I’m Sorry, but this ‘Survivor’ Player is So Overrated

Very few reality stars have managed to nab the title of legend. Every season of the genre's biggest programs introduces new characters for audiences to love. However, only the most astounding, entertaining personalities can go beyond their original installment and impact the medium. And while countless stars from different shows have done this, the most come from Charlie Parson's CBS hit, Survivor. And it's understandable. Casting has yielded intriguing personalities across the series' two decades, and its intense gameplay draws out the most authentic parts of everyone involved. This series' most popular characters have defined reality TV for watchers, with other shows casting them to replicate whatever magic made their initial outings so great.

Survivor and its contemporaries are lucky to have so many of these stars to choose from when casting, though some might be slightly overrated. In particular, one person is constantly cast in new shows and painted as a behemoth of reality competitions whose knowledge knows no bounds (even though he doesn't have the resumé to back those claims up). The spotlight has ignored many people who deserve acclaim for their accomplishments, so it's time people finally accept the truth: 'Boston' Rob Mariano is so overrated.

'Survivor' Has Had Quite a Few Players Like ‘Boston’ Rob Mariano

He may be overhyped now, but that's not to say Survivor's 'Boston' Rob isn't a fascinating television character; it's understandable why audiences (and producers) fell in love with this young, snarky construction worker from Boston in the show's fourth season. He had an easy charm about him and always yielded good commentary. His elimination only 20 days into his original installment saddened viewers, and his return for the franchise's first All-Stars season overjoyed them. This season created the image of 'Boston' Rob Mariano fans know today, as this season saw him and his kindhearted partner Amber Mariano completely dominate the competition by ruthlessly lying to everyone around them in a kind of brutal gameplay that ultimately earned him second place. Another loss, but he was brought back again in what many consider the show's greatest season: Heroes vs. Villains, where Mariano competed against the greatest players of all time, boasting that he was the best at the game, but he got voted out pre-merge. Luckily, Mariano finally got his first win when he returned a fourth time on Survivor: Redemption Island, where he used his existing image and extensive knowledge of the game to manipulate an impressionable group of new players and finally get to claim that he won Survivor.

'Boston' Rob Mariano is a great Survivor player, but seeing him be renowned by fans and other shows for what is an arguably lackluster time on the series is baffling. The newest season of The Traitors exemplifies this issue as it pits reality TV's best against one another, with this season featuring Survivor winners and favorites Jeremy Collins, Tony Vlachos, and Carolyn Wiger going head-to-head — yet the series singles out Rob as a huge threat, with players having to decide if it's "safe" to bring him in to compete. It's a level of acclaim that not only discounts these folks' extremely impressive (and much more efficient) gameplay but fails to recognize the many other Survivor players never considered for other shows despite having a much more impressive track record than the man. Though he's fine at these games, it's forgotten that he lost three times before capitalizing on his outside image and extensive knowledge from so much time on the show. This combination granted him what some would say was an unfair advantage that finally got him the win. And this isn't even a broad observation; a closer look at Rob's tenure reveals countless haphazard moves, ones that only work on new players but are quickly identified and silenced the moment he's facing more savvy competitors, like on Heroes vs. Villains and Winners at War. He has a level of acclaim that is not only undeserved but disrespects the many others who did so much better than him. It even makes decisions like this from The Traitors extremely questionable.

No matter his history, it's hard to argue with Survivor and the many other shows who've certified 'Boston' Rob Mariano as an absolute legend. Whether it be Deal or No Deal Island or one of Survivor's most controversial seasons, Island of the Idols, it's unfair to say that this constant spotlight on his character is undeserved. He is a great character and deserves admiration for that, but he's not a great competitor. This fact is demonstrated in everything from his paltry performance on most of his Survivor seasons to how any player on any show who can look past his image can easily see through the strategies he tries to implement. It makes the treatment he's receiving on The Traitors questionable, and it makes something very clear: 'Boston' Rob is overrated, and it's time for reality TV to share the spotlight.

Survivor is available to stream on Paramount Plus in the U.S.

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