Survivor 49 Preseason Interview: Rizo Velovic

RHAP: We Know Survivor

Survivor Know-It-All, Rob Cesternino

After Shows, Tv & Film, Tv Reviews

4.8 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 23 August 2025

⏱️ 38 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Survivor 49 Preseason Interview: Rizo Velovic
Mike Bloom (@AMikeBloomType) is here to chat to the cast of Survivor 49! Join us to learn a bit about the 18 new castaways to be tested on the islands of Fiji.
Mike Bloom sits down with Rizo Velovic, the self-proclaimed “Riz God,” in this preseason interview for Survivor 49. As the first player of Albanian descent in the show’s history, Rizo brings a unique perspective and infectious enthusiasm to the game.
Rizo shares his journey from Survivor superfan to contestant, detailing how his immigrant background and experience raising his autistic brother have shaped his approach to the game. He discusses his strategy of presenting a more subdued version of himself to fellow players while embracing his “Riz God” persona in confessionals.
Mike and Rizo discuss:
• Plans to leverage his people skills and empathy to form strong alliances
• Compares potential tribemates to past Survivor players, including “Canadian Conor McGregor”
• Advocates for the return of the “Touchy Subjects” challenge to create organic drama
• Aims to play a strategic game worthy of being remembered as a Survivor great
• Expresses caution about actively searching for advantages early in the game
As Rizo prepares to hit the beach, he’s determined to make his mark on Survivor history. Will his “dream big, dream bigger” mentality propel him to victory, or will his larger-than-life personality make him an early target?
Chapters:
0:00 Introducing Rizo Velovic
4:40 Rizo’s Journey to Survivor
8:37 The Birth of “Rizo God”
12:02 Rizo’s Survivor Inspirations
15:10 Rizo’s Albanian Immigrant Background
18:20 Rizo’s Superpower and Kryptonite
22:08 Analyzing Fellow Contestants
26:54 Rizo’s Approach to Advantages
29:21 Rizo’s Hot Survivor Take
31:44 Rizo’s Criteria for Jury Voting
34:18 Rizo’s Dream Loved Ones Visit
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Transcript

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0:00.0	I'll now hand you over to my best man, Eddie.
0:04.0	Wow, wow, wow, second time's a charm, eh, Billy Boy?
0:09.0	Oh God.
0:10.0	Substitution, courtesy of Paddy Power, embarrassing Eddie, makes way for sensible Samuel.
0:15.0	Cool, that was close.
0:16.0	You might not always pick the right starter, but your sub can still deliver.
0:19.0	Because with Paddy's super sub, your bet rolls over to the player coming on. Paddy Power. Valid on selected leagues and
0:24.3	markets only. Pre-match and in-play bets on qualifying player outcome selections only. T's and Cs and
0:27.8	exclusions apply. 18 plus scummelaware.org. Hi, everybody.
0:39.6	Mike Bloom here and welcome to day three of our Survivor 49 preseason interviews here on RHAP.
0:48.8	Today, we are talking with Rizzo Velovic, or as he refers to be known as, at least to us,
0:57.1	the man, the myth, the legend, R-I-Z-G-O-D-R-I-Z-G-O-D-R-G-G-G-G-G-G-G-G-G-G-B, baby. We will approach the altar at the
1:07.7	RizGod's temple, hear a bit about his own background, his fandom with the show,
1:13.5	and why he feels he's deserving of this Deneres Targaryen-like title.
1:19.6	Of course, if you missed it, I already have conversations out with Rizzo's fellow tribe members,
1:24.8	Joanne and Nate.
1:26.8	If you want to avoid missing future interview a podcast,
1:30.2	you can go to we know survivor.com to subscribe to our survivor only feed
1:34.7	and watch RHAP.com or search Rob has a podcast in YouTube for the video versions of these interviews.
1:43.5	Here is what you need to Nizzo about Rizzo.
1:48.3	I am so sorry for that.
1:51.3	Moving on, Rizzo Velovic is 25 years old,
	...

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