Sage Ahrens-Nichols is about as real as it gets. In a world of individuals trying desperately hard to present sanitized, homogenized, and easily digestible versions of themselves to fit in, Sage is a true individual — presenting herself as she truly is.
If that means carrying on discussions about her weak bladder, so be it! If it necessitates mentions of her jar of blackhead pimples, mentions are coming! And if it concerns ditching the pleasantries and holding back on a hug with a tribe mate seeking reconciliation after being voted out of the game, consider the pleasantries ditched!
Sage has turned into arguably the biggest fan favorite of Survivor 49, and also proved her authenticity after blindsiding Shannon Fairweather on last week’s episode, explaining, “I’m gonna give you a handshake because I want the hug to be genuine and I don’t think I can give that to you right now. But I look forward to hugging you in the future, okay? Take care.”
Shannon told Entertainment Weekly she was “heartbroken” and “confused” in the moment by Sage’s decision, but also revealed the two have talked extensively since leaving the island and indeed engaged in that hug. However, Sage has been unable to share her perspective and reasoning behind the decision… until now.
In an exclusive mid-game interview leading into tonight’s anticipated merge episode, Sage reveals to EW that the hug denial was not an in-the-moment decision and explains how, when, and why she came to that conclusion. She also talks about the original Uli tribe dynamics, why the vibes with Shannon started turning sour, and how sharing intimate details about herself had a strategic benefit. Read on for all the insight and intel straight from the source.
Sage Ahrens-Nichols on ‘Survivor 49’.
Robert Voets/CBS
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Let’s start with the merge coming up on tonight’s episode. What was the feeling like of learning that you had made it to that second stage of the game?
SAGE AHRENS-NICHOLS: Honestly, I didn’t experience a grand emotion in response to that milestone. Cognitively, I understood it was an “exciting” moment. Emotionally, I felt detached from it, aware we still had half the game left. For me, it was like, “Cool, we still have a long way to go.”
Let’s talk about original Uli. Because you all never had to go Tribal Council, we never got to see the full tribe dynamics at play. Where did you see your place in the tribe while you were over there, and were there any alliances that we didn’t see?
My first-half strategy was to stay low, observe, and collect data before deciding who to invest in long-term. In therapy work, strategic timing is everything: You listen first, then speak once you understand the person through their own lens. Otherwise, you ruin rapport before it’s built, and in Survivor, that can be fatal.
Much data was collected starting day 1. While Rizo was on the supply challenge, I found myself between Jawan and Nate laughing together on one side, and Savannah and Shannon staring deeply into each other’s eyes on the other. I’m nervously looking back and forth at both pairs, already aware that the social side of the game would be harder for me. Small talk makes me anxious, and losing the marooning puzzle plus experiencing migraine-induced vomiting the entire first night meant I missed crucial bonding time. I knew I’d be in trouble if we ever went to Tribal.
We have seen you in this game being very open when talking about everything from aqua-dumps to your jar of blackheads. What sort of reaction did you feel from others as you told these stories and shared the quirkier side of your personality?
Exactly the reaction I was hoping for. People often assume I’m mean (probably the mix of my height and atypical affect). When I let people see my weirder side, one of two things happens: they either think, “WTF is wrong with you?” or they love it because it frees them to be weird, too. I knew either reaction could benefit me in the game.
For the first group, it helps them underestimate me. Talking about poop and blackheads might seem socially inept, but it’s calculated. People often confuse quirkiness with stupidity. If people think I’m impulsive or dumb, they won’t see me as a strategic threat. When Nate said, “Sage says whatever’s on her mind,” that was perfect. Yes, that’s true; and I’ve got 50 tabs open in my brain at any given time, and I’m very intentional about which tab I choose to share.
As for the second group, it makes emotional connection easier. I can’t do small talk, but if you want to tell me about your passions or the things you’re ashamed to admit, I’m your person. Those connections are real for me, but they don’t necessarily dictate my gameplay. It makes people think I’m easier to sway by appealing to my emotions (Exhibit A: Shannon). I am an emotional person, but contrary to what society suggests, being emotional doesn’t mean being void of logic. I leaned into that perception intentionally to find my fellow weirdos, and to let me play the slow burn I wanted, letting people underestimate my ability to have, and keep secret, a strategic thought.
Sage Ahrens-Nichols on ‘Survivor 49’.
CBS
While playing, you only see the game through your eyes, but when watching it back on TV, you see what other players are thinking and doing. What has surprised you most watching the show play back on TV?
