Amber Joy Mariano (née Brkich) is the Sole Survivor of Survivor: All-Stars. She originally competed on Survivor: The Australian Outback, and later on Survivor: Winners at War.
In The Australian Outback, Amber developed a close friendship with Jerri Manthey. Despite Colby Donaldson flipping, thus resulting in ally Mitchell Olson's elimination, Amber was absorbed into the majority Ogakor Alliance, which allowed her to reach the merge. However, when the alliance turned on and blindsided Jerri, Amber was left with no allies was voted out at the final six for her under-the-radar gameplay and threat status.
Amber returned in All-Stars where she quickly aligned with Rob Mariano. The pair emerged as a dominant force in the game, becoming the center of the dominant Chapera Alliance. When Amber was briefly separated from her allies by a Tribe Switch that fortuitously left her as the only one to effectively switch tribes, a game-defining deal between Rob and Lex van den Berghe, as well as Amber's own scrambling, saved her and reunited with her allies at the merge, where the Chapera Alliance managed to Pagong the opposing Mogo Mogo Alliance. Amber and Rob eventually reached the Final Two, with both facing heavy criticism from an embittered jury. However, Amber's more social approach helped to secure Shii Ann Huang's swing vote, which proved crucial in defeating Rob who was viewed as the more duplicitous half of the power couple, winning her the title of Sole Survivor in a 4-3 vote. Their relationship continued after the show and they ended up getting engaged at the live Reunion Show when Rob proposed before the votes were read. Their relationship had since evolved into marriage.
Returning fifteen years later with her husband Rob for Winners at War, Amber was targeted on the Dakal tribe because of her relationship with Rob, and because of her affiliation with the supposed "Poker Alliance" along with Kim Spradlin-Wolfe and Tyson Apostol. A desperate Tyson successfully threw Amber under the bus, causing her to be voted out and sent to the Edge of Extinction. She failed to win either re-entry challenge and finished the game in 20th place.
Profile[]
Retrieved from CBS.com
Name: Amber Brkich Amber Brkich is from Beaver, Pennsylvania and is a recent graduate from Westminster College, where she earned a B.A. degree in Public Relations, minoring in Speech Communications. Prior to departing for Australia, while Brkich searched for her "career job," she was an administrative assistant and lived with her parents. Her previous occupations while attending school included waitress, librarian assistant, swimming instructor, lifeguard and babysitter for her professor. Brkich's favorite hobbies are going out with her friends, dancing and just generally having fun. She's a member of Alpha Gamma Delta Sorority, where she was Vice President and New Member Coordinator. Brkich also belongs to the Catholic Church. Her primary reasons for trying out for Survivor: The Australian Outback include lack of change, excitement, and kangaroos in her life, although the million dollars wouldn't hurt either! Her birth date is August 11, 1978.[1]
Age: 25 Since finishing sixth on Survivor: The Australian Outback, Amber Brkich has enjoyed doing dozens of appearances across the country and has taken part in various charity functions. Immediately following the show, Amber appeared on the cover of Stuff Magazine. For a short time, she also worked as the host of an adventure travel game on Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. More recently, Amber has appeared in various commercials for Adelphia Cable, Rite Aid drugstores, and Mountaineer Racetrack in West Virginia. In her free time, she enjoys babysitting her niece, Emma, and going out with her friends. Amber remains a resident of her hometown, Beaver, Pennsylvania (a suburb just north of Pittsburgh). She is a graduate of Westminster College, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in public relations, with a minor in speech communications, in 2000. She is a member of Alpha Gamma Delta Alumni having served as vice president and new member coordinator while still in school. Amber is currently single. Her birth date is August 11, 1978.[2]
