Big Brother Alum Kyland Young Says Putting Two Survivor Winners in the House Is Like NBA Players Facing College Kids

Kyland Young thinks Survivor experience gave Dee Valladares and Rick Devens a major advantage over the first-time players on Big Brother season 28, even as he praised the moves that carried both crossover contestants deep into the game.

Kyland Young steps out for the Squid Game Season 2 premiere event at Los Angeles City College on December 12, 2024. Photo by Presley Ann / Getty Images.

“This season of Big Brother has been absolutely insane,” Young, 35, told Us Weekly on Saturday, September 19, at the UFC 331 on Paramount+ red carpet in Los Angeles. He called Valladares “wonderful” and said he understood why Devens became a Survivor fan favorite.

A cast photo from Big Brother season 28. Credit: Big Brother 28.

Devens, 42, and Valladares, 29, entered the Big Brother house as part of a 14-person cast competing for $750,000. Valladares won Survivor season 45 in 2023, while Devens previously competed on Survivor and was announced for Survivor 50.

For Young, that head start changes how the game should be read. He said even one day in either franchise can put someone “miles ahead” of a newcomer.

Dee Valladares, Rick Devens, Jeff Probst, and fellow cast members gather at Hall Des Lumieres in New York City for the Survivor Season 50 premiere screening on February 24, 2026. Photo by Dominik Bindl / Getty Images.

“So it kind of does feel like I’m watching NBA players compete against college players in basketball,” he said. “It’s not that they’re not doing impressive moves, but when you add that context it’s a little bit less impressive.”

Young knows the Big Brother house firsthand. He competed on season 23 in 2021 and was blindsided by Xavier Prather. This time around he’s rooting for Drew Campbell, Melody Morris or Taylor Brown to reach the finale, precisely because they entered without the Survivor veterans’ experience or established fan bases.

A scene from Big Brother season 28, featuring the cast competing for $750,000. Credit: Big Brother 28.

“I gotta root for the underdogs who didn’t get these advantages coming in,” he said. Still, he credited Valladares and Devens with doing “some real work” to advance, noting the pair have largely tried to bring each other to the end, despite occasionally wavering.

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