On Wednesday, December 17, 27-year-old entrepreneur Sophi Balerdi will enter the finale of “Survivor 49” with a one-in-five spot at becoming the next “Sole Survivor.”
CBSAfter outlasting a disastrous pre-Merge on her original Kele tribe, including a 12-day stint without food or fire, Sophi managed to turn things around in the post-Merge by partnering with the “Tres Leches” allies Rizo Velovic and Savannah Louie to pull off one of the greatest underdog stories in recent “Survivor” memory.
As a finalist, Balerdi has the numbers on her side to secure a spot at Final Tribal Council, but after fumbling her Knowledge is Power advantage play at Final 6, has she done enough to convince the Jury that she deserves to walk away with the season’s $1 million grand prize?
For now, only time will tell. Until then, here’s five fast facts you need to know about “Survivor 49” finalist Sophi Balerdi.
1. Sophi Balerdi Is of Venezuelan & Cuban Descent
Sopi Balerdi was born in Miami in February 1998. As the eldest daughter of parents who immigrated to the United States from Venezuela and Cuba, as well as being a big sister to three younger siblings – Lui, Joey, and Gaby – Sophi is passionate about her family and her heritage.
Speaking to Miami New Times after being announced for the cast of “Survivor 49,” Balerdi reported that “growing up with immigrant parents and grandparents” prepared her to play the 26-day game in ways she couldn’t have anticipated until she was out there on the islands of Fiji.
“Seeing all of the sacrifices that they make to give you the life you have here in the U.S. – any time I got hungry, I got cold, [or] I was lonely out there, I thought about those sacrifices and I was grateful for the strength that was passed down to me by my family to tough out the ‘Survivor’ experience,” she told the local publication.
Returning to her hometown after filming, Sophi said that, “going on ‘Survivor’ was a symbol of mine and my family’s American Dream,” adding that, if she wins, she’ll use the money to help support her parents, siblings, and grandparents.
2. Sophi Balerdi Started Watching ‘Survivor’ With Her Grandmother
While Sophi Balerdi spoke extensively about the impact her first-generation upbringing had on helping her outlast her “Survivor” journey, she added that she owes her ongoing love of the reality series to her late grandmother.
“I started watching ‘Survivor’ at seven years old with my abuela,” Balerdi told Miami’s New Times. “It’s interesting, because she didn’t speak any English, but she would tell me that the show helped her learn English.”
Ten years later, after her grandmother was diagnosed with dementia, Sophi applied to the show for the first time, reporting that she “wanted to give her something special to watch.”
Tragically, Sophi’s grandmother passed away in 2020. In spite of the loss, Balerdi continued to apply in her memory, eventually landing a spot on the currently-airing season.
“She was a Cuban immigrant, just like a lot of my family,” said Sophi. “And she would say that Jeff Probst was her teacher – but she wished that he was her boyfriend.”
In a separate interview with EW, Sophi added, “My grandmother taught me about the impermanence of life. Before she died, she told me, ‘no esperes para vivir,” which means, ‘don’t wait to live.’ And here I am, on ‘Survivor.’ Our favorite game.”
3. Sophi Balerdi Owns a Cell Phone Repair Business
In between casting cycles, Sophi Balerdi attended Duke University, where she graduated with an MBA in business administration before entering the tech repair industry.
Just a few short years later, Balerdi is now a multi-store owner of CPR Cell Phone Repair, one of the largest mobile repair franchises in the country.
In a pre-season interview with CBS, Sophi said that she was inspired to continue her education after realizing that she wanted to be her own boss.
“I’ve been working since I was 13 years old, and from all the jobs I’ve had, I realized I don’t like working for people,” she revealed. “And so I got my master’s degree in business…Now, I own three businesses and I have 10 employees. They’re all men. They’re all older than me. So I know how to deal with putting people in their place.”
4. Sophi Balerdi Is Engaged to Dentist Gabriel Gonzalez
While Sophi Balerdi might spend her days outside “Survivor” as a boss, she’s also well on her way towards becoming a bride!
In a July 2025 Instagram post, Sophi announced her engagement to Miami-based cosmetic dentist Gabriel Gonzalez, adding that they’d be officially tying the knot in 2026.
“It was always you <3 Best year of my life!” Balerdi captioned the photo with her fiance.
Sophi and Gabriel’s upcoming nuptials follow more than five years after they “hard launched” their relationship on social media in January 2021.
5. Sophi Balerdi Hated Being Called ‘Soph’ on ‘Survivor’
After landing a spot on “Survivor 49,” Sophi Balerdi was surprised to find that she wasn’t the only “Sophi(e)” on the cast.
While it was simple enough to differentiate between Balerdi and castaway Sophie Segreti during the pre-Merge, given that they were never on the same tribe at the same time, things got more difficult once the individual portion of the game began.
Though the cast ultimately decided to refer to Balerdi as “Soph,” allowing Segreti to remain the sole “Sophie,” Balerdi has since opened up about her feelings about the nickname on social media.
“It wasn’t my favorite, if you couldn’t tell from my face,” she said in an Instagram video posted earlier this month, adding that she would’ve preferred “Blue Sophi” and “Yellow Sophie” instead.
Be sure to tune in to the “explosive” three-hour finale of “Survivor 49” on CBS, tonight, Wednesday, December 17, at 8:00pm ET, to see if Sophi Balerdi can emerge victorious as this season’s “Sole Survivor.”
