“Survivor” Contestant Jonathan Young Reveals 'Boston' Rob Mariano Trained Him for 4 Years Ahead of Season 50 (Exclusive)

Meredith WilshereMon, March 9, 2026 at 5:11 PM UTC

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Jonathan YoungCredit: Robert Voets/CBS -

Before returning to Survivor 50, Jonathan Young reveals to PEOPLE that he turned to a show legend for advice

Young worked with "Boston Rob" Mariano for years to enhance his strategic gameplay

PEOPLE spoke with Young as he participated in a private Survivor workout session led by UFC athletes and trainers on March 7

After finishing in fourth place on Survivor season 42, Jonathan Young wanted to work on his social and psychological game ahead of his return on Survivor 50. So he turned to a show legend for some help.

Young, 31, reveals to PEOPLE he called up five-time Survivor contestant "Boston Rob" Mariano.

"I did a lot of psychological training with Boston Rob. For four years, I went to his house, trained, sat at his feet, and learned everything I could because my strategic game needed some work," Young tells PEOPLE. "Boston Rob helped me with that a lot. I completely changed my game. It was years of going to his house and talking to him about what I could do differently."

Young says that Mariano, 50, wrote him a letter outlining three rules to follow, summarizing everything he taught Young over the years.

Boston Rob MarianoCredit: CBS via Getty

"One rule was to smile. Everybody wants to play with somebody who smiles. Number two, you want to win; nobody else wants you to win. Number three: control what you can control, and don't worry about anything else. You can have a tribe swap and completely mess you up. Don't worry about that. You can't control it. Just worry about what you can control," Young shares.

When Young first appeared on Survivor season 42, he was known as being a physical challenge threat and a provider for his tribe thanks to his fishing skills. While he excelled physically, he says that "they didn't show a lot of my strategy."

"Boston Rob helped me get ready. He said, 'You have an opportunity to go into season 50 because you were not played up. You were not put in a light where you were that smart.' So it completely changed my game," Young says.

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He shares that on Survivor 50, fans can expect him to "play a different game."

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"They will see that I'm making different types of moves. I learned a lot from what I did right and wrong in season 42. I completely changed my game, and it's gonna be obvious in these episodes coming up," Young says.

Survivor 50 and UFC 326Credit: Courtesy of UFC 326 and CBS

Young spoke to PEOPLE from Las Vegas where he trained with UFC fighter and champion Sean O'Malley alongside some of his fellow contestants.

He also showed off his fighting skills a few weeks ago at season 50's premiere event.

"So me and 'Q' [Quintavius Burdette], we had a match in front of Mr. Jeff Probst himself at the premiere," Young says of wrestling his fellow Survivor contestant. "We wrestled and I beat him in a rematch. Q got his rematch in front of Sean O'Malley. We went as hard as possible, especially with that kind of audience. It took me a couple minutes, but I got the job done. However, Q was a worthy opponent. He has made me nervous there for a second."

On March 7, UFC 326 streamed live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas exclusively on Paramount+, while CBS simulcast the fights for the first time.

Young reflected on what MMA has in common with Survivor.

"The best fighters are humble, and they know where they stand," he says. "In Survivor, if you're not humble and you don't know where you stand in the game, then you will not do well. One of the producers told me, 'Don't get comfortable.' If you get comfortable and get a sense of arrogance or pride about knowing what's going on, that's when you get knocked out in the UFC or taken out in Survivor. If you think you're better than you are, you'll either get knocked out or taken out."

Survivor airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.

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