Rob Mariano

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Rob Mariano (born December 25, 1975 in Canton, Massachusetts), is better known as "Boston Rob". He was a contestant on Survivor: Marquesas, Survivor: All-Stars and the seventh season of The Amazing Race.

1 Survivor: Marquesas
2 Survivor: All-Stars
3 The Amazing Race 7
4 Additional television appearances

[edit] Survivor: Marquesas

During the Marquesas season, he fronted a highly successful opening alliance in his initial Maraamu tribe. A tribal swap in the fourth episode effectively denied him the control he enjoyed in his old tribe, as he was switched to the "new" Rotu tribe in which he was outnumbered by former Rotu members 4-3. Ultimately he was the first person voted out of the game when the tribes merged in the seventh episode, due to his original Maraamu tribe being outnumbered by members of the origial Rotu tribe 7-3.

However, prior to his boot, Rob provided information to Kathy Vavrick-O'Brien about possible betrayal by former members of Rotu who were not switched during the tribal switch that may have later impacted Kathy's (along with Paschal English's and Neleh Dennis') decision to "turn" on their former tribemates, ultimately impacting the winner of the game.

[edit] Survivor: All-Stars

During All-Stars he developed a romantic relationship with fellow contestant Amber Brkich. He was able to form a dominant long-term alliance with Rupert Boneham and Jenna Lewis, taking them all the way to the final four. Rob dominated this season physically and strategically. He single-handedly won challenges for his Chapera tribe. Although most fans felt that Rob was much more deserving as a winner than the coattail riding Amber, the jury did not award Rob the money. Jeff Probst called Survivor: All-Stars Rob's Season.

In the season finale several months later, the couple revealed they were still dating long after the show had ended, and Mariano proposed on live TV. Brkich accepted and moments later she was revealed as the million-dollar All-Stars winner.

[edit] The Amazing Race 7

Subsequently, as a couple, Mariano and Brkich later participated in the seventh season of The Amazing Race and came in second place. The duo fell into disfavor with viewers when they drove by the car accident of their fellow racers, brothers Brian and Greg, without stopping. Their fellow competitors all checked in with the brothers prior to continuing on to the next stage of the race. Also, in South America Mariano pooled his money with some other racers to bribe the bus driver to let the teams that contributed off earlier. When he did bribe the driver, Mariano used none of his own money. Mariano was savaged by the show's fans as a "sore loser" when he suggested that the show was fixed to favor ultimate winners Uchenna and Joyce who were able to make their way onto the same plane as Mariano and Brkich when the pilot agreed to allow them board the flight. CBS representatives repeatedly stated in the following weeks that the decision to allow Uchenna and Joyce onto the plane was ultimately up to the pilot.

[edit] Additional television appearances

On April 16, 2005 Rob Mariano and Amber Brkich were married in a private ceremony in the Bahamas. The U.S. television network CBS aired Rob And Amber Get Married, a 2 hour special about the wedding, on May 24, 2005. [1]

Mariano appeared on Calvin Ayre Wild Card Poker in 2006. He was eliminated in Episode 4, but came back to win the second-chance celebrity table. He was eliminated once again in the final episode.

Mariano was a co-host of the six-week Sci Fi series Sci Fi Investigates. The show investigates subjects such as Bigfoot, Mothman, Paranormal Hotspots, Roswell, The Afterlife and Voodoo. [2]

Mariano appeared on the October 8, 2006 episode of Poker Dome Challenge. According to the commentators, he has relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada and is in talks with Fox Reality to develop a series based on his plans to pursue a career as a professional poker player.

Rob has, with Brkich, completed filming a new show for Fox Reality, Rob and Amber: Against the Odds, which is scheduled to air in January 2007. Variety has reported that "insiders" at CBS have confirmed that the pair will return for the next edition of The Amazing Race, an "all-star" edition set to feature teams from all editions except the Family Edition. [3]

Survivors who played twice and were only voted out once