Ozzy Lusth Says 'I Blew It' After Brutal 'Survivor 50' Blindside (Exclusive)
Ozzy Lusth was brutally blindsided with an idol in his pocket, suffering the same Survivor fate he faced 18 years earlier in Micronesia. The emotional episode featured a split Tribal Council twist that also saw Emily Flippen's torch snuffed.
The five-time player called not playing his idol "one of the worst decisions I've made in my entire life," exclusively telling Men's Journal, "It was an honor playing with Cirie [Fields] up to this point. It was an honor. And the fact that the one Tribal where I don't have my girl on my side is when I blow it, it's just like, "All right, kid, you got to go back to Survivor school."
In his exit interview with MJ, Ozzy opens up about why he ignored his gut instinct, his frustration with ally Rizo Velovic for flipping on their alliance, and the role Cirie played as the "glue" holding the group together. He also reflects on the emotional family scene involving his father and his unlikely bond with Rick Devens.
Scroll down to read the full interview with Ozzy.
Men's Journal: That was a brutal way to go out, with an idol in your pocket. How are you feeling today?
Ozzy Lusth: Oh, man, I don't know, a little bit numb. Honestly, I've had 10 months to think about what I'm gonna say when I get the chance to talk to all of you. So I don't know if that even is enough time to prepare for the regret that I felt. Re-watching probably one of the worst decisions I've made in my entire life.
Men's Journal: Who did you feel most betrayed by?
Ozzy Lusth: Oh, my, the old brain right here, the old brain, what tricked me? Yeah, because I'm sitting there, woke up in the morning, had a nightmare that I was at Ponderosa coach, and Stephenie were like, What are you doing here? And so that was how my day started, and I knew that I was in trouble. You know, the challenge happens. We go, with the twist and all that. And I'm telling myself, Okay, well, this is probably going to be an easy vote. Aubrey, obviously, is the snake in the grass that everyone's been talking about getting the middle out. And she's the middle. So I just think that these guys are, like, not thinking too hard about it, but I'm having all these bad feelings, like I'm watching people talking on the beach too long. I'm like, What are they talking about? It's like an obvious slam dunk. So I'm having these feelings, and I know, and I'm saying to myself, I'm playing the idol. I told Aubrey my freaking plan. You know, it's like, you don't tell someone your plan unless you have a really sure fire way of ensuring that you're going to stick around, that they're going to go to the jury. That's great jury management, but only if you play the idol. So I just let myself get a little too cerebral. I listen to my brain when I should have been listening to my heart.
Men's Journal: Did the fact that you've made it to the end before without getting the votes have anything to do with why you went to Aubry for jury management?
Ozzy Lusth: Oh, it had 100 percent to do with it. I wanted her to know. Because, look, if she had gone home, I played the idol. Regardless of what happens, whatever information she got from me, it was all going to come to light the moment that our tribes came back together. Because people would say, "Where did Cirie get the extra vote? Oh, Ozzy gave her the extra vote. Oh, Ozzy and Cirie had been working together this whole time." So in my mind, I'm thinking, I'm going to get ahead of this. I'm going to get, not only am I going to get Aubrey on my side, but I'm also going to show that I am being honest at some point, and that, you know, I obviously know that if you go back to camp, Cirie's got the extra vote. She's been working with me this whole time. You know, our games are now obvious. So the only move, in my opinion, is to be to be honest about it. But again, you have to be honest with playing the idol and sticking around.
Men's Journal: Talk to me about your reaction to last night, because you and Cirie have a long history and worked closely this game.
Ozzy Lusth: I just feel so bad that I am not going to be around to potentially provide a number of in support for for Rizo and for Cirie. That's why I think that the move Rizo's move to not tell me it actually really hurts his game, because now, all of a sudden, he's opened himself up to vulnerability. He's shown that he can't be trusted. Crossing Cirie is maybe not the smartest thing to do at any point in this game. So yeah, I mean, look, I it was an honor playing with Cirie up to this point. It was an honor. And the fact that the one Tribal where I don't have my girl on my side is when I blow it, it's just like, all right, kid, you got to go back to survivor school, go watch a series tape, you know, and see how to really play this game. Yeah, I blew it, for sure.
Men's Journal: Where do you and Rizo stand today and how hurt were you by his decision?
Ozzy Lusth: I mean, I was hurt by his decision more so because I just think it was as someone who's a student of the game. I think he made one of the worst decisions you could make by going against your like ride or die alliance in that way, unless you have a really good backup plan, unless you have a really, like, obvious way to the end. I don't see Rizo doing well sitting next to really anyone who's still playing in this game. Rizo is a kind of one dimensional player. He's a number for Cirie and I. He talks this big strategic game, and he sure as hell has a great opinion of himself. I mean, self-proclaimed RizGod, right? But he doesn't like camp life. He doesn't like the nature. He doesn't like, actually like the jungle part of, you know, the like nature part of Survivor. Sorry, he's really just loves to hear himself talk and go to Tribal Council. So I think that it's, it's it, if you're, if you're trying to add, you're trying to add moves to your resume, yeah, voting me out on paper, it looks like a good move. I don't think it's a smart move, though, personally.
