Who Is Rick Devens? New Details On The 'Survivor Edge Of Extinction' Contender And His Strategy
Does he have what it takes?
Instagram Survivor has "survived" as long as it has as a successful reality TV competition because people just love the idea of seeing who really has what it takes to make it out in the wild. There's something about people doing their best to prove that they have what it takes to make in even the roughest competitions that makes it impossible to look away. When Rick Devens joined the cast of the most recent season of the show, nobody thought that he had what it takes to be a serious contender. But he proved them all wrong, and now he's on his way to the finale. Who is Rick Devens? Here's everything you need to know.
1. He's A News Anchor
When he isn't doing his best to survive in the wild for our amusement, Rick's actually got a pretty bad-ass job, and it isn't necessarily one that you'd imagine gave him very good instincts about to survive in the wild: unless you count getting used to getting up insanely early! Rick is a morning news anchor in his home of Macon, Georgia. Tune into ABC or FOX when you're in the area and if it happens to be 5:30 AM (or more sanely just go back to bed) and you'll be greeted by his smiling mug. He's got a lot of local news experience too, having worked as a producer, a sports reporter and a news reporter.
2. How He Made The Finale
If you started watching this season of Survivor and then dropped out, you might be a little confused. That's because Rick was actually the 4th person voted off of the island! So how did he get back? He won the chance to come back after he beat out other players and won a challenge. Everyone had their eyes on Rick when he came back, which meant he was often excluded from big group decisions. However, feeling threatened by the guy wound up doing him just right since he managed to stay on the show much longer than almost anyone else. His gift of winning immunity challenges and finding immunity idols have made him a serious contender.
3. He's An Army Brat
While Rick may not have seemed like a real contender at first, he's more than proven that he was someone to seriously watch going into the season finale. That said, if you do even a modest deep dive into his private life it's easy to see the way different experiences have made him an ideal participant for this game. One of these experiences is the time he spent growing up with his family always on the move. Rick's father was in the Army which meant that he and the rest of his family traveled all over the place, including places like Hawaii. Seeing the ways different people live definitely must have helped his strategy.
4. Life At Home
But growing up as a globe-trotter isn't the only part of his past life that has led Rick to the season finale of Survivor. In fact, the life he leads at home with his family could also play a role in how he knows when to keep a low-profile and how he knows when to make his move. Rick is married to a woman named Becca (An excellent name if I do say so myself.) Together, they have two children. As a newlywed and a relatively new parent (his first kid was born in 2014), Rick has surely become an expert in wheeling and dealing and learning how to keep the peace.
5. Well-Educated
Rick may be a survivor, and sure a lot of that has to do with instinct and comfort in the wild, but a fair amount of it also has to do with using your noggin. You might be super strong and really good at holding your breath, but that doesn't mean you have the brains for the job. Luckily, Rick does! He's a very well-educated guy, having graduated from Virginia Tech where he studied Broadcast Journalism and creative writing. It was also during college where he discovered his passion for news, working at the local TV station while he studied at VT.
Rebecca Jane Stokes is a writer living in Brooklyn, New York with her cats, Batman and Margot. She's an experienced generalist with a passion for lifestyle, geek news, pop culture, and true crime. For more of her work, check out her Tumblr.