All About 'Survivor' Alums Rob Mariano and Amber Mariano’s 4 Children
Get to know Rob Mariano and Amber Mariano’s four daughters: Lucia, Carina, Isabetta and Adelina
Survivor sweethearts Rob Mariano and Amber Mariano (née Brkich) have their hands full raising the next generation of “Sole Survivors.” They are the proud parents of four daughters: Lucia, Carina, Isabetta and Adelina.
Amber and “Boston Rob” competed separately in back-to-back seasons of Survivor and Survivor: The Australian Outback in 2001, and Survivor: Marquesas in 2002, respectively, before competing against — and falling in love — with one another on Survivor: All-Stars in 2004. Their epic showmance ended with Rob getting down on one knee during the live finale. Prior to becoming parents in 2009, the couple also competed in two seasons of The Amazing Race.
During an appearance on the First Class Fatherhood podcast, Rob explained why he and Amber purposely held off on having kids right away. “We waited a few years to have kids, and that was kind of by design,” he said. “We wanted to enjoy each other first.”
Since becoming a father, Rob has gone on to compete for the coveted title of “Sole Survivor” an additional three times, one of which he won. While a jungle legend in his own right, leaving his wife and kids behind for long periods of time wasn’t easy. At the end of the day, though, Rob believes everything he did was in the spirit of providing for his family.
“Ultimately, what I was doing was kind of in a way a business trip. I was there working to make their lives better. As tough as it is, like all other parents that you know make sacrifices for the well-being of their kids. I kind of felt like that’s what I was doing,” he said.
In 2019, Rob and Amber competed alongside one another once more on the 40th season of Survivor: Winners at War. Lucia, Carina, Isabetta and Adelina played a special role that season because they surprised their parents during a family visit.
“It was a big thrill for them to actually come out to the island while we were out there, and actively come out and participate in the show,” Rob said on the podcast. However, the moment meant just as much to him and Amber, too. “That was like a really big gift for ourselves also, to see them and see the joy of them enjoying it.”
Rob noted that their daughters “really don’t care” that their parents are reality TV superstars, to which he added, “That’s fine with me. I think it is.”
Here’s everything to know about Survivor alums Rob Mariano and Amber Mariano’s four daughters.
Lucia Rose Mariano, 14
The couple’s first daughter, Lucia Rose, was born on July 4, 2009 at Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola, Florida. The date is bittersweet for the Mariano family, as it also marks the anniversary of the death of Rob’s grandmother, Rose. In her honor, Rob and Amber passed her name onto their daughter, whose first name means “light of God” in Italian.
“Lucia is a great eater and sleeps a lot, however she tends to be a bit of a night owl like her daddy at times,” Rob shared with PEOPLE when she was younger. “She is a perfect baby, and we could have asked for anything more. We are over the moon with happiness at her arrival.”
A rising teenager, Lucia is a proud member of her high school’s cheerleading team, and she’s also leaning into her dad’s Boston roots. On New Year’s Eve in 2022, Rob snapped a photo of himself and Lucia preparing a lobster feast in their kitchen on Instagram.
“Tell me you’re in Boston without telling me you’re in Boston!” he captioned the snap.
During a guest appearance on the First Class Fatherhood podcast, Rob recalled what it was like becoming a first-time dad and how those first few years of marriage prepared him for fatherhood.
“Being a first-time father was a lot of fun. All the skills you learned in marriage are reinforced in parenting. You have to be patient. You have to be kind. You have to realize that things aren’t always going to go the way you want them to go, but when you realize you’re responsible for another life you, do whatever you can to make it awesome,” the Survivor alum said.
Carina Rose, 12
Carina Rose was born on Dec. 10, 2010, in Florida. In classic Boston Rob fashion, the reality TV star announced the birth of their second daughter at the live reunion show for Survivor: Nicaragua, in which he competed on.
