Rob Mariano

Mariano, along with former castmate Sandra Diaz-Twine, returned for the 39th season in a mentor role for a new group of castaways.

Unable to vote or compete in challenges, Mariano and Diaz-Twine lived together on a separate beach from the game and, at times, have one player visit to be taught a lesson on the various facets of Survivor.

In addition, they would attend each Tribal Council in a hideaway.

On the morning of Day 37, Mariano and Diaz-Twine departed from the eponymous Island of the Idols leaving a luxurious shelter and supplies for the final five castaways of the season.

Robert Carlo Mariano (born December 25, 1975), known by the nickname Boston Rob, is an American television personality, known for appearing in the CBS reality show Survivor.

He graduated from Xaverian Brothers High School in 1994, where he played golf and hockey.

He made the BU hockey team in 1995 as a freshman, however he declined to play for coach Jack Parker after he was told that he would not receive much ice time.

In 1999, Mariano graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Boston University.

At the time he first played Survivor in 2001, he was 25 years old and continuing to coach the hockey team.

Mariano began a relationship with fellow reality TV contestant Amber Brkich in 2003, during their time filming Survivor: All-Stars.

They became engaged on May 9, 2004, during the show's live finale at Madison Square Garden in New York City, and married on April 16, 2005, at Atlantis Paradise Island in The Bahamas.

On May 9, 2004, before the votes were announced, Mariano proposed to Brkich which she accepted.

Mariano lost the season in a 4–3 vote.

For his actions in Survivor: All-Stars, Mariano was announced as a contestant for Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains.

Assigned to the Villains tribe, Mariano was the de facto leader of the Villains with his storyline focused on his rivalry with Russell Hantz and their differing views of the game.

In the sixth episode, "Banana Etiquette", Mariano and his alliance planned to split the vote between Hantz and Parvati Shallow to eliminate either target and a hidden immunity idol, but their plan was thwarted when Tyson Apostol changed his vote, leading to Apostol's elimination.

In the seventh episode, "I'm Not A Good Villain", with Mariano now in the minority of his tribe, he appealed to Benjamin "Coach" Wade's sense of honesty and integrity to vote Hantz.

Coach was divided between his allegiances to both Mariano and Hantz but ultimately sided against Mariano, and Mariano was voted out.

CBS aired a two-hour special about the wedding, entitled Rob and Amber Get Married, on May 24, 2005.

After their marriage, Brkich took Mariano's surname, and the couple moved to Pensacola, Florida.

They have four daughters: Lucia Rose (born July 4, 2009), Carina Rose (born December 10, 2010), Isabetta Rose (born May 5, 2012), and Adelina Rose (born June 20, 2014).

Their entire family are members of the Catholic Church.

Assigned to the Maraamu tribe at the start of the game, Mariano was successful in leading a counter alliance against Hunter Ellis though as a result of this their challenge performance was lackluster compared to the opposing tribe.

In the fourth episode, "The Winds Twist", Mariano was swapped into the minority on his new tribe, Rotu, though was spared when Gabriel Cade's apathetic nature to the game was seen as detrimental.

When the tribes merged, Mariano was viewed as the biggest target by the original Rotu tribe members and attempted to counter by warning of a splinter group of John Carroll, Tammy Leitner, Zoe Zanidakis, and Robert DeCanio though this proved unsuccessful and was voted out in a 7-2-1 vote.

Mariano was announced to compete in Survivor: All-Stars after his prior performance in Survivor: Marquesas.

Assigned to the Chapera tribe, Mariano formed an immediate alliance with Amber Brkich and successfully navigated the game together through brokering deals with contestants that would not be honored and securing an alliance with Jenna Lewis and Rupert Boneham to eliminate bigger targets.

Upon reaching the final tribal council, Mariano was lambasted for abusing his relationships with contestants outside of the game to benefit himself though was praised for his aggressive gameplay.

On January 13, 2011, Mariano was announced to compete in his fourth season, Survivor: Redemption Island in a continuation of his feud in Heroes vs Villains with Russell Hantz.

Mariano, through his hard work ethic and likeability from his new tribe, became the de facto leader.

As a result of this, he formed a majority alliance with Andrea Boehlke, Grant Mattos, Natalie Tenerelli, Matt Elrod, and Ashley Underwood.

As the game progressed, Mariano successfully eliminated opponents with relative ease and formed an alliance with outsider Phillip Sheppard due to his abrasive and unpredictable nature.

Using his past experiences and ability to read his fellow players, Mariano controlled every vote he was involved in and was able to reach the final tribal council where he was praised for his dominant game over finalists Sheppard and Tenerelli who attributed their success to Mariano.

On May 15, 2011, Mariano was revealed to have won the season in an 8-1-0 vote.

Whilst viewers and fans were critical of his win, Jeff Probst characterized Mariano's game as the "most perfect game of Survivor ever".

He placed tenth in the show's fourth season Survivor: Marquesas, finished as the runner up to his eventual wife Amber Brkich in the show's eighth season Survivor: All-Stars, came in 13th place in the show's 20th season Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, won the show's 22nd season Survivor: Redemption Island, returned for the show's 39th season Survivor: Island of the Idols as a mentor for the new players alongside Sandra Diaz-Twine, and came in 17th place in the show's 40th season Survivor: Winners at War.

He is the first contestant to appear on Survivor six times, and play five times.

He also competed on The Amazing Race twice alongside his wife, where they placed second and eighth.

Mariano was born in Hyde Park, Boston, Massachusetts, and raised in Canton, Massachusetts.

He is of Italian descent.