Rupert Frederick Boneham (/ˈboʊnəm/ BOH-nəm; born January 27, 1964) is an American mentor for troubled teens who became known to reality television audiences in 2003 as a contestant on Survivor: Pearl Islands.

He later appeared on the All Stars, Heroes vs. Villains, and Blood vs. Water seasons of Survivor, placing fourth, sixth, and 20th, respectively.

He temporarily looked after a wounded python he found named Balboa, who became the namesake of the merged tribe.

The finalists were Boneham, Colby Donaldson, "Big Tom" Buchanan, and "Boston Rob" Mariano.

[7] He was a part of the Heroes alliance which consisted of himself, J. T. Thomas, Amanda Kimmel, Cirie Fields, James Clement and Candice Woodcock.

He was spared again at the Final Seven Tribal Council, due to Hantz and Manthey siding with him to get rid of Danielle DiLorenzo.

Rupert ultimately lost the first duel at Redemption on day four, and became the first person eliminated from Survivor: Blood vs. Water, finishing in 20th place.

He also made a cameo appearance as a homeless man in "The Radford Reshuffle", the sixth-season premiere of the show Yes, Dear.

Boneham also makes an appearance as an extra in the bar fight scene in A Million Ways to Die in the West.

In 2016, Boneham appeared in a special episode of The Price Is Right which featured multiple former Survivor contestants competing on the show.

[13] In 1983, before appearing on Survivor, Boneham worked with mentally handicapped children in Abilene, Texas.

In 1991, he purchased an abandoned house and converted it into a vocational training center for young adults who had been expelled from school.

[14] After being awarded one million dollars on Survivor: America's Tribal Council, Boneham used a large percentage of his winnings to establish Rupert's Kids, to help "at-risk teens".

[16] Boneham wrote on his official website, "I have spent my entire adult life serving my community and I see an opportunity to make a difference for Indiana", referencing his troubled-youth charity, Rupert's Kids.

[18] Boneham and running mate Brad Klopfenstein received 101,868 votes, 3.95 percent of the total.