by J." That beachside service was full on display upon my visit to the Kele camp. Despite not having a machete, he was eager to be a provider. And so, while most of his tribe was by the water, he would go up to camp, smash coconuts on rocks, and gather the pieces to bring to everyone. It was service with a smile — and one of the most infectious laughs of the season.
The episode also showed how Kimberly "Annie" Davis was isolating herself socially from the rest of her tribe. I caught a glimpse of that as, while the majority of Kele was down by the water, conversing and seeing if there was any treemail, she was instead lying down in the shelter. While it may just be her saving some energy after putting in work at camp the day before, it could be a larger sign that she wasn't making those necessary connections in the early days.
On the other hand, there were plenty of social connections happening over at Hina's camp. The entire period I was there, the majority of the tribe was simply working on palm fronds and connecting over a wide variety of subjects. Much like the fronds, the discussion wove between recent concerts, favorite musicals, student loans, and how they would do in a post-apocalyptic setting. It's clear, between the way they exuberantly entered both challenges in the premiere, and their lively chatter at camp, Hina takes the title of "vibe tribe" for the season.
It should be noted, though, that as Hina was talking, Matt was consistently entering camp, dropping off firewood, and wordlessly going off again. The age gap he mentioned in the premiere was palpable here, as he struggled to connect with his younger tribemates over going to see the Indigo Girls in concert.
And so, feeling the heat, during his many firewood trips, Matt actually went idol hunting! He was fervent and quite visible in his search, outright poking his face into trees. While he hadn't seemed to find anything yet, we'll see if his searching will pay off with a Beware Advantage in the future.
Related:Jeff Probst Teases 'Survivor 49' as 'One of the Most Unpredictable Seasons in a Long Time' (Exclusive)
The 'spectacular Survivor serpents' in the Season 49 premiere Immunity ChallengeThe Immunity Challenge -
The morning of Day 3, as the crew was getting ready to start bringing in the castaways, Probst walked up to Entertainment Weekly's Dalton Ross and me with a request. "Give me a word I can say in the challenge." While Dalton rattled off "stupendous," I ended up picking "behemoth." And not only did the Emmy winner say both words while the challenge was running, it even made the final episode! You're welcome getting Probst to say "a stupendous effort with a behemoth serpent" on national television.
Indeed, this challenge ended up being an absolute behemoth. While not as gargantuan as the infamous geckos from Season46's premiere, the "spectacular Survivor serpents" were still quite heavy to carry, especially while traversing the jungle. The true time sink, however, was the final stage. While the final edit saw the tribes get the hang of the snake track pretty quickly, in reality, it was an incredibly heated back-and-forth that took nearly 15 minutes. At one point, all three tribes dropped their balls in rapid succession in a moment of Survivor synergy. As the minutes agonizingly paced on, you could see Hina's excitement fall, Uli hit a momentary panic when they were in last place, and Kele experienced jittery ecstasy when they were in the lead, only to being bickering and lose once again.
Related: Jeff Probst Says Rules Violation Led to Historic Alternate Situation on 'Survivor 49' (Exclusive)
Tribal Council -
The Kele tribe walked into Tribal Council with absolute awe. And I experienced the same shortly thereafter to tour the set. This season, the art department has truly gone above and beyond, constructing a massive 75-foot shipwreck that serves as the iconic site of babbling and blindsiding. The watercraft is split into two massive parts, decked out with a litany of nautical paraphenalia. And, in a somber, yet fitting touch, on the path up to the voting booth, the castaways find out the fate of what happened to the captain of this fictional ship. A skeleton lies with a sword sticking out of it, setting the mood as the players make their way to do some backstabbing of their own.
Even though she would ultimately be spared getting her torch snuffed, Annie showcased how she was a bit of a free agent during Tribal. After Jeremiah's ominous comment revealed that two people were on the chopping block, when asked how she'll vote, the musician and CEO replied, "I honestly don't know what I'm gonna do until I get to that paper and let the spirit move me."
At one point during the proceedings, Sophi Balerdi brought up that they had discussed as a tribe that whoever is voted out tonight shouldn't take it personally. However, when asked individually, every single person said, if they were voted out, they would take it personally. The one exception was Annie. "I'll go against the group," she outright said. "Taking thing personally is kind of a nebulous term. Anything negative done towards you hurt. On social media, people will crap on you all the time. If you take all of those cuts, you'll die by a thousand cuts. Everyone is trying to get to the next level and figure out the best situation for themselves."
Since the episode didn't show any of the Kele tribe's voting confessionals, here's a transcript of what the castaways had to say as they voted! Nicole: "[To herself, looking around the voting booth.] This is the sickest Tribal Council ever made in the history of the game. [Writes down Annie's name.] You said my name. And you thought I was gonna be the first one to go…no. Thanks for the shelter. Peace." Alex: "Please know that our connection's real. I hope I get invited to Sauce Sunday. Just know this isn't personal. We just need a stronger tribe." Sophi: "I'm sorry, girl. If you're not with me, you're against me. It's not even about strength. You just weren't loyal." Jake: "Sorry, Nicole. I gotta stick to my Top 3, and you're the weakest one today. Love you to death, man. See you soon." Jeremiah: "I really don't want to have to vote you tonight. But it's just what the majority is asking for. But this isn't my decision. It was so great getting to know you over the past couple of days." Annie: "I wish we didn't have to vote anybody off. You're so much fun, and I can't wait to hang out with you after this is all over. This really sucks."
For the majority of Tribal Council, the Kele tribe was (quite literally) laughing it up and taking in the scenery. But the reality of the situation hit them as soon as they went up to vote. When Nicole got blindsided, she — and the rest of her tribe — were stark silent. No goodbyes were exchanged, no final wishes given. Just an utterance from Nicole as she crossed over the bridge out of the game: "What the f–k! Ugh."
In her final words, Nicole admitted she felt something was fishy when she sat down at Tribal Council. Jake was smiling too much at her, she said, and Sophi didn't look at her once. Unfortunately, while she contemplated playing her Shot in the Dark, she ultimately chose to not go through with it, "which was stupid."
Despite the obvious devastation Nicole had on the way out, she seemed to be in okay spirits the more she did her debrief. She went against her earlier claims, saying she didn't take her boot personally, and that she was done in by a great group of liars. "Season 49 is going to be amazing," she teased. "I cannot actually believe…that was a true blindside. You're in for a good season if you're watching."
Related: 'Survivor 49' Cast Revealed: Meet the 18 New Contestants, from NASA to the MCU
This story was originally reported by Parade on Sep 25, 2025, where it first appeared in the TV section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Source: "AOL Entertainment"
Source: ShowBiz MAG
Full Article on Source: ShowBiz MAG
#LALifestyle #USCelebrities