Hosted by Rob Cesternino Language English | Genre Entertainment Debut February 12, 2010 | |
Updates Multiple shows each week Audio format Podcast (via streaming or downloadable MP3) | ||
Rob Has a Podcast (RHAP) is an entertainment podcast hosted by former Survivor contestant Rob Cesternino. The podcast primarily provides coverage of strategy-based reality television shows Survivor, Big Brother, and The Amazing Race. In the past, RHAP covered The Celebrity Apprentice, several scripted shows, and other miscellaneous reality shows directly. However, as RHAP has grown, its coverage of scripted shows and miscellaneous reality shows has moved to RHAP's spin-off podcasts, Post Show Recaps and Reality TV RHAP-ups, respectively.
Contents
Overview
Cesternino started RHAP in 2010, in order to cover Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains and the final season of Lost. He continually expanded the show over the next several years, adding coverage of Big Brother, The Amazing Race and The Celebrity Apprentice. In 2011, he began adding more live coverage using YouTube's Google Hangout feature. The show expanded further with the addition of the weekly "Survivor Know-It-Alls" segment with co-host Stephen Fishbach, during Survivor: Philippines in 2012. In 2014, Cesternino was able to move to podcasting full-time, earning a living through monthly contributions from voluntary "patrons," advertisements, corporate sponsorships, affiliate products, and side projects like his audiobook series, The Evolution of Strategy.
Format
When Survivor is on the air, Cesternino records several podcasts about the show each week, most analyzing strategy or discussing highlights. These include:
In addition to these regular Survivor podcasts each week, there are often bonus podcasts about special topics related to Survivor. These podcasts can range from interviews with former contestants, to discussions about larger issues (such as a discussion of sexism on Survivor following several controversies during Survivor: Worlds Apart).
When Big Brother is on the air during the Survivor off-season, Cesternino records several podcasts each week with special guests and designated "live feed correspondents." Cesternino also provides coverage of Big Brother Canada in the spring. Like in his coverage of the American series, Cesternino interviews Big Brother contestants from both the United States and Canada, prominent RHAP community members, and "live feed correspondents."
Notable guests
Cesternino has interviewed and worked with numerous Survivor and Big Brother contestants, including Survivor winners Richard Hatch, "Boston" Rob Mariano, Parvati Shallow, and Sandra Diaz-Twine. Frequent guests include Survivor contestants Stephen Fishbach, Tyson Apostol, Aras Baskauskas, Sophie Clarke, Kim Spradlin, and Andrea Boehlke. Cesternino has also interviewed Survivor host Jeff Probst, Amazing Race host Phil Keoghan, Amazing Race Canada host Jon Montgomery, and Big Brother Canada host Arisa Cox. Numerous Big Brother contestants have appeared regularly on the show as well, including Ian Terry, Rachel Reilly, Brendon Villegas, Matt Hoffman, Eric Stein and Andy Herren.
"Miss Survivor"
In 2012, Cesternino hosted the first annual "Miss Survivor" competition. In the inaugural competition, podcast listeners could vote for up to five female contestants from any of the seasons that had aired up to that point. After an initial round of ballots, the top five contestants to receive votes received an invitation to participate in the interview round of the competition. Following the interview round, listeners voted in a second and final round to determine the winner of the "Miss Survivor" pageant.
In 2013, 2014, and 2015, the competition was limited to include only female contestants who had competed during the two Survivor seasons that had aired during the previous calendar year. Listeners could vote for their top three candidates. The top three vote earners received invitations to the interview and debates round. In the case that anyone in the top three did not accept the invitation to participate, the slot was given to the next highest vote earner. Following the interviews and debates, a final round of voting determined the winner.
On January 11, 2016, Cesternino announced his decision not to host a "Miss Survivor" 2016 competition, with the possibility of resuming the competition in 2017.
"Mr. Survivor"
In 2014, Cesternino announced the addition of a "Mr. Survivor" competition. The competition followed the same procedures as the annual "Miss Survivor" competition, with an initial round of voting, an interview and debate phase, and a final round of voting for the winner. In 2015, Cesternino hosted a second Mr. Survivor competition. Like "Miss Survivor," "Mr. Survivor" was suspended in 2016, with a chance of revival in future years.
