Rob Cesternino

Last updated
Rob Cesternino
Born
Robert Kristopher Cesternino

(1978-10-20) October 20, 1978 (age 45)
Wantagh, New York, U.S.
Occupation Podcaster
Notable work Rob Has a Podcast
Television Survivor: The Amazon
Survivor: All-Stars
SpouseNicole Cesternino
Website Rob Has a Website

Robert Kristopher Cesternino (born October 20, 1978) is an American reality television contestant and podcast host, known for his appearances on Survivor: The Amazon (2003) and Survivor: All-Stars (2004). In 2010, he launched Rob Has a Podcast , a platform to discuss and analyze reality television, most notably Survivor , Big Brother , and The Amazing Race . In 2014, Cesternino and Hollywood Reporter journalist Josh Wigler launched Post Show Recaps, a companion platform that covers scripted television. [1]

Contents

Personal life

Cesternino is originally from Wantagh, New York. Cesternino attended the State University of New York at Oswego, graduating in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in broadcasting. [2] He was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. His college thesis was titled, "The Impact of Reality Television." [3]

At the time of his first appearance on Survivor, Cesternino was employed as a computer projects coordinator for an insurance agency [4] [5] He had previously worked as a store clerk, a waiter, and a bartender. He originally applied to compete on Big Brother 3 and advanced to the final stages of the casting process, but was ultimately not selected to appear on the show. Several months later, he was offered an opportunity by a casting producer who remembered him from the Big Brother casting process to compete on Survivor. [6] [7]

In August 2010, Cesternino married his longtime girlfriend, Nicole Palmeri. The couple's first child, Dominic James, was born on September 29, 2013. [8] The couple's second child, Anthony Joseph, was born on November 12, 2015. [9]

Survivor

The Amazon

Cesternino appeared on Survivor: The Amazon in 2003. Originally assigned to the all-male Tambaqui tribe, Cesternino opted to keep a low profile early in the game, following orders from the older tribe members and using self-deprecating humor to disarm potential rivals. Once the tribes merged, he began forging multiple alliances and striking deals with other players. While most Survivor contestants in prior seasons tended to remain with their original alliance, Cesternino frequently flipped between groups, double-crossing allies and dictating the game strategy.

Cesternino was voted out on Day 38 (of 39) by Jenna Morasca, making him the fourteenth person eliminated and placing him third overall. Despite this, he cast his jury vote for Morasca to win the very next night. Morasca defeated Matthew von Ertfelda to be named the winner of the season. While he fell short of victory, Cesternino's performance is frequently cited as one of the best non-winning games in the history of the show. [10]

All-Stars

In 2004, Cesternino was invited back to play again on Survivor: All-Stars as a member of the Chapera tribe. Due to his impressive gameplay in Survivor: The Amazon, he was considered a major strategic threat by the other returning players. He was the fourth person eliminated (and third voted out) after a unanimous decision by his tribemates, finishing in 15th place. Cesternino's fellow Survivor: The Amazon castaway Jenna Morasca had already withdrawn from the game to be with her ailing mother, but was never voted out.

Post-Survivor

Rob Has A Podcast

In 2010, Cesternino launched Rob Has a Podcast, also known as RHAP, a podcast network focused on the discussion of reality television, with an emphasis on CBS' competition reality shows – Survivor, Big Brother, and The Amazing Race. The podcast began by covering Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains . RHAP has expanded to cover a wide range of other reality programs and now features podcasts not hosted by Cesternino himself. He frequently has alumni of Survivor and other reality shows as guests on the podcast. As of 2022, RHAP typically features ten weekly podcasts covering Survivor during the season, with five hosted by Cesternino and five hosted by other RHAP hosts.

