As the finale Season 49 of “Survivor” approaches, contention surrounding which former castaways should go down in history as the best to ever play the game have once again surfaced throughout the fandom.
Now, one of the show’s most legendary players, “Boston Rob” Mariano – who has appeared on the hit CBS reality competition series a record-breaking five times – has weighed in on the debate, naming his picks for the six greatest “Survivor” players of all time.
GettyBoston Rob Agrees with Jeff Probst’s ‘Survivor’ Mount Rushmore
Earlier this season, in response to ongoing controversy as to whether or not former “Sole Survivor” Parvati Shallow should be considered a two-time winner after emerging victorious from “Survivor: Australia vs. the World,” the show’s longtime host Jeff Probst revealed the four former castaways who have earned a spot on his personal “Survivor” Mount Rushmore.
Speaking on “On Fire with Jeff Probst” – the official “Survivor” aftershow podcast – Probst named Boston Rob and Parvati, alongside two-time series champions Sandra Diaz-Twine and Tony Vlachos, as the four best players to ever compete on the show, adding that the entirety of the quartet are “incredibly charming, mischievous, devious [and] duplicitious.”
During an appearance on E! News in anticipation of his new reality web series “Everything’s a Competition,” Mariano agreed with Probst’s Mount Rushmore, but ventured to add two more names to the list of “Survivor” legends.
“I think that’s the upper echelon of the franchise,” Rob said, referring to Probst’s list. “We’ve played a lot of times between us, lots of wins between us, lots of days played. I agree with it.”
Mariano Thinks Cirie Fields Could Join the List if She Wins ‘Survivor 50’
Mariano’s “Everything’s a Competition” co-star, recent “Dancing with the Stars” finalist Dylan Efron, made things more difficult, however, by asking the former “Sole Survivor” to expand Probst’s list to Top Six.
While Mariano admitted that the task was “hard,” he immediately awarded the fifth place spot to soon-to-be five-time player Cirie Fields – six, if you count her recent appearance on “Australian Survivor” alongside Parvati.
CBS“I think the fifth spot goes to Cirie, if she gets a win,” Mariano said, referring to Fields’ upcoming appearance on “Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans,” adding that Cirie’s lack of a “Sole Survivor” title is the “only thing keeping her off” Probst’s all-time best players list.
Dylan Efron Suggests Adding Jeremy Collins to ‘Survivor’s Top 6 Players
Efron, who has never played “Survivor” himself, but has been open about his love for the series, added that he’d like to see “Second Chance” champion Jeremy Collins join the list of legendary players.
CBS“Jeremy’s great,” Mariano agreed. “He’s a great player. I think maybe we could get him in the sixth spot.”
