Champs vs Stars 3 Interview: Devin Walker
I was very luck to get the chance to interview Devin Walker about his time on Champs vs Stars, Vendettas, and where he goes from here, as well as some deep cuts like his entry into the MTV world and his nude modeling career. Devin was an absolute delight who had me dying laughing. Hope you all enjoy!
Devin: When we rolled up and I got the confirmation call for a show with Champs in the title, I was a bit confused. I guess making it to the final makes you a Champ now, though I’ve always considered myself a Champion in life, so that was fine. Overall, I was expecting a different cast, I was not sure if Shane or Aneesa had ever made a final, and CT, Wes, and Ashley were the only true Champions. However, I do think everyone there deserved their spot in their own right for what they brought to the show and the game. I really liked our Champs team and thought we would have done super well had the lines not been blurred. Personally, I would love to get a second crack at this show.
Q: On your rookie season Rivals 3 we got to see your friendship with Wes and after a couple years we finally got to watch the two of you reunite. What was it like to do a show with essentially your Challenge Best Friend again?
Devin: Absolutely great. I love Wes and I love hanging out with him. More than anything really, I love being able to learn from others. Getting to play with someone as smart and strategic as Wes teaches me a lot of ways I can get better at the game. Also, anytime you can hang out with Wes, CT, and Tony you’re living a pretty good life.
Q: As you mentioned, you love to play the strategic game, you play the mental game. How much of the mental game is making others believe in your mental strength?
Devin: I’d say it is about 50/50. I have to do this in real life with the fields I have entered. Part of it is fake till you make it. I take my real life experiences and use them in the game. Whenever I walk into a Challenge house I am going to believe I am the smartest person there. At the same time, you can be the actual smartest person and lose in a puzzle if you can’t control your emotions or figure out the best strategy immediately. A lot of my tactics are fear tactics and it might be false bravado, but I actually believe in myself to have the mental leg up in a puzzle. And if there is a physical challenge, I will think strategically to try and beat someone there too.
Q: It seems at times your favorite part of the mental game is getting on someone’s nerves, especially with Bananas. If you watch the reunion you are taking shot after shot at Johnny. How much enjoyment do you get out of how much you bug him?
Devin: My favorite part of the reunion was knowing he couldn’t not interact with me. I love going to verbal combat with anyone. (Devin’s connection cut out for a bit here).
Devin: The short answer is yes, I love getting under people’s skins and Bananas is an easy target (chuckles).
Q: Moving on to some stuff that is still a bit recent. The way the numbers ended in Vendettas where there were 7 guys for 4 spots in the final with a few days before the final, the way in which three guys were abruptly eliminated felt a bit rushed. Did you feel cheated at all from the experience?
Devin: You can never feel cheated on the Challenge, this is what we signed up for. The way the numbers ran, that’s how they ran. Vendettas leaves a sour taste in my mouth because of how close I was, but I have nobody to blame but myself. It was my fault for drink foamers when I should have been working out. I could have said it was somebody else’s fault like most people on the show.
Q: You are definitely in better shape now than when you filmed Vendettas.
Devin: Yeah! You saw the shirtless selfie on Instagram?
Q: Of course. Are you doing this to improve in the game or improve your life in general?
Devin: Losing by five seconds really made me want to make sure to not lose again. I have been running 3–5 miles four to five times a week. Playing a lot of golf, trying to hit the gym, and hoping to not lose a mountain climb again. Survive and advance is the name of the game and if you cannot survive in a round without an elimination where you have to battle yourself, you need to push yourself to not take the 5 second L.
Q: It’s really cool to see those improvements. One of the interesting things when doing research about you is that if you google your name, you can find your old Model Mayhem profile. We need to know about your modeling career. Also, you mentioned in your profile that you’d go nude.
Devin: (laughs) Oh, that was short-lived. And yeah, I actually was a nude model at one point for a local college. I would stand in for art classes nude where they would paint or draw me. For a while, I was a bit delusional in believing I could make it as a male model even though I was six feet tall and had a dad bod. (laughs harder)
Q: You’re so out there it’s incredible to watch. One of my favorite stories about you is the fact that you were recruited by a caster for Are You The One? based on your passionate performance at a Karaoke bar.
Devin: The crazy thing about that story is Lighthearted Entertainment contacted me after the podcast asking who the person I talked to was, because apparently, the person did not even work there. They just pretended they did and thought I would be perfect for the show. It ended up working out. Whatever it was, it’s what got me to apply. Believe it or not, Karaoke has shaped my life.
Q: You mentioned in that same podcast that you didn’t ever watch Reality Television growing up. By not being interested in the fame of reality tv, do you think you were able to be more genuine and out there than some of your other castmates?
Devin: I think the worst thing is when someone tries to hard to be something they are not. I try to be myself, and the greatest gift I have ever given myself is not caring what others think of me. If you are a good person, you will like me because I am a good person. If you don’t like me, then I don’t care. Some people on these shows simply try too hard.
Q: Rounding back to Champs vs Stars, telling us about your charity.
Devin: Bregamos Community Theater is an incredible place that I wanted to play for. It was founded by one of my best friends dad. It has a special fund for my friend’s brother who was tragically murdered a few years back. I wanted to give back to something close to my heart. I’ve always believed people need an artistic outlet and it can really help people from making poor choices in their lives. I was stoked to get to play for them.
Q: Even though you lost, you still did kick-ass and made your charity proud.
Devin: Thank you, it really means a lot. It was a tough elimination going against Wes. I am glad we put on a good show at least. At the end of the day, I am still cheering for Wes to bring it home and I’m hoping Jozea loses.
