One thing is for certain: Rick Devens came to play on Survivor 50. He's not even trying to hide it. After his incredibly bold move in episode 10, “A Side Dish of Chaos,” Rick let everyone know he'll do just about anything to pursue the title of Sole Survivor for this historic 50th season.
Rick connected early in the season with Christian Hubicki, and they worked together until the latter's departure in episode 9. Both were playing hard, but Christian's aggressive play cost him a chance to win by landing him a seat on the jury.
And this week, Rick was a coin flip away from joining him. Because of his own assertive playing style, his ability to find idols, and his craftiness, he is often mentioned in conversations to be voted out.
What will happen if Rick Devens is in the Final Three on Survivor 50?
Rick seemed like an easy vote in episode 10. At the beginning of the episode, he revealed the idol he pulled from the rocks to save himself in episode 8 was a fake, having planted it there early in the season. Everyone on the beach already knew he was a big threat, but as is often the case, players tend to overlook the easy vote. They start thinking about their resume, and it isn't a feather in anyone's cap if everyone wants to vote the same person out.
So taking his eye off sitting duck Rick, Jonathan Young hatched a plan to blindside Ozzy Lusth. He first tossed out the idea to Aubry Bracco and Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick. Thinking he had a golden opportunity, he told Rick, and they started gathering votes. But then Joe Hunter, who is aligned with Jonathan, told Cirie Fields, with whom he tries to curry favor.
That's when things got crazy. Cirie Fields is closely allied with Ozzy and Rizo Velovic, and she doesn't want Ozzy going anywhere (yet). She immediately tells Ozzy, who becomes upset because he thinks Stephenie is behind it. Things spiral out of control, and several players have their names bandied about in a chaotic pre-Tribal Council scramble.
At Tribal Council, Rick knew that through all the chaos at camp, he was back on the chopping block. He decides to tell everyone that the plan to oust Ozzy came from Stephenie and that she had a steal-a-vote advantage. His play was that he was the vote to use to get out Stephenie, who he's painted as Cirie's truer adversary.
Then came the big twist. Earlier in the day, the players learned that MrBeast was going to provide a Beware Advantage at Tribal Council. And that night, it's revealed that the players have to select someone to flip a coin. If the player calls it correctly, that person will be safe and given an idol. In addition, the $1 million prize will double. If the person loses the coin flip, they will go home.
Because he's played the game so hard up to this point, Rick volunteered, and no one else seemed serious about taking that chance. Rick flipped the coin, won immunity, and doubled the prize. It was a brave move, but he knew that. Stephenie was consequently sent to the jury.
Rick made this gamble because he knew he was probably going home anyway. Now, he has immunity and the biggest target of the season firmly on his back. Everyone will be gunning for him.
If Rick can find a way to navigate through the upcoming votes, maybe win an immunity necklace, and play his idol correctly, it is possible he could wiggle his way into the final three. It would be an incredible feat, considering his predicament when the day started.
Now, he has to find someone willing to be his ally, maybe someone looking to hide behind the massive shield Rick would provide. That won't be easy because right now, no one wants to be in the Final Three with him.
If he were to make it to the end, it should be hard for other players to ignore how hard he played, how aggressive he was, and the risk he took in episode 10. These players are on this season because of how good they are at the game, and some might even respect the game he played.
He has a lot of work to do, though, because there are plenty of savvy people still in this game. Just imagine for a moment how fun it would be if Rick somehow made it to the Final Tribal Council sitting next to Cirie and Ozzy. Both would be difficult to vote against, and Cirie has played a brilliant, subtle game. Ozzy has made strides in his overall game too, and both would be sentimental favorites. If those were the final three, who would you vote for?
If Rick can make it to the end with anyone but those two legends, he would deserve to win, based on the game so far. But there is a long way to go. Jonathan, Rizo, and Tiffany Ervin have all played pretty well, in different ways. If any of those three make it, it means someone did find a way to take out Cirie and Ozzy, and that will be worth points with the jury.
Rick has played the game as hard as it can be played, and he is having fun doing it. It would be an upset for him to make it to the end, but if he does, it will be difficult not to vote for the dude whose aggressiveness doubled the pot.
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