There’s no denying that Rob Mariano – better known to fans as Boston Rob – is a bona fide reality TV legend.
While most folks know him from his record-breaking six appearance on “Survivor” – including his stint as a mentor to the castaways on 2019’s “Island of the Idols” – or from his more recent appearances on series like “The Traitors” and “Deal or No Deal Island,” Mariano similarly celebrated twin performances on CBS’s “The Amazing Race” in the early 2000s.
Rob competed on the race-around-the-world competition series for the first time in 2005, joining his then-fiance, Amber Brkich, on the show’s seventh season just months after the couple got engaged on live TV during the finale of 2004’s “Survivor: All-Stars.”
They ultimately finished the season as runner-ups, losing the competition to married couple Uchenna Agu and Joyce Robinson Agu following a controversial call from producers that allowed the season’s eventual winners to board a plane after the doors had been closed.
Now, 21 years after the decision resulted in Rob & Amber’s devastating defeat on the series, Mariano claimed that he believes the producers of “The Amazing Race” still owe him and his wife the $1 million they lost as a result.
Boston Rob Claims: ‘The Amazing Race Still Owes Me a Check’
CBS“‘The Amazing Race’ still owes me a check. Just throwing it out there. Never the wrong time to do the right thing,” Boston Rob said during an NCBUniversal panel at the ATX TV Festival
in Austin, Texas on Friday, May 29.
“At the end of that show, when production intervened and put the other team on the plane, that was, you know, really, really irritating,” he continued, recapping the events that led to Joyce and Uchenna crossing the finish line first. “We ended up losing. They never did send me the rest of my money – my million dollars for that season. Unchenna and Joyce still have it, and it definitely does leave a big, bad taste in my mouth.”
At the time, Rob was so frustrated with “TAR” producers that he vowed to never return to the competition series.
“I never wanted to go back,” he told ATX TV Fest audiences, adding that it was ultimately Amber’s decision to give the race another shot as the newlywed couple returned to compete on “The Amazing Race: All-Stars” in 2007.
CBS“I was like, ‘Man, they did it to us once; why wouldn’t they do it to us again?’ But Amber wanted to go back, and, you know, sometimes you do things for your wife, and I agreed,” he explained.
On “All-Stars,” Rob and Amber dominated the early stage of the race, crossing the finish line first in the first three legs of the competition before a last place finish on the fourth leg resulted in their devastating eighth-place finish on the season.
Mariano Teases Potential ‘TAR’ Return Alongside Daughter, Lucia
Regarding his runner-up finish on Season 7, the “Survivor” legend specifically called out “TAR” executive producer Bertram van Munster for approving the decision to allow the Agus to skirt the rules on the 2005 installment, saying that once the EP addresses the controversial call, “then we’ll talk about me and my daughter going on.”
While it’s unclear which of his four daughters Mariano was referring to, it seems most likely that Boston Rob would potentially return to “The Amazing Race” alongside his eldest child, Lucia Rose, who will turn 17 this July.
His additional daughters – Carina Rose, 15, Isabetta Rose, 14, and Adelina Rose, 11 – are all still too young to even consider joining the race around the world.
Despite his claims that the hit CBS series still owes him $1 million, Mariano added that he has “nothing but love for [Bertram] and those guys who run the Race. It’s just a different show. It’s not ‘Survivor.’ And I’m happy to have been able to compete on it. I have a lot of great memories from it.”
While it seems unlikely that Boston Rob will be returning to “The Amazing Race” anytime soon – especially if he sticks to his guns regarding his desire to receive $1 million to even consider a third appearance on the series – we do know that the show will be returning to CBS for its 39th season this fall.
Check out everything we know about “The Amazing Race” Season 39 so far – including its rumored cast – here, and be sure to check back for more updates as they become available.
