Earlier this week, Survivor fans got one hell of a treat. For the 50th season of the show, memorable players from seasons past will be making their long-awaited returns to the show. Not making his return, however, is Survivor icon Rob “Boston Rob” Mariano.

In a new interview with TV Insider, Mariano explained why he won’t be joining the stacked cast. “I don’t feel any desire to go back there and play the game again, especially where they’re just gonna use me for a little bit and vote me out,” he told the outlet.

He would, however, consider joining if players didn’t vote each other out. “But who knows? Maybe if there’s a concept change or something, I would consider it because they’ve given so much to me over my life,” he added.

As a legend of the show, fans can also rest assured that he was indeed invited; he just declined.

“I had a conversation with Jeff for sure,” he said, adding that it’s a “big season” and a “big celebration.” “It’d be fun to be involved in some way,” he added. “So we’ll have to wait and see.”

As a reminder, Mariano debuted on Survivor: Marquesas in 2002 and went on to make a name for himself with a deadly reality competition streak on Survivor: All-Stars, The Amazing Race 7, The Amazing Race: All-Stars, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, Deal or No Deal Island and the most recent season of The Traitors.

The Survivor 50 cast will include Colby Donaldson, Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick, Cirie Fields, Mike White, Ozzy Lusth, Christian Hubicki, Angelina Keeley, and many others. The season is set to premiere in February 2026. Boston Rob or not, we can’t wait!

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