Oh No! Cirie Fields Drops 5 Brutal Big Brother Survival Tips for Dee and Devens
This summer, two highly popular Survivor players swapped living on Fijian beaches for the Big Brother backyard. I’m talking, of course, about Dee Valladares
Oh No! Cirie Fields Drops 5 Brutal Big Brother Survival Tips for Dee and Devens — and Julie Chen Moonves Has Everyone Guessing
The Big Brother house just got a major reality-check as Cirie Fields stepped in with advice that could change everything for Dee Valladares and Rick Devens — while Julie Chen Moonves quietly reveals her own complicated feelings about the whole showdown.
This summer, two of Survivor‘s most recognizable names traded the beaches of Fiji for the pressure cooker of the Big Brother backyard. We’re talking about Dee Valladares (Survivor 45, Survivor 50) and Rick Devens (Survivor: Edge of Extinction, Survivor 50), both now facing an entirely different kind of game.
After viewers watched Valladares and Devens on Survivor 50, where they finished 14th and 7th respectively, both players jumped into another high-stakes reality TV battle. But before they could settle in, one of the franchise’s biggest strategists stepped forward with a warning-filled lesson in how to survive the BB house.
Cirie’s survival advice lands with a bang
Survivor legend Cirie Fields offered her fellow Survivor 50 castmates a handful of blunt, battle-tested tips as they entered the Big Brother game. Fields, known for six Survivor appearances and her unforgettable Big Brother 25 run, spent more than 90 days in the house and finished fifth after delivering a masterclass in social strategy.
During an episode of Big Brother Unlocked, Fields joined via Zoom and did not sugarcoat what Valladares and Devens were walking into. Smiling at the thought of them trying to navigate the chaos, she joked, “Bless their hearts. They’re clearly going to need my help.”
Tip 1: Fields warned them to brace for a “looooong bumpy ride” because Survivor and Big Brother could not be more different. On Survivor, people are voted out within days. In Big Brother, the wait between evictions stretches for a full week, and the house is packed with long stretches of downtime between competitions.
Tip 2: Fields pushed back on the idea that Survivor is always the tougher game just because of the hunger. Her real complaint? Being forced to hear the same story over and over in isolation. Speaking directly to Devens, she fired off one of the sharpest lines of the segment: “Stop talking so much, bro. Every thought does not have to be a newscast.”
Tip 3: If the other players suddenly disappear into a room and neither Valladares nor Devens is invited, Fields made it clear they should not go knocking for entry. In her view, that usually means one thing: they are already the subject of the conversation.
Tip 4: Her next piece of advice was simple but unforgettable — wake up early and get first dibs on the toilet. According to Fields, everybody tends to need the bathroom at the exact same time in the morning, and in the Big Brother house, timing can be everything.
Tip 5: Fields said her most important rule was also the most obvious: mind your own business. As she put it, “Half of the mess in the BB house starts because somebody overheard something they weren’t supposed to hear, and they go repeat it. Secrets become currency later.”
She closed out the segment by sending both players love and good luck, adding, “Y’all make me and Jeff [Probst] proud.”
A reminder of just how rough Cirie’s BB run really was
Fields’ own Big Brother journey was far less glamorous than it looked from the outside. It was an endurance test, and it’s no secret she did not enjoy the experience. She was locked away with strangers for more than 100 days, and several housemates became infamous for being the kind of roommates nobody wants.
While she was joined by her son, Jared Fields, that dynamic seemed to hurt her game more than help it. To make matters worse, Big Brother 25 was widely criticized for skewed physical competitions that gave an obvious advantage to younger men like Jag Bains and swimmer Matt Klootz, making the season’s finish feel predictable to many fans.
Still, Cirie showed exactly why she remains one of reality TV’s sharpest minds. Even alongside her “adopted daughter,” Izzy Gleicher — lovingly known to fans as Izzy Fields — she reminded viewers that her instincts, her timing, and her social game are still elite.
So how are Dee and Devens doing so far?
As for Valladares and Devens, their first week in the Big Brother house has already been full of power shifts. Along with Big Brother 26 alum Angela Murray, the two Survivor veterans entered the BB28 house with 14 other houseguests and a shot at the $750,000 prize.
Valladares, Devens, and Murray went head-to-head in the first HOH competition of the season, and Valladares came out on top. She then nominated three houseguests for possible eviction, immediately putting her stamp on the game.
The reality TV trio later helped form a majority alliance called The Crossovers with Barrett Pfeiffer and Drew Campbell, giving them control of the house early on. That group is now expected to help decide between Taylor Brown, Yash Patel, and Ashley Trail for the season’s first eviction, after Mallory Aurichio won veto/immunity and was swapped out of the original nomination lineup.
Valladares and Devens were also tied to another alliance, The Red Corner, alongside Haley Thogmartin, Kamuela “Kamu” Kirk, and Chuk Anyanwu. But the Survivor duo built The Crossovers as a counter move, and for now, their goal is clear: stay aligned, protect each other, and outlast the house for as long as possible.
Julie Chen Moonves finally speaks out
Longtime Big Brother host Julie Chen Moonves also weighed in on the arrival of Survivor players in the BB house. In an interview with Mike Bloom for Parade, she admitted she was initially not happy about two former Survivor contestants entering Big Brother — though she noted Fields was in a different category because, as she put it, nobody can help but love her.
After doing her homework on Valladares and Devens, Chen Moonves changed her tune. She said she felt a connection to Devens because they both work in news, and she admired Valladares for her accomplishments and her personal story as an immigrant from Cuba. Even so, she admitted Devens lost her again when she saw him overplaying during the week, and she quietly revealed she is rooting for Valladares to become the first woman to win both Survivor and Big Brother.
When asked to name her winner pick for the season, Chen Moonves gave a candid answer that bounced between several favorites before landing on her current lean. She mentioned Drew, Latrice, and even Dee, explaining that she often roots for players whose stories she connects with personally.