Surprisingly, nothing so far. I would’ve been surprised by Nate being a part of the majority alliance on the original Uli tribe, but during Shannon’s final day in the game she told me and Jawan about the majority alliance on original Uli, and that Nate revealed my military theory to Savannah. So really, nothing has been shown that I didn’t have some level of intel on. Even yellow Sophie had told me about early Hina dynamics. I was technically surprised to find out that what she told me was true (namely, about her being on the outs). I had assumed she was probably lying about that to make it seem like original Hina wasn’t as cohesive as they appeared.
Sage Ahrens-Nichols on ‘Survivor 49’.
Robert Voets/CBS
When did the vibes turn sour between you and Shannon, and what do you think it was that caused that rift?
This is a complicated question for me. By the first tribe swap, I knew I couldn’t trust Shannon as much as I wanted to. When we got to the new Kele beach, we had a brief conversation acknowledging the need to foster relationships in the new tribe. Given the numbers, though, I knew we would have to turn on each other.
Shannon immediately started curating bonds with others, which is fine, but increased her social threat on my radar. When she noticed people respond to mentions of “Jesus,” her conversations started leaning more heavily on Jesus than I noticed on original Uli. On Uli, she referenced multiple deities and kept her spirituality broad, which I genuinely appreciated. Seeing this shift felt like a moral line had been crossed, and on a personal level, it didn’t feel like the Shannon I thought I knew.
I didn’t want to judge her personal character, but I felt frustrated because I couldn’t tell if she was intentionally using religion strategically. In my personal life, that’s something I would immediately address, but in the game, it felt too risky. Since original Hina wasn’t buying it, if I addressed it with Shannon, she could have self-corrected and found her way back in as she’s far better at connecting socially than I am.
Prioritizing my game over my instinct to speak up felt at odds with how I operate outside the game and left me feeling icky. I was frustrated because I tried to keep personal feelings separate from the game, but with Shannon, that became increasingly difficult. And that tension was potentially harmful to my game.
My expressions were partly directed at her, but much of it reflected frustration with the moral conflicts I was navigating (paired with next question). I tried to release those frustrated expressions privately. I didn’t want others to see and laugh. As conflicted as I felt, I didn’t want to hurt her feelings. But I needed some form of release so that I didn’t become dysregulated and lose access to my frontal lobe.
Sage Ahrens-Nichols on ‘Survivor 49’.
Robert Voets/CBS
Tell me about how you came to the decision to not hug her at Tribal Council, and was that something that was planned out or just happened in the moment?
I’m not naturally physically affectionate, and being socialized as a woman, I wasn’t taught to honor boundaries around touch. Even today, there’s a default expectation to hug someone when meeting them, which I’ve been reprogramming because it’s uncomfortable for both me and potentially the other person. If I feel emotionally connected to someone, I may be more physically affectionate, but even then, I have limits. On original Uli beach, I felt emotionally close enough to Shannon that I could tolerate hugs. From a strategic perspective, she was my best ally at that point, so I couldn’t risk coming off standoffish.
After the first tribe swap to Kele, I felt increasingly uncomfortable with the hugs as I felt less connected to her emotionally. By the second swap, when I knew she would be my target, any change in affection could tip her off. I remember her going for a hug and thinking, “Crap. I’m going to have to make her feel comfortable so she doesn’t expect anything. And for Shannon, that means physical affection.”
My expressions of disgust weren’t about her personally, but rather about having to give physical affection when I didn’t want to. It felt morally gross/conflicting. I also admittedly felt annoyed that she thought she could still win me over with emotional connection.
All that said, I knew that Shannon would likely go for hugs upon her exit, so I did put a lot of thought into how I would respond. I’m a recovering people pleaser, and I’m also at a point in my life where I take self-advocacy very seriously, especially when it comes to boundaries around my body. I could either give another fake hug, knowing it would likely hurt her more later when she watched everything back, or be real in that moment, respecting both her dignity and mine.
I chose the latter. She was out of the game; it was the first moment I got to be 100 percent real with her. Faking things doesn’t align with the way I try to show up in this world, but you’re going to have to get uncomfortable if you want the chance at winning.
Despite what it may look like, this wasn’t meant to be cutthroat. It was about self-respect, boundaries, and honesty. If I were in her shoes and someone hugged me on the way out, and I later watched everything back only to find they’d been fake to me almost the entire time, I probably would never be able to fully trust that person outside of the game — because why did you continue to be fake when you didn’t have to, especially since she wasn’t going to be on the jury?
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