Rob Has a Podcast
| 'Rob Has a Podcast' | |
|---|---|
| File:Rob Has A Podcast.jpg | |
| Presentation | |
| Hosted by | Rob Cesternino |
| Genre | Entertainment |
| Language | English |
| Updates | Multiple shows each week |
| Production | |
| Audio format | Podcast (via streaming or downloadable MP3) |
| Publication | |
| Original release | February 12, 2010 |
| Cited for | Five-time Podcast Award winner |
| Related | |
| Website | Rob Has a Website |
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.[1] 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.[2]
Overview
Cesternino started RHAP in 2010, in order to cover Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains and the final season of Lost.[3] 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.[2] 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.[4]
Format
When Survivor is on the air, Cesternino records several podcasts each week. The first, "Survivor Know-It-Alls," airs live, directly following the Wednesday night broadcast of the Survivor episode. Cesternino co-hosts "Survivor Know-It-Alls" alongside Survivor: Tocantins runner-up Stephen Fishbach. Together, the two break down the night's episode and make predictions for the rest of the season. When Fishbach returned to compete on Survivor: Cambodia in 2015, Josh Wigler of Parade filled in for him on "Survivor Know-It-Alls". Fishbach is slated to return to "Survivor Know-It-Alls" in 2016 for season 32, Survivor: Kaoh Rong.
The second Survivor podcast of the week begins with Cesternino interviewing the contestant most recently voted out of Survivor. He then records a segment called "This Week in Survivor History" with co-host Jordan Kalish, in which he delves into important events from previous Survivor seasons. This segment evolved into a trivia game in the fall of 2016 in which Rob answers multiple choice questions about episodes that occurred during the current week in Survivor history.
Cesternino's third major Survivor podcast of the week is also his longest, with two main sections. Each week, the first half of the show features a different guest, always a prominent former Survivor contestant. Cesternino and the guest of the week analyze the episode in depth. During the second half of the show, Cesternino and a second guest, either a former Survivor contestant or a notable member of the RHAP community, answer voicemail messages from listeners and talk about what other Survivor contestants are saying about the season on Twitter.[5]
Cesternino records the final regular podcast of the Survivor week with co-host David Bloomberg, where the two discuss "Why _______ Lost Survivor." Bloomberg, who formerly wrote a weekly blog of the same title, compiles information from Survivor itself, as well as from secret scenes, bonus footage, and social media. He then analyzes the contestant most recently eliminated from the game according to his own list of rules, and determines why that player lost the game. Bloomberg and Cesternino also make predictions for the upcoming week.
In addition to the four 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 conversations about fan theories, to drafting of fantasy seasons.
During Amazing Race seasons, which air during the same time frame as Survivor seasons, Cesternino records a weekly podcast where he analyzes the episodes alongside co-host Jessica Liese. Additionally, Cesternino interviews each team as they are eliminated and releases the interviews as podcasts.[6]
When Big Brother is on the air, Cesternino switches his primary focus away from Survivor and The Amazing Race and devotes the majority of his podcasting resources to Big Brother coverage. Each week, he records several podcasts with special guests and designated "live feed correspondents." Following Thursday night live eviction episodes, he discusses the episode with former Big Brother winner Ian Terry and one of the "live feed correspondents." Following Sunday and Wednesday night episodes, he speaks with other former Big Brother contestants, and he takes listener voicemail questions on a separate segment with weekly guests from the RHAP community. Additionally, Cesternino conducts an interview with each contestant who is voted off of the show.
Cesternino also provides coverage of Big Brother Canada during its seasons, which air 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."[7]
Notable guests
Cesternino has interviewed and worked with numerous Survivor and Big Brother contestants,[8] including Survivor winners Richard Hatch, "Boston" Rob Mariano, Parvati Shallow, and Sandra Diaz-Twine. 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. Frequent guests include Survivor contestants Stephen Fishbach, Tyson Apostol, Aras Baskauskas, Sophie Clarke, Kim Spradlin, and Andrea Boehlke. 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.
