"Boston Rob" Mariano's Reality Television Career

One more season of Survivor is about to start on February 16th, and two former contestants will be joining: Russell Hantz and "Boston Rob" Mariano.  They will be placed on opposing tribes and will be named the tribe's leader (although more than likely, everybody knows how manipulative these two people can be, and they will find a way to send them to Redemption Island sooner or later).

Boston Rob is not a stranger to reality television: he has appeared in several different television seasons, on more than one television show. This will be his fourth appearance on Survivor alone. Here is a rundown of his career in reality television.

We were first introduced to Boston Rob during Survivor Marquesas.  Rob was dominant in his tribe, and enjoyed manipulating his tribemates.  When a tribal swap occurred, he wasn't so dominant anymore; he was voted off in the seventh episode after the merge.  He made the show interesting enough to bring back viewers week after week, which gave him a spot on Survivor: All Stars.

During Survivor All-Stars, Rob developed an alliance with Amber Brkich, one of his tribemates.  While the alliance was initially one of convenience, they developed a relationship during the show.  Rob did well on challenges.  His alliance with Amber helped them reach first and second place in the game.  Rob proposed to her on live television on the reunion show before the final vote was read.  Amber accepted his proposal; she won the cash, he won the girl.

Rob and Amber were engaged while they played together on season 7 of The Amazing Race.  Rob and Amber played the game ruthlessly, just as they played on Survivor.  They bribed bus drivers (using other people's money) and convinced other teams to sit out of a challenge just as they were doing.  The fact that they were well-known around the world allowed them to get help that other teams didn't have.  They ended up coming in second overall.

While this was not an entire season of reality television, Rob and Amber filmed their wedding in the Bahamas and it aired on television on May 24, 2005.  The television special showed preparations for the wedding, getting their house ready, and much of the wedding itself.

Shortly after they were married, Rob and Amber starred for a short time in Rob and Amber: Against the Odds, which aired on the Fox Reality Channel.  They filmed ten episodes for the series, but ended up ending the show so they could take part in The Amazing Race All-Stars.

After Rob and Amber were married, they once again appeared on The Amazing Race All-Stars.  Unlike the other two reality shows that they appeared in together, they did not last long in this season.  They were eliminated in the fourth episode.

Rob was asked to appear in another season of Survivor.  In Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, Rob played a villain (of course).  He competed for dominance of the villains tribe with Russell Hantz.  Russell eventually outmaneuvered Rob, getting him booted in the eighth episode.

Survivor: Redemption Island will be the fourth season of Survivor that Rob will appear on, and will be the seventh reality television season that he will be a part of.  He will be the "leader" of a tribe, playing opposite of Russell Hantz's tribe.