Reality TV icon Parvati Shallow’s current appearance on “Survivor: Australia vs. the World” just bought the former series champion a place in the history books as she shattered a franchise record previously held by Rob “Boston Rob” Mariano.
Her fifth return to the franchise saw Shallow, known to fans as the “Black Widow,” overtake Mariano’s previous record for the most days of “Survivor” played. Prior to appearing on the international all-star season, Shallow trailed Mariano’s record of 152 days by just two days. Now, after the first week of “Australia vs. the World,” she has officially broken the record.
The momentous occasion coincided with the star celebrating her 42nd birthday on the beaches of Samoa, where “Australia vs. the World” was filmed last year.
Parvati Remembers Her ‘Survivor’ Legacy After Breaking Series Record
Speaking with Australian news outlet WHO on the achievement, Shallow said, “I think that sets me in a league of my own when it comes to ‘Survivor’ gamers. I like to consider myself maybe at the top of the mountain here, and it’s really fun, because when I first got cast on ‘Survivor,’ I never thought I would have the opportunity to have the adventure of a lifetime more than once.”
“And when they kept asking me to come back, and I did so well, I’m like, ‘This really has been woven into the fabric of my destiny in this lifetime,” she added.
CBS/GettyAfter originally appearing on “Survivor: Cook Islands” in 2006, Shallow returned to win the competition series on “Survivor: Micronesia – Fans vs. Favorites” two years later. Since then she has also returned to compete on subsequent all-stars seasons including “Heroes vs. Villains” (2010) and “Winners at War” (2020), though she has yet to join former champions Sandra Diaz-Twine and Tony Vlachos in the two-time winners club, though there’s still time for that to change on “Australia vs. the World.”
Shallow Announces She’s Officially Retiring From ‘Survivor’
Regardless of how the currently-airing season pans out for the “Black Widow,” Shallow similarly confirmed that this will be her final appearance on the series.
“I’m retiring from being a contestant on ‘Survivor,’” she told WHO. “I’m all set. I feel like I have completed my run. And it feels really good to go out on this really special, cool, kind of celebratory season.”
Speaking further on her time on “Australia vs. the World,” Shallow opened up about how the experience differed from playing on the flagship American franchise.
Network 10“The challenges on ‘Australian Survivor’ are very, like, brute strength or torture, medieval torture, endurance challenges,” she said. “I was like, ‘OK, I’m glad I prepared by lifting a lot of heavy weights. Yeah, it’s a little more hardcore than the US.”
Despite its brutality, Shallow added that, overall, she enjoyed her final “Survivor” adventure.
“It was fun. We had a really good time out there and that doesn’t happen all the time. Sometimes people take these games really seriously and it’s not as fun. But it was a blast,” she said.
Parvati Opens Up About Reuniting with Cirie Fields on ‘AU vs. the World’
In a separate interview with Yahoo Australia that her favorite part of the season was reuniting with fellow “Survivor: Micronesia” alum Cirie Fields.
“I was stoked to see Cirie because I haven’t played with her since Micronesia, but we could read each other’s mnds, and I know how smart she is,” said Shallow, “When we come together, magic happens.”
Network 10During their time together on “Fans vs. Favorites,” Parvati and Cirie were core members of the all-female alliance known as the “Black Widow Brigade,” an alliance that they have since reinstated on “Australia vs. the World.” Last time around the alliance, which utilized flirting and manipulation to pick off the male contestants one by one, cleared the way for Shallow to claim the title of “Sole Survivor” alongside the $1 million grand prize.
With 11 international castaways remaining as “Survivor: Australia vs. the World” enters its second week on the air, it remains unclear if Parvati will be able to replicate her success despite her newly minted status as the most seasoned “Survivor” player of all-time.
Cirie, who started the game having played a total 121 days of “Survivor” across her previous four appearances on the series, won’t be able to catch up to Parvati’s new record even if she survives until the end of the 16-day competition. That could change, however, when Cirie becomes the first-ever contestant to appear on six separate seasons as she joins the cast of “Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans” next February.
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Parvati Shallow Shatters ‘Survivor’ Record Previously Held by Boston Rob