Rob Mariano, host of Boston Rob Does Beantown on Hearst Television’s Very Local app, goes beyond city limits for season two, which starts April 13. The show is now called Boston Rob Does Beantown & Beyond, and sees him mountain-biking at Mount Washington in New Hampshire, chatting up lobster fisherman in Maine and sky-diving in Newport.
Mariano got his nickname on Survivor, where he has appeared on six times, met his wife Amber in 2004 and won the $1 million prize in 2011.
“Mariano will explore land, sea and sky,” teased Hearst TV, including piloting a plane and going up in a hot-air balloon. He’ll also hit the gym and the dojo to take up fencing, Ninja Warrior training, boxing and tai chi — in his Red Sox cap, of course.
Boston Rob Does Beantown & Beyond streams for free on all mobile, tablet and connected TV devices. There are 10 episodes.
“Even local people will discover new things to do,” Mariano told B+C. “If they’re sitting around, thinking they’ve done everything in the city, they can drive 20 miles north, 30 miles south, and find something completely new.”
Mariano promises “a lot more adventure stuff” in the second season. He said the mix is about 30% Boston and 70% beyond. He flies a plane in Maine and sky dives for the first time in about 15 years. “It’s the first time I’ve done anything so crazy since I had kids,” he said. “There was definitely a moment of hesitation but I ultimately decided to go for it.”
Very Local launched in 2021 by Hearst Television.
"We are so excited to have the delightful Rob Mariano taking viewers on more incredible journeys across New England," Very Local VP of programming Laura Ling said. “Rob’s love of the region shines through as he discovers hidden gems, experiences awesome adventures and meets the locals who make New England so special.”
A Host Named Probst
Mariano, Amber and the kids are, of course, watching the new season of Survivor on CBS. Mariano prefers the earlier seasons, when castaways were in Fiji for as much as 39 days, compared to the 26 days of current seasons. “In that respect, I’m a little bit old school — I like it the way it was,” he said, adding that no one wants to hear from “the old guy” talking about the good old days.
“If you don’t adapt, if you don’t find a way to get with the new,” he added, “you get left behind.”
He’s still spotted on the street by people who want to meet Boston Rob, but Mariano said it’s increasingly not so much Survivor viewers, but kids who say their parents are “big fans” of the unscripted staple.
Mariano counts Survivor host Jeff Probst as an influence on his hosting role at Boston Rob Does Beantown & Beyond. “I learned so much from watching Probst,” he said.
He also counts the late Anthony Bourdain as an influence, mentioning Bourdain’s knack for connecting with strangers on the street on No Reservations, Parts Unknown and other food/travel shows. “I try to use a lot of what I see from them,” Mariano said.
A home-improvement contractor, Mariano is also on the CBS show Secret Celebrity Renovation.
The new season sees Mariano try an American Ninja Warrior course in a gym in Weymouth, Massachusetts. He said his children are huge fans of Ninja Warrior, but at 47, he won’t be going on that show. “The time for that is passed,” he said, while adding that he just finished a full recreational hockey season. “I’m still active. I still love to participate.”
Hearst TV’s New England stations include WCVB Boston; WMTW Portland, Maine; WMUR Manchester, New Hampshire; and WPTZ-WNNE Burlington, Vermont-Plattsburgh, New York.
Mariano and the family live in Florida, but he finds himself in the Boston area frequently, between shooting the show, visiting family and connecting with old friends. “It gets easy to be in the sunshine,” he said of Florida. “But Boston will always be home to me.” ■
