‘Boston Rob’ takes the lead on ‘Secret Celebrity Renovation’
“Boston Rob” Mariano has a background in construction, renovated numerous properties and loves working with his hands. So when the opportunity to become the lead contractor in Season 2 of “Secret Celebrity Renovation” presented itself, he didn’t have to think twice.
“It’s right up my alley,” says Mariano, the Season 22 champion of “Survivor.” “It combines everything I really love with television and construction.”
Airing Fridays on CBS, the sophomore round brings in Mariano, who gave his parents a secret celebrity renovation in Season 1, to spearhead the work this season alongside interior designer Sabrina Soto and host Nischelle Turner.
So in the coming weeks, viewers will see remodels gifted to deserving individuals by actor Utkarsh Ambudkar (“Ghosts”), NBA great Shaquille O’neal, musical artist Nicole Scherzinger, actress Annaleigh Ashford, Olympic gold medalist Nathan Chen and NFL star Aaron Donald, among others.
Because this is television, timelines on these renos are tight, typically two to three weeks, so any type of delay because of
weather, permitting or other issues can set
shooting back. To counter that, Mariano says the show has several projects going at any given time so that he and the crew can move between locations when delays inevitably occur.
“It’s incredibly aggressive ...,” he says. “It’s a lot of fun doing it like that but a little bit bouncing around, losing your mind sometimes.”
Aside from the construction element of the show, Mariano loves the personal stories and seeing how much these folks mean to these celebs. Such was the case in the Season 2 premiere, when actor Billy Gardell (“Bob Hearts Abishola”) returned to his hometown of Pittsburgh to give a renovation to the mother of his best friend.
“He’s a salt-of-the-earth guy from Pittsburgh,” Mariano says. “Obviously, I’m from Boston and we have a bit of a rivalry when it comes to sports. But my wife is from Pittsburgh originally, so I understand their blue collar mentality of the people who are from Pittsburgh. And Billy was just
an exceptional, gracious person.”