Rob Mariano: 5 Things to Know About the ‘Survivor’ Legend On ‘Deal or No Deal Island’
After playing ‘Survivor’ five times, ‘Boston Rob’ is returning to the island for a different competition reality show: ‘Deal or No Deal Island.’
Rob “Boston Rob” Mariano will be back on the beach for Deal or No Deal Island. The 48-year-old Survivor winner is competing on the new NBC series which sees 13 contestants facing off in challenges and playing ‘Deal or No Deal’ on the banker’s private island. At the end of the season, the last contestant standing will face the banker to potentially win the huge grand prize. Rob’s Survivor experience should surely give him a huge advantage on Deal or No Deal Island.
Here’s everything you need to know about Rob.
Rob has played Survivor five times.
Rob first came to Survivor on season four, Marquesas. Although he started out in a majority alliance, an unfortunate tribe swap stunted his game. He was the first person voted out at the merge. Rob returned during season 8 for Survivor: All Stars, where he quickly formed an alliance with Amber Brkich, which he rode all the way to the end. He wasn’t afraid to play dirty, and broke promises throughout the season to further himself and Amber in the game. In the end, his villainous ways took a toll, and Amber beat him at the final two.
When Rob returned for Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, season 20, he was, understandably, put on the Villain tribe. He quickly emerged as the leader of the group, but all of his plans fell apart when his ally, Tyson Apostol, did not vote according to plan at the sixth tribal council. It led to Tyson being voted out himself, and Rob losing all control to Russell Hantz and Parvati Shallow. The next time the Villains went to tribal council, Rob was voted out himself, without even making the merge.
The Rob/Russell showdown was one of the biggest storylines of Heroes vs. Villains, and so they were both invited to return for season 22, Redemption Island. They were placed on separate tribes, and since Russell’s tribe was aware of how dirty he played the game, they wasted no time voting him out. On the other hand, Rob emerged as a leader in his tribe, and quickly took control. He played as perfect of a game as possible, both socially and physically — not only did he win important challenges, but he voted the right people out at the right time without making any major enemies. There was no question that he’d be named the winner by the end.
Rob returned to Survivor for season 39, Island of the Idols, in 2019, but not as a contestant. He and fellow winner Sandra Diaz Twine served as “mentors” to the 20 new players. Rob ended up returning for the show’s 40th season, Winners at War, which featured 20 past champions. Rob and all the old-school players were immediate targets. He was voted out during episode 6.
He met his wife on ‘Survivor.’
Rob and Amber weren’t just allies on Survivor: All-Stars — they also fell in love on the show! Their romance blossomed all season long, but fans were still convinced that it was just a ploy to get further in the game. However, at the live reunion show, Amber proved that her love for Rob was VERY much real by wearing an ‘I [Heart] Rob’ shirt to the taping. Rob proposed during the live show in 2004, and they got married in April 2005 in the Bahamas. Together, Rob and Amber have FOUR daughters: Lucia, born in July 2009, Carina, born in Dec. 2010, Isabetta, born in May 2012, and Adelina, born in June 2014. The family lives in Florida.
Rob and Amber both returned for Winners at War, but the fact that they were there together (though on separate tribes) made them quick targets. They were both voted out pre-merge.
He was also on ‘The Amazing Race.’
After Survivor: All Stars, Rob and Amber competed on The Amazing Race…TWICE. They first appeared during season 7 as an engaged couple. They were a powerful team throughout the race, coming in first in four out of 12 legs, while also never coming in last place. However, they wound up finishing in second place. They then returned to The Amazing Race: All-Stars (season 11). However, after coming in first on the first three legs, Amber and Rob were eliminated fourth.
He’s a huge Boston sports fan.
Rob is vocal about his love of Boston sports teams: the Red Sox (baseball), Bruins (hockey) and New England Patriots (football). That, along with his thick Boston accent, earned him the nickname of “Boston Rob” on Survivor.
He’s an avid poker player.
Rob loves playing poker and often enters tournament. In 2007, Rob and Amber actually starred on a reality show called Rob & Amber: Against the Odds, which showed them spending time in Vegas so Rob could kick off a career as a professional poker player. However, the series ended with Rob and Amber accepting an offer for The Amazing Race: All-Stars, rather than him successfully launching a career in poker.