Reality television star ‘Boston’ Rob Mariano is speaking out after the popular Peacock show The Traitors issued a public statement against cyberbullying amid a very heated, dramatic season.
Mariano, who is best known for the five seasons he appeared on Survivor, competed in the third season of The Traitors and was eliminated on Episode 7.
He’s now giving his take on why he believes the show felt it necessary to issue an anti-bullying message.
"I think the one thing that Traitors and Peacock and NBC and Studio Lambert does really well is they always try to protect their cast, and they've always shown grace," Mariano said. "So, I think it was a nice gesture for them to step in and say, 'Hey, we're all just playing a game. We're all real people in the real world. Give these people a break.' I think that was the right thing to do."
The statement released by the show read in part, “We are committed to making our casts feel safe, respected, and supported—on screen and off. The cast of The Traitors are real people, and what happens in the game should never lead to cyberbullying or harassment. There’s a difference between discussing a show and targeting individuals.”
The statement came after current contestant Colton Underwood received significant online criticism in the wake of the Thursday, January 22 episode.
While seated at the round table, Underwood and fellow contestant Lisa Rinna had a fierce back-and-forth after Underwood accused Rinna of being a traitor.
Following the episode, Rinna took to social media to call Underwood a “stalker.”
The comment was an apparent reference to an incident involving Underwood’s ex-girlfriend, Cassie Randolph, whom he met while starring on The Bachelor in 2019. Randolph would later accuse him of stalking and harassment and filed a restraining order against him, which was eventually dropped.
Rinna later publicly apologized for her comment.
"It's come to my attention that my post that I responded to in my Housewife mode is taking on a life of its own, and it’s causing real problems for Colton, and I do not want this because Colton and I are great,” she said.