After 26 days, 15 tribal councils, and one painful snake bite, the winner of Survivor 49 will finally be crowned on Wednesday night. The three-hour event begins at 8 p.m. PT/ET on CBS and Paramount+, and will be the last new Survivor episode before the highly anticipated 50th season premieres on Feb. 25, 2026.
Before Jeff Probst hands over the latest $1 million check, there are several burning questions that still need to be dealt with. Specifically, what do the Gold Derby predictions say about who’s out front to earn the title of “Sole Survivor”? How many advantages are still in play? And how will President Donald Trump‘s primetime address affect the three-hour broadcast? Let’s break down everything to know about the Survivor 49 finale.
Meet the Top 5
‘Survivor 49’ final five: Kristina, Rizo, Sage, Savannah, and SophCBS
Kristina Mills, Rizo “Rizgod” Velovic, Sage Ahrens-Nichols, Savannah Louie, and Sophi “Soph” Balerdi outwitted, outplayed, and outlasted all of the others to become this season’s final five. From this group, only one will take home the $1 million check and join the iconic Survivor winners list. Kristina is a 36-year-old MBA career coach from Houston; Rizo is a 25-year-old tech sales worker from Yonkers, N.Y.; Sage is a 30-year-old clinical social worker from Roxboro, N.C.; Savannah is a 31-year-old former reporter from Walnut Creek, Calif.; and Soph is a 27-year-old entrepreneur from Miami.
Winner odds
Who will win ‘Survivor 49’?
Gold Derby users have been predicting the winner of Survivor 49 all season long, and Savannah currently has the best odds to win. She has an 80 percent chance of claiming victory, with Soph and Rizo tied for second place at 10 percent each. Agree or disagree with those odds? There is still time to make or update your predictions before Wednesday night. Also see our power rankings of the Top 5.
Advantage count
Rizo and Savannah in Survivor 49CBS
In a season full of powerful advantages, there is only one left as the finale begins: Rizo’s much-talked-about hidden immunity idol that he found in Episode 4. Rizo’s Beware Advantage was activated after his Uli tribe lost immunity for the first time. His original Uli allies helped him retrieve the idol, and soon after, it became public knowledge. Following the merge, Rizo threatened to use his idol on multiple occasions — he even created a fake one to fool the other castaways — but he smartly kept it in his pocket until now. They don’t call him Rizgod for nothing! His idol officially expires at the Top 5, so the time has come to either play it (on himself or an ally), or to take it home as a souvenir.
One other note on advantages. In the “New Era,” Jeff almost always presents the final five with the opportunity of gaining an advantage to aid them in the next immunity challenge. Usually, the task involves the finalists running through the jungle or deciphering secret codes. This special advantage must be played at the challenge and cannot be pocketed for later.
Presidential address delays
Due to President Trump’s speech on Wednesday night, Gold Derby has learned that the three-hour Survivor finale will be interrupted on the East Coast, but that the timing on the West Coast will not be affected. For East Coaters, the show’s first hour will air from 8 to 9, then will pause for the presidential address, and will promptly resume after the speech ends. Adjust your DVRs accordingly!
What about Survivor 50?
Earlier this year, Jeff Probst revealed that 24 former cast members will return for Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans. The lineup will include two people from Survivor 49, but producers are keeping quiet for now on which two. Meet the Season 50 cast in our photo gallery below.
‘Survivor 50’ cast photos: See who’s back for the historic season that’s ‘In the Hands of the Fans’