Will Boston Rob end up a "Survivor" winner?
That could all change Sunday because "Survivor: Redemption Island," the 22nd game in the franchise, is Mariano's to lose.
Pictures: "Survivor Redemption Island
Since the season started in February, he has been calling the shots, first for his Ometepe tribe and later for the merged tribe.
"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.''
"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.
"They didn't know how to play the game without Rob," said chicken farmer 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."
But with eight contestants remaining as the show heads into a two-hour finale on Sunday, this is no shoo-in
The two remaining women could, as he fears, team up against him. Or the crazy former federal agent Philip could actually have a game-changing strategy for the finale. But most of all, Matt, ousted twice from the game by Mariano, could be back from Redemption Island for revenge.
Boston Rob 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. His swagger earned him 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. He proposed during the reunion show, 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 from that game, paving the way for this season's "Redemption Island" showdown between the two. But the much ballyhooed bout between the duo, who were sent to opposing tribes of newbies at the start, never materialized because Hantz's tribe sent him packing early on.
No matter what happens Sunday, Boston Rob has proved himself a master strategist this season. When it comes to "Survivor," nobody does it better.
