Rob Rausch’s parents balanced professional careers and family life while raising him on a 200-acre farm in Florence, Alabama.
Rob Rausch, born Robert Kelley Wilson Rausch on September 1, 1998, in Florence, Alabama, gained fame as a snake wrangler, social media personality, and reality TV star on Love Island USA (seasons 5 and 6) and The Traitors (season 4).
Behind his adventurous career, Rob Rausch’s parents, Robert and Jennifer Rausch, played a central role in shaping his unconventional upbringing on their 200-acre farm in Florence, Alabama.
Alongside their four children, they cultivated a home filled with creativity, curiosity, and close family bonds.
Robert Rausch is a professional photographer, luxury/slow designer, and educator.
As Assistant Professor of Art at the University of North Alabama, he teaches courses ranging from Photography I & II to Documentary Landscape and Thematic Portfolio.
He grew up in the South and has lived and worked in Paris, New York, and Los Angeles. Robert earned an MFA from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, and has won a Clio award for his photography.
His work has appeared in The New York Times, Travel & Leisure, Garden & Gun, Southern Living, Elle, American Craft, Cottage Living, and Veranda.
He has designed for clients including Anthropologie, Hilton Hotels, Whole Foods, Ted Montana Grill, The Waldorf Astoria, Billy Reid, Alabama Chanin, St. Joe Company, and Serenbe.
Robert has maintained a longtime collaboration with Alabama Chanin, photographing collections and books while designing graphics, posters, and catalogs.
Even with his professional commitments, Robert Rausch stayed actively involved in his family’s life.
He and Jennifer maintained a bedroom in the family trailer, where Rob and his siblings grew up.
Though Robert later converted nearby abandoned buildings into a home studio, Rob chose to remain in the trailer, maintaining the close-knit family dynamic.
Jennifer Rausch has kept a lower public profile but has been a vital influence in Rob’s life.
She worked part-time at The Factory Store and The Factory Café connected to Alabama Chanin and contributed a Whole Wheat Cracker recipe to the Alabama Stitch Book.
Jennifer has long participated in DIY sewing workshops and is known for her appreciation of sustainable fashion practices, especially through her support of Alabama Chanin.
Jennifer also helped connect her husband to the local creative community, introducing Robert to Alabama Chanin founder Natalie Chanin in 2000.
While she has not pursued a highly visible professional career, Jennifer has nurtured a strong family environment and engaged with the local arts scene.
Rob Rausch’s parents raised him alongside his siblings—brother Adam and sisters Lily and Bella—in a three-bedroom trailer on the family farm.
The children shared rooms in an unconventional household, which Rob has described as formative for his independent and adventurous spirit.
He was homeschooled at times and grew up immersed in nature and rural life, experiences that later informed his unique career as a snake wrangler and reality TV personality.
Even as an adult, Rob continues to live in a simple trailer on the family property, keeping close ties with his parents and siblings.
Family traditions, such as passing the name “Robert” to male family members, highlight the bond and continuity that his parents instilled. Rob has often spoken fondly of his parents in interviews, crediting them with supporting his passions while allowing him to forge his own path.
