Boston Rob Mariano isn't returning for Survivor 50, and it sounds like he's opting out of playing Survivor again in the future.
In a new interview with Entertainment Tonight, Boston Rob explained why he opted out of Survivor 50, and he also made it seem like he's done playing Survivor forever.
"Early on when we were discussing the season, Jeff called me and asked if I wanted to be a part of it," Boston Rod said. "But, really, I feel so fulfilled, and you know, my journey's complete."
That doesn't sound like someone who is going to be playing Survivor again to me!
Boston Rob continued to explain that he was excited that another former player was getting an opportunity.
"So, I really did want someone else to have another chance," he said.
Boston Rob posted a similar message on Instagram on the day the Survivor 50 cast was announced.
Of course, it makes a lot of sense why Boston Rob is probably done with Survivor. Over the years, he's shared a lot publicly about his feelings and return to the game. First of all, it's a big commitment for someone who is also getting a lot of deals to play other reality shows, like Deal or No Deal Island and The Traitors. All of those shows are much less physically taxing than Survivor. They are a shorter time commitment, too.
Even with the shorter season, Survivor is still at least a month-long commitment with no contact with your family or friends. For a person with a young family, that's a long time to be away.
Then, in terms of gameplay, Boston Rob is always a huge threat, which makes him a target. In several of his later appearances, he was targeted much earlier in the game, and he had a hard time navigating his way through the game.
And, that makes sense, too. There are few Survivor players more influential in terms of a particular style of gameplay than Boston Rob. The players have seen a lot of his tricks and specifically tried to avoid him. In the past, Boston Rob said he wouldn't return without changes to Survivor that stop him from being an immediate target, but as far as I know, there's no way the game could manufacture something like that.
So, for now, Boston Rob remains the Survivor player with the most days played. There are a few players who will tie his record for most seasons played, with Ozzy Lusth and Cirie Fields returning for their fifth time in Survivor 50. Ozzy, however, is the only player who can beat Boston Rob for most days played on Survivor, but Ozzy has to stick around for at least 25 days on Survivor 50, which basically means he has to make the Final Four or Final Three to break Boston Rob's record.
While this might be the end of the road on Survivor, I have a feeling we'll be seeing Boston Rob in more reality shows soon. I'm waiting for an all-star season of The Traitors, personally!
Stay tuned for more news about Survivor 50!
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