Ozzy Lusth has spent more days on the beaches of Survivorthan almost anyone in the show’s 26-year history, but even a legend has to evolve to survive this “New Era.”
Returning for his fifth time on Survivor 50, the restaurant owner, 44, isn’t just battling his longtime reputation—he’s facing players he believes have had it “easy” compared to his grueling past seasons. “You don’t even have to eat in 26 days,” he exclusively told Men’s Journal during a preseason interview on location in Fiji. “A lot of us old cchool players look at the new school players like…’back in my day, I used to walk uphill both ways to school.'”
Despite the generational gap, Lusth is heading into the milestone season with a rather humble strategy. Known for decades as the ultimate “challenge beast,” he’s ready to let a younger crop of threats like Jonathan Young and Joe Hunter stand in the line of fire. “I’m happy to let those guys sort of implode,” he admitted. “I don’t look like a big, strong, tough dude anymore. I’m happy to let the big targets take the heat.”
This shift isn’t just about physical strength either. For the first time, Lusth is looking to move away from the “Ozzy” persona—the jungle-boy character he built to survive the game—and play as “Oscar,” a more socially intuitive version of himself.
That intuition involves navigating a web of connections on the cast, including his historically complicated relationship with South Pacific cast mate Benjamin “Coach” Wade. “I hope that we can squash our beef, whatever there is between us in the past,” Lusth admitted. While he worries the “Dragon Slayer” might still hold a vendetta, Lusth also has his sights set on Cirie [Fields], a fellow Game Changers player he respects as having “the best social game of anyone playing right now.”
For him, Survivor 50 represents unfinished business and getting “poetic justice” against the faster, shorter modern game. He’s also looking for one thing that has eluded him across five season of play: an unbreakable alliance. “I want to be really connected,” he said. “You can’t get to the end in the game in a season like this without really, really strong alliances.”
Below, Lusth opens up more about living in the mountains of Mexico, squashing his beef with Coach, and why he’s ready to let new era players take the heat.
Men’s Journal: This is your fifth time out here. Was it like if Survivor calls, I’m going, or did you have to think about it?
Ozzy Lusth: The only thing I had to think about was whether or not I could negotiate them to pay me half a million dollars to come out. No, there was no way they were gonna. Look, I think Jeff [Probst] said it best. They started with a list of 700 people, and they went down to 100 people. Then they went down to 50 people. So if I wasn’t going to do it, somebody else was going to give their left arm to take my spot. More than that, it has just been part of my life for 20 years, off and on. Out of all the people here today, I probably played the most days, which could be a liability if that gets out to people. But at the same time, there’s winners here. There’s also some big, giant Goliath guys here. I think that I’ve got this—I’m sitting in a good spot. But the short answer is, there was no way in hell I would let this opportunity pass me by.
Men’s Journal: Obviously, you’ve played with some of these people out here. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?
Ozzy Lusth: The people that I’ve played with—Coach [Benjamin Wade], Cirie [Fields], and Aubry [Bracco]—unfortunately, I never got a chance to really play with Aubry. We were on different tribes when we came together. There was only a few days when I was voted out, and we never really had a chance to even connect or anything. And Cirie as well. We were on the same tribe for a minute together, but I had other alliances, and I was trying to get something else going, and I had a big fear of Cirie back then. I’ll be honest, out of all the people here, Cirie is probably the most intuitive of anyone. I think that she’s got the best social game of anyone playing right now.
And then Coach, yeah, Coach is also a character. I didn’t know Coach before I played with him, and then I went back and have watched his seasons. The guy’s a character, and he’s got a big personality, and he does play a way that I appreciate. Unfortunately, we couldn’t make it work to play together in a way that would have been a really great season. I feel like, I hope that we can squash our beef, whatever there is between us in the past. I just want to be cool with him, because he could also be a really valuable ally. And if not, maybe he’s got a vendetta to make sure that I don’t win, because he maybe blames me for the fact that he didn’t win his season. So we’ll see. I’m sure we’re gonna have words at some point if we do meet each other in the game.
Men’s Journal: Do you see it going old school versus new school? Or do you think people are going to mix it up?
Ozzy Lusth: I could see how it could go old school, new school. I think the biggest factor is going to be how the tribes get divvied up in the beginning. If they’re divvied up in a responsible way, then it won’t necessarily be possible for old versus new to happen, because it’ll be a good smattering across all of the seasons. I do think the new school is probably going to come with a little bit of a chip on their shoulder. They’ve got something to prove, because they’re playing a faster, much shorter game that doesn’t wear on you. You don’t even have to eat in 26 days, you’ll be fine. A lot of us old school players look at the new school players like, “You guys got it easy. Back in my day, I used to walk uphill both ways to school.” So there’s going to be some jokes and some of that, but there’s also going to be that chip. I would love nothing more than to go to the end with a bunch of old school players. I think that would be poetic justice when we show them how it’s done.
