As someone who has watched Survivor, Deal or No Deal Island, The Amazing Race and now Traitors, I’ve seen a lot of “Boston” Rob Mariano styles of gameplay. He can be bold and brash and sometimes those manipulations have paid off. Other times, they’ve gotten him voted off in record numbers. One thing’s for certain, however: The reality star has racked up a lot of TV appearances. So how much has he made from his reality career?
Rob Mariano’s Prize Winnings
The big headline here when it comes to Rob Mariano’s six Survivor appearances is that he won Season 22 of the long-running competition show. Survivor winners take home a cash prize of $1,000,000 dollars. Survivor notably has a large payout when it comes to runner-ups as well, and when his (now) wife Amber Brkich won in Season 8, Mariano came in second and would have taken home additional prize money, as well.
One interesting fact about returning players on network reality shows is that they are often incentivized to come back. While not verified by CBS, it has been reported that stars like Boston Rob and Parvati Shallow were paid a fee of $100,000 just to show up for Winners at War. Rob would definitely have been paid separately, as well, to appear as a mentor for Survivor: Island of the Idols, though Mariano would tell you it was more of a “pay it forward” idea than one about getting paid, as he recounted to EW.
Jeff [Probst] called with this idea about the Island of the Idols. He wasn’t calling it that at the time. He told me, ‘Come back and mentor these kids. You have a lot to give, you can teach them. Pay it forward and teach them some of the lessons of the show that you know so well after playing for so many years, so many different times.
Survivor isn’t the only reality show Mariano appeared on. He and his wife Amber appeared on The Amazing Race twice, landing in second and eighth place. Amazing Race winners also take home a million dollar prize, but runners-up do end up making somewhere in the tens of thousands just to appear on the show.
Last season, Rob Mariano appeared on Deal or No Deal Island and Sandra Diaz-Twine and some other former Survivor players disclosed on Instagram Live he was allegedly paid $100K just to appear on the show (though I've seen rumors it was more). He ultimately took fourth place on that series. Adding Mariano turned out to be worth it, as he helped set up the show to it's highest potential.
The celebrities appearing on Traitors are also being paid a hefty sum just for showing up even if they don’t take the final prize, with some alleging contestants are getting paid upwards of $250,000 even before diving into challenges to win prize money. It’s unclear what Rob Mariano is making for his latest venture, but one thing is clear: reality TV pays well for those who create great TV. And Rob’s move against Bob The Drag Queen certainly made for spectacular television.
Other Sources of Income
Originally known for working construction, Rob Mariano has done some “celebrity” type renovations for homes and sells merch on his website for Mariano Construction in order to bring home a little extra bacon. The reality star has written books and offers signed and personalized copies on his website, as well.
Like many reality stars, Mariano is also on Cameo (though his wife is not). He charges "$199+" for videos there and has more than 1,200 reviews, so that's certainly a pretty penny. He’s certainly not afraid of a little hustle, which tracks with his appearances on reality TV.
Rob Mariano’s Alleged Net Worth
Per varying net worth resources, Boston Rob is alleged to be worth somewhere between $1.3 and $2 million, per various estimates, though from knowing all of the above, plus the fact he and Amber's wedding was even televised, this feels like it may be a little low.
It’s also worth noting his wife Amber (Brkich)Mariano is a reality star in her own right and brought home the $1 million prize on Survivor after beating Mariano in Season 8, marking one of the all-time great Survivor seasons. She also competed on The Amazing Race with Rob and has made other TV appearances, including ads.
Celebrities normally don't shout from the rooftops about how much they are spending and earning, but it's clear reality TV has been good to Mr. Mariano and has helped sustain his family for a long time.
