No NBA playoffs? No problem. 'Survivor' fills the void thanks to its own "MJ".
By: Tom Dwyer | May 13, 2020
Every sport has their “Michael Jordan”. You know, that one special athlete that transcends the sport, stands out above the rest, and brings their sport to a new level. Even the non major 4 sports have their one household name that passes the mom test.
Think…
Swimming - Michael Phelps
Tennis - Serena Williams
Cycling - Lance Armstrong (for better or worse)
Gymnastics - Simone Biles
Competitive Eating - Joey Chestnut
And in a time where the world as we knew it seems on the “edge of extinction”, with no live sports to root for, one dynasty keeps viewers’ competitive juices flowing because of its own version of “MJ”.
Survivor - Boston Rob Mariano
In the arid days of content thanks to the global pandemic, sites like theringer.com who are usually deep diving into the unfolding NBA playoffs, needed to “Get Organized” and rethink how to play their game. So where do they turn for content?, to the closest thing we have to sports, Survivor, and a lead story to their “Survivor Week” centered around the most polarizing figure to ever put on a buff, Boston Rob.
In 1986 a young, up and coming, and skilled Michael Jordan took on a sizable foe, the eventual NBA Champion Boston Celtics in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Jordan had snuck his 8th seeded Bulls into the playoffs and proceeded to rain game 1 and game 2 haymakers upon the Celtics’ jaw, dropping back to back SportsCenter top ten worthy games of 49 points and a playoff record 63 points. But, despite the Herculean effort by MJ, both performances resulted in losses and an early exit from the playoffs. The young Jordan was the most skilled player in the series and proved it. The top seeded veteran Celtics knew that a new star had been introduced and the rest of the league was in trouble. Like MJ in the ‘86 playoffs, Boston Rob had his coming out party in Survivor Season 4: Marquesas in ‘01. Rob did his best to make alliances, call out other alliances, mastermind ousting one of the major players/physical threats in the game (Hunter) and unleashing his no holds barred, fearless gameplay. In the process he showed the viewer he was the most skilled and strategic player in the game. But, like MJ in ‘86, Rob’s efforts led only to a premature exit as he was voted out of the game early. The rest of the tribe saw him as a major threat and knew if they didn’t vote together they would soon be in trouble. Making early splashes followed by “first round” exits are where the MJ and Boston Rob comparisons begin, but like MJ, Boston Rob’s breakout would come.
In ‘91 MJ had found his running mate in Scottie Pippen, trained hard using previous failures at the hands of the ruthless Bad Boy Pistons as motivation, and finally reached the mountain top and won his first championship. For Boston Rob, his ‘91 MJ season came in ‘03 during Survivor: All Stars. Like MJ, he found his running mate (and future wife) Amber, used his previous failures at making alliances and controlling the game as motivation to improve his strategic gameplay by cutting the head off anyone who stood in his way to get what he wanted (see Lex), as he too reached the mountain top in his game.
Did he win the title of Sole Survivor in “All Stars”? No. But, did he raise the game of Survivor to new heights never seen before and walk off with an even bigger prize in Amber? Yes! If the game of Survivor were formatted like the NBA playoffs, Boston Rob’s “All Stars” season performance would have been like ‘91 Jordan’s playoff dominance.
Round 1 - Original Tribes - Easy sweep 3-0 (no sweat)
Round 2 - Absorbed Tribes/Switched Tribes - Wins 4-1 (1 loss being when he nearly loses Amber)
Round 3 - Merge - Wins 4-0 (In total control, betrays Lex)
Round 4 - Final Four - Wins 4-1 (Controlled the entire game but loses an immunity challenge to Amber)
Though he didn’t win the title of Sole Survivor, the now household name of Boston Rob became CBS’s number one character. First, teaming up with Amber and nearly winning the Amazing Race season 7. Then, a 2 hour CBS spectacular “Rob and Amber: Get Married” saw them getting married beachside in the shadow of Atlantis in the beautiful Bahamas. To cap off their run, they appeared on another all-star season, this time it was Season 11 of “The Amazing Race”. Rob had skyrocketed from the young construction worker from Boston to the transcendent Survivor superstar!