It’s kind of like any of the Fans vs. Favorites seasons, where all of us Favorites were like, “We’re not going to let any fans win,” and we didn’t. But then you look at Heroes vs. Villains and the Heroes all said, “We’re not going to let a Villain win,” and sure enough–I think Parvati [Shallow] should have won that season–but Sandra [Diaz-Twine] won. I’m bummed that Parvati is not out here, but we got Parvati 5.0—Savannah [Louie]. She’s one of the unknowns that we don’t know, but she looks like a little mini Parvati.
Men’s Journal: You’re picking up vibes in Ponderosa?
Ozzy Lusth: It’s the only thing to do in Ponderosa is eat and check everyone out and suss out what they—like, I’ve already started building the character of Savannah and Rizo [Velovic] in my mind. We suddenly saw a quick snippet of him before we blasted off, but they’re the big unknown factors in this game. Everybody else, we all know each other. We all know each other’s reputations, inside and outside of the games. We go to charity events together. We party together. We’ve gotten drunk together. Deciphering the connections—the 5D web of connections that everybody has—is going to be a huge part of this game. Like, “Okay, these people, they’re cool outside. How cool are they? Are they super best friends outside the game?”
There’s a couple triples that played seasons together. We’ve got Mike White, Angelina [Keeley], and Christian [Hubicki]. Angelina and Mike White made it to the end. Mike White almost won, and he’s got the big mojo juice of being the No. 1 coolest director/creator of a show in recent memory. He’s like a pop culture icon. I would love nothing more than to play with Mike White. He’s such a badass. And Nacho Libre is my favorite movie. “Sometimes a man must wear stretchy pants.” It’s just a dream come true.
Just back to Savannah and Rizo—everybody’s got a huge target on their back going in. Whether you’re a big, giant dude like Jonathan [Young], or someone like me who’s played five times. I was a challenge beast at one point; maybe I’m past my prime. We’ll see. Then you have people like Dee [Valladares] and Kyle [Fraser] and Kamilla [Karthigesu] and Joe [Hunter]. Oh my god, we would be crazy to let any of them get close to the end, because they’re just a powerhouse. And obviously, they’re best friends. We just watched them be like the “kumbaya” season of Survivor, and now they’re out here playing together.
Men’s Journal: Who are you looking to align with, and who are you looking at like, “I don’t really want to work with this person”?
Ozzy Lusth: Look, I’d rather the devil I know. When it comes down to who I want to align with, I want to align with people that I… in this game more than any other game of Survivor, it’s really going to come down to trust and loyalty. The backstabbing and making big moves—there’s going to be a big place for that, but without having a couple strong people that you know you can rely on…I’m gonna take a lot of inspiration from the way that Kyle and Kamilla played their game. I think that they played an amazing game. It was immaculate. Kyle is obviously a challenge beast, a threat, and him being able to play both sides of the game with Kamilla’s help—it was really impressive. I would really like to do something similar to that.
My wish list of alliance members is something like, honestly, Cirie and Mike White, and maybe even Coach. Coach has an ability to persuade people, and he can be an off-putting character. He’s a little bit of an egomaniac in some ways, in a good way, but he really believes that his—I don’t want to say shit don’t stink, but something along those lines. I love the character. I don’t think people would expect him and I working together. I don’t think people would necessarily expect Cirie and I working together. And I certainly don’t think people would expect Mike White to be working with me. So if I can turn on the charm and get Mike White on my side—I’m gonna use this horrific haircut that I gave myself to impress him.
Men’s Journal: Maybe you’ll show up on The White Lotus one day too.
Ozzy Lusth: I could only hope that if anything, Mike White stabbed me in the back but gives me a little role in White Lotus. I think I’d be okay with that. If I lost a million but I got my foot in the door on White Lotus, that’d be pretty cool.
Men’s Journal: Is there anyone you’re thinking like, “I don’t want them on my starting tribe”? Because those tribe divisions will probably be really important in the early game.
Ozzy Lusth: For sure. If I believe any of the gossip that I heard coming out here, it’s going to be three tribes of eight, and I’m sure it’ll be pretty spread out. I would imagine production is not going to put Mike, Angelina, and Christian on the same tribe. I just don’t think that’s going to happen. Same with Q [Burdette], Charlie [Davis], and Tiffany [Ervin].
As far as people that I do not want to work with—look, I think that Rizo may be one of the people, because I don’t know anything about him. The kid probably just turned 18 before he played last season. I don’t know if he’s even hit puberty yet. Maybe that’s a good person to take under my wing and try and make amends for my season that I played with [John] Cochran [on Season 23]. Maybe Rizo could be someone that looks up to me. He looks like he’s a runner; I think he’s like a marathon runner. I’m imagining in my head that he’s like an ultra-marathoner. But he is so picky about food. I watch him, he’s just like beef and rice, and we get sandwiches and he’ll pick out all the veggies. He reminds me of my little brother who will only eat hamburgers and that’s it.
