Drew insists there are no hard feelings, framing his eviction as a noble sacrifice for a player he respected and celebrating the full 87-day experience.
Insiders suggest Rick Devens made a cold-blooded strategic error by cutting Drew, a move that likely cost him the game despite ultimately winning the jury vote.
Drew told Page Six the jury said he 'might have gone well for me' against Brown; Rick won $750,000 and 6 of 7 jury votes; Drew was evicted in third place.
Rick Devens played the best game, but Drew Campbell’s post-game interview confirms he was the bigger threat at the end. The tea? Rick got lucky that the jury loved him more than they hated his strategy.
The receipts are in, and they are absolutely devastating for Rick Devens’ strategy. In an exclusive interview with Page Six, 'Big Brother 28' star Drew Campbell revealed that the jury members told him he likely would have beaten Taylor Brown in a head-to-head final two. The 22-year-old surgical dental assistant described the revelation as "heartbreaking," noting that he was "that close" to taking home the $750,000 grand prize.
This isn't just sour grapes from a third-place finisher; this is the jury admitting that the final eviction was the one wrong move in an otherwise masterful game. Campbell didn't shy away from self-criticism, admitting that his strategy failed when he didn't win the final Head of Household competition. "That’s kind of where my strategy went wrong.
I should have just won it," he told Page Six. "Then maybe I would have won the whole thing." The dynamics of the final three were tense, with Brown and Devens initially intending to take Campbell to the end. However, after the pair struck a deal, Devens won the final HOH and shockingly evicted Campbell, choosing to take the 27-year-old elementary school counselor, Taylor Brown, to the finale instead.
It was a gamble that paid off in the vote count, but the jury’s feedback suggests it nearly backfired spectacularly. Despite the sting of being cut by his self-proclaimed "'Big Brother' dad," Campbell insists he holds no grudges. He confirmed that he was always going to vote for Devens to win, regardless of who he was up against.
"Devens played the best game. If I cut him, I still think he was the best player and he should have won the game. So he was getting my vote no matter what," Campbell explained.
He emphasized that his vote wasn't based on personal affection but on respect for gameplay, stating, "And it’s not even because I love him, it’s just because he played a really good game. I can’t even be mad." This diplomatic stance has kept the peace, at least publicly, between the three finalists. The immediate aftermath of the finale saw a brief, emotional exchange between Campbell and Devens.
Campbell recalled that right after the confetti fell, Devens hugged him and said, "he was sorry and he loves me, and I love him too." While the two haven't had a lengthy catch-up since the live show, Campbell expressed a desire to connect with Devens’ family, specifically mentioning "Miss Becca, Jack and Juju." He even joked about his new role in their lives, saying, "I feel like I’m part of it now.
I am their big brother." It’s a sweet end to a brutal game, but the lingering question remains: Did Rick Devens actually beat the right person in the final two, or did Drew Campbell just get unlucky with the draw? The jury’s whispers say the latter.
