Robert Kristopher Cesternino (born October 20, 1978) is an American
reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
contestant and
podcast
A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosing ...
host, known for his appearances on ''
Survivor: The Amazon'' (2003) and ''
Survivor: All-Stars'' (2004). In 2010, he launched ''
Rob Has a Podcast
''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.
Overview
Cesternino started ''RHAP'' in 2010, in ord ...
'', a platform to discuss and analyze reality television, most notably ''
Survivor'', ''
Big Brother'', and ''
The Amazing Race
''The Amazing Race'' is an adventure reality game show franchise in which teams of two people race around the world in competition with other teams. The ''Race'' is split into legs, with teams tasked to deduce clues, navigate themselves in forei ...
''. In 2014, Cesternino and ''Hollywood Reporter'' journalist Josh Wigler launched ''Post Show Recaps'', a companion platform that covers scripted television.
Personal life
Cesternino is originally from
Wantagh, New York
Wantagh ( ) is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, on Long Island, New York, United States. The population was 18,871 at the time of the 2010 census.
Wantagh is known as "The Gateway to Jones Be ...
. Cesternino attended the
State University of New York at Oswego
State University of New York at Oswego (SUNY Oswego or Oswego State) is a public college in the City of Oswego and Town of Oswego, New York. It has two campuses: historic lakeside campus in Oswego and Metro Center in Syracuse, New York.
SUN ...
, graduating in 2001 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in
broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution (business), distribution of sound, audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic medium (communication), mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio ...
. He was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. His college thesis was titled, "The Impact of Reality Television."
At the time of his first appearance on ''Survivor'', Cesternino was employed as a computer projects coordinator for an insurance agency He had previously worked as a store clerk, a waiter, and a bartender. He originally applied to compete on ''Big Brother'' 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 the same production team to compete on ''Survivor''.
In August 2010, Cesternino married his longtime girlfriend, Nicole Palmeri. The couple's first child, Dominic James, was born on September 29, 2013. The couple's second child, Anthony Joseph, was born on November 12, 2015.
''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.
''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' three main programs in the category – ''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
Comcast Cable Communications, LLC, doing business as Xfinity, is an American telecommunications company and division of Comcast Corporation used to market consumer cable television, internet, telephone, and wireless services provided by the com ...
's ''Survivor'' "Hall of Fame" in 2012, alongside Amanda Kimmel and
Ethan Zohn
Ethan Zohn (born November 12, 1973) 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 ...
.
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. 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.
''Rob Has a Podcast'' has won five
Podcast Awards
The People's Choice Podcast Awards, better known as the Podcast Awards, are global awards given annually to the best podcasts as voted by the general public. Founded in 2005 by Todd Cochrane of Podcast Connect Inc., the Podcast Awards changed han ...
: 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
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
show documenting six reality stars competing in a game of
''Risk''.
Cesternino was approached to compete on ''
The Amazing Race 31
''The Amazing Race 31'' (also promoted as ''The Amazing Race: Reality Showdown'') is the thirty-first season of the American reality television show ''The Amazing Race''. It featured eleven teams of two, each consisting of former contestants from ...
'' with ''Survivor'': ''Tocantins'' contestant and ''RHAP'' co-host,
Stephen Fishbach
Stephen Andrew Fishbach (born January 24, 1979) 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 ...
. The pair showed interest but declined due to Fishbach's upcoming wedding.
Filmography
References
External links
*
Rob Cesternino's ''Post Show Recaps'' website*
Rob Cesternino biographyfor ''
Survivor: The Amazon'' at
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
.com
Rob Cesternino biographyfor ''
Survivor: All-Stars'' at CBS.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cesternino, Rob
1978 births
Living people
American podcasters
People from Wantagh, New York
People from Los Angeles
State University of New York at Oswego alumni
Survivor (American TV series) contestants