On Time This Week
Last week I was a week late. This week I'm only a few days late. The bar is on the floor and we are stepping over it together.
BTW, this might be the best episode of Season 50.
Beast Mode: The Devens Show
Rick Devens called his shot at the live Tribal — heads on the coin in homage to his kids' love for MrBeast — and walked away with immunity and an idol for himself, and a doubled $2 million prize pool for everyone. The episode ran two hours, and he filled every minute of it with pure joy and madness. You have to love it (well, unless you're Joe).
The sports world did, for sure.
MLB backed it up the same night: "Big night for @Rick_Devens #Survivor50," posted over photos of a huge Atlanta Braves win the same night.
Legendary sports guy Bill Simmons, via The Ringer, called Devens' run a "LeBron James 2009 type season," meaning the MVP conversation has one front-runner and Devens is playing out of his mind. You have to agree from an entertainment standpoint. But there's also the Cirie of it all. And the fans let him know, hey, Cirie Fields is out there tossing a no-hitter. She's looking like 2007 John Smoltz, still throwing cheddar, leading the league in wins and whiffing 200+ batters at 39 years old. These debates are what make Survivor a sport.
And a special shoutout to Devens' mother-in-law, whose X display name is, I am not making this up, "My Son-in-law Was on Survivor." She liked our tweet about the EW interview where Rick told the world the experience was made special by every other castaway he played with. His MIL has been retweeting every kind word about him for weeks. The display name doubles as her thesis. No shade at all; as a dad, I'd PAY $2M to have a moment like the coin flip with my own kid. I'm also blessed with a lovely, supportive MIL. You have to love it. (Even you, Joe.)
The actual stat damage on Rick:
- Torch Score: 73.0 → 71.5 (-1.5). Yes, down. Devens lost the immunity challenge before the coin flip and the engine has no native field for "won a chaos coin toss for an idol and a million bucks." The system is literal. Ask Christian.
- Jeff's Index: 54.8 → 60.6 (+5.8). This, the engine knows. JI measures narrative investment, and Episode 10 was 100% Devens.
- CONF: 33 → 41 (+8) — second-most among players still in the game, behind only Ozzy.
- VA / VSR / TCS: unchanged. He didn't vote. He didn't have to.
Stephenie Plays Too Many Hands
Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick was unanimously voted out by her own alliance after a chaotic camp where she tried to flip the plan onto Cirie, then Rizo, then half the cast, depending on which 30 seconds you tuned in. Stephenie wanted Ozzy. Joe told Cirie. Cirie wanted Stephenie. Joe and Jonathan agreed. I guess you could say two heads rolled on this night — one of them hers.
- Torch Score: 70.8 → 51.3 (-19.5). Biggest TS drop of the episode by a country mile.
- V-: 1 → 9. She caught eight votes — the whole table.
- VA%: 62.5 → 50.0. Two votes that mattered, both on the wrong side.
- VSR / TCS: 100/100 → 80.0/88.9. Perfect run, ended.
Cirie Is Doing Cirie Things
Cirie has played 19 days, attended five tribal councils on the season, and cast a vote at every single one. She has been right every time. VA% 100.0. VSR 100.0. TCS 100.0. She has received exactly one vote all season.
This week she stalked Stephenie's flip into Stephenie's boot. Joe made the mistake of telling Cirie the plan was Stephenie. Cirie agreed, because of course she did. Cirie Fields runs the show.
- TS: 71.7 → 71.8 — essentially static. She does not win challenges. She wins the intangibles.
- JI: 47.4 → 52.4 (+5.0).
- CONF on the season: 28 → 34 (+6).
Maybe at the end of all this she'll get all the Torch Score bonuses for FTC and winning an all-returnee season, which would rocket her up the all-time TS leaderboard.
Notebook
Cirie's all-time records, updated. Days Unsnuffed up to 140 — her own all-time lead, extended. Tribal Councils attended up to 41 — also her own record, also extended. Career confessionals at 193 — sole possession of #3 all-time, passing Russell Hantz (192). Coach Wade sits at 197, and she's on pace to pass him in Episode 11.
Tiffany broke the Day 19 curse. Tiffany Ervin won immunity, surged to TS 80.0 (+8.5), and is now the #2 Torch Score on the season. She has eliminated her own personal cliff. Now she has to outlast everyone else.
Joe is still untouched. Joe Hunter leads S50 at TS 82.7 and is still 0 Votes Against — the only Ghost candidate left in the game. Nine tribal councils, zero votes against him. Nobody can find him.
MrBeast did more for Survivor in 90 seconds than the last three celebrities combined. Not a stat. A take.
Final Thought
S50 Torch Score top three a week ago: Joe (82.7), Aubry (74.5), Rick (73.0). S50 Torch Score top three now: Joe (82.7), Tiffany (80.0), Aubry (74.1). Joe is unmoved. Tiffany leapfrogged on the immunity necklace. Aubry treaded water and was in danger of being the boot herself. Devens fell one slot and was somehow the star of the show anyway.
Nine torches still lit. Cirie is four confessionals from Coach. Devens is up. The chaos is the show.
Coin spins. Lands. Coin wins.
Devens lives. Stephenie out.
Cirie smiles. Of course.