Part of one of the most divisive seasons of Survivor, Rick Devens became an instant fan favorite for his clever social game, adaptable strategy, super idol hunting skills, and overall unwillingness to be removed from the game. Many feel he should have been the rightful winner of Survivor: Edge of Extinction, so his return for this milestone season is highly anticipated.
But with fans having voted for the amount of twists in the game—and an inclusion of celebrity idols and advantages—will Survivor 50 be set in his sweet spot or will it be too tame/chaotic for him to handle?
Devens’ Quick Stats
Survivor Career: Survivor: Edge of Extinction (4th Place)
Total Days Played: 38 days
Total Votes Against: 12 votes
Individual Immunity Challenges Won: 4
Individual Reward Challenges Won: 1
- Won the first Edge of Extinction challenge to return to the game after being eliminated on Day 11
Immunity Idols Played: 3
- He found a 4th idol, but didn’t get a chance to play it as he won individual immunity the last night he could play an idol.
Advantages Played: 1
- Played the Advantage Menu, but was denied the requested advantage as it had expired
Survivor: Edge of Extinction
Rick started the game on the Manu tribe—with returning players David Wright and Kelley Wentworth—where a losing streak sent them to three back-to-back-to-back Tribal Councils. During this time, Rick aligned with David and attempted a blindside on Kelley that ultimately switched over to Chris Underwood when he warned one of her allies about the plan.
A tribe swap moved the groups from two to three, and while he was moved with his closest ally to the new Lesu tribe, they had to start over at a new beach with no camp alongside three of their former tribe mates who were not 100% aligned with them. After losing the next immunity challenge, Rick was targeted as a social threat and was on his way home when he was presented with a twist: the opportunity to remain in the game by going to live on the Edge of Extinction. He accepted.
During his time at the Edge of Extinction, Rick found an anonymous extra vote that he could send to anyone in the game. He sent it to returning player Aubry Bracco, but she was blindsided at the next Tribal Council before she could play it.
At the merge, the six castaways who had been waiting at the Edge of Extinction were revealed to the remaining players as they arrived to compete in a challenge where one of them would win a spot back in the game. Rick won the challenge and was given a reward of a split immunity idol made of two powerless halves. He had to give one to another player and if both players made it through the next Tribal Council, the idol would gain its power. He gave half to David.
While the majority of the tribe planned to target Rick again, sending him back out of the game, they were more concerned about returning player Joe Anglim’s challenge threat level in the individual portion of the game and instead blindsided him.
After Joe’s blindside, alliance lines began to shift as players' trust started dwindling. Rick and David chose not to align with their former Manu and Lesu tribe mates in exchange for long-term safety. But after a reward challenge, David agreed to work with Kelley’s group again, frustrating Rick since they were the ones who voted him out. He refused to re-aligned with them and stuck with the others.
After a chaotic Tribal Council once again had allies targeting each other, David and Rick reconciled and reformed their original merge alliance with Julie Rosenberg and Ron Clark. Another live Tribal Council after that led to David giving his half of the idol back to Rick, who in turn played the completed idol on David to complete another blindside. But the duo’s luck ran out when David was voted off at the next Tribal Council.
Out on the Edge of Extinction, David found an advantage for the next immunity challenge he could gift to a player in the game. He sent it to Rick who used it to win the next immunity challenge. That night, he finally was able to bring the blindside of Kelley to fruition.
As alliances shifted once more due to players being left out of blindsides, Rick proposed a new alliance with himself, Ron, and Dan “The Wardog” DaSilva, the two of which he viewed as the biggest threats in the game. But after Rick won the next immunity challenge, the majority shifted their target from him to Wardog, sending him to the Edge of Extinction.
Angered at Ron for lying about plans against Wardog, Rick confronted Ron, who in turn gave him an “Advantage Menu” he found at the marooning as a way to make amends, though Rick wasn’t aware it had expired. After Rick wasn’t chosen to go on the loved ones' reward, he spent the rest of the day back at camp searching for a hidden immunity idol, which he found.
Without another immunity necklace, the majority moved to target Rick once more, with Julie and Ron telling him to use the Advantage Menu as an idol, assuring him it’d work. With a split vote in play, Rick tried to use the Advantage Menu for immunity, but it was denied, so he played his idol instead, negating four votes and sending Ron to the Edge of Extinction.
The next day, Rick found another hidden immunity idol, but thankfully, he won the immunity challenge. However, with so much uncertainty regarding that night’s vote, Rick still pulled out his idol at Tribal Council and threatened to play it for Julie to sway votes in his favor, sending one of the majority to the Edge of Extinction instead without having to play his idol.
The final Edge of Extinction re-entry challenge brought Rick’s early tribe mate back into the game. He told everyone that the jury members (everyone formerly on the Edge of Extinction) viewed Rick as the biggest threat, which put a bigger target on his back. But when Rick revealed his idol to Chris, the act of trust prompted Chris to give half of his re-entry idol to Rick to help it gain power.
That night, Rick played another idol to once again keep himself in the game despite the majority’s attempts to send him to the jury permanently. The next day, Rick found another idol and additionally set up fake idol traps around camp. He also gave Chris back his half of the idol, officially activating it. He won the next immunity challenge, but when Chris won the Final Four immunity, he opted to give up the necklace and face Rick in fire-making himself.
Chris beat Rick at the final four fire-making challenge, sending him to the jury. He placed his final vote on Gavin Whitson for playing a skilled social game, but in a 9-4-0 majority, Chris won the title of Sole Survivor for his impressive late-game moves after having spent so long on Edge of Extinction.
Survivor 50 Predictions: How far will Devens go?
Rick’s best asset in the game is his adaptability. He was literally voted out, and then upon getting back in the game, found the cracks in the relationships he needed to weave his way through the chaos until he was sitting at the final four fire-making challenge. That type of resilience is what keeps a player on their toes, unpredictable, and makes them someone you want on your side.
Because of this, I anticipate Devens will definitely make it to the individual game. He’s smart, but he’s also a smart player to get out down the road and others are going to want him around as a shield, but also as someone to check in on the chess board with. The smartest players in the game are the ones who align with the smartest players in the game and hype up their ability to play the strategic game, using them to adapt their own bigger plans. Whether Rick does this to others or others do this to Rick, only time will tell. But either way, it will get him far.
Rick Devens Survivor 50 Player Score
Versatility is going to be the name of the game for Devens this season. Especially as he integrates into the new format of the game as well. Social skills are going to be more important than ever and while he’s good at diverting attention, there are other players who can do that as well while also building genuine relationships. He’ll need to form a really solid day 1 alliance in order to round out where he left his previous game.
Outwit (Social Game): 8/15
Outplay (Physical Game): 10/15
Outlast (Strategic Game): 14/15
Wildcard Factor: 5/5
Total Player Score: 37/50
I’m truly excited to see Devens back on the island. He’s not only a great player, but he’s a fun player for the fans to watch. We’ll see if he has what it takes to make it to the end this time around when Survivor 50 premieres Wednesday, February 25 at 8pm ET on CBS and Paramount +!