The Traitors’: Who Is Rob Cesternino? ‘Survivor’ Alum’s History Explained

Season 4 of The Traitors kicks off on Thursday, January 8, with a three-episode premiere. That means six people are leaving the game, and new traitors will be established. Alan Cumming is back to host.

The competitors this season include Donna Kelce, Porsha Williams (The Real Housewives of Atlanta), Caroline Stanbury (The Real Housewives of Dubai), Candiace Dillard Bassett (The Real Housewives of Potomac), Lisa Rinna (The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills), Dorinda Medley (The Real Housewives of New York), Ian Terry (Big Brother), Tiffany Mitchell (Big Brother), Rob Cesternino (Survivor), Natalie Anderson (Survivor), and Yamil ‘Yam Yam’ Arocho (Survivor), Rob Rausch (Love Island USA), Maura Higgins (Love Island USA), Colton Underwood (The Bachelor), Kristen Kish (Top Chef), Eric Nam, Mark Ballas (Dancing With the Stars), Monét X Change (RuPaul’s Drag Race), Stephen Colletti (Laguna Beach), Michael Rapaport, Ron Funches, Johnny Weir, and Tara Lipinski.

Cesternino is best known for being on Survivor. The reality show contestant competed on Survivor: Amazon (Season 6) and All-Stars (Season 8). He came in third on Season 6 and fifteenth on Season 8.

He is not the first Survivor alum to enter the Scottish castle and play the game. This season alone has two other Survivor alums — Natalie Anderson and Yam Yam Arocho. Other Survivor contestants to appear on The Traitors include Cirie Fields, Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick, Parvati Shallow, Sandra Diaz-Twine, Tony Vlachos, Jeremy Collins, Rob Mariano, and Carolyn Wiger.

Talking to TV Insider, he praised his fellow Survivor contestants this season, who are both winners, saying, “Just talking about them as Survivor players, Natalie wins one of the great Survivor seasons in San Juan del Sur. Her story, where she gets payback for what they did to Jeremy [Collins], is just one of the all-time greatest single Survivor stories there ever was. And Yam Yam, of course, what a big personality. I’m sure everybody’s going to be excited to see him on The Traitors.”

Cesternino is back on reality TV for the first time in 22 years. Here is everything to know about him since he has been on Survivor. Tune in to The Traitors to find out if he becomes a Faithful or a Traitor and how far he makes it in the game.

Monty Brinton/CBS

He runs a reality TV show podcast

Six years after his second Survivor appearance, Cesternino launched a podcast called Rob Has a Podcast, where he talks about all things reality TV, especially Survivor. He launched the podcast in 2010, way before podcasts were very popular, to talk about Survivor: Heroes Vs. Villains and the final season of Lost. Since then, he has covered shows such as Big Brother, The Amazing Race, The Celebrity Apprentice, and Jet Lag: The Game. 

He also hosts a live show with Stephen Fishbach called Survivor Know-It-All, which used to air after Survivor episodes, but now drops the day after.

Cesternino is releasing a book

The Tribe and I Have Spoken is an upcoming book release from Cesternino, set to be released on May 5. Released by Simon & Schuster, the book takes fans “from the beaches of Borneo on the first season all the way to the landmark fiftieth season,” according to the website. “This beautifully illustrated ode to the show includes The Heroes and Villains Hall of Fame, the greatest ‘Watercooler Watershed Moments’ in the show’s history, and Rob’s ‘Ultimate Survivor Playbook’ (no refunds) to winning that million-dollar prize.”

 

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The reality show star has a family

After his second season of Survivor, Cesternino married his longtime girlfriend, Nicole Palmeri, in 2010. They had a son, Dominic James, born on September 29, 2013. Their second son, Anthony Joseph, was born on November 12, 2015.

 

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The couple started dating in 2003. In 2023, Cesternino shared a cute anniversary post of a throwback photo of them. “Who has had a better 20-year run than us, @nicolecesternino? 20 Years ago today, Nicole became my girlfriend, and since then, we’ve seen all the highs and lows that this life can throw at you, and we’ve done it all TOGETHER. I wouldn’t have it any other way ❤️,” he captioned the post.

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He has other ventures in media

In 2013, Cesternino appeared on the YouTube game show, Reality GameMasters, which featured six reality TV stars competing in a game of Risk. He was also approached to compete on The Amazing Race 31 with his podcast host, Fishbach, but had to turn it down due to Fishbach’s wedding.

He is excited to return to reality TV

“For me, this was such a great opportunity to go and get the chance to go play this great game, the hottest show on television,” he told Men’s Journal. “This was just a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get to go to the castle and get the chance to put my money where my mouth is.”

“I felt like, to go back to Survivor, I was chasing redemption. Whereas I always just looked at Traitors and this opportunity as a reinvention,” he went on.