Survivor Edge of Extinction: Ranking the top five players of the season

2) Rick Devens

No one was more entertaining to watch this season that Devens. He won four individual Immunities, found a record-breaking four Hidden Immunity idols, fought his way back from the Edge of Extinction, and delivered the best Survivor news reports.

With a resume like that, you might be wondering, why isn’t he number one on this list? Although he played a strong, showy game, he only made a real impact on Tribal Councils during the last few votes. For the first seven Tribal Councils following the merge, Devens was only on the right side of the votes twice!

A perfect example is the Final Seven Tribal Council. This is when Ron gave his expired Advantage Menu to Rick. Now Devens wisely played his idol and saved himself, but he still wasn’t able to send home the person he voted for. It turns out that Rick had little control over any other castaway. Even his relationship with Julie didn’t help him.

His social game suffered not only because of his strong threat status but also due to the fact he played for the jury. As much as the jury members and the viewers are entertained by idol theatrics, the remaining castaways couldn’t stand that behavior. Rick only isolated himself, forcing him to rely on idols and necklaces to make it to the end.

Ok, enough hating on Devens, he played a remarkable game that few Survivor castaways can replicate. Surviving so long while being the clear target to get out isn’t easy at all. Not only did he clutch it out during several challenges, but he kept up his positive, humorous attitude throughout the entire season, creating a character that we would love to see again.