Special Events
"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.[9]
| Year | Winner | Finalists | Chose not to participate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Parvati Shallow | Jenna Morasca, Amanda Kimmel, Andrea Boehlke, Courtney Yates | N/A |
| 2013 | R.C. Saint-Amour | Chelsea Meissner, Kim Spradlin | N/A |
| 2014 | Andrea Boehlke | Ciera Eastin, Candice Cody | Brenda Lowe |
| 2015 | Natalie Anderson | Tasha Fox, Kelley Wentworth | Jaclyn Schultz |
| 2016 | Pageant Suspended | ||
"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.[9]
| Year | Winner | Finalists | Chose not to participate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Malcolm Freberg | Aras and Vytas Baskauskas, Tyson Apostol | Hayden Moss |
| 2015 | Spencer Bledsoe | Jeremy Collins, Tony Vlachos | N/A |
| 2016 | Pageant Suspended | ||
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.[10] 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.[11] After the Survivor contestants teamed up to take out the Big Brother contestants, Cochran ultimately went on to win the game.
Episodes
| No. | Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Location, Location, Location" | June 3, 2013 | |
|
The six contestants stake claim to their territory as the game begins. | |||
| 2 | "A Very Stupid Decision" | June 6, 2013 | |
|
Sophie, Stephen, and Cochran form a Survivor alliance, while Ian, Matt, and Eric team up as a Big Brother alliance. | |||
| 3 | "The Turning Point" | June 11, 2013 | |
|
Ian becomes the first player to leave the game. | |||
| 4 | "A Thorn in Our Side" | June 13, 2013 | |
|
A second Big Brother contestant, Eric, is eliminated from the game. | |||
| 5 | "A Cinderella Story" | June 18, 2013 | |
|
The Survivor alliance defeats the final Big Brother contestant, Matt. | |||
| 6 | "Clash of the Nerd Titans" | June 20, 0213 | |
|
The final three contestants, all former Survivor players, must now turn on each other. Sophie is eliminated first, and then Stephen. Cochran emerges as the champion of 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.[12][13] The third event took place at Carolines on Broadway on September 30, 2015.[14] A fourth event is expected to be held in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Improv on February 24, 2016. [15] A fifth event is expected to be held at Carolines on Broadway on the April 13, 2016.[16]
So You Think You Can Podcast
During Big Brother: Over The Top, a contest for a new Big Brother Live Feed Correspondent was held.
Related podcasts
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.[17] 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.[2]
Reality TV RHAP-ups
In 2014, Cesternino started a new branch of the podcast, 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.[18] 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.[19]
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.[3]
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.[20] 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.[21]
RHAP Hosts
Current
Rob Has a Podcast
- Rob Cesternino - Main host
- Nicole Cesternino - "First Lady of Podcasting," occasional co-host
- Stephen Fishbach - "Survivor Know-It-All"
- Josh Wigler - Fill-in "Survivor Know-It-All" / Evolution of Strategy co-host / "Wiggle Room" co-host
- Jordan Kalish - "This Week in Survivor History" co-host
- David Bloomberg - "Why ______ Lost Survivor" co-host
- Jessica Liese - Chief Amazing Race correspondent
- Alex Kidwell - Big Brother live feed correspondent
- Brent Wolgamott - Big Brother live feed correspondent
- Taran Armstrong - Big Brother live feed correspondent
Post Show Recaps
- Rich Tackenberg- Saturday Night Live recap co-host
- Akiva Wienerkur - Seinfeld recap co-host
- Josh Wigler - Various shows, recap co-host
- Mike Bloom - Various shows, recap co-host
- Curt Clark - Various shows, recap co-host
- Antonio Mazzaro - Various shows, recap co-host
- Zach Brooks - Various shows, recap co-host
- Jessica Liese - Various shows, recap co-host
- Jeremiah Panhorst - Various shows, recap co-host
- Kevin Mahadeo - Various shows, recap co-host
- Taylor Cotter - Orange is the New Black recap co-host
Reality TV RHAP-ups
- Jordan Parhar - RHAPpy Hour host
- Curt Clark, "RHAP Tabulator" - Big Brother UK/Au and Top Chef co-host
- Mark Celera - King of the Nerds and Big Brother UK/Au recap co-host
- Mike Bloom - Last Comic Standing, Celebrity Apprentice, and Top Chef recap host
- Antonio Mazzaro - Top Chef recap co-host
- Haley Strong - Bachelor franchise recap co-host
- Amy - Bachelor franchise recap co-host
