The finalist dropped the names of two of four castaways who allegedly participated in pregaming before the show started.
Key Points
- Sage Ahrens-Nichols accused Sophi Balerdi and Jake Latimer of pregaming on ‘Survivor 49.’
- Two contestants were removed after a rules violation, allegedly reported by Kristina Mills.
- Ahrens-Nichols urged accountability but discouraged fans from sending hate toward accused players.
Survivor 49 finalist Sage Ahrens-Nichols just accused two of her co-stars of cheating.
In August, Survivor host Jeff Probst revealed that two alternates — Jason Treul and Michelle “MC” Chukwujekwu — entered the game only 12 hours before filming started after two castaways were kicked off for a rules violation.
Before the Survivor game starts, the 16 castaways and two alternates stay at Ponderosa — a sequester location on the island where the jury lives at before choosing the winner.
However, before the show starts, contestants are strictly forbidden from talking to each other so that alliances don’t form pre-game. The castaways who were cut from the season broke this rule, though it is unclear exactly what they discussed.
Previously, Ahrens-Nichols claimed that four other castaways, in addition to the two that were booted from the season, were involved in the pregaming. Initially, she didn’t provide names of the offenders, but now, she’s naming two castaways who allegedly participated: Sophi Balerdi and Jake Latimer.
In an unlisted video posted to YouTube on Monday, Jan. 5, Ahrens-Nichols alleges that Balerdi and Latimer — who both began the game on the Kele tribe — met up with other castaways secretly at night and engaged in conversations while on boats to and from media days.
She added that she wasn’t comfortable sharing the name of the third offender, as she did not witness any pregaming from this individual firsthand, but rather heard about it from her co-stars. As for the fourth person, Ahrens-Nichols refused to share the name as she believed they demonstrated a “willingness to learn and grow” and they were not an instigator of the conversations.
Ahrens-Nichols also claimed to know why two of the cheaters were removed from the show. According to her, the two contestants were removed after Kristina Mills allegedly reported them to production after hearing of a plan for her to be the first boot from the Hina tribe.
The finalist noted that she is sharing this information to validate those whose games were impacted by the pregaming, but made it clear that she isn’t encouraging fans to send hate towards anyone’s way.
She also directly addressed Latimer, saying that if he tried to message her with any threats, she would release more information about his alleged bad behavior on the island.
“I want to give you this opportunity to take accountability for the pregaming, and maybe maybe that helps you to pause and reflect on your actions as a whole, so that you course correct some things,” Ahrens-Nichols said. “I think that everybody has the ability and capacity to be a better human. I’m not saying that you’re a s–t human. I am saying that you did some sh–ty things.”
During the 49 finale, Ahrens-Nichols made it to the Final Tribal Council, where she placed in third. Balerdi came in second while Savannah Louie was crowned the Sole Survivor.
Latimer was medically evacuated on Day 6 after he was bitten by a venomous sea krait, placing 16th.
