Rick Devens : Big Brother 28 Winner, Bio, Survivor, Wife, Career
Rick Devens is an American communications professional, former television news anchor and reality television personality best known for competing on Survivor and winning Big Brother 28. He defeated Taylor Brown in a 6-1 jury vote during the October 1, 2026 finale and won the show’s $750,000 grand prize.
Devens also won America’s Favorite Houseguest and earned another $10,000 from the Pharaoh’s Curse, bringing his Big Brother 28 prize winnings to $810,000.
His victory came years after he first became a fan favorite on Survivor: Edge of Extinction, where he finished fourth. He later returned to the franchise for Survivor 50 before crossing over to Big Brother.
Rick Devens Quick Facts
- Full Name: Patrick William Devens
- Known As: Rick Devens
- Age: 42 years old (as of 2026)
- Birthday: April 5, 1984
- Birthplace: Macon, Georgia, United States
- Nationality: American
- Wife: Becca Devens
- Children: Two, Jackson and Juliet
- Occupation: Communications professional, former news anchor, television personality
- Known For: Survivor: Edge of Extinction, Survivor 50, Big Brother 28
- Big Brother 28 Placement: Winner
- Final Opponent: Taylor Brown
- Final Jury Vote: 6-1
- Big Brother 28 Grand Prize: $750,000
- America’s Favorite Houseguest: Winner
- Instagram: @rick_devens
Who Is Rick Devens?
Devens first became widely known through Survivor: Edge of Extinction, the 38th season of the CBS reality competition.
His first Survivor game was unconventional. After being voted out, he returned through the Edge of Extinction twist and fought his way deep into the competition. His challenge performances, use of hidden immunity idols and energetic Tribal Council appearances made him one of the season’s most prominent contestants.
He eventually finished fourth after losing the fire-making challenge to Chris Underwood, who went on to win the season.
Years later, Devens returned to the franchise for Survivor 50. His reality television career then expanded beyond Survivor when CBS selected him as one of the crossover contestants on Big Brother 28.
Outside reality television, Devens has worked in journalism and communications. His professional background includes work as a television news anchor and communications director.
From Survivor to Big Brother
Devens entered Big Brother 28 alongside two other established reality television personalities: Survivor 45 winner Dee Valladares and Big Brother 26 houseguest Angela Murray.
His arrival raised an obvious question. Could a player associated with the faster pace of Survivor adapt to a game built around weeks of nominations, competitions, alliances and constant social interaction?
The answer ultimately became yes, although his path to the end was far from straightforward.
Devens initially benefited from relationships with his fellow crossover players and gradually established connections with the new houseguests. He also proved capable of winning competitions when his position became vulnerable.
Instead of simply reproducing his Survivor game, he developed relationships that became critical to his survival late in the season.
His Big Brother 28 Game
Devens spent much of the season balancing his reputation as an experienced reality TV player against the need to avoid becoming an immediate target.
His game included competition wins, advantages and shifting alliances. One of his notable early powers was the Diamond Power of Veto, which gave him considerably more control than a standard veto.
As the season progressed, competition wins became increasingly important to his survival. He secured safety repeatedly during the latter portion of the game through Head of Household, Power of Veto and other competition victories or game advantages.
His social relationships proved equally important.
One of the most consequential was his bond with Drew Campbell. Their relationship developed into a close partnership, with the two sometimes referring to their dynamic in father-and-son terms despite viewing each other as strategic peers.
That relationship ultimately helped Devens survive one of the most dangerous moments of his game.
Rick Devens’ Alliance With Dee Valladares
Devens and Dee Valladares had something in common before entering the Big Brother house: both understood Survivor.
Their relationship was not always simple. Both considered circumstances in which eliminating the other might benefit their individual games, but they continued working together deep into the season.
Devens used his Diamond Power of Veto to protect Valladares earlier in the game, while she also helped him when he needed safety.
After the season, Devens described Valladares as an important part of his path through the game. However, he also acknowledged that he did not ultimately want to face her in the Final Two.
Valladares was eliminated at the Final Four after Drew cast the deciding vote to keep Devens.
That decision would become particularly significant one week later.
Reaching the Big Brother 28 Finale
Devens reached the Final Three alongside Taylor Brown and Drew Campbell.
The final Head of Household competition consisted of three parts. Brown won the first competition, while Devens defeated Campbell in Part 2.
That left Brown and Devens competing against each other in Part 3.
Devens won the final competition, guaranteeing himself a place in the Final Two and giving him the sole power to decide which remaining houseguest would face the jury alongside him.
The decision placed him in a difficult position.
He had developed a particularly close relationship with Campbell and had previously promised to take him to the Final Two. However, Devens ultimately decided that facing Brown gave him the stronger path to winning the game.
Why Rick Devens Chose Taylor Brown Over Drew Campbell
Devens’ decision to evict Campbell became one of the defining moves of his season.
