Jeff Probst recently revealed that Survivor season 50 would involve returning players, but will “Boston” Rob Marianao and Amber Brkich be back to play the game one more time? Rob and Amber are basically Survivor royalty. They met and fell in love while playing the game, and are now married with children. Rob has played Survivor a total of five times. Rob has spent a total of 152 days playing Survivor, one of the most of any contestant to ever play the game.
He most recently appeared as a contestant on the inaugural season of Deal Or No Deal Island. The show has been described as Deal Or No Deal meets Survivor. Amber has also played Survivor multiple times. Considering Rob and Amber’s relationship with the franchise and appreciation for reality television in general, it’s no surprise that fans expect them back for Survivor 50. But will Amber and Rob compete again for the cash prize and title of sole Survivor?
Boston Rob first appeared on Survivor: Marquesas, which aired in 2002. Though Rob was voted out, taking seventh place, he managed to make a lasting impression with his big personality and bold gameplay. A couple of years later, Boston Rob returned to play Survivor: All Stars, where he almost immediately entered into an alliance with Amber. Amber ended up winning the game, with Rob coming in second place, making their showmance one of the most successful alliances in Survivor history. During the finale, Boston Rob proposed to Amber, and she accepted.
In 2010, Boston Rob was back for Survivor: Heroes Vs. Villains where he was the seventh player eliminated. The following year, he returned for Survivor: Redemption Island, where Rob finally won Survivor on his fourth try. Host and producer Jeff Probst called Rob’s game the “most perfect game of Survivor ever.” In 2019, Rob appeared on Survivor: Island Of Idols, but as a mentor, not a player. Boston Rob’s final Survivor appearance was to play Winners At War, where he was fifth to be voted out.
Amber Brkich and Rob Mariano are arguably the most well-known Survivor showmance of all time. They each played the game separately during different seasons and met during All Stars. They got engaged in 2004, during the season’s live finale at Madison Square Garden in NYC. Amber and Rob were married a year later, in 2005, and have been together ever since, raising four daughters. A two-hour wedding special, Rob And Amber Get Married, aired on CBS in May 2005.
Shortly after getting married in 2005, newlyweds Boston Rob and Amber appeared on The Amazing Race season 7. They made it all the way to the final two teams but came in second place behind winners Uchenna Agu and Joyce Agu. Only two years later, in 2007, Rob and Amber were back for The Amazing Race: All Stars, where they were less successful, becoming the fourth team to be eliminated from the game.
Rob and Amber are still happily married. They now have four beautiful daughters; Lucia Rose, Carina Rose, Isabetta Rose, and Adelina Rose. The family seem to be living in sunny Pensacola, Florida, but Rob and Amber still spend a lot of time in his hometown of Boston, and he still sports his familiar Boston hat.
Since last appearing on Survivor, Boston Rob has found his way back to reality television. He was recently a contestant on Deal Or No Deal Island season 1, which aired on NBC. In the revamp of the hit game show Deal Or No Deal, contestants have to play against the banker on a deserted island. The iconic briefcases are dropped into the jungle by helicopter on the first night, hosted by Joe Manganiello. Though Rob did well, he didn’t win, losing to Jordan Fowler.
While at a Survivor Q&A recently, Jeff asked the audience if the highly anticipated 50th season should include another set of new players. When the audience replied in the negative, Jeff asked if they should bring back returning players. When the audience responded positively to that idea, Jeff said, “I feel like we should just commit and make this the moment where we decide that Survivor 50 will be returning players.”
Once news broke that Survivor 50 would feature returning all-stars, speculations about Rob and Amber’s involvement began. In a conversation with TV Insider, Rob addressed the possibility. “I love Survivor,” he said. “It’s been a huge part of my life for nearly half of my life now. I don’t feel any desire to go back there and play the game again…” For her part, Amber had not yet addressed the possibility of her returning to play Survivor 50 on her own.
Source: TV Insider