Another celebrity twist shakes up the game.

Survivor 50 recap: Rick Devens goes Beast mode!

Another celebrity twist shakes up the game.

By Dalton Ross

Dalton Ross is a writer and editor with over 25 years experience covering TV and the entertainment industry. *Survivor* is kind of his thing.

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April 29, 2026 10:00 p.m. ET

Rick Devens on 'Survivor 50'. Credit:

- MrBeast showed up on *Survivor 50* to tower over Jeff Probst with a mystery briefcase.

- A new twist was unleashed that promised great risk and great reward. Guess who volunteered for it?

- Cirie does it again! Every. Damn. Week.

Imagine, if you will, that Aubry Bracco didn't have $20. Pretend for a minute that she had spent all of her *Survivor 50* auction money on chocolate chip cookies and mac and cheese. Because that was the deal, right? Everybody had to chip in $20 to get the mystery final item of comfort (which turned out to be letters from home) to then unleash the "chaos."

So imagine Aubry — or any of them, really — either didn't have $20 left *or* chose not to spend the money because they are savvy *Survivor* players who knew there was a twist waiting for them the minute they turned their money over due to the theme that host Jeff Probst had clearly laid out. Then no MrBeast, right? No MrBeast, and no MrBeast Super Duper Alakazam Beast Games Now Streaming on Amazon Prime Video Beware Advantage. Because they had to buy the comfort to unleash the chaos. Those were the rules!

That's how close we were to not having "one of the most well-known humans on Earth!" showing up at all, and how close we were to not having one of the biggest Tribal Council twists in franchise history. And if you believe any of that, then I've got a fake immunity idol to sell you. OF COURSE MRBEAST WAS GOING TO SHOW UP REGARDLESS IF PLAYERS BOUGHT THAT LAST ITEM OR NOT!

MrBeast and Jeff Probst on 'Survivor 50'.

Robert Voets/CBS

You think there was any scenario where a production assistant walks over to MrBeast standing around the corner on the beach and is all, "Yeeeeaaaaaaaaaah, I know you flew all the way out here to Fiji for this very carefully choreographed crossover between giant intellectual properties and the massive corporations behind them, but Cirie didn't want to buy the letters *sooooooooooooo* sorry about that, but you can go back to Florida now"? Of course not!

There is no way, no how MrBeast was not rounding that corner and towering over Jeff Probst. It was never going to *not* happen. Which is why I wish beyond every stupid wish I have ever made in my life (including for Sally Schumann to win *Survivor: Panama*) that the letters deal had *not* gone through just so we could have seen what awkward gymnastics they would have had to go through to still bring out "one of the most well-known humans on Earth!" (I'm going to keep repeating that quote, especially considering I am *very* confident at least half of the cast had no idea whom he was.) Because the MrBeast appearance was *definitely* happening one way or the other.

But now that it *has* happened, how do we feel about it? As I wrote the other day, what was more important than MrBeast was what was actually in the guy's briefcase. Was the excessive over-the-top fawning over the YouTuber ("One of the most well-known humans on Earth!") a bit much? Absolutely! And I honesty don't even think I’m exaggerating much, if any, when I note that the words "MrBeast” were seemingly uttered 100 times during the two-hour episode, which, yeah, seems a bit high… but perhaps not as high as the number of times it will be written in this here recap.

But the guy came in, seemed humble, didn't make it about himself — I mean, he *did* have his own branded box and coin — and let the action play out without interruption. I don't know how much of that was due to his actions or a new more judicious celebrity editing philosophy post-Zac Brown-gate, but I don't care. Either way, we can all exhale on that front. So what about the twist itself? Was it worthy of one of the most well-known humans on Earth? I've been pondering that question through and through. Let's look at it from the angle of both the twist itself, and the person who ultimately engaged with it.

Paschal English, who played a perfect game until eliminated by a rock draw on day 30 of Survivor: Marquesas.