I just want a strong tribe to start. I hope to God that we have a well-rounded tribe that has people that are really hungry to win. I’m open to working with every single person. The way I want to play this game is completely different than the way I’ve ever played before. I was telling one of the producers yesterday that I played this game as “Ozzy,” and my name is Oscar. It’s a character that I kind of have built to sort of get me through the game. It’s only one facet of my personality, and so I’m going to be more… maybe more Oscar.
Men’s Journal: You were known as a challenge beast. Is it kind of nice that there are some big guys here who may take front and center? Maybe people will underestimate you a bit now?
Ozzy Lusth: Oh yeah, for sure. I don’t look like a big, strong, tough dude. I’m kind of in shape a little bit. I’m happy to let the big targets—the Joes, the Jonathans, the Qs—I’m happy to let those guys sort of implode. I’m happy to let them take each other out. But it could also be a really strategic move for me to make alliances with them. If I can find someone who’s maybe not as physical, who has much more of a social intelligence to be aligned with me, maybe it’s a good strategy to be able to hear what the big dudes are saying and then have somebody who’s hearing what everyone else is saying.
Men’s Journal: Did you do any prep before you came out here?
Ozzy Lusth: I live up in the mountains in Mexico now, in a town called Guanajuato. It’s high desert, high altitude. We’re at like 7,000 feet. Most of what I was doing was just taking my dogs on lots of hikes and doing a lot of trail running. You feel like you’re gonna die; the lack of oxygen up there is no joke. I’m hoping that that bleeds through and that I still am able to swim and spearfish, but I haven’t been in the ocean in like a year and a half. Maybe once I went to the beach since I left Los Angeles. I like to think that I’ll be a little rusty, but things will come back.
Men’s Journal: This game has evolved. It’s 26 days now. How are you adapting to that? Are you worried?
Ozzy Lusth: I’m definitely worried about this faster-paced game. If you look at the math, we’re basically going to have to vote somebody out every day, pretty much. I’m guessing that for the first immunity challenge, two tribes are gonna have to go to Tribal Council. We’re gonna have to be ready for everything, and that’s why it’s really key to choose the right person who has a complimentary set of skills that I don’t have. I need to find someone who has the aptitude to decipher social cues better than I am. Hopefully I can put together a nice little crew of people that can get to the end with that aren’t necessarily as physically savvy, so that I can make another run at five individual immunities.
Men’s Journal: Does it worry you that physical threats usually go at the merge?
Ozzy Lusth: I definitely don’t think I’m at threat of going out in the first couple votes, because nobody wants to have a losing team in the beginning. After a couple votes, that’s when it’s really going to get serious. Taking out big threats is going to be part of it; I would even champion that. I would say let’s try and take out some of the biggest threats, like Joe. He’s fresh off of winning four individuals, almost won five. Kyle, even, who’s a winner—he’s a huge physical threat. And Jonathan—Jonathan is probably the biggest guy that’s ever played this game. His arms are bigger than my leg. He’s like a big, giant teddy bear. If he plays the way he played on his season, he could have won the game, but he messed up the fire challenge.
Men’s Journal: What do you think about that Final Four fire-making?
Ozzy Lusth: I love the Final Four fire. I really do. If you go through Survivor, it’s one of the skills that you should have. If you can’t make fire at the end, maybe you shouldn’t win. I think the fans don’t really like it for some reason, so I think that’s one of the things that’s probably going to get nixed. I hope they don’t give us rice, because I think my ability to catch fish will be compromised if they give us rice. I do hope there are idols. I love the fact that idols are a part of the game. It does make it a little more scary, but it also is a lot of fun to look for them. Being able to use them in strategic ways to further your cause—the jury likes to reward stuff like that.
Men’s Journal: Were you ever in the mix for other seasons before this?
Ozzy Lusth: The only time that I was in the mix for another season was for Heroes vs. Villains. Luckily I didn’t go on that season and I got to go on 23 with Coach instead. That was still one of my favorite seasons. It leaves a nice sore spot, but I’m excited to kick some ass at some puzzles and make up for that.
Men’s Journal: Do you feel like you have unfinished business, or is this just for fun?
Ozzy Lusth:Survivor is the greatest adventure game ever made. To be part of it and to have lent my name to some of the records is incredible. But the unfinished business for me, for sure, is developing really, really solid connections with every single person on the season. This is such a big season, such a milestone, that I’d be remiss to lose out on getting to know these people in a deeper way. It sounds corny—a lot of people say “I’m not here to make friends, I’m here to win”—but I really want to be really connected to them. Because I think that you can’t get to the end in a season like this without really, really strong alliances.
The interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Related: Kyle Fraser Admits He’s Worried About the Target on His Back in ‘Survivor 50’ (Exclusive)
