How Boston Rob Became The Traitors’ Biggest Threat

It was only a matter of time before Rob Mariano, famously known as Boston Rob, would join the cast of Peacock’s The Traitors, a murder-mystery competition known for its intricate strategies and intense social pressures. Similar to Cirie Fields and Parvati Shallow, other Survivor legends and previous participants on The Traitors, Mariano thrives in complex situations that demand strategic thinking and emotional resilience. Throughout his reality-TV career, he has skillfully maneuvered challenges, rules, and people without bias, always seeking an advantage to emerge victorious.

In 2002, Mariano first appeared on Survivor during the fourth season at the age of 25, hailing from Boston. Unfortunately, he didn’t make it far in his initial season, but he left an indelible mark in subsequent appearances. He came in second to his future spouse, Amber Brkich, in All-Stars; returned for Heroes vs. Villains; dozed off to victory on Redemption Island; and established a record for the most days played with 152 on Winners at War. Over a span of two decades, Mariano has shown versatility in reality competition shows, participating in The Amazing Race, The Price Is Right, and more recently, Deal or No Deal Island.

Britney Haynes, a Big Brother contestant, murmured under her breath as host Alan Cumming introduced Rob during the season-three premiere, giving players the opportunity to bring him into the game and eliminate another. No one took the bait. Even those not competing were wary of him; Chrishell Stause likened Marino to a “great white shark.” With a reputation as a “very cunning player, extremely devious,” as described by Tony Vlachos, two-time Survivor winner and self-proclaimed maniac, his nickname “The Robfather” is well deserved. His knack for manipulating other players into revealing information and carrying out his orders has earned him this title. When Alan announced he would enter the game as a Traitor, joining forces with Bob the Drag Queen, Danielle Reyes, and Carolyn Wiger, Rob let out an eerie laugh and told Alan, “I’m going to eliminate them all. I can’t wait.

As a cinephile who’s always on the lookout for my winning edge in reality TV games, I’ve discovered that adaptability is key. I sat down with Vulture to share my approach: “My success stems from understanding the game’s dynamics and rules, but it’s crucial to find those hidden advantages too,” I said. Whether it was on The Amazing Race, Deal or No Deal Island, or Survivor, I always managed to locate those benefits, and I aim to do the same in The Traitors.

But this isn’t going to be a walk in the park. With my ruthless reputation preceding me and an unstable alliance of traitors to contend with, it’ll take some finesse to navigate these treacherous waters. To get a sense of how I plan to play the game, I’ve decided to revisit some of my career milestones (and stumbling blocks) to discuss my strategies and see how they apply to this new challenge.

Biggest Bluff

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=9a1kp_PAGgQ

In Survivor All Stars, I tried to persuade Lex that I’d reciprocate a favor if he helped me keep Amber around, but unfortunately, I didn’t fulfill my part of the bargain. To be convincing, you need to present yourself as trustworthy, but in reality, you’re looking out for yourself first and foremost. In this game, survival comes before keeping promises.

I believe my success comes from attempting to understand others’ perspectives and viewing situations from their point of view. In Lex’s case, he didn’t consider how it would affect me if he kept me in the game; instead, he focused on his own advantages that might come up later if he asked for a favor. Unbeknownst to him, I had no plans to reciprocate unless it was advantageous for me, but this is what prompted him to act in that particular way.

Instead of admitting that he left the game due to friendship, what causes me concern is that he might be suggesting he stepped away from the game to help someone out, with an ulterior motive of expecting something in return.

Most Satisfying Blindside

On Redemption Island, it seemed as though the redeeming aspect was designed for situations where I might be voted out, providing a second opportunity to rejoin the game. Interestingly, it turned out to have the opposite effect – my control over the game meant that every contestant I sent there became a potential threat upon their return. A notable competitor, Matt Elrod, went there and impressively won all challenges before returning to the game. Given the balanced team dynamics at the time, if I recall correctly, he would have been the deciding factor in votes. Instead of trying to win him over, I decided to minimize unpredictability by sending him back again. It was a strategic move that came to me during negotiations and I thought, “of course: the least obvious is often the most obvious.” I was quite pleased with this plan.