Men's Journal: Was Cirie the glue holding you and Rizo together?
Ozzy Lusth: Cirie was the glue, 100 percent, she was the one who vouched for Rizo. She's the reason why I trusted Rizo, why I didn't kind of look a little harder at the ways that he was playing and how he was playing and why, in the end, again, this is where the calculus kind of messed me up. Is I'm doing these, you know, I'm going through the thought process when, really I just needed to say, You know what, don't think, just feel, and your feeling is right. My gut was right. And I, you know, that's how you learn.
Men's Journal: What was it like watching that beautiful scene about your father? Are you happy it was included in the edit?
Ozzy Lusth: At the end of the day, yeah, I'm happy that they included it. It is hard to watch. It does create this sort of difficult conversations with my dad, who raised me, who's not my father, but who's the one, who's who's been there for me, who kind of was left out of this conversation. And I do feel bad about that, because there's only so much that you can tell me, not a very complex family history. So the fact that he didn't really get the respect and the, you know, for me, just to say, you know, my father wasn't around, but my dad was there for me and, you know, and that that got left out of the Edit, and that's kind of difficult for him to see, to watch, to think that I didn't bring it up, and I did, but it didn't make it. I wouldn't change it for anything. I think that it's a conversation starter for so many people around the world that identify with, you know, problems with their parents or with their kids, and it's a way for, hopefully, for things to change for some people.
Men's Journal: It was also nice to see you connect with Devens. You seemed to have an affinity for each other despite not really working together.
Ozzy Lusth: Devins and I, we had an absolute blast together. Like, I really love him as a player. He's was hard to play with because he wouldn't really let me in. I tried. I really did. I was trying to connect with Christian and Devens from the very beginning. I've said this before, like I felt really jealous of their their little bromance, like I was trying to weasel my way in. They're like, "Nah, man, we're not trying to do a threesome. It's just the two of us." But I love playing with Devens, and he's so much fun, and he's funny, and he loves the game so much, and he pulls these crazy moves. I love that for him. I don't think anybody saw this, but when we're running for the Blood Moon clue to get out, you know, to go to Exile Island. We're all running through the forest, running like crazy. And Devens and I, we're heading the same direction. And I was trying. I was like, "Devens, let's work together. Let's work together. How about this? If you find it, I'll share it with you. If I find it, I'll share." And he was like, "I'm doing my own thing." So he took off. Luckily, I found the clue and he ended up being safe. But like, I was trying to work with him for most of the game, and then when it really mattered, we were split up. I couldn't work with him, even if I wanted to at that point.
Men's Journal: Having a public idol for so long, did you ever feel pressure to just flush it and get rid of it?
Ozzy Lusth: I felt the pressure constantly, and I almost played it at least three times, but, you know, I got desensitized because I kept being safe, and then you think he can push it again, and then you think you can push it again, and that's where you get messed up, because your mind starts making up excuses. And really, it's just about that, you know, your mind makes up the excuses when you should just listen to the heart.
Men's Journal: Was winning challenges on your mind a lot, or were you more focused on the social game this time?
Ozzy Lusth: I really didn't care about the challenges as much as I have in the past. It was not that important to me, really. I mean, I started off the game and I went on a tremendous losing streak. And, you know, sometimes losing, sometimes in Survivor, when you lose, you actually win, and it's a really weird way to wrap your head around the game, but you gotta go to Tribal Council and you gotta vote people off for one but in that first challenge, the Fight for Supplies challenge, I ended up losing, but then I ended up gaining an extra vote that saved Cirie's life last night. So by losing, I showed that there's a way to, like, Tai Chi yourself into a better position through the loss. And I've not won the game through winning challenges. So I wanted to do it different.
Men's Journal: If Survivor calls again, are you going back?
Ozzy Lusth: I mean, listen, I would never say no to Survivor, but I'm looking at more like Australian Survivor, the real one. Now that's like 50 days. Aside from that, I am working on a project, an eco resort, that has a Survivor hook to it, and hopefully that's going to come online in the next year or so, if I can get my investors to, you know, pony up the cash. Found this amazing piece of property on the beach, and I want to be able to bring the Survivor experience to fans, so you can come down, hang out with me. We'll play mini version of the game, or maybe I just teach you how to spear fish and make fire and climb a coconut tree. But the bottom line is, the Survivor is such an ingrained part of my life and has been that I really want to let other people have a little taste of the glory.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 18, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
2026 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
This story was originally published May 18, 2026 at 12:19 PM.