Meet Your RizGod

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Spoilers ahead for “Act One of a Horror Film,” the season-49 premiere of Survivor.

Get ready to meet Rizo Velovic, or as he prefers, ‘RizGod‘! The season 49 premiere of *Survivor* was a solid start, introducing all the players, clearly outlining who would be eliminated first, and hinting at the forming alliances. But it will probably be most remembered for introducing Rizo. He’s a determined, energetic guy from Yonkers who works in tech sales. He managed to win a challenge through sheer persistence, earning a spotlight moment. Rizo, who embraces the nickname ‘RizGod’ (a playful take on having a lot of charisma), is a cheerful and somewhat quirky person. While his self-proclaimed nickname and meme-inspired humor could be irritating, his infectious enthusiasm and willingness to bend the rules actually won viewers over, making it easy to root for him despite the name.

After Uli lost the first challenge, Rizo was chosen to compete against the winning tribe’s representative, Alex, for essential supplies. Hina received flint, a pot, and a machete, while Uli and the other losing tribe had to send someone to battle for resources. Rizo reluctantly volunteered, worried a puzzle would be his downfall. Unfortunately, his fears came true: the challenge involved collecting and opening coconuts for puzzle pieces, then assembling a map and digging up a ship’s wheel. Rizo struggled throughout, falling behind in collecting coconuts, performing poorly on the puzzle itself, and even failing to open one coconut, putting him at a significant disadvantage. He was three puzzle pieces short and ultimately faced a difficult and disheartening defeat.

Alex was having trouble locating a key piece of the puzzle, which gave Rizo a chance to peek at his competitor’s progress. While not against the rules – the show’s producers would have intervened if it were – Rizo wasn’t actually solving the puzzle himself. When Alex briefly returned to check his map, he noticed Rizo trying to copy his work and dramatically collapsed onto the puzzle, momentarily stopping him. However, Alex then went back to digging without dismantling his puzzle, leaving Rizo free to cheat again. Rizo happily admitted, “He didn’t break it! I’m going to cheat again!” and eagerly resumed copying Alex’s work.

Rizo steadily starts to succeed, eventually finding his missing puzzle piece by copying Alex. Then, because Alex struggles with digging, Rizo manages to get his wheel first, making a surprising comeback. What’s truly charming is how genuinely excited he is about it. He becomes emotional when talking to the cameras and his tribe, sharing that his parents are Albanian immigrants who work as custodians, and he was the first in his family to go to college. He explains they always wanted him to achieve the American Dream, and he just wanted to make them proud. His sincerity feels authentic, and his joy at winning supplies for his tribe seems genuine. This honesty impresses his tribemate Nate, who later decides to align with Rizo, believing Rizo is unaware of his own potential.

Ever since his name was announced, RizGod has faced a lot of criticism. Many fans questioned why someone with a silly TikTok name was even on *Survivor*. However, after his introductory video was released, the reaction on Reddit changed completely – people admitted they didn’t dislike him. This was partly because he doesn’t seem like the typical ambitious social media personality you might expect, given his nickname. He doesn’t come across as someone trying to gain followers through the show; he just seems like a genuinely enthusiastic and slightly awkward person who naturally uses internet slang. He’s not intentionally trying to be difficult or annoying; he’s just a bit of a goofball. Even when he tries to play strategically, it comes across as clumsy rather than malicious.

In *Survivor*, setting someone up as a seemingly good person often creates the opportunity for them to be tempted into playing a more cutthroat game. This season, Rizo was introduced as a charming and energetic player, and now it’s fascinating to see if he’ll abandon his positive image and start making deceptive moves. It’s similar to how Carolyn from season 43 was initially presented as a quirky, honest person who then had to navigate a world of lies and strategy. Will Rizo prove capable of becoming a villain? Is he easily influenced by more cunning players? I’m eager to see how it all unfolds.

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2025-09-25 05:54