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Robert DeCanio, who ended up in sixth place, four spots better than Boston Rob.

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The MrBeast Super Duper Alakazam Beast Games Now Streaming on Amazon Prime Video Beware Advantage

Once all the pageantry was done, the twist was explained. One person would flip a commemorative coin. If it landed on the side you called, you were safe from that night's vote, *and* you were given an immunity idol, *and* you doubled the season prize money to $2 million. If it landed on the side you did *not* call, you were out of the game and the prize money remained the same. If the group could not persuade someone or agree on who would flip the coin, the tribe would draw rocks to determine who would do it.

We'll get into how it played out here in a minute, but put yourself in the room where this twist was first being discussed and debated. What would you say? I would have voiced two concerns.

Concern #1: I don't love the idea of someone's game involuntarily being decided by a coin flip. Now, there other factors at play. It's not a simple as just the coin flip, but if you did not volunteer for the flip, yet end up there and then lose on a game of chance, as opposed to skill… not great.

Concern #2: Let's say there was a scenario where someone was definitely going to be voted out and everybody knew it. Why are you suddenly increasing their chances of staying from 1-in-6 (with the Shot in the Dark) to 1-in-2, *plus* giving them an immunity idol. It's almost like a get out jail free card in which they pay *you* for getting out of jail. That's all upside and no downside whatsoever (so kinda the inverse of the Jimmy Fallon One in the Urn on the punishment vs. reward scale). In an obvious vote-out, that is certainly not ideal making it so easy for someone to save themselves.

Jeff Probst on 'Survivor 50'.

Robert Voets/CBS

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However, it also leads to an interesting wrinkle, which gets into some of the potential positives of the move.

Let's stick with that example of everyone knowing a player is set to be voted out. And therefore knowing it is in that designated victim's best interest to flip the coin. What should you do then? Should you just go ahead and let them do it, thereby giving them much better odds of staying? Or do you attempt to block them by not unanimously agreeing and then forcing a rock draw, knowing full well it could send you or one of your alliance mates home on the spot?

And *that's* where things get interesting. That's forcing a really difficult decision, and watching players grapple with really difficult decisions is what makes *Survivor* great. And, without jumping too far ahead, that appears to be the exact decision *Survivor 50* players faced here.

I have asked around, and the belief among the contestants seems to be that Rick Devens was cooked if he had just gone straight to the vote. That means those nine other players knew he was giving himself much better odds of staying if they just let him flip the coin, yet none of them chose to stop him. Now, perhaps that's because they knew they had a safe fallback option in Stephenie, but she could have stepped in herself and forced the rock draw.

Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick of 'Survivor 50'.

Robert Voets/CBS

Now let's take the other scenario of *nobody* at all wanting to go to the coin flip, presumably because they all felt safe from the vote. This appears to be what Probst expected judging by how quickly Devens stepped up. That leads to the potentially intriguing group dynamic of push-and-pull persuasion as players attempt to negotiate to avoid a rock draw. However, I'm not convinced in this situation anyone would actually agree to do the flip, because then your odds of surviving are only 1-in-2, as opposed to the odds of *not* pulling the wrong rock and then winning the flip if you do pull it, which are significantly greater.

Why willingly take the much worse odds in that scenario by volunteering, even with an immunity idol attached? Your chances of remaining safe are much better going to rocks, because you then have *two* chances to survive. So that's a flaw in the game dynamic.

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As for the doubling of the prize money to $2 million, on the surface that does not seem to impact much for viewers. Unless you are talking about record-breaking sums seen on *Deal or No Deal Island* or *Squid Game: The Challenge*, you're not watching a reality competition show for the prize amount. Do you even remember how much the latest *Traitors* prize pot was, and did you ever care even one iota how much money they added via the missions? Did you enjoy *Big Brother* any more when they upped the prize money from $500,000 to $750,000? Would you suddenly stop watching *The Amazing Race* if they only gave away $100,000? Of course not. That aspect is important for one person and one person only — whomever wins it.