Reality Gamemasters
On February 20, 2013, Cesternino launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund a new project, Reality Gamemasters, in which six reality TV contestants would compete in a game of Risk, which would be filmed and would air on YouTube. On March 22, 2013, the project was successfully funded, receiving $7,036 from 170 individual backers. The miniseries, directed by Cesternino and Alex Forstenhausler, consisted of six episodes and began airing on June 3, 2013. The contestants included John Cochran, Sophie Clarke, and Stephen Fishbach of Survivor and Ian Terry, Eric Stein, and Matt Hoffman of Big Brother. Andrea Boehlke hosted the competition, with additional Survivor contestants Billy Garcia and R.C. Saint-Amour making guest appearances on the show. Cesternino provided game commentary throughout each episode alongside Entertainment Weekly's Dalton Ross. After the Survivor contestants teamed up to take out the Big Brother contestants, Cochran ultimately went on to win the game.
"Survivor Know-It-Alls" LIVE
Cesternino has hosted several live "Survivor Know-It-Alls" events]. At the events, Cesternino and his "Know-It-All" co-host of the season host a Survivor viewing party, followed by a live taping of the podcast. Numerous other Survivor contestants have made appearances at the events. The first and second events took place at Gotham Comedy Club on October 1, 2014, and March 11, 2015, respectively. The third event took place at Carolines on Broadway on September 30, 2015. A fourth event is expected to be held in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Improv on February 24, 2016. A fifth event is expected to be held at Carolines on Broadway on the April 13, 2016.
So You Think You Can Podcast
During Big Brother: Over The Top, a contest for a new Big Brother Live Feed Correspondent was held.
Post Show Recaps
In mid-2013, Cesternino announced the launch of a new podcast network and website, Post Show Recaps. Post Show Recaps provides coverage of current scripted television shows such as House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, Game of Thrones, and The Walking Dead, among others. Post Show Recaps has also covered past shows, including Breaking Bad, Lost, Seinfeld, Sons of Anarchy, Boardwalk Empire, and 24. Occasionally, Post Show Recaps covers movies or entire television series in "one-off" episodes. Cesternino appears as a host on some, but not all of the shows. Each television series covered features at least two regular co-hosts, some of whom cover multiple shows for the network.
Reality TV RHAP-ups
In 2014, Cesternino partnered with his long time editor and producer, Scott St. Pierre, to start a new podcast channel, titled Reality TV RHAP-ups. The RHAP-ups cover miscellaneous reality TV programming, including The Bachelor and its spinoff shows, international seasons of Big Brother and The Amazing Race, and MTV's The Challenge and Are You the One?. Most of the shows are hosted by other RHAP community members. In the summer of 2015, Big Brother Canada 3 contestant Jordan Parhar began hosting a weekly podcast on Reality TV RHAP-ups called the RHAPpy Hour. On the RHAPpy Hour, he discusses Big Brother, Survivor, and other miscellaneous shows with a different guest each week. Parhar frequently records the show live and takes calls from listeners.
The Evolution of Strategy
In 2015, Cesternino began selling his audiobook series, The Evolution of Strategy. With co-host Josh Wigler, Cesternino explored past seasons of Survivor following a detailed re-watch. The series was released in three parts over the course of 2015. Each part consisted of ten chapters, one for each of the first thirty seasons of Survivor.
The Spyson Hour and News AF
In 2015, Cesternino began The Spyson Hour with Survivor: Blood vs. Water winner and frequent RHAP guest Tyson Apostol and reality TV personality Spencer Pratt from The Hills. The Spyson Hour began as a way for Apostol and Pratt to analyze season four of Marriage Boot Camp, where they had met and become friends as fellow participants. After the season finished airing, Apostol and Pratt continued the podcast, focusing on events in their lives and on zany current events stories, with Cesternino as a moderator. Pratt left the show in September 2015. The show was retooled to focus on unusual news stories, and accordingly renamed News AF (It's Actual Factual News). Danny Bryson, a longtime friend of Apostol's, was brought in to replace Pratt.
Rob Has a Podcast
Post Show Recaps
Reality TV RHAP-ups
News AF
Former
Reception
Rob Has a Podcast has grown over the years, from a small start-up podcast into an expansive network with an enthusiastic and devoted fanbase. By 2013, RHAP had over two million downloads on iTunes, and had been watched for twenty-four million minutes on YouTube. RHAP has won five Podcast Awards: best entertainment podcast (2012, 2014), best video podcast (2013), best produced podcast (2013), and people's choice podcast (2014). Most notably, RHAP successfully beat hit podcast Serial in the category of people's choice podcast of 2014.
RHAP recorded its 1000th episode on November 14, 2014 and celebrated its fifth anniversary in February 2015. In 2015, the podcast was nominated for an Academy of Podcasters award in the entertainment category.