event , news , media

 (CBS News) 
It took four trips and 117 days of playing "Survivor," but "Boston Rob" finally outplayed, outwitted and outlasted everyone. And in the show that aired Sunday night, he was crowned the winner of "Survivor: Redemption Island."
Rob Mariano received his $1 million check on "The Early Show" Monday.
He won an additional $100,000 for being voted the fan favorite.
But Mariano is no stranger to "Survivor" winnings. His wife, Amber Brkich Mariano, also won $1 million on the show, in 2004.
"Boston Rob" finally wins Survivor, in 4th try
Pictures: "Survivor: Redemption Island"
So with all those winnings, it's no surprise that Mariano arrived on "The Early Show" with a smile.
But he did have his doubts when he left the game in Nicaragua.
"That final tribal council I had a good feeling, but with everything in 'Survivor,' you don't want to get overconfident," he said.
But Mariano's did say his experience on the show helped him on his fourth go-round.

 As much as we could spend this entire article talking about each of the cast members involved in the "Survivor: Redemption Island" finale, we have to quote Boston Rob in saying "let's be real" -- it really is all about the resident mastermind.
How badly did Rob deserve to win this season? Let us count the ways:

• Even though he didn't need it, Rob decided to play the idol after Andrea returned to the game. Letting his pride get to him would have been the biggest mistake since JT decided to write Russell a letter.
• Also, Rob managed to be smart enough to not listen to Natalie, and cut Ashley loose at the final four. This was the biggest threat left in the game. (Unfortunately, the time constraints in this episode meant we had no "tribute to the fallen" -- which is a tradition that has gone back since the beginning.)
• Of course, we also have the fact that he has dominated since the beginning, making strong alliances and winning challenges along the way.

At the end of all this, there was one question left -- would the jury actually vote for a guy who has been responsible for pretty much every vote in the game? This was Rob's problem in "All-Stars," but he received some immediately help right out of the gate thanks to both Phillip and Natalie -- who both pretty much admitted that the only reason they are even around is because of him.
Then ... we had the jury. What a bitter jury this was! Almost as if these people have not ever seen this game before, the majority of them blabbered on about "loyalty" and "being respected" and whatnot. This is a game! There have been people to win and play honorably, but they are few and far between. Finally, David tried to shake some sense into these people by reminding them that Rob played the best strategy in history. (Okay, that could be disputed -- but he's certainly played an incredible game.) Natalie at least did a decent job explaining herself during the process -- meanwhile, Phillip completely wasted a chance to say that his craziness was a ruse and that it was some kind of twisted strategy to make it to the end. Instead, he wore a cape, a feather, and acted defiant.