If you’re a reality TV fan, chances are that you adore, fear and worship Parvati Shallow. After four seasons on Survivor (one of which she won), she took her talents to the second season of The Traitors where her impressive headband collection, squint pout expression, and shrewd gameplay won over a whole new fanbase. The demand for Shallow was so great that NBC cast her in the second season of Deal Or No Deal Island. Audiences could almost feel sorry for Shallow’s overmatched fellow players on Banker’s Island. Shallow has quickly (and secretly) aligned herself with Australia Survivor legend David Genat and has vowed to play the game with “divinely feminine” energy. Her goal? To win millions from the Banker at the final showdown.
Surprisingly, Shallow is not the first Survivor alum to play Deal Or No Deal Island. That honor belongs to “Boston” Rob Mariano. The two reality stars have passed in the night, with Mariano moving on to (and dominating) the third season of The Traitors as a Traitor. Naturally, Shallow and Mariano are close. When asked if she gave Mariano any advice before he entered Alan Cumming’s castle in Scottish Highlands, Shallow could only smile and shake her head. “Rob is going to play Rob’s game,” said Shallow. “I just supported him with his fashion.”
“I said, ‘You can’t wear basketball shorts and a tank top to the castle,’” Shallow remembered with a laugh. “He took that to heart.” When asked if Mariano gave her any advice before arriving on Banker’s Island, Shallow admitted that she was very open to his suggestion that she take the Banker head on. “He told me, ‘If you’re ever not safe, make sure you play the banker because you have to take your fate into your own hands,’” said Shallow. “You can’t let someone else take you out.”
Shallow was wise to let Mariano find his own way on The Traitors because he just made an epic move that forever impacted the course of the game. After fellow Traitor and RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Bob The Drag Queen told others that he believed a Traitor was in the group of three that joined the game late (Mariano, The Challenge‘s Wes Bergmann and Big Brother‘s Derrick Levasseur), Mariano saw Bob the Drag Queen as a threat and was determined to get rid of him for casting suspicion on him.
In a gripping sequence at the Round Table during the banishment ceremony, Mariano publicly accused Bob the Drag Queen of being a Traitor and—with an assist from Down to Earth With Zac Efron‘s Dylan Efron—rallied the others to vote him off. When asked what she thought of Mariano’s bold move, Shallow expressed amusement. “Rob is not going to let someone else run the show,” explained Shallow, noting Bob The Drag Queen “was taking the lead in the turret and shutting down [fellow Traitor] Carolyn [Wiger].” “I just don’t think there’s enough space in the turret for Bob and Rob,” concluded Shallow simply.
While Shallow thinks the move “definitely put a target on Rob,” she also pointed out that Mariano “already had a target coming into the game” because of his reality TV resume. “I think in Rob’s mind, it’s like, ‘why not take out the big dog and be able to run the whole game from the turret?’” However, two other Traitors stand in Mariano’s way: Wiger and Big Brother‘s Danielle Reyes.
At the beginning of The Traitors Season 3, Shallow released her power ranking of the contestants. Earning the number one spot was Wiger. “Mark my words. Carolyn can win The Traitors this season,” observed Shallow. “She’s so smart.” Shallow noted that “people overlook Carolyn,” which is an asset that all good Traitors must possess. “If anyone can win as a Traitor, they have to have the ability to be overlooked and a strategic mind,” explained Shallow. Another Traitor who was able to fade into the background with her charm was Survivor‘s Cirie Field, who won the first season of The Traitors. “She’s so likable. She’s so warm. People don’t think people like that could have it in them to be a murderer.”
In the trailer for The Traitors Season 3, there is one tantalizing image of Shallow alongside Below Deck‘s Kate Chastain in gorgeous black and white gowns. When asked what she could say about her upcoming appearance, Shallow remained tightlipped. “We are Alan’s queens,” teased Shallow. “We come in for a mission and it’s a pretty special one.”
Will Mariano survive in the game long enough to be reunited with his pal Shallow? Keep watching to find out!