Hate the game, not the player. Boston Rob Mariano says the latest season of “Traitors” even blindsided him!
The “Survivor” legend says he had no idea he’d be introduced to fellow contestants on Season 3 as part of a plot twist. In an interview with Parade magazine, Mariano says, “I didn’t know about that. They told me the night before we started that they had this idea, and this is what they were going to do.”
And once he found out, he didn’t like the idea. “I told them, ‘I don’t think it’s a good idea.'” he says. “They said, ‘Why?’ and I said, ‘Because it doesn’t make sense theoretically for any of them to shake my hand. It’s going to put a big target on them.'”
The Surprises Keep Coming in “Traitors” Season 3
Both Boston Rob Mariano and Alan Cumming were waiting to greet 20 celebrity contestants when they drove up to a Scottish castle last June to film season three of “The Traitors.” All 20 were then given the opportunity to shake Boston Rob’s hand to welcome him to the show. That handshake would have allowed they to jettison a fellow player before the game even began.
But as Mariano predicted, none of his would-be castmates stumbled into the trap, and so the reality superstar was escorted off the premises. But that wasn’t the end of Boston Rob. Which meant another surprise for both the game and for Rob himself.
Mariano told Parade, “They were like, ‘Oh, interesting. Well, don’t worry. If it doesn’t work, we have another way you’re gonna get in the game. And I was like, ‘Oh, what’s the other way?’ And they’re like, ‘We’re not telling you.'”
Spoiler Alert if you’re not caught up watching: He would soon find out he was entering the game in episode two as a Traitor. Again, Mariano says he was not thrilled. “I was like, ‘Oh, this is still not good, maybe worse.’ Now [the cast] has already said no to me once, and now you’re forcing me to come in. Then, on top of it, now here I am, forced into the turret with people that don’t want me. I already had a big target, and it definitely made it bigger.”
In a testimony to Boston Rob’s game-playing skill, he survived four banishments and five murders before finally being voted out in Episode 7. Along the way, he brought the drama, blindsiding fellow Traitor, Bob the Drag Queen, befriending Dylan Efron (Zac’s brother), and going toe-to-toe with fellow “Survivor” Tony Vlachos, “Big Brother’s” Derrick Levasseur and “The Challenge’s” Wes Bergmann.
Another Surprise: Who Finally Took Down Boston Rob
Mariano’s biggest surprise may just be who finally brought on his exit from the show. His ultimate demise came at the hands of “Vanderpump Rules” Tom Sandoval, who, Parade says, “has been painted as doof all season.”
Mariano says in the end, Sandoval’s cluelessness worked against him. “We didn’t have a lot of time before that last Round Table, so I had to come up with a plan kind of quickly on how to spin this. I just thought that, if I just go with, “Logically, why would I ever kill Derrick? That doesn’t make sense. It’s such a basic move. I’m a smart player. I know it’s going to put suspicion on me. Why would I do it?” Then anybody that’s smart would be able to see that. On the primary level, it doesn’t make sense. Tom doesn’t understand that extra step, because of his basic knowledge of game theory. I think it caught me, and truthfully I didn’t anticipate that.”
What’s Next for Boston Rob Mariano?
Now that he’s out on “The Traitors,” what’s next? Mariano tells Parade he’s been giving that some thought. “For a long time, I thought I would transition to hosting a show, but these last few years doing “Deal or No Deal Island” and “The Traitors,” I realized how much I love to compete. I wonder if there’s a hybrid we could figure out a way to combine player and coaches to get in there and still have some action.”
One thing that’s certainly in his near future: a celebration. Rob and his wife, fellow Survivor contestant Amber will celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary on April 16.
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Boston Rob Mariano Shocked By His Own Plot Twist on “The Traitors”