Rick Devens

Well, I'm not a professional television contestant yet, Mr. Tony, but we can all dream, right?

Yes.

I work as a director of communications at Middle Georgia State University, a small university in Macon, Georgia.

I used to be a news anchor here in Macon, Georgia for the morning show for the local Fox and ABC affiliate.

Yes, sir.

So I've always been a big fan of the show.

I love Survivor the way you used to love Hot Bench.

Yeah.

Yep.

locked in so you have to send in an audition tape and I sent in several over like a 10-year span and never heard anything back and then back in gosh 2018 I think I sent in a tape straight from the news desk where my news anchor you know co-anchors just rolling her eyes at me as I'm making this tape and

And they got in touch with me.

And it's actually back then they would fly you out to Los Angeles for a week to go through psych testing, to take IQ tests.

And every day you interview with a higher level producer.

And there's a big group of you and you can see each other, but you're not allowed to interact with each other.

And if they don't like you, they just send you home.

So the next day you'd get together and there'd be three less people.

It's like the Hunger Games before you even get on the show.

And if you make it all the way through, you get to talk to Jeff Probst, the host, and all these CBS executives.

And so I made it all the way through.

They said, you did great.