Hometown: Beaver, Pennsylvania |
Survivor[]
The Australian Outback[]
- Main article: Amber Mariano/The Australian Outback
| Episode | Tribe Affiliation |
Challenge | Challenge Type | Sit-Out? | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ogakor | Bridging the Gap | Reward/Immunity | No | Won |
| 2 | Butch Cassidy | Reward | No | Won | |
| Tucker'd Out | Immunity | No | Lost | ||
| 3 | Water Torture | Reward | No | Won | |
| Lock Step | Immunity | No | Lost | ||
| 4 | Mastermind | Reward | No | Lost | |
| True or Falls | Immunity | No | Lost | ||
| 5 | Triage | Reward | No | Lost | |
| The Maze | Immunity | No | Won | ||
| 6 | Blind Leading the Blind | Reward | No | Lost | |
| Tribes Merged, Day 20 | |||||
| 7 | Barramundi | Perch | Immunity | Lost | |
| 8 | Return to Sender | Reward | Invited | ||
| Don't Fence Me In | Immunity | Lost | |||
| 10 | Double Play | Reward | Lost | ||
| Hanging in the Balance | Immunity | Lost | |||
| 11 | Survivor Auction | ||||
| Fire and Water | Immunity | Lost | |||
| 12 | End of the Line | Reward | Lost | ||
| Blue Plate Special | Immunity | Lost | |||
| Voted Out, Day 33 | |||||
| Episode | Amber's Votes |
Voted Against Amber |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ogakor Tribe Immune | |
| 2 | Kel | - |
| 3 | Maralyn | - |
| 4 | Keith; Keith1 |
- |
| 5 | Ogakor Tribe Immune | |
| 6 | No Tribal Council | |
| 7 | Jeff; Jeff2 |
- |
| 8 | Alicia | - |
| 10 | Elisabeth | - |
| 11 | Nick | Elisabeth, Rodger |
| 12 | Rodger | Elisabeth, Keith, Rodger, Tina |
| Voted Out, Day 33 | ||
| Voted for Sole Survivor |
Colby | |
| Notes: ^1 In "The Killing Fields", the vote ended with a 3-3 tie between Keith and Mitchell, forcing a revote. Amber did not change her vote on the revote.
^2 In "The Merge", the vote ended with a 5-5 tie between Colby and Jeff, forcing a revote. Amber did not change her vote on the revote. | ||
All-Stars[]
- Main article: Amber Mariano/All-Stars
| Episode | Tribe Affiliation |
Challenge | Challenge Type | Sit-Out? | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chapera | Quest for Fire | Immunity | No | 1st |
| 2 | Stairway to the Stars | Reward | No | Lost | |
| Float Your Boat | Immunity | No | 1st | ||
| 3 | Better Homes and Island Living | Reward | Yes | 1st | |
| 4 | Match Maker | Reward | No | 1st | |
| Blind Cube Crisis | Immunity | Yes | Lost | ||
| 5 | Shipwrecked Raft Rescue | Reward | No | 2nd | |
| Pilfering Pirates | Immunity | No | Won | ||
| 6 | Stomp-ede | Reward | No | Lost | |
| 7 | Floating Puzzle | Reward/Immunity | No | Won | |
| 8 | Log Jam | Reward | No | Won | |
| Choose Your Weapon | Immunity | No | Won | ||
| 10 | Survivor History | Immunity | No | Lost | |
| 11 | Rock Bottom | Reward1 | Invited | ||
| Tribes Merged, Day 26 | |||||
| 11 | Chaboga Mogo |
Waiting to Exhale | Immunity | Lost | |
| 12 | Big Bad-O Course | Reward2 | Won | ||
| Immunity2 | Lost | ||||
| 13 | Face Off | Reward | Lost | ||
| When It Rains, It Pours | Immunity | Lost | |||
| 14 | Survivor Smorgasbord | Reward | Lost | ||
| Fire And Rain | Immunity | Lost | |||
| 15 | Learn from Past Mistakes | Reward | Invited | ||
| Survivor Scramble | Immunity | Lost | |||
| 16 | Obstacle Puzzle Maze | Immunity | Won | ||
| Hand on a Hard Idol | Immunity | Lost | |||
| Sole Survivor, Day 39 | |||||
| Notes: | |||||
| Episode | Amber's Votes |
Voted Against Amber |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chapera Tribe Immune | |
| 2 | Chapera Tribe Immune | |
| 3 | No Tribal Council | |
| 4 | Rob C. | - |
| 5 | Chapera Tribe Immune | |
| 6 | No Tribal Council | |
| 7 | Chapera Tribe Immune | |
| 8 | Chapera Tribe Immune | |
| 10 | Jerri | Jerri |
| 11 | Lex | Kathy, Lex |
| 12 | Kathy | Kathy, Shii Ann |
| 13 | Alicia | - |
| 14 | Shii Ann | Shii Ann |
| 15 | Tom | - |
| 16 | Rupert | Individual Immunity |
| Ineligible | - | |
| Jury Votes for Amber |
