Jeff Probst has spent more than two decades watching people lie, negotiate, scramble and talk their way out of seemingly impossible situations on “Survivor.” So when two former castaways began making serious noise on Big Brother, he wasn’t exactly shocked.
Dee Valladares and Rick Devens have both reached the final five of “Big Brother,” extending a run that has turned the CBS crossover experiment into far more than a novelty. And according to Probst, there is a reason Survivor players have proven particularly well-equipped for another cutthroat social game.
The longtime host not only explained what makes Valladares and Devens so dangerous, he also offered a prediction about what their success could mean for future seasons.
Jeff Probst Explains Why Dee Valladares and Rick Devens Are So Dangerous
Valladares and Devens arrived in the “Big Brother” house with very different “Survivor” résumés.
Valladares won “Survivor 45,” while Devens came within one fire-making challenge of reaching the final three on “Survivor: Edge of Extinction.” On “Big Brother,” however, both have found ways to survive deep into the game.
Their success has not surprised Probst.
“I obviously love both Dee and Devens a lot!” Probst told Entertainment Weekly. “I am not at all surprised they are doing well!”
That confidence goes beyond simply knowing what the two are capable of individually. Probst believes there is something about the type of person who succeeds on “Survivor” that translates particularly well to a game like “Big Brother.”
“We put a very specific type of person on ‘Survivor,’ and critical thinking is often one of the strengths,” Probst explained.
There is also another quality that doesn’t show up on a résumé quite as easily.
“Then add in the tremendous amount of charm that they both possess, and you have two very compelling and extremely dangerous players!” he added.
That combination has been on display throughout the season. Devens has repeatedly taken chances, including volunteering to go on the block, while also fighting his way out of danger through Block Buster and Veto wins. Valladares, meanwhile, has once again shown the social instincts that helped carry her to a “Survivor” victory.
Their paths haven’t been identical, but the result has been the same: both are still standing with the end of “Big Brother” in sight.
Probst Doesn’t Think the Survivor-Big Brother Crossovers Are Over
Valladares and Devens aren’t the only familiar Survivor faces to enter the “Big Brother” house. Cirie Fields, who competed alongside them on “Survivor 50,” previously made the jump between the CBS reality franchises.
Seeing multiple former castaways thrive has naturally raised another question: Who could be next?
Probst isn’t naming names.
“I don’t have any specific players that I think should play Big Brother,” he told Entertainment Weekly.
But he doesn’t sound like someone who believes this experiment is ending anytime soon.
“But I have a feeling this won’t be the last of our former players we see in that house!” Probst added.
That’s a notable prediction coming from the face of “Survivor,” particularly after Valladares and Devens have shown just how transferable the skills required to succeed on the island can be.
“Survivor” and “Big Brother” remain very different games. One unfolds on an island with limited food, brutal conditions and Tribal Council waiting around the corner. The other locks its players inside a house where relationships, competitions and constant strategizing can reshape the game by the hour.
But put a proven “Survivor” player into either environment, and Probst’s message is pretty clear: Don’t underestimate them.