Other media

Cesternino was inducted into Xfinity's Survivor "Hall of Fame" in 2012, alongside Amanda Kimmel and Ethan Zohn. [11] In addition, both of his seasons were voted by viewers into the top 10 greatest seasons of all time - The Amazon was 8th, while All-Stars was 6th. [12] [13] In a 2015 interview shortly before the premiere of the 30th season, Jeff Probst stated that Cesternino and Spencer Bledsoe were his personal favorite non-winner contestants. [14]

Rob Has a Podcast has won five Podcast Awards: best entertainment podcast (2012, 2014), best video podcast (2013), best produced podcast (2013). Most notably, RHAP beat hit podcast Serial in the category of people's choice podcast of 2014.

In June 2013, Cesternino appeared as a co-host and executive producer of Reality GameMasters, a YouTube show documenting six reality stars competing in a game of Risk. [15]

Cesternino was approached to compete on The Amazing Race 31 with Survivor: Tocantins contestant and RHAP co-host, Stephen Fishbach. The pair showed interest but declined due to Fishbach's upcoming wedding. [16]

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
2003 Survivor: The Amazon ContestantEliminated; 3rd place
2004 Survivor: All-Stars ContestantEliminated; 15th place
2010-present Rob Has a Podcast Host

Related Research Articles

<i>Survivor: Africa</i> Season of television series

Survivor: Africa is the third season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor. The season was filmed from July 11, 2001, to August 18, 2001, in Kenya's Shaba National Reserve, and was aired weekly from October 11, 2001, until the live finale on January 10, 2002. Ethan Zohn was named Sole Survivor over Kim Johnson by a jury vote of 5–2, and won the $1,000,000 grand prize. The season featured a cast of 16 participants split between two tribes, Boran and Samburu. Three of the cast, Zohn, Lex van den Berghe, and Tom Buchanan all returned for future seasons. The season received more criticism than previous seasons due to the harsh living conditions of the African desert and the small amount of food for participants.

<i>Survivor: The Amazon</i> Season of television series

Survivor: The Amazon is the sixth season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor. The season was filmed from November 11, 2002, through December 15, 2002, in the Amazon and premiered on February 13, 2003. Hosted by Jeff Probst, it consisted of the usual 39 days of gameplay with 16 competitors.

<i>Survivor: Thailand</i> Season of television series

Survivor: Thailand is the fifth season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor. The season was filmed from June 10, 2002, through July 18, 2002, on the island of Ko Tarutao in Thailand, and premiered on September 19, 2002. Hosted by Jeff Probst, it had 16 participants tasked with surviving in the wild for 39 days.

<i>Survivor: Pearl Islands</i> Season of television series

Survivor: Pearl Islands is the seventh season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor. It was filmed from June 23, 2003, through July 31, 2003, and premiered on September 18, 2003. The season was filmed on the Pearl Islands, off the coast of Panama, and had a pirate culture theme. Hosted by Jeff Probst, it consisted of the usual 39 days of gameplay with 16 competitors.

<i>Survivor: All-Stars</i> Season of television series

Survivor: All-Stars is the eighth season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor. It was filmed from November 3, 2003, through December 11, 2003, and premiered on February 1, 2004, after Super Bowl XXXVIII. It was filmed on the Pearl Islands of Panama, also the location of the previous season. Hosted by Jeff Probst, it consisted of the usual 39 days of gameplay with, for the first time, 18 returning competitors from the seven previous seasons instead of the usual 16 new contestants, and three tribes instead of the usual two.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jenna Morasca</span> American actress, glamour model and reality television personality

Jenna Morasca is an American actress, former swimsuit model, professional wrestler and American reality TV contestant who was the million-dollar grand prize winner of Survivor: The Amazon in 2003. In 2009, she worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.

<i>Survivor: Vanuatu</i> Season of television series

Survivor: Vanuatu — Islands of Fire, also known as Survivor: Vanuatu, is the ninth season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor. The season was filmed from June 28, 2004, through August 5, 2004, and the season premiered on September 16, 2004. Filming took place in Vanuatu, a chain of volcanic islands in the South Pacific. Hosted by Jeff Probst, it consisted of the usual 39 days of gameplay, with 18 competitors for the second time in the series' history.

