Survivor and Dancing with the Stars have both been making headlines in different ways over the last several weeks. In DWTS' case, it has been a huge deal that Tom Bergeron was willing to return to the dancing competition show after many years. On the other hand, Survivor made waves when two players were removed from the game before it started, and Jeff Probst explained that they broke an extremely important rule.
While both shows have been garnering attention in their own way, it turns out that figures from both series seem to be poised to make waves together. As fans of either show may already know, a current Dancing with the Stars competitor and the most iconic Survivor player ever have become close friends. The thing that many of those fans don't know, however, is that they are set to unveil a secret project they've been working on together.
A Survivor Hall of Famer and Dancing with the Stars competitor will soon release a secret project
During the third season of The Traitors, fans of that reality show watched an odd couple form when one of the most feared reality show competitors ever and a first-time player created an unlikely alliance. After entering Alan Cumming's castle with a target on his back, "Boston" Rob Mariano took Dylan Efron under his wing.
Unlike many reality show alliances, Mariano and Efron's connection survived the show, as can be evidenced from their many appearances on each other's social media pages. On top of that, the Survivor Hall of Famer has been extremely supportive during Efron's DWTS tenure. While it has been delightful to see their friendship from afar, it turns out that Mariano and Efron's relationship will be taking on a new dimension. In November 2025, Mariao told Us Weekly that he and Efron have been working on a secret project together.
"Dylan and I actually have been working on a secret side project that is in production and being edited, and it’s going to drop really soon.""Boston" Rob Mariano
On top of revealing that he and Efron have been working together, Mariano also provided an interesting tease about what fans of the duo can expect.
“Every time we’re together, we’re competing at all kinds of different things. Like, every single thing we do turns into a competition. We were like, ‘Man, this is really funny,’ and we just got some camera guys to film it.”
While it will be interesting to see what form the project that Mariano teased will take, it is easy to see that there is a lot of potential there. After all, Survivor fans will know that Mariano has been a challenge beast since he has performed so well during the competitive events that take place on that show. In his case, Efron competing on Dancing with the Stars has shown that he has obvious athletic talents. With all that in mind, and remembering how competitive they both can be, it could be fascinating to see the two friends smack-talking as they try to beat each other at challenges.