But there is an intriguing element to the prize pot doubling that might not seem immediately evident. It offers competing impulses to the other players watching the coin flip go down. If you are someone like Ozzy, Rizo, or Cirie, are you rooting for Rick to win so that the prize pot doubles, or lose so he's out of the game and you don't have to risk another vote?

It's actually the type of thing that almost makes you wish they could pull players out for quick confessional interviews to ascertain just who was rooting for what as that coin rolled along the Tribal Council floor seemingly forever. Either way, it is forcing players into uncomfortable an unfamiliar rooting positions, which is a nice wrinkle.

So when you play out all the angles and possibilities of the MrBeast Super Duper Alakazam Beast Games Now Streaming on Amazon Prime Video Beware Advantage — which is exactly what you have to do before putting it into play — I'd say there are plusses and minuses. It made me think through a bunch of different angles and possibilities, which I certainly appreciate and is a great starting point for any big twist. But all this is merely judging the twist in theory. How would it actually play out in practice?

Rick Devens, Jonathan Young, Rizo Velovic, Cirie Fields, Tiffany Ervin, Joe Hunter, Aubry Bracco, Emily Flippen, Ozzy Lusth, and Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick on 'Survivor 50'.

Robert Voets/CBS

Rick Devens blows everything up

Rick Devens was one of the very last people cast on *Survivor 50**.* He began the process as an alternate. Once the cast extended to 24 people, he was in. And thank God for that. Look, I don't know if you love Uncle Rick's game or not. I know he can be a bit polarizing with his antics, but I don't really get why. If you want someone who is going to go in there and play boldly and take risks and have fun while doing so — and I think that is something we all want — then that's Rick! We saw it with the crazy fake idol planting and retrieval at Tribal Council, and we saw here at Tribal Council even before MrBeast walked onto set.

People often talk about blowing up a Tribal Council, only to then take aim at just one particular target. Devens, on the other hand, tossed a grenade and didn't care *who* got hit by the shrapnel. He called out Jonathan and Steph for pitching Ozzy. Then he talked about the vote going back to Steph. He said Steph wanted to take out Cirie. He called *himself* out for floating Rizo's name. He outed Steph for having a Steal-a-Vote. And then finished by naming the three people (Jonathan, Joe, and Stephenie) that he felt they should all gang up on. When I talk about new era *Survivor* needing to return to some of that old-school spice, this is what I'm talking about. Not nasty personal attacks, but *game* attacks!

Rick Devens on 'Survivor 50'.

Gail Schulman/CBS

From what I understand, it didn't fully work, even as Stephenie and Jonathan clearly struggled to refute the claims, throwing out lies that the others did not seem to believe. But it was still amazing. Throughout it all, Cirie and Probst kept laughing, and I was right there with them. It was glorious. *This* was the highlight of episode 10, not the MrBeast Super Duper Alakazam Beast Games Now Streaming on Amazon Prime Video Beware Advantage.

I don't agree with Probst that all that chaos was simply because everyone was so scared of the mystery surrounding the MrBeast twist. That chaos is there regardless, because the vote — the *regular* vote — was all over the place, even without the bells and whistles to come. Rick still would have done his thing with or without the YouTuber.

And Rick didn't even flinch when the rules of the twist were announced, telling the host, "It's all mine, Jeff. I was made for this."

That's true. You put a chaotic player like Devens on the ropes, and he's gonna start swinging. Do I personally wish he had chosen brand loyalty and picked the *Survivor* side of the coin instead of the MrBeast side? I mean, of course. That's my show! But I was also happy to see the person with the guts to take on the coin flip be rewarded for his gumption. And see the folks that were too scared to stop him (not that I would have done anything differently) have to deal with Devens for another day.

