A former St. Louis television anchor is the latest winner of CBS’ long-running reality competition series Survivor.
Savannah Louie, who previously worked as an anchor and reporter at KSDK from 2019 to 2021, was crowned the “Sole Survivor” during Wednesday night’s season 49 finale, earning the $1 million grand prize after outlasting 17 other contestants in Fiji.
Louie secured the win in a historic all-female Final Tribal Council, defeating Sophi Balerdi and Sage Ahrens-Nichols by a 5-2-1 jury vote. It marked the first time since 2014 that three women reached the final stage of the game.
Her path to the title included tying the show’s record for most individual immunity wins by a woman in a single season, claiming four necklaces along the way. Louie also won a decisive fire-making challenge to earn her spot in the finale before convincing the jury with a balanced case built around strategy, social awareness, and challenge performance.
Since leaving local television, Louie has transitioned into a marketing content role and built a strong social media presence documenting her Survivor experience. She is set to return to the franchise as a contestant on Survivor season 50, which premieres in February.