Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/48724
Mariono and Dennis Anderson, co-hosts of "Around the World in 80 Ways." Tell me about your life pre-"Survivor." Who was Rob Mariano then? It's been a long time! In 1999, I graduated from Boston University with a degree in psychology. I was taking some time off and had gotten a job working in construction. Like a lot of people, I was fix- ated on this new show, "Survivor." One night, I made a comment to my father like, "Oh, I could beat that guy." He told me to prove it and send in a tape. I did, and the rest is history! Your audition video must have been pretty stellar. It's funny, I had this whole drawn-out plan to get noticed. With the camera rolling, I tried to [fit myself into] the dishwasher and I couldn't. Then I tried to fit in the washing machine, and I couldn't. Finally, I was trying to get in the refrigerator and it hit me that I should leave it as is. I thought it was funny—the fact that I was trying to get in but I couldn't. It got me noticed out of 50,000 applicants. You may not have fit in a dishwasher, but you're a good fit for "Survivor." When you were asked back for "Survivor: All Stars," you met Amber Brkich, who's now your wife. How does one "court" a woman while competing against her, living on a secluded island, and allowing cameras to capture your every move? Amber puts it really well: When you go on a first date, you typi- cally dress up and put your best foot forward. [On "Survivor"], you wear the exact same clothes everyday, you stink, and you eat with your hands. You get to see what someone is really made of because you don't have all the materialistic stuff. In that respect, the dating was limited to walks on the beach and me being able to catch fish for her. 50 BRAVA Magazine November 2011