LOS ANGELES – "Survivor: Redemption Island" should have been subtitled "Survivor: Boston Rob Island" because Rob Mariano, the CBS reality competition's tell-it-like-it-is veteran schemer, has dominated the Nicaragua-set 22nd edition with both his on-camera swagger and ability to deftly dispatch his opposition on the way to Sunday's finale.
"One man should not have this much power in this game," the 35-year-old Mariano said in the latest installment while wearing a self-knowing smirk. "Luckily, I'm not an ordinary man."
It's not shocking considering Mariano has competed on - and lost - "Survivor" more than any other player, never winning the $1 million prize. He debuted on the "Marquesas" season nine years ago as one of the game's biggest trash talkers, but he was dumped after the tribes merged. Marino later earned a spot on "All-Stars," where he aligned with "Australian Outback" alum Amber Brkich.
Mariano made it to the "All-Stars" finale with Brkich, who ultimately bested him by earning just one more vote. It wasn't a total loss for Mariano. The pair married and now have two daughters. One month after the birth of his first child, Mariano returned to "Survivor" to film the "Heroes vs. Villains" edition. He only managed to make eighth place.
"Samoa" bad boy Russell Hantz plotted Mariano's dismissal, paving the way for this season's "Redemption Island" showdown. The much ballyhooed bout between the duo, who were sent to opposing tribes of newbies at the start, never sizzled because members of Hantz's tribe threw a challenge and ousted the double loser for the first time on "Survivor."
Meanwhile, Mariano became the undisputed leader of his Ometepe tribe, persuading his colleagues to vote out their smartest and strongest tribe mates, then forming an impenetrable alliance that methodically sent each member of the opposing Zapatera tribe packing after they merged. It was an airtight strategy for Mariano but inevitable TV for viewers.
"Everyone on that tribe trusted Rob," said Julie Wolfe, the fourth castaway to be picked off by Mariano's gang. "He had them all convinced that he was going to take them to the end, and they really believed that. They truly believed that. It was a whole different vibe than on our tribe. We didn't trust Russell at all. They had much, much more trust in Rob."
Since devastating the Zapatera tribe, Mariano's name hasn't been written down by the remaining contestants at Tribal Council. In fact, it hasn't even really been uttered as a possibility, from what viewers have been shown. Instead, Mariano cunningly calculated the demise of two allies, including his right-hand man, former NFL player Grant Mattos.
"They didn't know how to play the game without Rob," said Ralph Kiser, who was eliminated. "They couldn't talk, even at Tribal Council, without looking to see what expression `Boston' Rob had on his face. That was a shocker. We were all grown-up people there, but it's like they were afraid. I don't know what the deal was with that."
Despite Mariano's apparent control over the three other remaining players - wacky former federal agent Phillip Sheppard, beauty queen Ashley Underwood and dancer Natalie Tenerelli - a victory for Mariano won't necessarily be easy. This season's twist will allow one of the four eliminated players to return at some point during Sunday's finale.
Each of those folks - dreadlocked Mattos, chiseled former Marine Mike Chiesl and blond college students Andrea Boehlke and Matt Elrod - have a bone to pick with Mariano, especially the religious Elrod, who has spent most of his Redemption Island time praying to God and fighting for chances to return to the game after Mariano put him there. Twice.
"It seems like no matter what the situation is on `Survivor,' I have to do the dirty work because everyone else is too stupid to do it," Mariano said on Wednesday's episode. If he loses Sunday, it will be Marino's sixth loss on reality TV. (He also attempted to win two rounds of "The Amazing Race," including an "All-Star" season, with Brkich.)
That just might be a sign that Mariano should retire from "Survivor" - or apply for "Big Brother."
Copyright © 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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