Yahoo News Rick Devens joins as new cohost on Jeff Probst's official“ Survivor” podcast
Jeff Probst will be back podcasting about Survivor again this season, but with a new format and a new cohost. On Fire With Jeff Probst will be getting a bit of a makeover when it returns for Survivor 45, with installments once again posting right after each TV episode concludes on Wednesday night. Part of that makeover includes a new name: On Fire: The Official Survivor Podcast.
The first season of the pod was a big hit with fans for taking a peek behind the production curtain, but since Probst and company already covered most of the big angles of how they put the show together during that run, another approach was needed to continue on. Enter Rick Devens. Devens became a fan-favorite on the Survivor: Edge of Extinction season thanks to his quit wit, breaking news alerts, and ability to save himself with hidden immunity idols and challenge wins. Devens (who previously hosted the Surviving Snyder podcast with Survivor: Ghost Island contestant Brendan Shapiro and yours truly) will now once again be able to dispense that wit on a weekly basis as a new On Fire cohost.
Timothy Kuratek/CBS Rick Devens on 'Survivor: Edge of Extinction'
As part of the new format, Devens and podcast producer Jay Wolff will discuss their take on each Survivor 45 episode — with Wolff offering the perspective a of a fan, and Devens providing his thoughts as a former player. Probst will then join the duo to offer input from the host and producer's standpoint.
As for the new addition, Probst told EW he and Wolff wanted to bring in a former Survivor contestant to offer "the player point of view." And while the names of few former cast members were floated, "there was one player who was always everybody's first choice, and that was Rick." The reasons were many. "He's a very likable player," says Probst. "He's a fan-favorite, he's a smart player, a good strategist, he's hosted a podcast, and he was a journalist in his previous life. So he's a good talker."
Devens was actually originally in line to return to the franchise in an early idea for Survivor 41 where he would have served as a shopkeeper selling items to contestants for Fire Tokens at a Survivor Trading post — a fact Probst revealed last season on the podcast — but that entire concept was killed after Probst received some negative feedback on the economy-based format from former player and current White Lotus showrunner Mike White.
CBS via Getty Images Jeff Probst and Rick Devens on 'Survivor: Edge of Extinction'
While Devens will not be serving up items to players in his new capacity, he will be serving up hot takes honed from his time on the island. "The opportunity to join Jeff and Jay for season 2 of On Fire is really exciting," says the former local news anchor who is now director of communications at Middle Georgia State University. "I'm looking forward to taking our listeners inside the mind of a Survivor player. Castaways are constantly forced to adapt on the island, and I'll give insight into all the variables that may affect how and why the players do what they do in the game."
While the show will delve into things seen each week on Survivor 45, Probst says "it's not a recap podcast." Rather, it's the next phase in what the host hopes will be a long run. "Last season was sort of a masterclass in how we make the show," says Probst. "Now, we're going to get into what can be the long run of the show, which is the fan point of view with Jay, the player point of view with Rick, and the producer point of view with me. Every week you'll get a taste of all three of those perspectives."
Season 2 of On Fire: The Official Survivor Podcast begins right after the Sept. 27 premiere of Survivor 45 on CBS. You can check out key art for the show below and listen to a trailer for the new season here.
CBS 'On Fire: The Official Survivor Podcast'
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