Survivor Redemption Island: Rob Mariano - Stimpy's Take, Bio, Photo, Video And More
By Reality TV Calendar Senior Staff Writer Stimpy
January 19, 2011
Rob Mariano
Stimpy's Take:
I’ll give him this much. The man is determined. And he clearly loves this game, because this is his fourth kick at the can. Maybe it’s a progression thing. He’s been endearing himself to everyone out in Survivor fan-world, by becoming a nicer version of himself with each subsequent season.
And, let’s face it. He’s back, once again, to prove once and for all that he can actually win this thing, and not just dominate.
Problem is, this ain’t the season to do it.
It’s just him and Russell the Dick™ returning with a bunch of newbies who may not particularly like these folks coming back to their season for yet ANOTHER kick at the can.
Toss in this lame, Redemption Island twist, and it’s just all lining up badly for Rob.
He’s got the tools and the talent, but things are gonna hafta line up juuuuuuuust so for Rob to win this thing and not have it be ‘tainted’.
The only way it works is if Rob has his back against the wall right from the get-go (and he may very well be in that situation, but we’ll get to that in a minute), and just manages to squeak by, week to week by convincing enough people to either side with him, or not against him. And post-merge, it’s gotta be more of the same. Everyone gunning for him, and either immunity, or cleverly worked arguments convincing people to keep him around and get him to the end.
There, he’ll have to face a prejudiced jury that won’t want to give it to him, but he’ll have to pull off a Daugherty-like performance to get the win.
Then, and only then, Rob can say ‘I won Survivor’, and won it when the odds were stacked against him.
That won’t be tainted.
But if it doesn’t go that way, well, then guess what?
Yup. Tainted.
First off, Rob himself would be the first to admit (or the second behind yours truly) that his tribe would be smart to vote his off right outta the gate.
If they do, and Rob gets back into the game courtesy of the lame twist? Tainted.
If they don’t, and it’s not due to deftness on Rob’s part, but more an awful lot of hero-worship by some people out there? Tainted.
That may seem a bit harsh, but think about it. You’re talking about one of the best players the game has ever seen, taking his four seasons of experience up against a bunch of people - some of whom have NO fucking business being in this game. How can it not seem tainted?
That’d be like Peyton Manning or Tom Brady leading a pro team up against a bunch of junior college kids who’ve got little to no experience.
Yeah, they’d both win, but c’mon, what did people expect?
See?
It’s almost a bit like what Parvati accomplished back during Micronesia.
Yeah, she won, and was very deft in everything she did, but consider: she did benefit from some really stupid shit being perpetrated. That being said, Parvati didn’t just benefit from this stupidity; she, and some of her allies help instigate it.
Plus, in Parvati’s case, some of the stupidity was being committed by other returning players, so it’s not like it was nuthin’ but newbies falling down in front of her.
Rob doesn’t really have that luxury here, per se.
Let me be clear here: I have no disdain whatsoever for good ol’ Boston Rob.
The man knows how to play the game, and doesn’t take it personally.
As it should be.
But he can’t win this thing. No one in their right mind would risk letting him get to the end, unless there’s an awful lot of animosity against him in the jury pool.
And, if that’s the case, Rob can’t win. It may not be as brutal as it was for him in front of the All-Stars (petty) jury, but it’d be one hell of an uphill battle.
I just can’t see there being enough stupid people to let Rob get deep into this game. And if there is, then it’ll taint the whole thing.
Granted, stranger shit has happened in this game. All it’ll take is a bit of stupidity on other peoples’ parts to make things work out a bit better.
As an example, someone forms what they think is a dominant alliance and begins thinking they’re running shit (kinda like the Rotu-4), and then Rob finds the outsiders and says whether they like it or not, they’ve gotta work together to stay in the game.
That kinda shit would probably make it a little less tainted, but still, Rob’s facing such a huge disadvantage in so many ways this season, it’s gonna be tough for him, no matter how you slice it.
All that being said, I wish the guy well, and hope whatever happens, it doesn’t tarnish his well-deserved legacy in this game, nor diminish his obvious love for it.
Bio: Rob Mariano (33) Current Residence: Pensacola, Fla. Previous Seasons: "Survivor: Marquesas," "Survivor: All-Stars" and "Survivor: Heroes Vs. Villains"
Rob Mariano, more commonly know as "Boston" Rob, returns to SURVIVOR: REDEMPTION ISLAND with one goal in mind: to win. "It's like I have been climbing this mountain for almost ten years now, and I'm not gonna quit until I get to the top." One of Rob's most defining characteristics is his determination. In 2000, he woke up the day of the Boston Marathon and decided to run it as an unofficial entry with absolutely no training and finished.
After growing up in Boston and graduating from Boston University, Rob met his wife, fellow castaway Amber Brkich, during "Survivor: All-Stars" and proposed to her during the live finale. Rob and Amber are happily married and living in Pensacola, Florida with their two daughters, Lucia Rose and Carina Rose.
Why will SURVIVOR: REDEMPTION ISLAND be different? "I feel like I have done my best every time I played and I have always done what I said I was gonna do. I mean, I played this game three times. A lot has gone wrong every time. IÂ?m hoping that this time I can make something go right."
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