Survivor 49 Episode 11: Stuck in Safe Mode — Who Will Finally Flip the Game?

Survivor 49 snapped right back to safe and predictable this week. After that fun, messy blindside, we got a straightforward pile-on. Not shocking, just... fine. Two episodes left to spice things up. Maybe.

Last vote fallout: hurt feelings, quick math

The seven pick through the Jawan mess. Rizo tells the group he heard Jawan and Sage were about to flip on them, so he had to change course. Sophie pulls Steven and Kristina aside to justify her move, basically saying she never felt fully brought in by them. The tougher chat is with Sage, who is exactly as mad as Sophie expected.

Sage, in confessional, makes it clear she wants payback and that Sophie is going to regret crossing her. And to be fair, Sophie made a game move. You can decide if it was smart, but it wasn’t personal.

Sophi vs. Savannah vs. the endgame

Sophi has been tight with Savannah and Rizo, but she knows she’s third in that trio. So she either breaks them up soon, or rides the three to the Final Tribal and hopes the math works. If she really believes she can’t beat Savannah at the end, she needs a shot. Sage isn’t interested in that nuance at first; she says she wants Sophi gone. It won’t stay that simple.

The journey: actual cardio, actual stakes

A boat shows up with a note that screams the journey will be strenuous. Everyone hesitates. Only Sage and Steven even consider it, and Sage hands the slot to Steven, who figures he has nothing left to lose… besides his vote, which is kind of important, but you get it.

The task is a sprint around a new island to find six numbers, crack a combination lock, and smash a pot for an advantage. The tide literally works against him; as it rises, it pushes the pot up a pole and, if it reaches the top, dumps it into the ocean and kills the attempt. Steven beats the clock and earns a vote block, with one catch: he has to name whose vote he’s blocking before leaving for Tribal Council.

Back at camp: the advantage shifts the room

Steven returns and tells most of the truth. He admits he got an advantage but keeps the details vague. He immediately notices a vibe change, especially from Rizo. Rizo and Sophi huddle. Rizo is rightly nervous. Sophi is not, because she still has Knowledge Is Power and thinks she can just steal Steven’s shiny new toy.

Here’s the rules wrinkle: if Steven must tell production whose vote he’s blocking before Tribal, is the advantage considered already 'used' at that point, which would make it unstealable? Or does he still technically possess it until the vote happens, which means KIP could take it? The show didn’t clarify, but my guess is it could still be stolen until it actually blocks a vote. Could be wrong! It would have been a fun test case.

Immunity and spaghetti

The challenge is a twist on the classic block-stacking: everyone is tied by a rope to a rotating disc, collecting and stacking blocks to spell 'Immunity'. Winner also gets a spaghetti reward back at camp. Steven wins his second necklace and invites Kristina first and Rizo second to join the carb party.

On the way out, Sage says she wants Sophie gone. That’s the revenge target locked in.

Reward pitches and a muddy middle

Rizo uses the pasta time to push Steven and Kristina on a Sophie vote. His sell: she’s turning into a real threat in challenges and with her ability to talk, and if they do this now, Steven can pocket his vote block for another round. The longer it sits, the scarier it gets. Kristina smiles and nods but privately still wants Savannah.

Back at camp, Sophie, ironically, wants to finally take a shot at Savannah. Sage hears that and flips: instead of gunning for Savannah, she decides to work with her to take out Sophie.

When the reward crew returns, Sophi loops Rizo in that the Sophie plan is live. That’s music to his ears, since Sophie targeting Savannah only makes Rizo’s own Sophie plan cleaner. Steven is tempted to join Sophie’s move on Savannah, but keeping that vote block intact is a strong lure. Sophi, meanwhile, sits squarely in the middle: she had been set on Sophie, but there’s value in keeping Savannah around as someone she still trusts this late in the game.

• Sage: ends up pushing hard for Sophie
• Sophie: wants Savannah
• Sophi: waffling between Sophie and Savannah, weighing trust vs threat
• Rizo: wants Sophie and courts Steven/Kristina
• Steven: tempted by a Savannah vote but wants to save his vote block
• Kristina: humors the Sophie plan but prefers Savannah
• Savannah: benefits from chaos and new allies

Tribal: unanimous and unsurprising

Sophie gets voted out, unanimously. Sage gets her revenge. Was it the right call? Earlier in the day, Sage told Sophie:

'You just handed her [Savannah] a million dollars, Sophie.'

Then Sage kept Savannah in the game anyway. Maybe the numbers weren’t really there to flip, but from what we saw, Sage didn’t seriously try to push a Savannah vote. That reads more emotional than strategic. When everyone agrees Savannah is a nightmare to sit next to at the end, you take the shot when it’s available.

Where this leaves the season

Most of this season has felt muted. Two episodes left to course-correct. I’m always rooting for a strong finish, but the show has a lot of work to do in a very short time.

New Survivor 49 episodes drop Wednesdays at 8pm ET/7pm CT on CBS, and stream Thursdays on Paramount+.