Rick Devens, the news anchor turned beloved Survivor: Edge of Extinction contestant, is crossing over to a second major CBS competition — Entertainment Weekly exclusively confirmed that Devens will compete on Big Brother Season 28. The reveal makes him one of the rare players to appear on both flagship CBS reality franchises.
What makes this casting genuinely surprising: Devens wasn’t just a Survivor participant — he was arguably the season’s breakout star. On Edge of Extinction (Season 38, 2019), he repeatedly found hidden immunity idols and played one of the most aggressive re-entry games in the show’s history, coming within a single jury vote of winning. Casting someone with that level of strategic pedigree shifts the Big Brother 28 house dynamic before the first episode even airs.
How Rick Devens plays — and why Big Brother houseguests should worry
Devens built his Survivor reputation on charisma and timing. He worked the jury, cracked self-deprecating jokes under pressure, and weaponized likability as effectively as any idol. Those are transferable skills in Big Brother, where social management and competition wins both matter — but the 24/7 surveillance format punishes players who can’t stay consistently “on.”
Survivor runs roughly 39 days with limited personal interaction and no cameras in your face around the clock. Big Brother keeps houseguests locked in a single property for up to three months, with live feeds broadcasting their every conversation. The adjustment from one format to the other has tripped up crossover players before, so Devens’ ability to adapt his game will be the real story of his run.
Devens’ background as a Georgia-based TV news anchor also gives him a natural comfort in front of cameras — an edge that can translate to strong Diary Room reads and, more practically, to keeping a composed public face when the house gets chaotic.
CBS doubles down on celebrity and crossover casting for Season 28
The move fits a broader pattern at CBS. Big Brother has leaned into recognizable faces in recent seasons to keep linear ratings competitive against streaming. Casting a Survivor alumni with a dedicated fanbase gives the show a built-in social media conversation from the moment the cast is announced — and Devens’ supporters from 2019 are still very much online.
For the Big Brother community specifically, the reaction tends to split on crossover casting: purists argue it tilts the game toward players who already have fan infrastructure, while others welcome the fresh strategic energy someone like Devens brings. Either way, the casting announcement alone drives the kind of pre-season engagement CBS wants.
Reality TV crossovers have become something of a trend in 2026 — producers increasingly treat their competition show rosters as interconnected talent pools rather than siloed franchises. If Devens performs well, expect CBS to accelerate that strategy.
Devens joins a season with no confirmed premiere date yet
As of this report, CBS has not announced a premiere date for Big Brother Season 28, though the show traditionally launches in late June or July. With the EW exclusive dropping now, a full cast reveal and premiere announcement are likely imminent.
Fans of Survivor‘s competitive crossover energy might also be interested in the ongoing shake-ups across other reality formats — including how competitive rulings in international sports are similarly upending expectations about who belongs where.
For viewers new to Devens, nostalgia for beloved entertainment properties is running high in 2026 — and Edge of Extinction is worth a rewatch before the Big Brother 28 premiere, purely to understand what kind of player is walking through that door.
The next concrete moment to watch for is the full Big Brother Season 28 cast drop, which CBS typically stages over several days of social media reveals. Devens’ inclusion means the pre-season power rankings conversations have already started — and his reputation alone puts a target on his back from day one.