Before the final Head of Household decision, Taylor Brown made a late pitch to Devens. She warned him that if he chose Campbell, she would not vote for Devens and suggested that she could influence another jury vote against him.
The argument made Devens reconsider the numbers.
He believed Campbell already had potential jury support and concluded that taking him to the end presented too much risk. Despite the personal relationship he had built with Campbell, Devens chose Brown as his Final Two opponent.
After the finale, Brown revealed that her jury threat had been a bluff. She said she would still have voted for Devens had he eliminated her.
The bluff nevertheless accomplished its immediate purpose: it helped persuade Devens to take her to the Final Two.
For Devens, the decision also reflected a lesson he said he had learned from Survivor.
During Survivor: Edge of Extinction, he returned half of an immunity idol to Chris Underwood, a decision he later regretted after Underwood defeated him in the fire-making challenge and went on to win the season.
Faced with another decision involving personal loyalty and a major prize, Devens said he did not want emotion to determine his choice.
He evicted Campbell.
Winning Big Brother 28
Devens faced Brown in the final jury vote.
Brown based her case partly on her resilience and ability to survive repeated danger throughout the season. Devens presented his competition record, strategic decisions and overall influence on the game.
The jury voted 6-1 in Devens’ favor.
Angela Murray, Dee Valladares, Barrett Pfeiffer, Yash Patel, Melody Morris and Drew Campbell voted for Devens. LaTrice Verrett cast the sole vote for Brown.
The result made Devens the winner of Big Brother 28 and earned him the $750,000 grand prize.
Campbell’s vote was particularly notable. Despite being visibly hurt when Devens eliminated him minutes earlier, he still voted for his former ally to win.
After the season, Campbell said he understood why Devens made the decision and acknowledged that he might have made the same strategic choice in that position.
America’s Favorite Houseguest
Winning the season was not Devens’ only prize on finale night.
Viewers also selected him as America’s Favorite Houseguest, earning him an additional $50,000.
Combined with his $750,000 winner’s prize and $10,000 earned through the Pharaoh’s Curse, Devens collected $810,000 in Big Brother 28 prize money.
The figure represents his winnings from the show, not his personal net worth. Devens’ overall net worth has not been publicly verified.
How His Survivor Experience Influenced His Win
Devens entered Big Brother with considerably more reality competition experience than most of the cast.
However, the biggest influence of Survivor may not have been knowing how to win competitions or make flashy strategic moves. It was knowing what could happen when emotion affected a late-game decision.
His loss on Survivor: Edge of Extinction remained relevant seven years later when he had to decide between Campbell and Brown.
Devens has explained that his decision involving Chris Underwood influenced the way he approached the Big Brother 28 Final Three. Rather than repeat what he considered an earlier mistake, he prioritized what he believed gave him the best chance of winning.
This time, the decision ended differently. Instead of falling one step short of the final jury vote, Devens reached the Final Two and won.
Rick Devens and Drew Campbell
Despite the dramatic Final Three eviction, Devens has spoken warmly about Campbell since leaving the house.
He rejected the idea that Campbell had simply followed his strategy throughout the season. Instead, Devens described their relationship as one between friends and strategic partners who contributed different things to the game.
Campbell was also directly responsible for Devens reaching the Final Three when he chose to evict Valladares instead of him at the Final Four.
That made Devens’ subsequent decision especially painful.
Nevertheless, Campbell still gave Devens his jury vote and later said that although the move hurt personally, he understood its strategic reasoning.
Their relationship became one of the central storylines of Devens’ winning season.
Wife and Family
Devens is married to Becca Devens, and the couple has two children, Jackson and Juliet.
His family has been an important part of his reality television journey. During his post-finale interviews, Devens spoke about the difficulty of spending the summer away from them and said his responsibility to his family factored into his decision to prioritize winning when choosing his Final Two opponent.
He has generally maintained a distinction between his public reality television career and his family’s private life.
Career Outside Reality Television
Before becoming widely known through reality television, Devens worked in broadcast journalism.
His career included work as a television news anchor before he transitioned into communications. His experience speaking publicly and communicating with different personalities became relevant across both Survivor and Big Brother.
Reality television has since become another major part of his public profile, with appearances spanning multiple seasons of Survivor and his winning run on Big Brother.
Devens is active on Instagram under @rick_devens, where he shares updates related to his television appearances, family and other aspects of his life.
His social media following expanded alongside his appearances on Survivor and Big Brother.
What Is Rick Devens Known For?
Devens is known for becoming a prominent contestant across two of CBS’s biggest reality competition franchises.
He first gained widespread attention on Survivor: Edge of Extinction, returned years later for Survivor 50, and then crossed over to Big Brother 28.
His Big Brother appearance produced the result that had eluded him on Survivor: a first-place finish.
By defeating Brown in the final jury vote and winning America’s Favorite Houseguest on the same night, Devens turned what began as another reality-TV crossover appearance into the biggest competitive achievement of his television career.
