Getty Boston Rob and Amber Brkich
Many love stories have come out of the CBS competition show “Survivor.” Starvation, sleep deprivation, and dehydration seem like the perfect recipe for romance, right? Some couples haven’t stood the test of time, but a select few are still going strong.
Here are five “Survivor” couples that are still together:
Rob Mariano & Amber Brkich
Rob Mariano, commonly referred to as “Boston Rob” by fans, made his reality TV debut in 2002 on “Survivor: Marquesas.” The charismatic castaway’s strategic gameplay in season 4 made him a memorable player, and he was invited back to the show for “Survivor: All-Stars,” which aired in 2004.
Rob played a more cut-throat aggressive game on All-Stars, which earned him a bit of a devious reputation among “Survivor” fans, but his focus on winning the game didn’t stop him from finding love on the show. Rob met his wife, Amber Brkich, on “Survivor: All-Stars,” where she took home the title of “Sole Survivor.” Amber made her first appearance on “Survivor: The Australian Outback” in 2001.
Rob and Amber started as allies on “Survivor: All-Stars,” but a romantic relationship quickly developed. Rob proposed to Amber during the live finale, and in April 2005, the couple aired their wedding on CBS in a two-hour special titled, “Rob and Amber Get Married.” According to Rob Mariano’s website, millions of viewers tuned in to watch the happy couple celebrate their big day.
Since then, the couple has welcomed four beautiful children: Lucia, 12, Carina, 10, Isabetta, 9, and Adelina, 7. The former castaways frequently share photos of their adorable daughters on Instagram. On November 24, 2021, Rob took to Instagram to share a photo of his four daughters cuddled on the couch with the caption, “The @survivorcbs Buffs have arrived!!!! New episode tonight on @cbstv.
Erik Huffman & Jaime Dugan
Erik Huffman and Jaime Dugan found love on season 15 of “Survivor” in 2007. Neither Huffman nor Dugan scored the title of “Sole Survivor,” but they didn’t leave the show empty-handed.
Jaime spoke to The Sway about finding love on the CBS reality show in a February 2020 interview.
“We were automatically connected because we grew up in the same town. We felt at peace with each other. I’d always joke with them ‘if you screw me over, I’m going to tell your mom,” The South Carolina native said about her relationship with Erik.
The couple was long-distance for a while after the show. Jamie was finishing her degree at the University of South Carolina, while Erik played bass for a band called Florez in Nashville, Tennessee, The Sway reported.
The “Survivor” lovebirds tied the knot in 2009 in Charleston, South Carolina, in front of 150 family and friends, People Magazine reported. Since then, the couple welcomed their first son Harper. Jaime frequently shares photos of her family on her Instagram. In December 2021, the “Survivor: China” star shared a festive photo of her and her family dressed in Holiday colors. In the caption, she wrote, “I can’t believe it’s December. I swear these last two years are a complete blur.”
Joe Anglim & Sierra Dawn Thomas
Joe and Sierra met on the 30th season of “Survivor” in 2014, but their relationship really took off after filming.
Sierra kept Joe at arms-length on the show. They never formed an alliance, and she only worked with the Jewelry designer when it was convenient.
In a New York Times profile published in 2019, the couple talked about how their relationship developed after the show. Sierra told the publication that she helped Joe download Snapchat after filming “Survivor 30” and revealed their relationship started over the app.
“For the next few years, we were Snapchatting our lives to each other,” Joe told the outlet. The relationship eventually progressed from Snapchatting to coordinating trips to visit each other. At the time, Joe lived in Arizona, and Sierra resided in Utah, The New York Times reported.
The relationship developed slowly. The couple admitted that they kept each other in the friend zone for a while. “We were both dating other people at the time,” Sierra told The New York Times. “People would always be like ‘I don’t know about your relationship with Joe.’ But we literally just friend-zoned each other.”
Three years after they met on “Survivor,” the two finally started dating, and in November 2019, the couple tied the knot. Joe shared a photo from the wedding on his Instagram and expressed his love for his bride in the caption, writing, “No words to describe how full my heart is after this weekend. I married the love of my life, my soulmate, twin flame and very best friend.”
Sebastian Noel & Jenna Bowman
Unlike most “Survivor” couples, Sebastian and Jenna formed a connection before filming the show. The “Survivor: Ghost Island” castaways were seatmates on the 11-hour plane ride to Ponderosa, the couple said in a YouTube video.
The couple kept their relationship casual on the show, Joe even voted Jenna out of the game, but their relationship really blossomed after filming. The two have a joint YouTube channel and a joint Instagram account where they give fans an inside look into their relationship.
In November 2021, the couple shared photos from a recent trip to New York City on Instagram. They captioned the post, “NYC WE LOVE YOU. Fall time is our favorite time to visit the city. When’s yours?!”
Whitney Duncan & Keith Tollefson
Sparks flew between “Survivor: South Pacific” castaways Keith and Whitney in 2011. The duo formed an alliance in the game, which progressed into a romantic relationship. The relationship caused quite a bit of controversy because, at the time, Whitney was rumored to be in a relationship with musician Donny Fallgatter, according to an article published in E! News in November 2011.
A source close to Donny spoke to E! News about the alleged relationship, stating, “Donny was totally faithful while she was gone. He even went to help out at her parents’ house in West Tennessee a couple times.”
The rumored relationship didn’t seem to bother Keith. The couple got married in 2014, according to Insider.
“Survivor” airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on CBS.