Biggest Error (His)

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=ZSvFJhJbR6M

Winners at War was quite challenging, and I didn’t take part in pre-game alliance building because it didn’t feel right to me. Even though everyone seems to do it nowadays, I’m more traditional in that sense. Unfortunately, the alliances were already formed before the season began.

In a turn of events following the tribe switch, I ended up at the beach alongside Adam Klein, Sarah Lucina, Sophie Clarke, and Ben Driebergen. The signs were clear – if our team lost, I was out. As a desperate move to survive, I attempted to divide the group, hoping they wouldn’t communicate and could be paired up for mutual protection. Looking back, I don’t regret this strategy because I felt compelled to try something new, but it was essentially repeating an old tactic that had worked before but clearly wouldn’t work with these experienced players. If faced with the same situation again, I likely would have opted for a different approach.

Biggest Error (Someone Else’s)

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=oPDECaxNUsM

There’s a particular instance in Heroes vs. Villains when you made a significant move to divide the votes between Parvati and Russell.

That move was an easy shot, man. It wasn’t a big deal. But Tyson thought he knew better than me. I can’t predict what others will do sometimes. We’re still friends today. He knows now that it was a wrong decision. I find it hard to understand why he did it because it didn’t make sense to me. I try to see things from everyone’s perspective, but it wouldn’t have occurred to me. His idea was that he thought it wouldn’t affect the vote much. He wanted to keep Russell friendly in case something went wrong. It was a clever plan, but unfortunately, I can’t anticipate people being unwise sometimes. I can only control what I can.

Best Strategic Move

On the eighth season of Survivor: All-Stars, I asked my beloved wife to spend the rest of her life with me. It’s been twenty years since our marriage in April, and I truly believe that making this decision was the most successful move I have ever made.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=wtjEiqlprGc

Traitors Players He Most Admires

I found Phaedra and Kate Chastain’s performance in “The Traitors” incredibly impressive. I loved how Kate didn’t mind being voted off, casually saying, “vote me off,” which made the show even more entertaining. Pete the pilot seemed to have a firm grasp of the game’s dynamics. It’s fascinating to watch people from outside the reality competition world play “The Traitors.” You get to see a different side of familiar faces like housewives or contestants from shows like “The Bachelor,” and it’s intriguing to observe their innate skills, although not everyone excels in this type of game. Dan, who was excellent on “Big Brother,” seemed quite uncomfortable at the round table. It’s a different kind of challenge, indeed.

In simpler terms, the game The Traitors is quite challenging due to its large player count. Unlike shows like Survivor and Deal or No Deal Island, which have around 8-10 and 12-13 players respectively, The Traitors features a whopping 22 to 23 contestants. This makes it difficult to interact with everyone and understand their strategies, especially when you’re playing as a Traitor and are already short on sleep, only getting a few hours of rest each night.

Biggest challenge so far on The Traitors

To put it plainly, the circumstances weren’t ideal when I entered the game as my objective was already substantial and they made it more obvious. This complicates things as there’s currently tension within the group of traitors. Some questionable choices have been made, and I found myself needing to address a situation created by Bob the Drag Queen. The predicament with Tony is tricky because I initially attempted to form an alliance by offering him protection, only to discover that everyone seems to be voting for him instead. In this situation, I’m left with few options but to join his side since I don’t want to take a risk and pick someone else. Naturally, he’s displeased because we’re all Survivors, but he doesn’t know yet that I’m part of the traitors.

In Redemption Island, Mariano deployed what was dubbed the “Buddy System,” where everyone in his alliance agrees not to talk to the other alliance, and each member always has a buddy with them at all times. The buddies keep watch over each other and report back to Mariano. It’s very The Handmaid’s Tale.
In the sixth episode, both tribes would go to Tribal Council, and one player on each tribe would have individual immunity (Mariano won for the Villains). The Villains tribe had nine players left, with Russell Hantz, Parvati Shallow, and Danielle DiLorenzo in the minority alliance. To prevent Hantz from playing his Hidden Immunity Idol on Shallow, Mariano convinced the majority alliance to split the votes: three on Hantz and three on Shallow, forcing a tie vote in which the majority would then vote out whichever player was open to elimination. Mariano’s alliance member, Tyson Apostol, switched his vote from Hantz to Shallow, allowing Hantz to play his idol for Shallow and vote out Apostol, three votes to two.

2025-01-14 22:56