Key Points

• Big Brother host Julie Chen Moonves did not hold back with her assessment on Rick Devens’ strategic game so far.

• She likes what Dee is doing, so I guess one out of two Survivors is not so bad.

• The Chenbot also reveals where she is putting her money when it comes to a winner pick.

They came into the house late. Two of them were at odds on their previous season of Survivor, and they had never met the third, who was a Big Brother veteran. Yet Dee Valladares, Rick Devens, and Angela Murray have become thick as thieves in their first week inside the season 28 Big Brother house.

Is host Julie Chen Moonves surprised these so-called “icons” formed such a strong alliance right off the bat? Well, she is certainly surprised by one of them, and not in a good way.

“I’m surprised how little Rick Devens gets this game,” says the host. “And how much Dee gets it and got it right away.”

Chen Moonves had heard all the Devens hype leading into the season — especially after he hid a fake idol at Tribal Council on Survivor 50 and also volunteered to flip the MrBeast coin — but so far, she has been unimpressed.

“I know people love Devens, and he was great at Survivor. This ain’t Survivor, honey. This here Big Brother.”

Wow. Just… wow. And the Chenbot says this is a hard turn for her, because as a former CBS Early Show anchor, she was initially attracted to Rick’s morning news past.

“I’m like: Okay, I was rooting for you in the beginning because you’re a former morning news anchor, as was I. But then with his loose lips, he quickly lost me. I thought: No, dude. And then when I saw Dee look at him like, ‘You did what?!’ I was like….”

The loose lips incident to which she refers is when Devens decided to tell Angela and Drew Campbell about a second alliance he and Dee were in called the “Red Corner” to which they did not plan to stay true. But alliances change early and often in the Big Brother house, and what if word of that got back to Red Corner members Chuck Anyanwu, Haley Thogmartin, and Kamu Kirk?

“Oh, it was terrible,” the host says of Rick carelessly offering up that intel. “I was like, ‘Go back to the island, dude! I’m gonna snuff out your flame.’”

As a result, of the two former island-dwellers, Chen Moonves definitely has her favorite: “You know, I was kind of against two former Survivors coming in, and now I find myself pulling for Dee. Because she gets it.”

As for the former Big Brother player in the mix, JCM is unequivocal. “I love Angela Murray. Television gold.”

But while Angela has definitely played… well… saner so far this year as opposed to her chaotic season 26 start, can she keep up her kinder, gentler gameplay?

“If she doesn’t win power,” Chen Moonves answers. “I think the real test is if she wins Head of Household, because that’s a lot of power. And that’s also a lot of blood on your hands. I’m withholding judgment, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t hope to see a little bit of season 26 Angela make an appearance again this season, because love her or hate her — she’s television gold. And I love her.”

The host does offer a clarification: “I don’t think she’s gonna win it, but I’m rooting for her.”

So if Angela is not going to win, who is?

“I’m rooting for everyone for different reasons. I have $5 on Drew. I have $5 on LaTrice. And I like them. That could change next week. Like I was pulling for Rick Devens, and then with his loose lips, he lost my support. So, I’m a fair-weather fan [of players], as well as the host of the show.”

Maybe Rick Devens can slowly work his way back into that fair-weather fan’s heart.