Alicia, Lex, Shii Ann, Tom | |
| Sole Survivor, Day 39 | ||
Winners at War[]
Sixteen years after her victory, Amber returned for the show's 20th anniversary, alongside but on a different starting tribe from her husband Rob Mariano. Her return surprised some of the players, most notably Sandra Diaz-Twine, who believed neither Rob nor Amber had wanted to play again. Amber initially bonded with Sarah Lacina and Tyson Apostol over the difficulty of leaving her kids at home to play again. Aware of how much the game has changed over 16 years, she tried to look for Hidden Immunity Idols but to no avail. When Dakal lost the Immunity Challenge on Day 3, Amber initially pushed for Sandra to go, but eventually settled for Nick Wilson due to his lack of connections. Driven by her vendetta against Rob, Sandra rallied the one-time players Nick, Sophie Clarke, Yul Kwon, and Wendell Holland as well as Cops-R-Us to target Amber in an effort to weaken Rob. Amber's allies Kim Spradlin-Wolfe and Tyson decided to abandon the sinking ship of their alliance, opting to vote against her, resulting in her elimination by a 6-3-1 vote. She bequeathed her Fire Token to Rob before joining Natalie Anderson on the Edge of Extinction.
Despite Amber's best efforts, she was unable to find advantages to sell during her time on the Edge. She did earn a Fire Token from the wooden logs effort task, which she would give to Rob so he could purchase an advantage ahead of the first re-entry duel. After failing to win that challenge, Amber remained particularly close with the other pre-merge boots. She did not earn any more Fire Tokens and ultimately lost the second and final re-entry duel.
At Final Tribal Council, Amber celebrated each of the finalists for the games they played. She voted for Tony Vlachos to win the title of Sole Survivor, helping him become the second two-time winner in a 12-4-0 jury vote.
| Episode | Tribe Affiliation |
Challenge | Challenge Type | Sit-Out? | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dakal | Marooning | Reward/Immunity | No | Won |
| Blue Lagoon Bustle | Immunity | No | Lost | ||
| Voted Out, Day 3 | |||||
| 8 | Dakal | Back in the Saddle | Re-entry | Lost | |
| 14 | Don't Call It a Comeback | Re-entry | Lost | ||
| Eliminated, Day 35 | |||||
Post-Survivor[]
- In May 2001, Amber, along with the other castaways of The Australian Outback, appeared as panelists on Hollywood Squares for Survivor Week. Amber appeared in two episodes, the first episode being paired with Jerri Manthey,[4] and second episode as an individual panelist.[5]
Rob and Amber's promotional photo for The Amazing Race 7.
- Amber attended the Survivor: The Amazon Reunion Show.[6]
- As an engaged couple in 2004, Amber and Rob Mariano competed on the seventh season of CBS's The Amazing Race. At one point in South Africa, they saw their own photo on a magazine cover. They were also recognized in countries all over the world and assisted by locals who recognized them. Although Rob and Amber won four separate legs, the couple finished in second place behind winners Uchenna and Joyce Agu.
- Amber lived in her hometown, Beaver, Pennsylvania (a suburb 40 miles northwest of Pittsburgh), until her marriage to Rob. The couple then moved to Pensacola, Florida.
- In 2006, they also took up residence in Las Vegas, Nevada to support Rob's poker career.[7]
- In the summer of 2009, Amber, along with the other first eighteen Survivor winners, appeared on a TVGuide special "Survivor Millionaires: Where Are They Now?"[8]
- Amber was in attendance for the Heroes vs. Villains Reunion.
- Amber was in attendance at the Redemption Island Reunion. After Rob won the $100K Fan Favorite Award, host Jeff Probst remarked that "Amber can go shopping".
Marriage to Rob Mariano[]
Amber and Rob getting married.
- Amber and Rob married on April 16, 2005 in Paradise Island, The Bahamas.[9] They have four daughters: Lucia Rose (born July 4, 2009[10]), Carina Rose (born December 10, 2010[11]), Isabetta Rose born (born May 5, 2012[12]), and Adelina Rose (born June 20, 2014[13]).
