Reality AF: Rob Cesternino on Survivor and His Podcasting Empire

In the first half of a two-part interview, the two-time Survivor player reflects on his time on the reality show and makes his picks for best castaways ever

By Terry Terrones  |  March 26, 2025 | 1:08pm
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TV Features Survivor
Reality AF: Rob Cesternino on Survivor and His Podcasting Empire
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Aside from Jeff Probst, nobody in the world might know Survivor as well as Rob Cesternino.. Besides competing as a castaway on Survivor: The Amazon and Survivor: All Stars, Cesternino has spent the past 15 years analyzing the series on his Rob Has a Podcast network. 

Paste recently had a wide-ranging conversation with Cesternino, who proved to be as funny, insightful, inquisitive, and self-deprecating as his podcast persona. We talked about his Survivor experiences, his growing and evolving podcast empire, and both the current season and 2026’s highly anticipated 50th season of the show. 

Below is part one of the conversation. Come back next week for part two.  

Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

Life as a Survivor Castaway

Paste: What made you want to be on Survivor? You actually applied to be on Big Brother first, correct?

Rob Cesternino: I loved Survivor from the moment I saw it in the summer of 2000. I think episode four of season one was my original touch point with the show and I fell in love and was a Survivor watcher every week from that point on, but I was scared to go on Survivor. I didn’t think that I could handle it. I fell in love with Big Brother during season two watching Dr. Will Kirby, who I got to interview for the first time recently and I said, “Oh, this is where I belong, in a house for the summer, indoors. This is my calling.” I applied to be on Big Brother season three and I got all the way through casting finals. They really liked me and ultimately they picked another guy named Josh Feinberg instead of me.

I was like, “Okay, well that’s it. Maybe they’ll pick me for Big Brother four and I’ll wait a year and I’ll work on myself and I’ll come back next year.” Then I got a phone call in September of 2002 from producers at Survivor, and they said, “Hey, do you want to be on Survivor?” I was like, “What? What are you talking about?” “Yeah, we remember you from Big Brother and we want to see if you want to be on Survivor.” I didn’t really think they were going to pick me. I thought I would just get some face time and this would help me get on Big Brother. And lo and behold, they said, “Okay, great. You’re going to be on Survivor season six and you’re leaving in four weeks.”

Paste: Is that maybe why you got on? Because it was something you just didn’t even think about and you weren’t nervous about who you were talking to or what you were saying?

Rob Cesternino: I guess I was pretty loosey goosey but it was a thrill for me because Jeff Probst is there, Mark Burnett is there, and these are people that I always dreamed of meeting, so sure I’ll go and give them my same shtick that I gave to Big Brother, “Hey, I’m a guy who can’t get a date. I hope I can go on these shows and then meet some women but I’m actually going to be good at the game because I know the strategy really well,” and they were all laughing in the room. 

I had everybody cracking up and they took me right from CBS to the hospital and started inoculating me with a million different vaccinations to go and be in the Amazon jungle for a couple of weeks. I came home and I was wearing a tank top and my mother saw me with a million bandaids. She’s like, “What happened to you?” I was like, “They picked me and I’m going to do Survivor.”

Paste: Looking back at All Stars, who got hosed more by Boston Rob, you or Lex?

Rob Cesternino: I think Lex got hosed worse than I did. Lex and Boston Rob had a real life friendship. I was friendly with Boston Rob outside of the show. I think I put more stock in that it was going to mean more on the show. But as many people could tell you with modern day Survivor, in these six person tribes, it’s hard. Maybe in another world where Boston Rob’s future wife isn’t on the tribe with us, maybe there is a situation where he sees me as one of the people that he could move forward with. 

I was thrilled that he was on my tribe when I first met him. But ultimately Rob found his future wife, had a very reliable ally in Big Tom and then also somebody that his wife had already played Survivor with that she had a comfort level with. Amber and Alicia were friendly and reconnecting on that tribe. I was just kind of the odd person out where I had some level of threat and just didn’t fit in with the overall group. I thought that they would keep me over Sue Hawk and even Alicia, but that was naive on my part.

Paste: Do you have a good relationship with Boston Rob now?

Rob Cesternino: I think I have a very good relationship with Rob Mariano. I didn’t love how things went in All-Stars, but that was 20 years ago. I could be bitter or angry, but I don’t think that there was a ton of malice there. We all knew what we were signing up to do. 