Ethan Zohn is an American motivational speaker, former professional soccer player, and reality television series contestant who won Survivor: Africa, the third season of the reality TV series Survivor. He went on to compete in Survivor: All-Stars and Survivor: Winners at War, where he placed 11th and 18th, respectively.

<i>Survivor: Palau</i> Season of television series

Survivor: Palau is the tenth season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor. The season filmed from November 1, 2004, through December 9, 2004, and premiered on February 17, 2005. Filming took place in Koror, Palau. Hosted by Jeff Probst, it consisted of the usual 39 days of gameplay with 20 competitors, the most the series had ever begun with up to that point.

<i>Survivor: Panama</i> Season of television series

Survivor: Panama — Exile Island, also known as Survivor: Exile Island and Survivor: Panama, is the twelfth season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor. The season was filmed in the Pearl Islands, off the coast of Panama from October 31, 2005, through December 8, 2005, and premiered on February 2, 2006. Hosted by Jeff Probst, it consisted of the usual 39 days of gameplay with 16 competitors, and was the first season with 16 competitors since Survivor: Pearl Islands five seasons prior.

<i>Survivor: Cook Islands</i> Season of television series

Survivor: Cook Islands is the thirteenth season of the American competitive reality television series, Survivor. The season was filmed from June 26 to August 3, 2006, and premiered on September 14 of that year. Filmed in the Cook Islands, it was broadcast by CBS.

<i>Survivor: Micronesia</i> Season of television series

Survivor: Micronesia – Fans vs. Favorites, also known as Survivor: Fans vs. Favorites and Survivor: Micronesia, is the sixteenth season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor. It is the show's third season to include contestants from past seasons, after the all-returning contestant pool from Survivor: All-Stars, along with Survivor: Guatemala, in which two contestants from Survivor: Palau returned for a second chance.

<i>Survivor: Tocantins</i> Season of television series

Survivor: Tocantins – The Brazilian Highlands is the eighteenth season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor. The season was filmed in the microregion of Jalapão in Tocantins, Brazil, and first aired Thursday, February 12, 2009. CBS began casting for Survivor: Tocantins once production for Survivor: Gabon was underway. Applications were due by July 15, 2008, with in-person interviews being conducted in various cities sometime in August 2008, and semi-finalists traveling to Los Angeles, California sometime in September 2008. Sixteen applicants were chosen to compete on the show and were initially divided into two tribes. The season was filmed from November 1, 2008, to December 9, 2008. Exile Island returned this season, but with new twists. Instead of one castaway sent to Exile Island, two were sent. While on Exile Island, each exiled castaway picked from one of two urns. One urn contained a clue to the Hidden Immunity Idol and an option to join the opposing tribe, while the other urn contained nothing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parvati Shallow</span> American television personality (born 1982)

Parvati Shallow is an American television personality and was the $1 million winner of the reality television series Survivor: Micronesia — Fans vs. Favorites. She had previously competed in Survivor: Cook Islands in which she placed sixth, and later was the runner-up in Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains. In 2020, she competed on the show's 40th season, Survivor: Winners at War, in which she placed 15th.

Russell Dennis Hantz is an American television personality, best known for his appearances on the U.S. reality show, Survivor. He was the runner-up on Survivor: Samoa, and the second runner-up on Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains. He also competed on Survivor: Redemption Island and Australian Survivor: Champions vs. Contenders, where he was the second player to be eliminated both times.

<i>Survivor: Redemption Island</i> Season of television series

Survivor: Redemption Island is the twenty-second season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor. It premiered on February 16, 2011. Applications were due in January 2010, and filming lasted from August to September 2010. The season was filmed near San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, the same location as the previous season. The show featured returning players Russell Hantz and Rob Mariano and 16 new players to Survivor.

Stephen Andrew Fishbach is an American digital strategy consultant, writer, and reality television show participant, widely known for competing on the reality TV show Survivor. Fishbach finished as the runner-up on Survivor: Tocantins and finished in ninth place on Survivor: Cambodia. He formerly blogged for People Magazine and co-hosts the Survivor Know-It-Alls podcast alongside Rob Cesternino.

