After months of speculation, we finally know the cast of Survivor 50. That means that it’s now time to start hearing from everyone who didn’t make the cut, like Boston Rob Mariano. Of course, Jeff Probst only had so many spots for the landmark season. There wasn’t room for everyone, but according to Rob, skipping out on Season 50 was his decision.
Why isn’t Boston Rob on the Survivor 50 cast?
The Survivor 50 cast includes fan favorites like Cirie Fields. Plus, there are a whole bunch of New Era players. For example, Kyle Fraser, who just won Survivor 48, is coming right back to the series to do it again. Meanwhile, Boston Rob is going to be sitting at home watching the game unfold from his couch like the rest of us.
According to Us Weekly, Rob has been dropping hints for quite some time that returning for another game of Survivor wasn’t on his agenda. Fresh off his appearances on Deal or No Deal Island and The Traitors, he felt like a return to Survivor wouldn’t go well because of his big reputation.
“I don’t feel any desire to go back there and play the game again, especially where they’re just gonna use me for a little bit and vote me out,” he explained in a 2024 interview.
He’s probably not wrong. The last time he played Survivor, he became the sixth person kicked out of the game. In Season 3 of The Traitors, it didn’t take long for the players to realize that Boston Rob was pulling the puppet strings and playing the game as a Traitor.
It wasn’t solely a fear of losing that kept Boston Rob from signing up for Survivor 50. He was also thinking about his family. Rob is a married man with four kids. He can’t spend all of his time competing on television.
“At this point, I’m kind of just hanging out,” Rob said in an interview with People. “I don’t have a desire to go back and compete in that realm right now. I’m going to take a little break, the kids are off for the summer.”
That doesn’t just apply to Survivor. He’s taking a little break from competition reality shows in general, so you might call this a temporary retirement.
“I truly feel like I’m the luckiest person in the world,” Rob continued. “I didn’t expect to be still doing it after 25 years, so never say never. You never know what’s going to happen.”
Survivor 50 will air on CBS in 2026.
TELL US – ARE YOU SURPRISED THAT BOSTON ROB ISN’T ON SURVIVOR 50? WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON HIM TAKING A “LITTLE BREAK” FROM REALITY TV?
