If “Boston Rob” Mariano were a Dancing With the Stars judge, he’d be giving his close friend Dylan Efron all 10s.
“I’m just so proud of him. It’s definitely outside of his comfort zone, and he’s crushing it,” Mariano, 49, exclusively shared with Us Weekly while supporting Instacart’s “Lie Pie” kit. “Every single week, I talk to him. I hype him up. We talk strategy. There is strategy in dancing, and we have a game plan.”
For season 34 of ABC’s competition show, Efron, 33, has been dancing alongside partner Daniella Karagach. He earned his first 10 from guest judge Flavor Flav during “Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Night” on November 4.
While Mariano said his Traitors costar has been “trying to get me to go out there next,” he’s not so sure if being a Dancing With the Stars contestant is for him.
Dylan Efron Wants His Girlfriend and Boston Rob’s Wife Amber to Take a Trip
“It’s not my forte,” he joked to Us. “But I’m really proud of him and happy. We’ve been out there a couple of times now, and I’m hoping we make the finale. I’m gonna make another trip out.”
Efron and Mariano’s bromance formed when they competed together on season 3 of The Traitors. While Efron was a winner, Mariano was banished in episode 7.
Since then, the pair have maintained a strong friendship and bonded over their love for adventure, family and competition.
“Dylan and I actually have been working on a secret side project that is in production and being edited, and it’s going to drop really soon,” Mariano teased to Us. “Every time we’re together, we’re competing at all kinds of different things. Like, every single thing we do turns into a competition. We were like, ‘Man, this is really funny,’ and we just got some camera guys to film it.”
While Mariano is excited to see what fans think when the project is revealed in a few weeks, he’s also pumped to celebrate the holidays with his family.
Just in time for Thanksgiving, the former Survivor contestant is helping introduce the Instacart “Lie Pie” kit — a limited-edition bundle that lets anyone “fake the bake” and impress without the stress. Each playful kit comes with a packet of flour to dust the counter, a pumpkin-scented room spray, pumpkin purée and a “well-loved” recipe card.
Boston Rob Says Daughters’ Friends Think He’s Hot After ‘Traitors’ Run
“I got a history with Survivor and Traitors and everything else. It’s OK to be a little deceptive,” he joked. “We don’t want people to lose their minds during the holidays. They’re stressful enough with the family side, so let’s figure out the food and dessert on its own.”
This season, Rob is looking forward to spending quality time with his wife, Amber Mariano, and their four kids. He described their Thanksgiving tradition as “family, friends, food and football.”
“I am thankful for everything that I have in my life – my friends, my family, the fans that have made me be able to have this journey and this adventure,” Rob shared. “And you know, I think just being thankful to Instacart for hooking this one up.”
