Boston Rob Breaks Silence on Future ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Appearance
If Boston Rob’s proved anything in the last few years, it’s that his reality stardom extends far beyond “Survivor.”
In the past few months alone, the legendary five-time “Survivor” player – and one-time winner of the Emmy-winning reality competition series – has made surprise guest appearances on series like “Big Brother” and “Dancing with the Stars.”
While Rob Mariano – better known as Boston Rob – has similarly appeared as a contestant on series like “Deal or No Deal Island” and “The Traitors” in recent years, it was the star’s recent visit to the set of “Dancing with the Stars” tht got fans talking the most.
Why Was Boston Rob on ‘Dancing with the Stars’?
On the surface, Mariano appeared in the audience during the premiere of “Dancing with the Stars” Season 34 in support of his “Traitors” co-star Dylan Efron, who is participating in the dance competition alongside pro Daniella Karagach.
The duo of reality stars have celebrated a “bromance” since appearing alongside each other as “frenemies” on Seasn 2 of “The Traitors” in 2024. Since then, Mariano and Efron have stayed in touch, starring in a number of TikTok videos together and reportedly working on their own secret reality TV project in the shadows.
GettySome fans even speculated that Efron would honor Mariano and their friendship in his “Dedication Night” dance routine, though the star ultimately dedicated the performance to his younger sister – Olivia.
“He’s absolutely crushing it,” said Mariano of Efron in an Oct. 23 interview with Parade. “From where he started to where he is now. He got first place, with all nines across the board. And Olivia was amazing. I brough the whole family out. My kids came out with Amber [Brkich]. And we just all together got to experience that. It was really special.”
Boston Rob Addresses Future Appearance on ‘DWTS’
That being said, potentially the real reason Mariano’s appearance on “DWTS” turned so many heads, is because the “Survivor” star was heavily rumored to be part of the Season 34 cast.
Addressing the rumors during his “Dedication Night” visit, Mariano said, “Here’s the thing…I’m a really bad dancer. I just am. And I’m also super competitive. Anything I do I want to win. So the amount of effort that I would have to put in to be good, even a little bit good, is a lot more than anyone else. And I just know that I got it in me.”
CBS/GettyWhile the “Survivor” star seemingly shut down a future appearance on the series, he added that he’s never one to say “never,” especially when the show’s pro dancers are already trying to “recruit” him for a future season.
“I’ve also learned after 25 years that you never know,” he admitted. “I wouldn’t expect to go back to ‘Survivor’ and play five times and be on as a mentor, and ‘The Amazing Race’ and everything else. So they’re definitely trying to push me in that direction. We’ll see who wins.”
As to which pros have placed their bids to become part of Boston Rob’s next reality show appearance, Mariano revealed, “I’m being courted! Daniella [Karagah] is like, ‘You have to be with me.’ And then Emma [Slater] is in the hallway like, ‘Listen, if we do it, we’re together.”
Boston Rob’s Wife Amber Brkich Supports Future ‘DWTS’ Run
That being said, Rob’s dream dance partner remains his longtime wife and former “Survivor: All Stars” co-star, Amber Brkich, with whom he shares four daughters. Despite Mariano’s hesitation to join “Dancing with the Stars,” he revealed that Amber is 100% supportive of the idea.
CBS“Amber knows how bad of a dancer I am,” he said. “So I asked her, ‘Am I gonna really embarrass her?’ And she was like, ‘Well…we’ll see. Maybe you get some lessons before you go out there.”
