“Survivor 50” chaos agent Rick Devens shares intel on that epic coin flip in exclusive interview

Dalton RossFri, May 1, 2026 at 2:15 PM UTC

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MrBeast, Rick Devens, and Jeff Probst on 'Survivor 50'Credit: Robert Voets/CBSKey Points -

Survivor 50 star Rick Devens went Beast mode when he volunteered to flip a MrBeast coin with his life in the game at stake. Lunatic!

The chaos agent explains why he did it, and also why he blew up Tribal Council before the coin even arrived.

The Super Dad never told his kids (who are huge MrBeast fans) anything, and they only learned about it from watching on TV like the rest of us. Awwwww...

You couldn’t script it any better. Rick Devens’ fate on Survivor 50 was literally rolling across the Tribal Council set floor. If the commemorative MrBeast Super Beware Advantage coin dropped one way, his game was immediately over. If it dropped the other, he was safe for the impending vote, given an immunity idol for a future Tribal Council, and had doubled the prize pot to $2 million. And yet the coin just kept rolling.

Eventually, the coin dropped and everyone waited with bated breath as Jeff Probst leaned over to call it. Heads. Rick’s risky gambit had paid off, and he had new life in the game. The fact that all this went down after Devens had blown up Tribal Council by sharing everyone’s secrets with everybody else made it even more delicious.

But why take that risk? We connected with Survivor’s resident lunatic to ask that very question, along with a few others. Was he surprised nobody else stepped up to challenge him? Does he think his tribemates were rooting for the prize pot to double or for him to go to the jury? And what did his MrBeast-loving kids think of the move? Entertainment Weekly asked diabolical Devens all that and more in an exclusive interview.

Rick Devens of 'Survivor 50'Credit: Robert Voets/CBS

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Before we get into the coin flip, take me through the reaction around you as you tossed that grenade into the middle of Tribal Council by throwing everyone, including yourself for dropping Rizo’s name, under the bus.

RICK DEVENS: I knew I was in a desperate situation. The crazy scramble by EVERYONE at camp before Tribal was unlike anything I’ve ever been a part of on Survivor. So when I “blew up Tribal,” the reactions were a mixed bag. I think some people were shell-shocked, others were straight up mad, and some players were just majorly annoyed.

But then others were eating it up! Aubry appreciated that I was putting the target on someone that wasn’t her or me. Tiff was always entertained by my Tribal antics, and obviously so was Rizo. Emily and I were a chaotic mess together all season, and this episode really showed how much fun we had together. And, of course, Cirie is taking it all in…

Rick Devens on 'Survivor 50'Credit: CBS

Was the reason you volunteered for the coin flip because you felt in serious danger, you wanted that immunity idol, you just wanted to have fun and impress your kids who are big MrBeast fans, or a combination of the above?

All of the above. I felt I had done a good enough job of putting the target on Steph and Jonathan that I was going to be safe at that Tribal. But to this day, I’m not sure whether that’s true or not, so I definitely felt at risk. In my experience, revisionist history is very real among castaways. Even if I was safe for one night, I knew I’d be back in the firing line the next day, so I really wanted that idol. I’d been dying to get my hands on an actual real genuine idol all season! So I felt it was worth the risk.

But I also wanted the moment. I said in my preseason interviews that I was willing to make less than ideal strategic decisions to give the fans a great season. This is season 50 for goodness sake. With the fake idol, Christian and I had already pulled off a move that no one else had done in 50 seasons. Now another opportunity to make Survivor history fell in my lap. And a moment that I knew my kids would go nuts over! I wanted it bad.

MrBeast, Rick Devens, and Jeff Probst on 'Survivor 50'Credit: Robert Voets/CBS

Are you surprised nobody tried to stop or challenge you for the opportunity?

I was a little surprised. I think people get so scared that they will make a move that cost them the game and that obviously could have happened. But I thought some of the castaways I had just flipped the script on may want to take advantage of this opportunity. When I saw that they were all too cautious to go for it, it emboldened me even more. I think people underestimate how starving the jury is for action and what a huge impact these moments can have on them.

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Did you get the sense players were rooting for you to succeed on the coin flip because it would double the prize pot to $2 million, or lose it so you went to the jury?

That’s one thing I love about this twist: I don’t think anyone wanted me to be the one to flip that coin. They want me gone, and if I nail the flip, not only am I safe that night, but now I have a REAL idol. That’s the last thing they want. But once it was decided that, yes, I would be the flipper, I think they were all rooting for me to land it.

At that point, Ozzy became my biggest cheerleader. He was so encouraging and supportive before and after the flip. It’s one of many great Ozzy memories I take from 50. This is $2 million dollars we’re talking about. Doubling the prize! They can worry about the Devens problem later. I think they all wanted me to succeed on the flip.

Rick Devens on 'Survivor 50'Credit: Robert Voets/CBS

What was going through your head as that coin was rolling around there on the Tribal Council floor seemingly forever with your fate hanging in the balance?

Can we just take a second to talk about that flip? As Rizo would say, it was cinema. I mean, I could flip that coin 50 more times and not land it in such a perfect way that it rolled around on its edge like that and wobbled back and forth. Unreal.

In terms of how I felt, I was so confident. Like ridiculously, manically confident. I was at peace with the fact that if it didn’t come up heads, I’d be heading home, and okay, well, no one in 50 seasons has gone home the way I did. I can say they never voted me out, right? But, dude, I knew that coin was going to hit. I just knew it. It was like my whole life had led to the moment.

MrBeast, Rick Devens, and Jeff Probst on 'Survivor 50'Credit: Robert Voets/CBS

Finally, your kids are huge MrBeast fans, so did you tell them in advance everything that happened? And, if not, what was their reaction when they watched it all go down on TV?

I didn’t tell the kids anything. That’s too big a secret to ask young kids to keep. So Juju (Juliet) and Jack went nuts over it. First, they went nuts when Rizo gave them a shoutout. Rizo is officially beloved in the Devens’ house now and forever because he gave the kids a shoutout, by the way.

Then they were so nervous about the flip. Was this the end of their dad’s game? It landed, and they both jumped up and ran over and hugged me. Then almost immediately asked when we’re getting together with MrBeast. I told them I hope soon! It was so cool. This is their best Survivor moment, and I think a core memory for them. They’re watching me hug MrBeast, hug Jeff. All the castaways are celebrating their dad, even the ones that were gunning for me.

And I’ve made it clear to the kids that I love everyone on the show. All the other castaways, ALL of them, made the experience so special. For them to see that moment and experience it with our family in our living room — just awesome. It doesn’t get better than that.

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