'Boston' Rob Mariano Reveals the “Survivor 50” Twist He Would Have Left 'on the Cutting Room Floor' (Exclusive)

Charlotte WalshMon, May 18, 2026 at 6:32 PM UTC

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Rob Mariano ; Jeff Probst
Credit: Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty; Dominik Bindl/Getty

"Boston" Rob Mariano isn't going to be on the hunt for a Billie Eilish Boomerang Idol anytime soon.

Currently, Survivoris airing its landmark 50th season, with the finale premiering on May 20. The season — which follows 24 returning players competing for a $2 million prize — has featured a number of celebrity cameos, from country singer Zac Brown putting on a reward challenge to Jimmy Fallon introducing his own twist.

However, not everyone has been a fan of the new advantages. Mariano — who competed on seasons 4, 8, 20, 22 and 40 of the long-running CBS show — exclusively sat down with PEOPLE at a ride aboard The Beast in New York City in collaboration with Dramamine on May 12, revealing which of the twists he would have removed.

"Survivor takes a lot of swings. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. I don't love all of them," he said. "I think, at its core, Survivor's fan base are their fans. I don't know if [the twists] add to it, but it's cool to see different celebrities love the show so much."

He continued, "Some of them didn't really play out, like the Billie Eilish Idol. Like, I love to hear that Billie Eilish is a fan of Survivor, but to not see it play out — or not yet anyway — I almost feel like maybe if it doesn't play, then leave it on the cutting room floor, right?"

Billie Eilish in October 2025
Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty

During the first two episodes of season 50, contestants Genevieve Mushaluk and Christian Hubicki each found hidden clues for Billie Eilish Boomerang Idols on their respective tribe's beaches. The twist? The person who found the clue had to secretly give the idol to someone on an opposing tribe. If the person who received it was voted out without using the idol, it would "boomerang" back to the person who originally found it.

Ultimately, Mushaluk gifted hers to Ozzy Lusth, while Hubicki sent his to Aubrey Bracco. However, both Mushaluk and Hubicki were eliminated before the idol could "boomerang" back to them — in part, because other players learned they could gain idols later in the game.

Aubrey Bracco (L) and Ozzy Lusth (R)
Credit: Robert Voets/CBS (2)

But Mariano did enjoy YouTuber Jimmy "MrBeast" Donaldson's coin flip twist, in which Rick Devens correctly called a toss to bump the prize money to $2 million.

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"I loved the MrBeast one — taking the risk, taking the chance, flipping the coin, doubling the prize money — that was pretty epic," he said.

Currently, Mariano is rooting for Jonathan Young to win season 50, who's competing for the title of Sole Survivor alongside Bracco, Rizo Velovic, Tiffany "Tiff" Ervin and Joe Hunter. To prepare for the season, Young worked with Mariano for four years to improve his strategic gameplay.

"[He'd ask] everything. 'What should I do in this situation?' I was like, 'Listen, bro, you can't play as me. I can't tell you what I would do, but I can tell you what I would do if I were you in different scenarios,' " Mariano recalled. "We kind of went over different things. I give him a lot of credit. He's doing great."

After most recently appearing on season 3 of The Traitors, Mariano is now focusing on his YouTube show, Everything's a Competition, with former costar Dylan Efron. He's also looking forward to summer travels with his family, wife Amber Mariano (whom he met on season 8 of Survivor) and their four daughters, Lucia, Carina, Isabetta and Adelina.

He teamed up with Dramamine for the "Your Why. Your Way." campaign, which invites people to travel knowing that nausea won't "stand in the way of the experiences that matter most." Fans can now enter the "Your Why. Your Way." sweepstakes for the chance to win a $5,000 travel gift card.

Mariano previously experienced seasickness while on an anniversary cruise with his wife, but is looking forward to vacationing nausea-free this summer. But his most cherished travel memory remains when his daughters traveled to Fiji for family visits for Survivor season 40, Winners at War.

"[There was] the realization that Amber and I met on that island and they all got to come out for the family visit," he said. "That's where it started, and then we're all there together."

Survivor airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on CBS.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”