Survivor Season 49 finale revealed Savannah as the winner. Along with her, fans witnessed Sage and Sophi as fellow finalists.The finale also featured Rizo and Kristina among the final five participants. During his exit interview with Sharon Tharp, aired on December 18, 2025, Rizo opened up about the final fire-making challenge.He noted that losing against Savannah, who was also his ally, softened the blow. Rizo talked about how he could have won the CBS show if he had been able to light the fire."So, it's not like I did anything wrong. Savannah never made fire, ever, and she made fire when it counted. So, I'm very happy because not only that, I got to pitch as to why my number one ally deserved to win. Going out in fire, but, specially, going out against Savannah kind of eased the blow a little bit because whoever won that firemaking contest would have won Season 49," shared Rizo.Survivor Season 49: Rizo recalls the final fire-making challenge, Savannah being his ally, and more View this post on Instagram Instagram PostThe host, Sharon Tharp, asked Rizo about the final Tribal Council and if there were any "what if" scenarios in his head. Rizo shared that he went into the show with a single goal. It was to win.Survivor's Rizo shared that if he had beaten Savannah in the fire-making challenge, then he might have won the show."I think throughout the season, we talked about...or like, I talked about like, 10th and 4th doesn't matter for me. I came here to win. So, I put myself in the best position to win. Because had I beat Savannah at fire, I would have won the game, and that...that's exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted to put myself in the best position to win," shared Rizo.He recalled his pitch for Savannah. It was when he supported her during the final Tribal Council. Rizo noted that he was very happy to pitch why she deserved to win. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostFurther, the host asked about fire-making and why no one practiced for the same."As a fan, I always say that, but really out there, you have all the time in the world, but you also don't have any time," responded Rizo.The Survivor star talked about his game being focused on social and strategic maneuverability. For that, he needed to make connections and keep being engaged in conversations with fellow participants.Rizo noted that he was focused on "getting there" rather than "practicing" getting there. Further in the interview, Rizo talked about his final Tribal Council vote. It was for Savannah. He noted that both Sage and Soph performed quite well throughout the game.However, he wanted either him or Savannah to win the show. Rizo also talked about him, Savannah, and Soph being together throughout the competition.Keep reading Soap Central to learn more about the latest Survivor Season 49 finale and more.