‘Survivor 50’: Rizo Velovic breaks silence on Jeff Probst’s finale blunder on live TV
The three-hour live finale of 'Survivor 50' was packed with plenty of suspense, surprises, drama, and emotional outbursts. It also included one jaw-dropping moment that was entirely unscripted. The finale switched between footage of the finalists on their last day on the island and live interviews with the recently eliminated players conducted by host Jeff Probst on stage in Los Angeles. In the second half of the finale, Probst announced the fire-making segment between Rizo Velovic and Jonathan Young to determine the third finalist who will go head-to-head with Aubry Bracco and Joe Hunter. However, he announced Rizo's loss and called him out on stage before the studio audience and viewers at home learned the challenge's outcome, which spoiled a crucial moment of the top three finalists.
During his interview with TV Insider on May 21, the self-proclaimed 'RizGod' reacted to the host's blunder on live TV. "What I will say is that in the moment, it stung a little because I have so many friends and family at home who were watching and rooting for me. To kill the suspense kind of sucked. But waking up the next day, looking back at it a week, a year, 10 years from now, it's an iconic moment that is kind of funny. And to know that the RizGod's a part of it is pretty cinema."
He also clarified that the mishap happened due to miscommunication backstage, and the host was not responsible. "It's not Jeff's fault at all. Jeff is the GOAT. I love Jeff. I think what happened is they assumed that the fire happened already. I don't know how, but I was backstage waiting for the fire to happen, and they're telling me, Rizo, Jeff's going to call, you're going to go up. I was like, I didn't lose yet. Why are we doing this? And they're like, 'Just play it off.' I go up to Jeff, take the round of applause. I take the screen time, and I'm trying to tell Jeff, 'Win or lose, I'm so proud,' so hopefully Jeff can pick up on it, but there's so much going on. I don't think he did."
Rizo made his 'Survivor' debut in Season 49 and was one of the two contestants, alongside Savannah Louie, from the previous installment chosen to compete in the show's milestone season. He filmed both seasons back-to-back with just two weeks' gap between them. It also meant he was a complete mystery to Season 50's other returning players, as they did not watch his season and were unaware of his gameplay. Furthermore, the 25-year-old was also the youngest player in the cast of 'Survivor 50.' However, he was not to be underestimated as he formed a secret alliance with Cirie Fields and Ozzy Lusth, which helped him cruise through the end.
However, both of Rizo's stints ended with him losing the fire-making challenge and becoming the season's third runner-up. Despite two unsuccessful attempts, 'RizGod' has not given up hope on winning the title yet. He mentioned that he is open to returning for future seasons of 'Survivor' to try his luck again. "Well, honestly, I'd love to end as a swan song as a winner, but I'd come back five, six, seven, eight times," he said. 'Survivor' is set to return with Season 51 this fall on CBS.