Rob Mariano

Robert Carlo Mariano, commonly known as "Boston Rob," is an American reality television personality who gained prominence through his appearances on the CBS reality competition series Survivor. Born on December 25, 1975, he became the first contestant in the show's history to compete in five separate seasons as a player.

Raised in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, Mariano is of Italian descent. He attended Xaverian Brothers High School, graduating in 1994 after competing in golf and ice hockey. He later earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Boston University in 1999. Although he made the university's freshman hockey team in 1995, he declined to play after being informed of limited prospective ice time under coach Jack Parker, though he continued coaching hockey.

Mariano made his Survivor debut in 2001 on Survivor: Marquesas, where he placed tenth. He returned for Survivor: All-Stars, finishing as the runner-up, and later competed on Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, placing 13th. On his fourth attempt, he won Survivor: Redemption Island in 2011. He returned to the franchise in 2019 as a non-competing mentor alongside Sandra Diaz-Twine on Survivor: Island of the Idols before competing a fifth time on Survivor: Winners at War, finishing in 17th place. Across his five playing appearances, Mariano logged 152 cumulative days in the game.

Beyond Survivor, Mariano participated twice on The Amazing Race alongside his partner, Amber Brkich, placing second in Season 7 and competing in Season 11: All-Stars, where they were eliminated on the fourth leg. In 2025, Mariano appeared as a contestant on the third season of The Traitors, coming in 12th place. He subsequently began co-hosting The Traitors Official Podcast alongside Bob the Drag Queen.

Mariano's additional television credits include narrating UPN's series The Player, co-hosting Sci Fi Investigates, and starring in the Fox Reality Channel show Rob and Amber: Against the Odds, which tracked his efforts to become a professional poker player. He co-hosted History Channel's Around the World in 80 Ways, appeared on a Survivor-themed episode of The Price Is Right, and featured on Secret Celebrity Renovation. He also competed on the first season of Deal or No Deal Island, reaching the final four, and became the host of its companion after-show in 2025.

In his personal life, Mariano began dating fellow Survivor contestant Amber Brkich in 2003 during All-Stars. He proposed during the live finale in May 2004, and the couple married on April 16, 2005, in the Bahamas, a wedding broadcast by CBS as the special Rob and Amber Get Married. They later relocated to Pensacola, Florida, and have four daughters: Lucia Rose, Carina Rose, Isabetta Rose, and Adelina Rose. Mariano and his family are Catholic.