Episode 21 · Power brief
Devens saves Dee and puts Kamu on the block.
Yash wins OTEV and leaves his nominations alone. Devens then reveals the Diamond Veto, delivers the protection he promises Dee, and makes Kamu the replacement nominee. Several new groups surround the move, but Devens alone holds the power that changes the block.
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Power snapshot
Terminal: Ashley remains terminal at 7. Rome and Jason remain terminal at 8. Lyric remains terminal at 13. Chuk remains terminal at 9. All five are excluded from the active ranking.
Dee welcomes his protection before the ceremony. He removes her from the block when the decision arrives.
Devens uses the same power to name Kamu as the replacement nominee.
FAP coordinates, Mosh Pit forms, and Crossovers supplies support context. None owns Devens’s individual decision.
Episode action sequence
Yash wins one veto. Devens waits with another and changes the final block.
- 1Barrett and Melody join the field
Six players gain direct access to OTEV
- 2Yash wins the Golden Veto
He keeps the first decision over his nominee set
- 3Devens promises Dee protection
She welcomes the plan before he reveals the power
- 4Yash leaves the block unchanged
His temporary veto decision ends without use
- 5Devens uses the Diamond Veto
Dee becomes safe and Kamu replaces her
What changes
Devens uses the Diamond Veto to save Dee and nominate Kamu.
Dee receives the protection she accepts, raising Devens’s Reward Power 2 → 3. Kamu becomes the replacement nominee by Devens’s choice, raising Coercive Power 1 → 4. The one-use Legitimate authority expires after the ceremony, and Devens returns to his persistent Legitimate2.
Why Devens gets the result
The promise becomes a benefit. The replacement becomes a consequence.
- Dee accepts the protectionThe response appears before the resource is used
- Devens keeps the plan concealedYash cannot prepare for the override
- Yash declines his own vetoThe original nominees remain in place for the next decision
- Devens acts aloneHe saves Dee and names Kamu with the Diamond Veto
Coalition support gives Devens context and confidence, but it does not share possession of the Diamond Veto. The direct actor–target chain belongs to him: Dee receives the promised protection, and Kamu receives the replacement-nomination consequence.
Claim stop: Episode 21 establishes the OTEV result, Golden Veto non-use, Diamond Veto use, Dee’s safety, Kamu’s replacement nomination, and the formation or coordination states visible before the ceremony. It excludes later fallout, campaigning, the Blockbuster, eviction, and every Episode 22 or later event.
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Where this Episode sits in the season
The frame stays consistent. The values show only what is established through Episode 21.Reward rises with delivered protection; Coercive rises with the imposed nomination.
Most members do not know the Diamond Veto plan before the ceremony.
The outside power changes his block without mechanically reducing his persistent HOH ratings.
The Diamond Veto expires after use. Dee preserves the bribe for a later response test.
The people inside the numbers
Players in this Power story
Featured cards are limited to the strongest Episode-level Power changes, uses, responses, or closures.
Diamond Veto used · Rank 1
Rick Devens
Macon, Georgia · Father and former news anchor · Survivor 38 and 50
Devens saves Dee and puts Kamu on the block.
Devens peaks at 20 during his HOH and veto cycle, then holds at 15 after that office expires. Episode 21 takes him back to 19 when a promised benefit reaches Dee and a formal consequence reaches Kamu in the same move.
Power profile
- Legitimate
- 2
- Reward
- 3
- Coercive
- 4
- Expert
- 3
- Referent
- 3
- Informational
- 4
Season Power
Episode checkpoints- Start
- 9
- Peak
- 20
- Current
- 19
- Episodes 6–7 · Peaks at 20
- Episodes 8–20 · Holds at 15
- Episode 21 · Rises to 19
- Episode position
- Concealed Diamond Veto holder controlling the second veto decision.
- What they do
- Promises Dee protection, preserves secrecy, removes her from the block, and names Kamu.
- Result
- Dee becomes safe, Kamu becomes a final nominee, and the one-use Diamond Veto expires.
- Power change
- Total Power rises 15 → 19 as Reward moves 2 → 3 and Coercive 1 → 4.
HOH · Rank 2
Yash Patel
24 · Monroe Township, New Jersey · Financial analyst
Yash keeps his own nominations intact, then a concealed power changes them.
Yash reaches 13 through early protection and accepted vote framing, settles at 10 when temporary exchange power closes, and rises to 17 with HOH. Episode 21 leaves that persistent state intact even though Devens overrides the final block.
