Survivor’s Ozzy Lusth Wanted to Be Part of the Best Final Tribal Ever

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Spoilers ahead for last week’s episode of Survivor.

Ozzy Lusth’s journey on Survivor has been particularly memorable. When he first appeared in 2006 on Survivor: Cook Islands (a season known for its controversial tribal divisions), he was a young, physically strong player who excelled at challenges and providing for camp. However, he struggled with the social and strategic parts of the game, leading to his elimination in each of his first four attempts. By the time he returned for Survivor 50, he’d matured and become more self-aware. Despite being one of the most successful competitors in terms of challenge wins and time played, his overall record was mixed due to being blindsided, making mistakes with idols, and receiving a lot of elimination votes. This time, Ozzy focused on building relationships with other players—a touching conversation with Rick Devens about fatherhood stood out—hoping to improve his strategic game, which he admitted was a weakness. He decided to align himself with Cirie Fields, widely considered one of the most strategic and charismatic players ever. It proved to be a good move, as Cirie and Rizo Velovic helped protect him from being voted out on several occasions.

Ozzy’s game ended dramatically with a late-game surprise that split him up from Cirie. After that, he shared too much information with players outside of his alliance and was unexpectedly voted out, looking visibly upset as Jeff Probst extinguished his torch—possibly for good. Even though the tribal council was emotional and he regrets how things turned out, Ozzy takes full responsibility for his game and feels content with his fifth time playing. He told Vulture that he felt fortunate to play with such interesting people and that getting to know them personally made the experience worthwhile.

I saw you were at Parvati Shallow’s Survivor drag event last night – it looked like a blast! I didn’t even know it was happening. Parvati actually invited me around eight o’clock, since I was in New York, and then Cirie texted me too. I’ve always loved drag – I first experienced it in New Orleans and was blown away by the incredible performances and creativity. The things those performers come up with are just amazing.

It’s wonderful to see that you, Parvati, and Cirie are still close friends after all this time. I spoke with Parvati a couple of years ago while filming The Traitors, and she mentioned how her connection with Survivor fans had evolved, feeling more accepted by a new, younger audience. It sounds like your relationship with the fans has changed too – there’s been so much support for you this season!

I think people are connecting with seeing me grow from being seen as a simple player into someone with more depth. When it came down to making strategic moves on my own, I really messed up. I don’t put the blame on anyone else for that; I got so close, but that last 10% – not playing the idol – completely ruined my game. I was planning to use it all day, but somehow, during the two hours between leaving the beach and going to Tribal Council, I overthought things and convinced myself I could make it through one more round.

I quickly regretted sharing so much of my strategy with Aubrey, especially if I wasn’t going to use the immunity idol. However, I was planning to play it. It was a frustrating outcome for me, but I learned a valuable lesson about trusting my gut and understanding how my mind makes decisions.

I understand you might feel bad about not using idols effectively, but it’s a common mistake – they’re really tricky to play well. You actually found and played a good number of them during your time on the show. Could you talk about what it feels like to discover an idol, keep it hidden, and then try to use it at the right moment, both emotionally and strategically?

Honestly, I’m not the best person to ask. I never really got it right. The one time I tried, with Cochran in South Pacific, we played it on the wrong person, which completely changed the game for Coach. But finding an idol is such a rush – it feels amazing. And in 50, there were so many conflicting feelings. When I first found it, I thought, This is perfect, this will get me to the end! But then I learned it was a boomerang idol. I don’t know who sent it to me, but if I didn’t play it correctly and got voted out, it would go back to them. That gave me a reason to consider blindsiding someone. If Genevieve hadn’t been voted out, she could have blindsided Rizo and taken the idol.

The main worry was everyone finding out I had the immunity idol – I couldn’t keep it hidden. I nearly used it during tribal council before the last episode. I considered it a good moment to play because there was a lot happening. Thankfully, when Jeff asked if anyone had an idol they wanted to use, I tried to respond, but he didn’t hear me because I didn’t speak up loud enough. He just continued talking, so I decided to stay quiet.

It was really tough. Rizo and Cirie had been looking out for me, but then Rizo decided to shake things up and eliminate a major player, hoping it would benefit him. I still question that decision, though I admit I’m probably not being objective.

Everyone seemed to really enjoy the “Cirie’s Rizard of Oz” alliance – did you see the reaction online? I’m curious to hear what people thought, knowing how things eventually played out. I was hesitant about Rizo at first, but Cirie believed in him, so I decided to trust her judgment. I’m thrilled with how the fans responded, and I think we came up with a really memorable alliance name. It’s going to be one of those alliances people talk about for years, and I take full responsibility for how it ultimately ended – I’m not pointing fingers at anyone else.

I’ve often challenged Rizo in interviews because he reminds me of my younger self. Early in my gameplay, I was very focused on just one thing, but it was the opposite of Rizo’s strength. He’s incredibly social, but that’s pretty much all he focuses on. He doesn’t seem interested in the camp experience or appreciating the beauty of Fiji – I can’t picture him stopping to admire the scenery. I think part of that is because he’s already spent a long time in these conditions and lost a lot of weight, and he doesn’t even eat much. My advice to Rizo would be to develop other aspects of his game. While being good at challenges is important, he needs to demonstrate that he’s a well-rounded player who can truly outwit, outplay, and outlast everyone. I like him a lot, but I want to see him improve.

Alliances often fall apart, but yours with Cirie surprisingly lasted, even though you both were major threats. People are puzzled by your decision to bring her to the final tribal council, because most believe you’d lose to her. I have to wonder if you genuinely thought you could win against her. I was aiming for the most epic final tribal ever – a close vote where, even if I lost, I’d be proud of how I played. I’d be honored to lose to a player as legendary as Cirie, and I wanted to be the one who helped her reach the end. Of course, I wanted the $2 million and the win for myself, but if it wasn’t going to be me, I wanted Cirie to win. I was willing to take that chance and stick with our alliance. My plan was to bring Cirie and Rizo to the end with me.

Even though there’s a possibility of returning to the show, looking back on how things played out this season, are you satisfied with how your game unfolded? While I wish the ending had been different, I’m really proud of my journey. I’m thankful the show captured my growth as a person and a player – they really highlighted that evolution. As for the future, who knows what will happen? I doubt Jeff Probst will retire anytime soon, but maybe I’ll be back for season 60, even as an older player!

If I could be on any reality show, I’d probably choose Australian Survivor. I think it would be a great way to demonstrate how much my gameplay has evolved, and I like the idea of a longer season. The Amazing Race would also be amazing – I’ve done a lot of traveling, so I think I’d be good at it. Plus, a lot of my friends from college have been on The Traitors, which seems really fun. Really, I’m up for anything!

Maybe you could guest judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race. 
Oh, that would be amazing.

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2026-05-13 00:55