Secret Celebrity Renovation is on the way back to CBS in the 2023 TV schedule for Season 3, and the new batch of episodes promises to be as heartwarming as ever as the design team joins forces with celebrities to show their gratitude to someone who is important to them. Returning are host Nischelle Turner, interior designer Sabrina Soto, and of course Rob "Boston Rob" Mariano, the Survivor legend whose first appearance on the show was as a celebrity rather than a home improvement contractor. Mariano spoke with CinemaBlend ahead of Secret Celebrity Renovation Season 3 about what's on the way!
Boston Rob Mariano is part of the design team as a contractor now, and it's hard to imagine the show without him as Season 3 approaches. He joined the team officially in Season 2 after appearing as a celebrity guest in Season 1, so when I spoke with him about Secret Celebrity Renovation, I asked the former Survivor and The Amazing Race competitor what it was like for him to return and how this compared to his previous ventures on the show. He explained:
Originally, in the first season of Secret Celebrity Renovation, I was the celebrity that they asked to gift a renovation to someone and I did it for my parents. Coming back and being part of the design team, construction has always been a big part of my life, so it was natural for me. I was doing home renovations at home before they came calling, so I had a lot of fun doing it on Season 2. Coming back for Season 3 was like, I'm back with the team again. Season 2 was a little different because I was the new guy, but now we all know each other and we've kind of forged these other relationships with each other. Coming to work is like part of a team and it's a lot of fun.
The team was a well-oiled machine by the end of Season 2, all joined in the purpose of helping somebody whose kindness towards a celebrity was being repaid. Season 3, which will begin with a two-hour premiere on August 4, is set to include stars such as The Amazing Race's Phil Keoghan, Fire Country's Max Thieriot, NFL's Damar Hamlin, and comedian JB Smoove.
It's safe to say that the home renovation show will tread new ground as the design team travels all over to help others, and Boston Rob Mariano has come a long way from when he was known just for competing on CBS reality shows. After several seasons of Survivor and two seasons of The Amazing Race, he was a very familiar face on CBS. Secret Celebrity Renovation involves him more on the production end of a show, and he weighed in on the difference from Survivor:
It's kind of crazy. It's been over two decades that I've been in the unscripted reality TV show game, and none of it was planned. It just happened. Being on Survivor and The Amazing Race and all the other shows, I've learned a lot over the course of those two decades. Not only like from a contestant point of view, but like you said, from the production point of view, so I kind of learned what it takes to make great television and I think it comes kind of natural for me.
According to Boston Rob, spending years in and out of Survivor and The Amazing Race taught him a lot about reality television, but Secret Celebrity Renovation is a very different kind of reality show. The contractor elaborated on what sets the renovation show apart:
I've learned over the years and being a part of a show like this makes it really easy because everybody's trying to do a great job in the sake of giving back. That's why I'm really happy to be a part of this show and this team, and CBS in general over the years has just been great to me. So, I'm happy to still be in everybody's good graces for sure.
The show itself seems to be in good graces at CBS, as the network is bringing Secret Celebrity Renovation back for Season 3 with a two-hour premiere event that will feature two beloved CBS celebrities ready to say a special kind of thank you to people who have helped them in their lives. It's not every show that gets a two-hour primetime premiere, and Boston Rob shared his thoughts on CBS giving it that big launch:
It's amazing. I mean, it just goes to show that the audience is responding to it. It's definitely family-friendly TV that is, after three seasons, starting to become a staple in the CBS family, and it's pretty exciting for sure.
Luckily, the wait for the return of the renovation show is nearly over as CBS looks ahead toward a largely unscripted fall TV lineup. Season 3 of Secret Celebrity Renovation will begin with a two-hour premiere event on Friday, August 4 on CBS starting at 8 p.m. ET. The two-hour premiere will kick off with Boston Rob Mariano reuniting with The Amazing Race host Phil Keoghan for a renovation in Keoghan's native Antigua, and then go on to showcase Fire Country fan favorite Max Thieriot in his hometown of Occidental, CA.
Be sure to tune in to CBS or check the third season out streaming with a Paramount+ subscription. You can also find Boston Rob Mariano's seasons of Survivor and The Amazing Race on the streamer.
