Rob Mariano Says 'The Traitors' Was More 'Difficult' Than 'Survivor': 'It's Such a Unique Experience'

"Boston" Rob Mariano isn't afraid of a challenge.

From his numerous cut-throat seasons on Survivor to introducing himself to a new audience on The Traitors, the Massachusetts native certainly knows how to win people over.

Mariano speaks exclusively with OK! about the hardest competition show he's ever done, being called the best Survivor player of all time, his unexpected friendships with Dylan Efron and Ciara Miller, his podcast with Bob the Drag Queen and his partnership with Corona Extra.

While many fans of the long-running CBS series have known Mariano for decades, his time on Season 3 of the Peacock show marked a brand-new chapter for him.

"The Traitors was such a unique experience because strategically it's such a difficult show," he admits. "It's much harder than Survivor in terms of the number of people."

"But what's crazy is that for so long I've done these shows and it feels like there was a gap in between people's consciousness of who I was because I played Survivor so many years ago," the father-of-four says. "But I think with the onset of streaming and social media, people have gone back and watched the old seasons [of Survivor]. I think more people are probably responsible for going back to Paramount and watching old Survivor seasons because of Peacock and my time on The Traitors."

Mariano's gameplay during his six appearances on Survivor and his victory in Season 22, Survivor: Redemption Island, have made many of his fellow players name him the best player of all time.

"That's nice to hear," he notes with a laugh. "Survivor was a big part of my life for a long time and it still is. It's been half of my life, because I was 25 when I first played. I turned 50 this year. It's been an amazing journey. I played the game a lot. I met my wife [Amber Mariano] on the show. It definitely has a special place in my heart."

During Rob's time on The Traitors, he became close with the famous sibling and the Summer House star.

"I had no idea who any of them were," he admits. "That's one of the best things that came out of that show. I formed the closest relationships with people who aren't in the competitive reality TV show world that I grew up in — people like Ciara and Dylan. The Bravo world is incredible. Those guys and girls are a lot, but they're so fun."

Another great friend Rob made along the way is Bob the Drag Queen, even though the two had tension at the roundtable. Now, the unlikely duo hosts the official "The Traitors Official Podcast."

"The one person that I went and put his name out there. Now we're hosting the podcast together," he remarks. "I saw him on Broadway [in Moulin Rouge]. He's amazing."

"It just goes to show that different people from different communities can come together and find common ground," he points out. "That's what's cool about Traitors. I love it. The podcast with Bob is so good."

In the meantime, Rob teamed up with Corona Extra to help fans unlock the summer of their dreams with a nationwide virtual treasure adventure, the Corona Great Cooler Hunt. From Thursday, June 4, through Labor Day, Monday, September 7, the reality star is encouraging fans to dig into the adventure for a chance to uncover hidden prizes packed within hundreds of Corona coolers, including everything from premium beach gear to apparel and beach vacations.

"I love Corona. It's my go-to drink," he explains. "When they called me, I was like 'Let's go!' The idea behind the campaign is to live in the moment and spend time with the people that you care about. That's my M.O."