Survivor Bombshell: Rick Devens Finally Reveals the Shocking Truth Before His Survivor 50 Exit!

There wasn’t a single moment in Survivor 50 when Rick Devens thought he was done. And in a new, exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly’s Dalton Ross, he’s now revealing everything that happened on the island — whether the cameras caught it or not. With Devens moving as fast as ever while hunting for idols, it’s easy to imagine the camera crew had their hands full this season.

We all saw the memorable dance sequence from Devens the morning after he secured immunity, an idol, and a $2 million final prize after flipping the MrBeast Super Beware Advantage coin. But according to the two-time player, there was much more idol activity happening than viewers were shown. “I never stopped looking for the idol. I was constantly looking.”

While the final edit made it look like Devens gave up on his idol search after Jonathan Young started watching him closely in the jungle, the truth is he kept going well after that. He says that on the day he was eliminated, the only times he wasn’t searching were when he was “taking a break to hydrate or have some rice.” Even then, he still wanted to help around camp: “I’m gonna help clean the pot. I’m a team player.”

He also used that time for what he called his “farewell tour” around camp, trying to separate game-player Devens from the real person behind the strategy. “I was very reflective all day,” he recalls, which viewers saw when he got emotional with Joe Hunter and told everyone, “Listen, I’m crazy out here as a game player, but I love you. I so appreciated being in this game with you.”

And the players weren’t the only ones Devens had fun with on that beach. He says the entire cast developed a strong relationship with production and a real appreciation for the crew, describing it like a family reunion. He points out that some people still working on the show have been there since season 1, so the returning players were excited to reconnect with people they don’t usually get to stay in touch with after filming ends.

“Christian [Hubicki] and I the whole beginning of the season are doing all these [Star Trek] Paramount+ jokes just to try and make production laugh,” he remembers from the early days of the game. “So when I started doing the dancing and celebrating [after getting the MrBeast idol] and they’re laughing behind the camera, I’m just like, ‘I gotta go bigger!’” His effort to give the crew the best possible footage clearly paid off, and it helped deliver some of the season’s most memorable scenes.

And the first thing he said to Jeff Probst and the production team after being voted out? “You guys almost made me an alternate!” Given how strong his gameplay was — and how often he kept both the cast and fans guessing — it’s safe to say the show was glad he made the cast at the last minute. “Jeff wanted us to give everything and I’ve definitely heard from Jeff that he feels like I gave everything, and that meant a lot.”