‘Boston’ Rob Mariano says Bob the Drag Queen’s looks ‘weren’t so great’ on ‘The Traitors’
Welcome to Reality Derby, our weekly deep dive into all things reality TV, hosted by Gold Derby senior editors Marcus James Dixon and Denton Davidson.
Joining us this week is Rob Mariano, the star of The Traitors who got his start competing on (and winning) Survivor. Known as "Boston Rob" because of his penchant for wearing a Red Sox cap, he was hatless when we caught up with him on the red carpet at the NBCU Emmy kick-off luncheon. Watch our video interview above.
"I mean, they told me no hats," he said when we asked about his missing baseball cap. "This is a fancy event. It's not as fancy as a castle but, you know, a little bit fancy." On The Traitors, fellow player Bob the Drag Queen frequently made fun of Rob's clothing, and now Rob fired back, "All Bob's looks weren't so great, so it's kind of hard to argue."
The moment the RuPaul's Drag Race winner suggested Rob and the other new people might be Traitors is what initially set him off into attack mode. "Going into any of these types of shows, I'm going to have a target just because people have seen me do what I've done," Rob told us. "And the fact that I came in late and the way that I came into the game, the other Traitors didn't even want to work with me. Once I saw that dissension, I'm not the type of person that's going to sit there and just let it happen to me. I'm going to fight back, and I think that's tough for them."
Switching gears to the Emmy Awards, Rob believes The Traitors will win Best Competition Program again because "the show was the best." He added, "We brought the heat this season. It's the No. 1 show. Everybody's watching it. They love it, and I don't know why they wouldn't vote for us. Unless they want to get banished, they probably should."
When people call Rob a "villain," he wears that as "a badge of honor," explaining, "I get it, I know my role. Whatever the situation is, I'm going to play to the best of my ability to try to win, and at the end of the day, it always ends up being compelling and good TV. I don't always win, but always put on a good show."
Boston Rob & Dylan vs Bob The Drag Queen #TheTraitorsUS pic.twitter.com/nVdEH0kDuW
— Mel (@melbrown00) January 17, 2025
How did Rob cope with the idea of four heroic Faithfuls — Dolores Catania, Dylan Efron, Ivar Mountbatten, and Gabby Windey — winning Season 3 over a villainous Traitor? "I feel like once the trust was broken with myself and Bob the Drag Queen, it was every man for themselves. It's not supposed to be a team game. The way they won this season was unique because of the way the Traitors fought each other. I think moving forward it's going to be challenging because now Traitors will always suspect other Traitors of figuring out a way to throw them under the bus," he suggested.
Rob readily admitted he's rooting for Eva Erickson and Joe Hunter to win Survivor 48, which is airing now on CBS. "I like that interaction between them," he noted. "Eva I found out is a hockey player, and I'm playing hockey, and so I'm trying to support her in her autism awareness."
The moment where Joe comforted Eva at a challenge recently went viral, and Survivor viewers everywhere were in tears. "It just shows after all these years, the one that started it all is still delivering," Rob proclaimed. "Kudos to Jeff Probst and Mark Burnett and everybody involved with that."
Who would be Rob's dream person to partake in Survivor 50, the all-stars version of the show that's "in the hands of the fans"? "I mean, I've got to say my guy Dylan," Rob stated about his newfound bestie. "He's got the social game. He's got the physical game. We'll work on his strategy, but we'll get him there." Hmm, the only problem? Dylan has never been on Survivor before, so he's not quite eligible.
The Traitors is available to stream on Peacock. Survivor is available to watch on CBS and stream on Paramount+.
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