The On Fire podcast is back for Survivor 49, with Survivor host Jeff Probst, producer Jeff Wolfe, and Survivor: Cambodia winner Jeremy Collins. In the latest episode, they cover the season finale, including whether a player is ever off the table, Jeremy’s thoughts on how to win a Fire-Making challenge, and more. Plus, Rizo and Savannah join the podcast to share their thoughts on Survivor 49 and their return to Survivor 50.
First, Jeremy is asked whether a player is ever “off the table” in voting them out because they have an idol/advantage, especially at a crucial moment like the Final Five. Jeremy replies that he doesn’t think so, as players need to find a way to outmanoeuvre that player. For instance, players could’ve incentivised Rizo not to play his idol once more and show that move off to the jury by claiming he didn’t need to do so for ten Tribal Councils or by trying to drive a wedge between Savannah and Rizo.
Probst interjects and says that players need to find exactly what drives other people for what Jeremy is saying to work, which was the case back in Survivor: Micronesia when the Black Widow Brigade made Erik Reichenbach give up his immunity, which led to him being immediately voted out. Probst surprisingly reveals he regrets calling it a dumb move, as Erik was just a kid whose integrity meter was tested.
As said on social media, there will be a new Survivor 50 game across the United States, where people can find real hidden immunity idols in all 50 states. Probst calls it a “nationwide Survivor scavenger hunt” beginning on January 30th, 2026. Probst also adds that the prizes for the winners are “pretty, pretty good.” For fans who want to participate, they will have to sign up, as clues will be sent in late January. The website is survivor50challenge.com.
Later, Rizo is asked how he managed to survive several Tribal Councils with his idol in his pocket. Rizo replies that he was personable back at camp and properly navigated the tribe’s social dynamics, as well as the social politicking with Savannah, to shift the target off of them each time. Rizo also comments that he played to win rather than lose, and even though he ultimately did lose, he says he doesn’t regret playing that hard, as becoming one of the Survivor greats has been a lifelong dream for him.
As for his return to Survivor 50, Rizo revealed he had only two weeks to prepare between seasons and didn’t have time to practice making puzzles, as he spent that time with his family. However, he wasn’t deterred and played to the best of his ability.
Afterwards, Savannah discloses she’s comfortable with the edit she got and doesn’t mind being labelled a villain, mostly because the players she grew up watching and loving were villains as well, such as Boston Rob, Parvati, and Tony. Savannah adds that players with this type of profile are also needed in the New Era and was happy to embrace this persona.
When asked about Kristina’s jury question, which has sparked significant controversy on social media, Savannah answers, “Dude, I was internally seething. I’m like, Kristina! [laughs] I can laugh about it now because we are friends, I think the world of her, but yeah, honestly, it’s just a reflection of what people look for in the person they want to give a million dollars to. If someone doesn’t like you, they don’t have to give you the money.”
She continues, “That’s kind of one of the most beautiful things about Survivor, like, all of the qualifications [to win] can always be so different, and to me, I love old-school Survivor. It felt like an old-school question.” For his part, Probst added that he thought Kristina’s question was fair within the context of the game, as it is a social-dynamics one, and wasn’t, in fact, bitter or petty.
Savannah also shares how she found out she had been invited to play Survivor 50, and admits she felt scared, surprised, and surreal, but there wasn’t a scenario in which she would’ve said no. Jeremy asks Savannah if she noticed people’s game shifting after Probst shared that there were still Survivor spots available on 50. Savannah responds that she personally didn’t have that mindset, while others did, but her focus was solely on Survivor 49.
As for her relationship with Rizo on Survivor 50, Savannah says she was open to working with him again because of how well they did on their season. However, she was also aware that some people on Survivor 49 were more loyal to him than to her, which could be a potential hindrance. So as long as it would serve her new game, especially as a winner in an All-Stars season, Savannah was open to working with her former ally once more.
That’s it for this season of the On Fire with Jeff Probst podcast recaps. See you all in February 2026 for Survivor 50 and stay tuned to Inside Survivor for more Survivor content during the off-season.
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