- Brian Cohen - MTV Challenge and Are You The One? recap co-host
- Ali Lasher - MTV Challenge and Are You The One? recap co-host
- Dan Heaton - The Amazing Race international recap co-host
News AF
- Tyson Apostol - News AF co-host, former The Spyson Hour co-host
- Danny Bryson - News AF co-host
- Lita Brillman - News AF intern
Former
- Brian Lynch - Big Brother live feed correspondent
- Spencer Pratt - The Spyson Hour co-host
- Ryan Pappolla - "Fantasy Football Schmucks" co-host
- Tim Pilleri - "Fantasy Football Schmucks" co-host
- Keith Black - "Fantasy Football Schmucks" co-host
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.[22] By 2013, RHAP had over two million downloads on iTunes, and had been watched for twenty-four million minutes on YouTube.[8] RHAP has won five Podcast Awards: best entertainment podcast (2012, 2014), best video podcast (2013), best produced podcast (2013),[8] and people's choice podcast (2014). Most notably, RHAP successfully beat hit podcast Serial in the category of people's choice podcast of 2014.[22]
RHAP recorded its 1000th episode on November 14, 2014 and celebrated its fifth anniversary in February 2015.[23] In 2015, the podcast was nominated for an Academy of Podcasters award in the entertainment category.[24]
References
- ^ "Rob Cesternino and More Added to the #PM15 Stage!". Podcast Movement. May 12, 2015. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
- ^ a b c Woodruff, Teeuwynn (October 17, 2014). "Rob Cesternino and Rob Has a Podcast". HubPages. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
- ^ a b Denhart, Andy (January 23, 2015). "Rob Cesternino on Survivor, spoilers, and RHAP's origins". reality blurred. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
- ^ Jackson, Dave. "4 Years Later His Podcast Pays The Bills – Rob Cesternino Interview". School of Podcasting. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
- ^ "Survivor 2014: Recaps, Reviews and Interviews About Survivor on CBS". Rob Has a Website. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
- ^ "Amazing Race". Rob Has a Website. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
- ^ "Big Brother 2015: BB17, Big Brother UK, Big Brother Canada". Rob Has a Website. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
- ^ a b c "Rob Has a Podcast Takes Home the Best Video Podcast and Best Produced Podcast of the Year awards". Amzeal News. January 7, 2014. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
- ^ a b Cesternino, Rob (January 11, 2016). "Rob Has an Announcement: Why I'm Suspending Miss & Mr. Survivor for 2016". Rob Has a Website. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
- ^ Cesternino, Rob (February 20, 2013). "Reality GameMasters: The Ultimate Reality TV Showdown". Kickstarter. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
- ^ Ross, Dalton (May 30, 2013). "'Survivor' and 'Big Brother' stars compete at Risk for new 'Reality Gamemasters' web series". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
- ^ "Survivor Know-It-Alls LIVE". Gotham Comedy Club. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
- ^ "Survivor Know-It-Alls LIVE". Gotham Comedy Club. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
- ^ "Survivor Know-It-Alls LIVE (Season 31, Episode 2)". Eventbrite. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
- ^ http://hollywood.improv.com/mobile/show.cfm?id=432872
- ^ https://www.eventbrite.com/e/know-it-alls-live-in-nyc-tickets-21130625269
- ^ "TV Shows". Post Show Recaps. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
- ^ "Reality TV RHAP-ups: Reality TV Podcasts". Podcast Chart. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
- ^ Parhar, Jordan (September 26, 2015). "RHAPpy Hour 16: Haley Strong Talks Survivor Premiere". Rob Has a Website. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
- ^ "The Spyson Hour". Podbay.fm. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
- ^ Cesternino, Rob (October 26, 2015). "News AF 001: Worst Halloween Costumes, Buying Passwords, Buying 5 Star Reviews and More!". Rob Has a Website. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
- ^ a b Denhart, Andy (April 15, 2015). "Reality TV podcast RHAP wins two podcast awards". reality blurred. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
- ^ Cesternino, Rob (November 4, 2014). "RHAP1K: The Rob Has a Podcast 1000th Episode Special". Rob Has a Website. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
- ^ "Nominees". Academy of Podcasters. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
External links