Power profile
- Legitimate
- 4
- Reward
- 2
- Coercive
- 4
- Expert
- 2
- Referent
- 2
- Informational
- 3
Season Power
Episode checkpoints- Start
- 9
- Peak
- 17
- Current
- 17
- Episodes 11–14 · Holds at 13
- Episode 20 · Rises to 17
- Episodes 20–21 · Holds at 17
- Episode position
- HOH and OTEV winner holding the first veto decision.
- What they do
- Considers several replacement routes and leaves his original nominations unchanged.
- Result
- The Golden Veto expires unused. Devens then removes Dee and names Kamu without ending Yash’s HOH authority.
- Power change
- Total Power holds at 17. The override changes the block, not the persistent six-base HOH state.
Diamond Veto safety · Rank 3
Dee Valladares
Miami, Florida · Survivor 45 winner · Survivor 50
Dee welcomes the promised protection and receives it at the ceremony.
Dee peaks at 19 during the opening HOH, settles at 13 after the office expires, and rises to 14 when accepted strategic judgment produces a later result. Episode 21 confirms strong information and relationship channels without adding a new global threshold.
Power profile
- Legitimate
- 1
- Reward
- 2
- Coercive
- 1
- Expert
- 3
- Referent
- 3
- Informational
- 4
Season Power
Episode checkpoints- Start
- 9
- Peak
- 19
- Current
- 14
- Episode 4 · Peaks at 19
- Episode 15 · Rises to 14
- Episodes 15–21 · Holds at 14
- Episode position
- Nominee holding the BB Bribe and awaiting Devens’s concealed protection plan.
- What they do
- Accepts the promise, helps build support, follows Angela’s bounded presentation advice, and preserves the bribe.
- Result
- Devens removes her from the block. Diamond Veto safety activates while the BB Bribe remains available.
- Power change
- Total Power holds at 14. Safety and resource possession stay separate from the six demonstrated influence ratings.
Replacement nominee · Rank 4
Kamuela “Kamu” Kirk
32 · Phoenix, Arizona · MMA fighter
Kamu keeps Yash’s protection and still reaches the block through Devens.
Kamu peaks at 19 during his HOH cycle, falls to 14 when the office expires, and reaches 12 when later cycle benefits close. Yash’s Episode 20 protection remains real, but Episode 21 exposes its limit against authority held outside the relationship.
Power profile
- Legitimate
- 1
- Reward
- 2
- Coercive
- 1
- Expert
- 2
- Referent
- 3
- Informational
- 3
Season Power
Episode checkpoints- Start
- 9
- Peak
- 19
- Current
- 12
- Episodes 9–11 · Peaks at 19
- Episodes 12–14 · Holds at 14
- Episodes 15–21 · Holds at 12
- Episode position
- HOH ally exposed to an outside replacement-nomination power.
- What they do
- Builds veto scenarios with Yash, gives Haley an unexecuted promise, and absorbs Taylor’s warning.
- Result
- Yash leaves the block unchanged, but Devens names Kamu with the Diamond Veto.
- Power change
- Total Power holds at 12. Nomination danger does not mechanically reduce demonstrated influence.
Mosh Pit member · Rank 8
Mallory Aurichio
24 · Township of Washington, New Jersey · Rocket scientist
Mallory carries out one FAP task and joins a larger group that has not faced a vote.
Mallory peaks at 13 with opening veto control, settles at 12, and later reaches 11 when temporary authority and one information channel close. Episode 21 adds visible coordination without proving broad protection or durable alliance reach.
Power profile
- Legitimate
- 1
- Reward
- 2
- Coercive
- 1
- Expert
- 2
- Referent
- 3
- Informational
- 2
Season Power
Episode checkpoints- Start
- 9
- Peak
- 13
- Current
- 11
- Episode 3 · Peaks at 13
- Episodes 6–14 · Holds at 12
- Episodes 15–21 · Holds at 11
- Episode position
- FAP member and new Mosh Pit recruit operating around the hidden veto plan.
- What they do
- Interrupts opposing talks for FAP, then accepts Devens’s broader merger proposal with Melody.
- Result
- The interruption works and Mosh Pit forms. Most of the new group still lacks the Diamond Veto details.
- Power change
- Total Power holds at 11. One coordinated task and an alliance name remain below a new global threshold.
Cast details: Paramount+ official Season 28 cast guide. Official cast portraits: Evan Mulling / CBS. Episode analysis: S28E21 Technical Episode Report v2.
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