Despite competing as opposing forces on Season 3 of Peacock’s “The Traitors” earlier this year, “Survivor” legend Rob “Boston Rob” Mariano (49) and Dylan Efron (33) have emerged as one of reality TV’s greatest ‘bromances’ since the series aired its finale in March.
Since then, the duo have stoked the flames of their friendship online, most recently with an admittedly non-sensical series of sword-fighting snaps posted to Instagram on August 7.
The Birth of Boston Rob and Dylan Efron’s Bromance
On the side of the Faithfuls, Efron was able to root out Boston Rob, once his closest confidant, as one of the ‘murderous’ Traitors, eliminating the former ‘Survivor’ winner in the season’s seventh episode. Though Efron went on to win the series, alongside fellow Faithfuls Dolores Catania, Gabby Windey and Ivar Mountbatten, he and Mariano have kept their friendship alive on social media.
After Mariano’s elimination, the duo posted the first of now numerous viral videos showcasing their legendary bromance. Captioned, “When you don’t want to say goodbye,” the February 8 clip saw the two competitors struggling to walk away from each other as they headed to their respective hotel rooms. After a few forlorn glances over their shoulders, the duo eventually ran back towards one another for one last energetic embrace that set the internet on fire.
Getty“I’ll miss you my friend,” wrote Efron under the joint Instagram post.
“Not to be dramatic, but I’m obsessed with this bromance more than any relationship I’ve ever been in or will ever be in,” commented one fan, while “Survivor 48” alum Mitch Guerra added, “I hope I have an alliance member like this one day!!”
Efron and Mariano Continue Their Friendly Rivalry in New Medieval Snaps
Since then the duo have continued to tease fans with more snapshots of their friendship, including, most recently, a medieval-themed photoshoot. Decked out in era-appropriate dueling armor and swords, Efron posted the carousel of snaps to Instagram on August 7 with the caption “A tale for a tavern.”
While it remains unclear as to why exactly the pair reunited for photos, Boston Rob’s comments on the post do seem to clarify that the idea was solely Efron’s conception.
“First, he tries to squeeze my XL body into a boy’s medium costume and tells me they’re one size fits all,” wrote Mariano. “Then he tells me the hood looks great!!! …and now I see the pictures! What a friend!”
Despite his embarrassment at donning a chainmail hood for the first time, Mariano later shared his own snaps from the reunion on Instagram with the caption, “There are two sides to every story!”
Efron responded: “And both sides say you lost.”
The recent posts may hint at an upcoming collaboration between the two reality stars, perhaps the same mystery project that Efron teased back in June.
Dylan Efron Teases Upcoming ‘Comedic Competition’ Collab With Boston Rob
Speaking with Purewow, Efron admitted that he and Boston Rob were “working on some show ideas together,” adding that they intend to “keep that bromance going.”
More recently, the duo’s bromance was put to the test during the 2025 Las Culturistas Culture Awards, where both Efron and Mariano were nominated in the “People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive” category. Though the award was tongue-in-cheek, with no actual affiliation with People, Efron jokingly told Access Hollywood that the competition to win the award had impacted his bromance with Mariano “more than you know.”
“We compete in everything,” added Efron, who ultimately took home the prize over his “Traitors” co-star, similarly revealing, “We’re going to be doing something soon together.”
Similarly winning the award for “Best Picture – Literal Picture,” Efron also teased the upcoming collaboration as a “comedic competition.”
“It’s gonna be authentic to us,” he said. “It’s going to be like you’re hanging out with us and we do what we love, which is compete against each other.”
For now, however, only time will tell if the duo’s recent medieval sword-fighting photoshoot is part of the upcoming collaboration.
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Boston Rob’s Bromance with ‘Traitors’ Co-Star Dylan Efron Turns Medieval in New Sword-Fighting Snaps