Who is Rick Devens?
Last updated
Rick Devens — the 42-year-old Macon, Georgia news-anchor-turned-communications-director and Survivor fan favorite — joined Big Brother 28 as a surprise houseguest in the July 9, 2026 premiere.
Quick facts
- Age
- 42
- Hometown
- Macon, Georgia
- Occupation
- Communications director (Middle Georgia State University); former news anchor
- Survivor seasons
- Survivor: Edge of Extinction (2019, 4th place); Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans (2026)
- BB28 role
- Surprise 'reality icon' houseguest (July 9, 2026 premiere)
- Education
- Communications, Virginia Tech
Why people are searching for Rick Devens
Devens had joked in Survivor 50 interviews that he 'hated' Big Brother — which made his walk into the BB28 house during the July 9, 2026 premiere one of the night's biggest shocks.
About Rick Devens
Rick Devens once told Survivor 50 press interviewers that he 'hated' Big Brother. Then he walked into the Big Brother 28 house. The former local news anchor from Macon, Georgia — one of Survivor's most beloved modern players — entered CBS's 'Time Trip'-themed season, which premiered July 9, 2026, as one of three surprise 'reality icon' houseguests, expanding the cast to 17.
Devens, 42, studied communications at Virginia Tech and built his career in Georgia television news before becoming director of communications at Middle Georgia State University. Macon embraced his reality fame; Macon-Bibb County declared May 21, 2019, 'Rick Devens Day.'
His Survivor story is franchise legend. On Survivor: Edge of Extinction in 2019, he was voted out early, returned through the season's Edge of Extinction twist, then went on one of the great underdog runs the show has seen — multiple immunity wins and a string of hidden immunity idols — before losing the final-four fire-making challenge to eventual winner Chris Underwood and finishing fourth. He came back for Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans, the milestone fan-driven season that aired in 2026.
Alongside fellow additions Dee Valladares and Angela Murray, he competed for BB28's first Head of Household — a power reserved for the three returnees, which Valladares won. Devens is the second Survivor player ever to compete on the US Big Brother, after Cirie Fields on Big Brother 25, and one of two Survivor alumni in the house this season.
Frequently asked questions
Was Rick Devens on Survivor?
Twice. He placed fourth on Survivor: Edge of Extinction in 2019 after a famous underdog run of immunity wins and idol plays, then returned for Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans in 2026.
What does Rick Devens do for a living?
He's been a local news anchor in Macon, Georgia, and director of communications at Middle Georgia State University.
How did Rick Devens get on Big Brother 28?
He was one of three surprise veteran 'reality icons' added in the July 9, 2026 premiere, along with Survivor 45 winner Dee Valladares and Big Brother 26's Angela Murray.
Has a Survivor player been on Big Brother before?
Yes — Cirie Fields played Big Brother 25 in 2023. Devens and Dee Valladares are the next Survivor players to make the crossover, both on BB28.
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- Who is Dee Valladares?Dee Valladares, the 29-year-old Miami entrepreneur who won Survivor 45, entered Big Brother 28 as the secret 17th houseguest — then won the season's first Head of Household and made reality TV history.
- Who is Jason De Puy?Jason De Puy — better known as Salina EsTitties from RuPaul's Drag Race season 15 and All Stars 11 — is competing out of drag as an original houseguest on Big Brother 28 (2026). The West Hollywood performer is 35.
- Who is Ashley Trail?Ashley Trail, a 24-year-old Chicago bartender who moonlights as a Barstool Sports weather correspondent, is one of the 14 new houseguests on Big Brother 28 (2026). She grew up in Alton, Illinois.
- Who is Barrett Pfeiffer?Barrett Pfeiffer, a 27-year-old jumbotron engineer from Austin, Texas, spent years covering Big Brother on the 'Our Reality' podcast. On July 9, 2026, the self-declared superfan finally walked into the Big Brother 28 house himself.
- Who is Chuk Anyanwu?Chuk Anyanwu, a 27-year-old supply chain analyst from Dallas, won safety in Big Brother 28's premiere Time Trip twist on July 9, 2026 — and used the win to bring Survivor star Rick Devens into the house.
Sources
- 'Big Brother' Season 28 Cast Photos: Meet All The Houseguests — Deadline
- Two Survivor 50 Players to Compete on Big Brother 28 — Inside Survivor
- Who is Rick Devens? Meet the 'Survivor' contestant joining 'Big Brother' Season 28 — MEAWW
- Big Brother's Season 28 Premiere Welcomes A Trio Of Reality Icons — TVLine