<i>Rob Has a Podcast</i> Podcast about reality game shows

Rob Has a Podcast (RHAP) is an entertainment podcast hosted by former Survivor contestant Rob Cesternino. The podcast primarily provides commentary of reality television game shows.

<i>Survivor: Caramoan</i> Season of television series

Survivor: Caramoan — Fans vs. Favorites is the 26th season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor. The season filmed from May 21 to June 28, 2012, and premiered on February 13, 2013, with a special 90-minute episode. As with Survivor: Micronesia, the first season to have the "Fans vs. Favorites" subtitle, this season initially featured a tribe of 10 returning contestants from previous seasons opposing a tribe of 10 new players. It was the eighth season overall to feature returning players. Production of the show took place in the Caramoan Islands in the Philippines, the same location as the previous season. Participants' applications were due on October 4, 2011, with about 800 chosen for interviews in various states. From these semifinalists, 10 contestants were selected to participate in the show as fans.

<i>Survivor: San Juan del Sur</i> Season of television series

Survivor: San Juan del Sur — Blood vs. Water is the twenty-ninth season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor, which premiered on September 24, 2014. Similar to Survivor: Blood vs. Water, the season features pairs of loved ones competing against each other but, unlike Blood vs. Water, all the players are new. The season was filmed in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, the same location as Survivor: Nicaragua and Survivor: Redemption Island. The two-hour finale and one-hour reunion show aired on December 17, 2014, where Natalie Anderson was named the Sole Survivor by a vote of 5–2–1 over Jaclyn Schultz and Missy Payne.

References

  1. ↑ "About Post Show Recaps". PostShowRecaps.com. Retrieved 2022-05-25.
  2. ↑ Whitehouse, Beth (October 10, 2001). "CASTING CALL / Who will be the next Sean or Kimmi? / Maybe these 'Survivor IV' audition tapes will tell". Newsday . Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  3. ↑ Rob - Survivor Cast Member , retrieved 2022-05-25
  4. ↑ Petrozzello, Donna (January 14, 2003). "'Survivor' River Rumble Will Be Guys vs. Gals". Daily News . Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  5. ↑ Petrozzello, Donna (February 13, 2003). "Survival is a Ball for L.I. guy plays for laughs". Daily News . Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  6. ↑ "Rob Cesternino | What Reality TV Teaches Us About Real Life (Bonus) • The Art of Charm". The Art of Charm. 2015-02-06. Retrieved 2022-05-25.
  7. ↑ "About Rob Cesternino". Rob Has a Podcast . Archived from the original on April 23, 2016. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
  8. ↑ Stanhope, Kate (30 September 2013). "Survivor: The Amazon Alum Rob Cesternino and Wife Welcome a Baby Boy". TVGN . Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  9. ↑ Helling, Steve (November 13, 2015). "Rob Cesternino Welcomes Son Anthony Joseph". People. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  10. ↑ "The 20 Best Non-Winning Games". Inside Survivor. 2020-07-29. Retrieved 2022-05-25.
  11. ↑ Holmes, Gordon (December 12, 2012). "'Survivor' Hall of Fame 2012 Inductee – Rob Cesternino". Xfinity. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  12. ↑ "Get Insider Answers in the Survivor 30th Season Extravaganza". CBS.com. February 3, 2015. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  13. ↑ Blickley, Leigh (January 30, 2015). "The 10 Best Seasons In 'Survivor' History". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  14. ↑ Ross, Dalton (February 25, 2015). "Jeff Probst names his favorite Survivor winner, non-winner, twist, challenge, and season ever". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  15. ↑ Cesternino, Rob (2013). "Reality Gamemasters, A Rob Has A Podcast Original Web Series". Rob Has A Website. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  16. ↑ Rob Cesternino; Stephen Fishbach (2019-04-11). "Survivor Know-It-Alls | Edge of Extinction Episode 9 Recap". Rob Has a Podcast . Retrieved 2020-03-21.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.