Christian Hubicki reacts to having to vote himself out of 'Survivor 50'

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So with Rick safe, Stephenie went home instead. The only thing surprising about that is that it was a unanimous vote, with even Jonathan and Joe writing her name down. (Harsh.) The honor and integrity alliance seems truly done for. Stephenie thought she had improved her lying face since her hilariously inept fibbing on *Snake in the Grass*, but Cirie clocked her every time.

It's never fun getting your torch snuffed, but Steph wanted to prove to her kids that mom was a badass, and she did that. She ripped through the marooning challenge, won an individual immunity, and also won an endurance Journey *with her non-dominant arm.* That's pretty badass. So mission accomplished on that front.

Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick on 'Survivor 50'.

Robert Voets/CBS

Okay, let’s hit on a few other quick hit thoughts from episode 10 of *Survivor 50.*

• Is it just me or was the auction *slightly* underwhelming? The comfort and chaos theme only came into play on a few items. It mostly just seemed like a parade of food items being consumed… and yes, then barfed back up again. Yes, it was fun watching Aubry dance around like a lunatic and Jonathan struggle to get down his item, but overall, I found myself a bit meh on it. Maybe that's just me? Hit the comments and let me know if you agree. However…

• I don't know if it played a role or not, but I kind of loved seeing them compete in a physical immunity challenge directly after gorging themselves on food. I only wish it had been even *more physical!* Why not make them scurry through an obstacle course after pounding down fried chicken and onion rings? AND IT WOULD HAVE PLAYED RIGHT INTO THE COMFORT MIXED WITH CHAOS THEME! You get the comfort food, but then have to deal with the intestinal chaos in the middle of a brutal physical challenge. Missed opportunity, I say. Anyway, Tiffany won, guaranteeing she would make it at least one more day than her last outing. Congrats to her!

Tiffany Ervin on 'Survivor 50'.

Robert Voets/CBS

• I wrote recently about the mystery over whether there would be a Loved Ones visit or not this season. There was no visit this week, but we did get letters from home. You all know I don't usually go in for that mushy stuff, but I mean, c'mon…. How can you not be moved by Cirie's father writing her a letter for the *very first time ever?* That's crazy. And it was awesome seeing Devens and Aubry get so emotional as well. Because we've seen these returning players over the years, it just hits harder. Maybe I'm just becoming soft serve in my old age, but that was great stuff.

• She did it again. *Again!* Every single week someone comes up to Cirie and drops Ozzy's name. And then Cirie flips the script. This week, it was Joe, and I love the way the music changed right when it happened. It's absolutely unreal the way everyone trusts Cirie in this game. She keeps burning people who cross her ally, and nobody seems to notice or be able to put it together. We are watching a masterclass in action, people.

• The Cirie and Stephenie dynamic was fascinating, dating all the way back to before the season began, As outlined in my cover story, Cirie thought Steph was talking smack about her back home before they left for Fiji, but Steph was completely unaware there was any beef. It made for an awkward dynamic between two people who had competed on three different shows together — *Survivor, Snake in the Grass,* and *The Traitors.* And now it ends with Cirie besting her yet again.

Cirie Fields on 'Survivor 50'.

Robert Voets/CBS

• Rizo talking about how MrBeast was his brother's idol so was therefore *his* idol was really cool. One of my favorite things about Rizo — besides how absolutely terrible he is in challenges — is how much he loves his family. No tears this time though!

• Hands down, the best part of the episode was not Cirie puking, nor the mad scramble at the beach, nor Devens blowing up Tribal. It was this post coin-flip exchange during the live Tribal…**EMILY: "Everyone should vote Aubry."** JONATHAN: "You're so full of it."** That is Chet and Joel level stuff right there. So good.

Okay, my editor Bex forced me to flip a commemorative ** coin that told me I had to keep this under 3,000 words, so I better get out of here, but make sure to check out the *Survivor 50* cast beating whether a final 2 or final 3 is better (you can cast your vote as well!), and keep your eyes peeled for my exit interview with Stephenie… as well as another surprise. In the meantime, I'll go get working on next week’s scoop of the crispy!

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