Rick Devens may have won Big Brother 28, but the biggest talking point from the finale came just minutes before the jury crowned him champion.
After winning the final Head of Household competition, Devens faced the decision that would shape the ending of the season: take longtime ally Drew Campbell to the Final Two or cut him at the last possible moment and sit beside Taylor Brown.
Devens chose Taylor.
The emotional decision ended Drew’s game in third place and set up a Final Two that Devens would ultimately win by a decisive 6-1 jury vote. But the result was only part of a finale that also saw Devens win America’s Favorite Houseguest and push his reported season winnings to $810,000.
The ending completed a season that had generated attention from the moment the Big Brother 28 cast was revealed, with Devens entering the game as one of the familiar reality-TV names.
Why Rick Devens Chose Taylor Brown Over Drew Campbell
The final three â Devens, Drew and Taylor â entered finale night knowing that one last Head of Household competition would decide who controlled the final eviction.
Taylor had already won Part 1 of the three-stage competition, while Devens defeated Drew in Part 2. That left Taylor and Devens competing live in Part 3 for the power to choose the other member of the Final Two.
Devens won the deciding round.
For viewers, the bigger surprise came immediately afterward.
Devens had previously given Drew reason to believe the two would sit beside each other at the end. Entertainment Weekly reported that Devens had made a commitment to Drew, making the eventual eviction particularly emotional.
When host Julie Chen Moonves asked Devens to make his final decision, he chose to evict Drew and take Taylor.
Devens became emotional while explaining the move, while Drew was left processing the decision as he became the season’s third-place finisher. Entertainment Weekly detailed the final decision and the promise Devens had made to Drew.
The move was especially notable because Drew had played an important role in Devens even reaching the Final Three.
At the previous eviction, Drew held the sole vote and chose to eliminate Dee Valladares rather than Devens. That decision kept Devens in the game and ultimately gave him the opportunity to compete for the final Head of Household.
Days later, Devens was the player making the final cut.
It turned what could have been a straightforward winner announcement into one of the most emotional moments of the finale.
How the Jury Voted â and How Much Rick Devens Actually Won
Once Drew was eliminated, Devens and Taylor faced the seven-member jury and made their final arguments for the $750,000 grand prize.
Taylor presented her survival through the season as one of the strengths of her game, while Devens emphasized his competition wins and willingness to make difficult strategic decisions.
The jury overwhelmingly sided with Devens.
Rick Devens defeated Taylor Brown by a 6-1 jury vote. According to People, LaTrice Verrett cast the only vote for Taylor, while the remaining six jurors voted for Devens. People confirmed the final jury result and the finale prize details.
Taylor finished as runner-up and received $75,000.
For Devens, however, the $750,000 grand prize was not the only money he collected.
He was also announced as the winner of America’s Favorite Houseguest, giving him another $50,000. Devens had previously earned $10,000 through the Pharaoh’s Curse twist earlier in the season.
Combined, those prizes brought his reported Big Brother 28 winnings to $810,000: $750,000 for winning the season, $50,000 for America’s Favorite Houseguest and $10,000 from the earlier twist. Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter also confirmed Devens as both the season winner and America’s Favorite Houseguest.
The finale also delivered a piece of reality-TV history.
Devens previously competed on Survivor: Edge of Extinction, finishing fourth. His Big Brother victory made him the first former Survivor contestant to win Big Brother, a possibility CBS had specifically highlighted ahead of the finale.
His path to the victory had been one of the major storylines since he joined the Big Brother 2026 house alongside the rest of the season’s contestants.
By the end of finale night, Devens had managed something even bigger than simply surviving to the Final Two: he controlled the final eviction, won six of seven jury votes, secured the fan-voted prize and completed a successful crossover from Survivor to Big Brother.
For Drew, the most painful part may be how close he came. His earlier decision helped keep Devens alive in the game, only for Devens to become the person who ended Drew’s season at the final hurdle.
And that decision â rather than simply the identity of the winner â is likely to remain one of the defining moments of the Big Brother 28 finale.
Big Brother 28 aired on CBS and is available through Paramount+. Official Big Brother information and episodes are available through CBS.
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