“I’m definitely outnumbered now!” Rob shared with host Jeff Probst and the audience. “But at the end of the day, it’s exciting and fun. I always thought I would have boys, but as a father, when your kids are born and they’re healthy and happy, that’s the most important thing.”
Things didn’t go according to plan during Amber’s delivery the second time around, however. Three days before Amber was scheduled to be induced — and two weeks past Carina’s expected due date — she went into labor, at midnight.
“As I’m standing there, I see her having contractions. They went from five minutes apart to three minutes apart. By the time we got to the car, they were a minute apart, and we live 40 minutes from the hospital,” Rob recalled. “We got there at 2:15 a.m. and she had the baby at 2:25 a.m. There was no time for an I.V., no time for an epidural. It was amazing what she did.”
Rob added that things got “nervewracking” when Carina came out with the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck. “So they had to stop in the middle of it and cut the cord and at that point, the baby’s not getting any oxygen. Amber needs to get the rest of the baby out. I don’t know how she did it but in six pushes, she had the baby out,” he continued.
While the name Carina was always at the top of their list, Rob admitted that they went back and forth three times before deciding on the moniker at the hospital. Like her big sister, Carina also has Rose as her middle name.
An aspiring thespian, Carina starred as Fiona in her school’s musical production of Shrek in spring 2023. Rob shared a snipped to Carina’s performance on Instagram and wrote, “My #CarinaRose has loved to sing since she was a baby…Tonight she had her first Play!”
“Carina your Daddy loves you and is so proud of you! You are a ⭐️!” he added.
She’s a star off the stage, too. Carina also plays basketball and led her team to the championships in 2023.
Isabetta Rose, 11
Isabetta Rose came into the world on May 5, 2012, the couple exclusively confirmed to PEOPLE at the time. “Isabetta Rose was born on Cinco de Mayo,” announced Amber, who delivered the newborn in their hometown of Pensacola, Florida.
“Isabetta was born with a full head of brown hair and blue eyes,” the proud mom shared. “She still has all of her hair almost six weeks later, and her eyes are still as blue as can be. Her sisters can’t get enough of her. They always want to hold her and I’m not sure who gives her more kisses — her big sisters or her parents!”
Though they fell in love with the name Isabetta early on in the pregnancy, Amber said they held off on naming their daughter until her birth. “We never name our babies until we actually meet them,” she explained, adding, “When we saw her for the first time that afternoon, we knew it was the perfect name for her.”
Isabetta is a Boston Red Sox fan just like her famous dad. After suffering from a string of bad ear infections, Isabetta underwent two ear surgeries in 2023. In an update posted to Instagram, Rob thanked followers for their prayers and well wishes, and noted that “the patient is recovering and doing great!”
Adelina Rose, 9
The couple welcomed their youngest, Adelina Rose, on June 20, 2014 in Florida. Rob was the first one to share the exciting news on X (formerly known as Twitter), writing, “We are thrilled to announce Adelina Rose Mariano 12:51am June 20th, 2014 Mom and baby are doing great!” with the hashtag “#4for4.”
In a second hospital photo, Lucia, Carina and Isabetta could be seen peering eagerly over their newborn sister’s bassinet.
Adelina is the fourth of her siblings to carry on the Rose name, which has become a bit of a tradition amongst Rob’s extended family as well. “Rob really liked the idea of all of our girls sharing the same middle name,” Amber previously told PEOPLE. “Many cousins on his side also share Rose as their middle name.”
Adelina is a main staple on her father’s Instagram, where he regularly shares behind-the-scenes photos of their family adventures and father-daughter date nights. In an interview on the First Class Fatherhood podcast, Rob explained why he’s made it a priority to teach his daughters the importance of family, having grown up in a close-knit Italian family himself.
“We spend a lot of time together as a family. We spend so much time together because we want to,” he said. “I think that family aspect is the most important part of what I’m teaching my kids. I always tell them no one is going to be there for you like your family is.”
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.