- Amber and Rob attended the wedding of fellow The Amazing Race 7 team Ray Hosteau and Deana Shane on May 21, 2005.[14]
Rob and Amber's promotional photo for The Amazing Race: All-Stars.
- In 2007, Rob and Amber competed on the first All-Stars season of CBS's The Amazing Race as newlyweds. They were eliminated in the fourth leg, finishing in 8th place.
- Rob and Amber filmed a 10-episode show for the Fox Reality Channel, Rob and Amber: Against the Odds[15] in 2006, which aired in 2007. Set in Las Vegas, the show followed Rob's attempt to become a professional poker player and featured professional player Daniel Negreanu tutoring Rob.
Trivia[]
- Amber is the first contestant to reside in Pennsylvania during filming.
- Amber is the youngest contestant to compete on The Australian Outback.
- Amber is the first contestant to buy a "mystery item" at the Survivor Auction that was revealed to be a "trap item". She bought a pitcher of water from the Herbert River.
- In a pre-game interview for All-Stars, Amber considered Richard Hatch and Rob Cesternino as the best players of the game at the time.[16]
- Amber is the only person to remain on Chapera during the entire pre-merge phase in All-Stars, as well as the only one to never have been a member of Mogo Mogo.
- Amber is the first of two contestants to obtain a car during a season without winning it in a challenge. She would be followed by Dreamz Herd.
- Amber is the first castaway to become the Sole Survivor as a returning player.
- Amber is the first winner to win a season featuring all returnees.
- Amber is the first contestant to win a season with three starting tribes.
- According to his profile for Heroes vs. Villains, husband Rob Mariano listed Amber as the previous Survivor castaway that he respects the most.[17]
- Amber received six elimination votes against her on all three seasons she competed.
- In Redemption Island, Amber was referenced by her husband numerous times. The most noteworthy mention was when Rob compared Andrea Boehlke and Matt Elrod's relationship to his with Amber. Also, the namesake of that season's merged tribe was the name of one of Amber's stuffed animals.
- By returning in Winners at War 16 years and 32 seasons after their appearance in All-Stars, Amber and Ethan Zohn broke Kelly Wiglesworth's record for the longest period in between appearances on the show.
- In addition, Amber holds the record for longest period between her original and most recent appearance, with 38 seasons.
- Amber is the first Sole Survivor to be voted out before and after winning their respective season.
- Amber is the lowest-placing juror in Survivor history, finishing in 20th place in Winners at War.
- Amber is the fifth contestant to finish in last place despite not formally being the first person voted out, after Jonathan Libby in Palau, Kourtney Moon in One World, Rupert Boneham in Blood vs. Water, and Pat Cusack in David vs. Goliath.
- Amber currently holds the record for the longest span of seasons competed on.
References[]
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20010606131553/http://www.cbs.com/primetime/survivor2/survivors/amber_b.html
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20040602214911/http://www.cbs.com/primetime/survivor8/survivors/bio/amber.shtml
- ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20230422074441/https://www.cbs.com/shows/survivor/cast/216301/
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmfwwAvoXH4
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKhBeaD2qy4
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/survivor/comments/oyi7t8/ethan_and_amber_together_at_the_amazon_reunion/
- ↑ https://people.com/parents/exclusive-meet-lucia-rose-mariano/
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwRtpPrY-6w
- ↑ https://www.today.com/popculture/rob-amber-got-married-saturday-wbna7320260
- ↑ https://people.com/parents/exclusive-meet-lucia-rose-mariano/
- ↑ https://people.com/parents/survivors-rob-amber-mariano-welcome-daughter-carina-rose/
- ↑ http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-moms/news/pic-meet-rob-and-amber-marianos-adorable-new-daughter-isabetta-rose-2012156
- ↑ https://twitter.com/BostonRob/status/480071699551903744
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20190701204857/http://www.vindy.com/news/2005/may/21/amazing-race-adventurous-couple-to-say-i-do/
- ↑ http://www.tv.com/shows/rob-and-amber-against-the-odds/}}
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LevOMoRPUOo
- ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20230322091624/https://www.cbs.com/shows/survivor/cast/39405/
| Preceded by Pearl Islands  Sandra Diaz-Twine |
Sole Survivor Titleholder All-Stars  Amber Brkich |
Succeeded by Vanuatu  Chris Daugherty |
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