In 1993 after winning 3 straight championships and staking his claim in the history of basketball, Michael Jordan didn’t have any challenges left and walked away from the game of basketball. He had reached the pinnacle of his sport. After reaching his own peak of stardom and back to back to back starring positions on 3 television shows, Boston Rob too walked away from “the game” of reality tv as well.
After 21 months away from the game of basketball, in March of 1995, MJ declared “I’m Back”. But his return late in the 1995 season had a different feeling. MJ returned donning a new number (45) and seemingly losing some speed on his fastball. The game had changed. Strategies and tactics that MJ once used in ‘91 - ‘93 now needed some remodeling. Then, in the playoffs MJ tasted bitter defeat at the hands of the better conditioned and up and coming Penny and Shaq led Magic team. Like MJ, 3 years had past since Boston Rob was competing in “The Amazing Race” and it had been 6 years or 12 seasons of Survivor since he last flashed his dominance in “the game”. After this long hiatus, Boston Rob returned for Survivor season 20: Heroes vs. Villains with renewed motivation to prove himself. Boston Rob had been away from “the game” and like MJ in ‘95, the game of Survivor had changed like the NBA. New skillful players with experience in the game now containing new elements like the hidden immunity idol left Boston Rob feeling rusty and “out of shape” eventually leading to a major Tribal Council slip up and shortly thereafter an exit from the game. Rob’s HvV exit at the hands of Russel Hantz and MJ’s ‘95 exit at the hands of Penny and Shaq forced the once invincible players to rethink, retool, and replay the game they loved.
The following ‘96 season saw Jordan steamroll the diluted post expansion NBA to a single season best 72-10 record, thrash through the playoffs with a record of 15-3, eviscerate the previous foe Orlando Magic 4 games to 0, and win the NBA title. Similarly, after the embarrassing exit from HvV, Boston Rob would come back to Survivor a year later for Season 22: Redemption Island seeking the coveted title that alluded him, the title of Survivor Champion. During the Redemption Island season, Boston Rob put on a display the likes of MJ in ‘96 by dismantling the outmatched field, revenging his loss to Russel who also had been put into the game, and finally clinching his legacy in the game by winning the jury vote and title of Sole Survivor.
The parallels continue.
Years later, Jordan becomes the owner of the Charlotte Hornets trying to find new ways to keep himself tied to the game he loves so much, but the role of team owner just isn’t the same as seeing MJ play the game. Likewise, 17 seasons after his championship run on Redemption Island, Boston Rob found himself in a new role as mentor on season 39: “Island of the Idols”. For Boston Rob, it was another chance to contribute to the game he loved and helped recreate time and time again. Now as a mentor he provided castaways with valuable insight and wisdom, but it isn’t quite the same as seeing him play “the game”. The fans want to see MJ or Boston Rob playing the game. It’s engrained in them as competitors and in us as fans and spectators.
Now at the end of his career, Boston Rob gets his “last dance” at the game in Season 40: Winners at War. One last chance to show the world what he’s capable of, the pride that he plays the game with, and a shot at another title. At age 40 MJ played his final days as a member of the Washington Wizards. Even though he was miraculously able to play all 82 games, put up 20 points per game, and flash for a night the MJ we once knew, it wasn’t quite the same. For Boston Rob, Survivor Season 40: Winners at War is that MJ Wizards run. People still fear Boston Rob as the players did MJ at age 40. In any given competition or challenge is he capable of greatness? Absolutely. Is he still a star among stars? Winner among winners? Icon among icons? No doubt. But has the game past him by leaving him a mere shadow of his former self or will he summon the strength needed to make one final push and claim a 2nd title? We will find out at the finale tonight.
Michael Jordan wasn’t just the best basketball player who ever lived, he was much more than that. He transcended the game of basketball and superstardom. Air Jordan helped basketball take flight, soaring to new heights never before possible because of his world class skill set, impeccable timing, and second to none competitive greatness. Basketball is what it is today because of Michael Jordan. And, every sport or institution worth anything has their “MJ”. That person or group who can take something great and revolutionize it, obliterate the mold, and push their “game” beyond the stars it once deemed were too distant to reach. After 40 seasons, 580+ episodes, the votes have been tallied, and the decision is final, Boston Rob is the MJ of Survivor.
The blog has spoken!
