Despite originally competing on separate seasons of the hit reality competition series in the early 2000s, their paths crossed for the first time when they were both invited back to compete on “Survivor: All-Stars” in 2004.

What started out as a no-holds-barred race towards the season’s $1 million grand prize for Rob and Amber, ultimately ended in a marriage proposal broadcast live to more than 24 million viewers.

Now, more than 20 years after Brkich took home a million-dollar check and a diamond ring in the same night, Mariano is looking back on the moment he first laid eyes on the woman who would eventually become his wife and mother to their four daughters – Lucia, 16, Carina, 15, Isabetta, 13 and Adelina, 11.

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Boston Rob’s First Impression of Amber Brkich: ‘She was Hot!’

CBS

While Boston Rob now credits “Survivor” as the “show that gave us each other and our four girls,” his first impression of Amber was, admittedly, less romantic.

Returning to “All-Stars” after a 10th place finish on his original “Survivor: Marquesas” appearance, Mariano, then 26, had a lot to prove, so it’s no surprise that his first thoughts were motivated by strategy.

“[I] needed an alliance,” Boston Rob, now 50, told PEOPLE as part of their 2026 Love Week campaign, adding that he was similarly motivated to join forces with Brkich because he “though she was hot!”

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Boston Rob on the Challenges of Finding Love on ‘Survivor’

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While the duo’s alliance blossomed into something closer to romance as the season progressed, Mariano admitted that courting someone while marooned and starving on a desert island had its challenges.

“I literally had nothing to impress her with except maybe catching a fish,” said Boston Rob, who, by that time, had already won the hearts of millions of Americans as one of the franchise’s most notorious heartthrobs.

Although the pair had to wait until they won an Individual Immunity challenge in the late stages of the game to go on their first “date,” Mariano added that the stripped back reality of their early relationships removed pretences that might have otherwise gotten in the way.

“Starting with less than nothing on the island made everything else after seem extraordinary,” he said. “We had nowhere to go but up.”

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Boston Rob Reveals How His Relationship with Amber has Stood the Test of Time

Speaking to how their relationship has managed to stand the test of time, as well as several high-stakes returns to reality TV on shows like “The Amazing Race” and “Survivor” Winners at War,” Mariano said that their shared “strong family values” have been a determining factor, as well as “not forgetting why we formed an alliance in the first place.”

“Our situation was unique in that we didn’t go there looking for it,” he added. “And I think that might be the key. It just kinda happened organically, as crazy as that sounds.”

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What are Boston Rob & Amber Mariano Up to Today?

Today, Rob and Amber have relocated from Mariano’s native Boston to Pensacola, Florida, where they continue to work in tandem to raise their four teenage daughters.

While Amber hasn’t returned to reality TV since 2020’s “Survivor: Winners at War,” Rob has continued to make headlines with appearances on “The Traitors,” the “Big Brother” aftershow, and the “Dancing with the Stars” ballroom.

More recently, Rob launched his very own reality competition series on YouTube titled “Everything’s a Competition,” wherein he goes head-to-head with his “Traitors” co-star Dylan Efron in a variety of challenges from boat-building to baking to sword-fighting.

Mariano similarly continues to support his family by starring in advertising campaigns for brands like Toyota, Dunkin’ Donuts, Degree, Stitch Fix, Kaluha and more, as well as serving as the co-host of the official “Traitors” re-cap podcast alongside former rival Bob the Drag Queen.