Rizo Velovic, a contestant from the recent season of “Survivor 50,” has recounted his reaction to an unexpected blunder by host Jeff Probst during the live finale, an incident that left both the audience and contestants bewildered. The error occurred while Probst prematurely announced the results of a crucial fire-making challenge, leading to a moment of confusion where Velovic was incorrectly declared an eliminated contestant.
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The incident took place on May 20, during the live broadcast of the finale, where Probst, who has been the show’s host for many years, announced that Velovic had lost the fire-making challenge — a mistake that would ultimately see him sitting as the final member of the jury rather than advancing in the competition. “I was very confused,” Velovic admitted in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE after the show. “Jeff wanted to give me my moment, which was great, but I’m getting my moment before the travesty of losing fire back-to-back times.”
As Probst began teasing the pre-taped challenge, chaos ensued on stage, with other contestants attempting to convey to the host that the challenge results had not yet been shown. Amid shouts and confusion, Probst responded with uncertainty, remarking, “I’m not even sure what’s happened,” before the show cut to a commercial break.
When the broadcast returned, Probst attempted to clarify the situation. He explained to the audience that the intent was to showcase the fire-making segment before introducing Velovic’s moment in the spotlight. “We were going to show you fire-making, and then have the loser of fire-making, Rizo, come out and talk about if he had practiced fire-making maybe he would’ve won,” Probst elaborated. “Instead, we did a Survivor twist.” This twist allowed viewers to get a glimpse into the challenge that had been filmed previously in Fiji.
Amid the confusion, Velovic remained composed and used humour to navigate the awkward moment. “I was trying to be a professional, I was trying to be funny, trying to see if Jeff would pick up what happened. He didn’t, but I think we picked it up pretty well,” he reflected, adding that they turned the mishap into a part of “Survivor” history once the dust settled.
Velovic, who has been affectionately dubbed the “Riz God,” noted that Probst later expressed his appreciation for Velovic’s good humour during the ordeal. The contestant theorised about the presentation’s mix-up, suggesting the mishap stemmed from the planned sequence not aligning with reality. “I think the goal was to see fire happen and then that segment happen, but I think they did the segment before fire was shown,” he speculated.
Despite the dramatic turn of events, the finale concluded with Aubry Bracco being crowned the winner of “Survivor 50.” In a 5-3-0 jury vote, Bracco secured the grand prize of $2 million, a doubled bounty due to a unique coin toss twist involving popular YouTuber MrBeast.
Reflecting on his own gameplay throughout the season, Velovic expressed satisfaction with his strategic alliances, especially with fellow contestants Joe Hunter and Jonathan Young. However, he lamented that their collective ambitions were thwarted when Bracco won immunity, cementing her path to victory. Velovic candidly shared that while he hoped to reverse his previous losses in fire challenges, he came to terms with his elimination: “I just wanted to win fire for the satisfaction of reversing my curse.”
Looking back at his experiences in both “Survivor 49” and “Survivor 50,” Velovic also recalled his distinct achievement of being one of only four players out of 751 to have never been voted out. He expressed disappointment at falling short again but took pride in the records he set during his time on the show.
As the finale wrapped up with Bracco’s triumphant moment, Velovic’s composure throughout the mishap underscored both his resilience and dedication to the competition, further enriching the legacy of a franchise known for its unexpected twists and intense competition.