In terms of how he handles his business, I have to tip my cap because he’s gone on to have the greatest reality TV career of any of the Survivor players and has done what, 10 different shows and has brought something to the game every single time he’s played. I think he’s the GOAT and I think that he’s given us so much to talk about, and so I have a lot of respect for what he does. He’s been a great friend of the podcast too. He comes on, he talks about his game, he makes time for us, so I really do appreciate Rob Mariano.

Paste: When you say he’s the GOAT, would you say he’s the GOAT Survivor player?

Rob Cesternino: I think you can certainly argue there are other players that have a more successful approach to Survivor. There are people who are going to win more times out of a 100. That said, he is somebody who’s going to give you an exciting game every single time he plays. Rob is going to win on his terms or lose on his terms, but for you, the viewer, what else could you ask for?

Paste: What’s one life lesson from your time on Survivor that sticks with you to this day?

Rob Cesternino: I was scared to play Survivor, I didn’t think that I was capable of doing it, but I didn’t psych myself out. Ultimately I went and didn’t die, nothing bad happened to me. I think that there was a little bit of a lesson in conquering fear. You’re going to be okay through any experience, even if it is an intimidating or scary one. But I don’t feel like I changed a lot as a person from playing Survivor.

I do feel like that you appreciate everything you have when you come out of the show, especially when you really have that deprivation for a long stretch of time. But I don’t feel like the act of playing Survivor made me too different of a person. Maybe watching it back you learn more.

Paste: In what ways?

Rob Cesternino: The experience of playing Survivor, then having all of your foibles discussed publicly by thousands of anonymous strangers, I think is in some ways harder than the actual act of going to go and do Survivor. When you do Survivor, it’s really between you and the people who are there. So it can be a lot when you get home. It certainly was a lot for me.

Paste: Especially with social media.

Rob Cesternino: I think it’s harder now for players because even though more people watched Survivor when I played, now we all have smartphones and people talk about you and mention you and tag you, and now it’s like attacks and insults, you get a notification now of this person talking about this, this person said that. We’re so connected to devices, whereas in 2003, 2004, you’d say, “Okay, I’m just not going to that website and I may never know what people are saying about me.”

Paste: If Jeff gives you a call and says he needs you for Season 50, what are you saying?

Rob Cesternino: I think it would be a great honor but it would be scary for me. If it did not go well, I feel like so many people would discredit everything that I’ve done and the podcast would suffer, “Why would you listen to this guy anymore? What an idiot, what a moron.” So it would be something that I’d really have to weigh carefully but I do think part of me would be excited. 

I owe everything positive in my life to Survivor. Survivor gave me my wife. We got together from her coming to watch parties that my parents used to have when I was on the show. So my family is because of Survivor. My life’s work and how I put food on the table and pay my bills is all from Survivor. So part of me would be very excited to be a part of a big celebration of Survivor like that but I’d also have to talk to my family about it. 

Rapid fire Survivor Q&A

Paste: What’s the hardest part about being on Survivor that no one talks about?

Rob Cesternino: The rain. I’ve always said I can do 100 days on Survivor if it doesn’t rain. When it rains, and you’re outside, and you’re wet. It sucks. Trying to sleep? Good luck.

Paste: What previous Survivor players are you still close with?

Rob Cesternino: Stephen Fishbach and Tyson Apostol. 

Paste: Who was the last former player you texted or called?

Rob Cesternino: (Checks phone) Brandon Donlon. He works for [Cesternino’s podcast] now. He’s a very funny guy and Survivor’s loss was our gain.

Paste: Who’s on your Survivor Mount Rushmore? 

Rob Cesternino: The Survivor Mount Rushmore is, in no particular order, Boston Rob, Sandra [Diaz-Twine], Parvati [Shallow], Tony [Vlachos]. I think Cirie [Fields] might be fifth, but she doesn’t have a win.

Paste: What is the best advice for people who want to be on Survivor? 

Rob Cesternino: “It’s my dream to be on Survivor. I’ve always wanted to do this.” But what’s in it for Survivor? You have to be able to remember, this is also sales. We know you want to be on Survivor, but why does Survivor want you on the show?

Terry Terrones is a Television Critics Association and Critics Choice Association member, licensed drone pilot, and aspiring hand model. When he’s not dreaming of being on Survivor or The Summit, you can find him hiking in the mountains of Colorado. You can follow him on Twitter @terryterrones.

For all the latest TV news, reviews, lists and features, follow @Paste_TV.

 
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