Amber Mariano

Amber Joy Mariano (née Brkich) is the Sole Survivor of . She originally competed on , and later on .
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 . She failed to win either re-entry challenge and finished the game in 20th place.
==Profile==
Retrieved from CBS.com
<tabber>The Australian Outback=
NAME: AMBER BRKICH
AGE: 22
MARITAL STATUS: Single
OCCUPATION: Administrative Assistant
HOMETOWN: Beaver, Pennsylvania
LUXURY ITEM: Journal and Pen
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 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.http://web.archive.org/web/20010606131553/http://www.cbs.com/primetime/survivor2/survivors/amber_b.html
==Survivor==
===The Australian Outback===
Amber was a participant in the second season of Survivor, having auditioned for the season to put off getting a job after graduating college. She was a member of the green Ogakor tribe. She was quick to fortify a strong friendship with fellow contestant Jerri Manthey, who helped construct a majority alliance with Colby Donaldson and Mitchell Olson. Ogakor seemed to be the weaker of the two tribes, losing three consecutive Immunity Challenges following their initial victory. Before Ogakor's first Tribal Council, Amber's ally, Jerri, accused fellow tribemate Kel Gleason of smuggling beef jerky into the game. Amber helped the tribe search Kel's bag when he was away, but they failed to find anything. Amber voted for Kel at Tribal Council because she considered him to be the least trustworthy member of the tribe.
After losing the next challenge, Amber targeted Maralyn Hershey because of her weakness at the Immunity Challenge. At Tribal Council Maralyn was voted off. At Ogakor's next Tribal Council Amber thought her four-person alliance was going to eliminate the tribal annoyance Keith Famie. She was surprised to learn that her ally Colby had flipped on her alliance, thus causing a tiebreaker between Mitchell and Keith. Amber's ally, Mitchell was eliminated by the tiebreaker. Ogakor went on to win all the following Immunity Challenge's, keeping Amber safe until the merge.
Upon the merge, Ogakor managed to use the knowledge that one of Kucha's members, Jeff Varner, had received votes beforehand, and eliminated him through a tiebreaker, thus gaining a numeric advantage over the Kucha tribe. The ex-Ogakor members stuck together in eliminating Alicia Calaway, but the ex-Kucha tribe then convinced Keith, Colby, and Tina Wesson to turn on their alliance and vote out Amber's closest ally, Jerri. After Jerri's elimination, the Ogakor Alliance once again came together to oust Nick Brown. In No Longer Just a Game Amber felt secure in her alliance and thought they were going to vote out Rodger Bingham. Unfortunately for Amber the remaining Kucha members once again convinced Tina and Keith to turn on their alliance. At Tribal Council, Amber was voted out for playing an "under-the-radar game", and was a threat to win the show, ultimately landing in sixth place. Colby was the only one to not vote against her, hoping Ogakor would "stick to the batting order".
At the Final Tribal Council, as a member of the jury, Amber cast her vote for Colby, who ended up losing to Tina Wesson in a close 4-3 vote.
<tabber>Challenge History=
Episode 	TribeAffiliation 	Challenge 	Challenge Type 	Sit-Out? 	Result
1 	rowspan=10 	Bridging the Gap	Reward/Immunity 	No 	
2 	Butch Cassidy 	Reward 	No 	 	
2 	Tucker'd Out 	Immunity 	No 	 	
3 	Water Torture 	Reward 	No 	 	
3 	Lock Step 	Immunity 	No 	 	
4 	Mastermind 	Reward 	No 	 	
4 	True or Falls 	Immunity 	No 	 	
5 	Triage 	Reward 	No 	 	
5 	The Maze 	Immunity 	No 	 	
6 	Blind Leading the Blind	Reward 	No 	 	
colspan="6"	 	 	 	 	
7 	rowspan=9 	Perch 	Immunity 	 	
8 	Return to Sender 	Reward 	 	 	
8 	Don't Fence Me In 	Immunity 	 	 	
10 	Double Play 	Reward 	 	 	
10 	Hanging in the Balance 	Immunity 	 	 	
11 	Survivor Auction 	Survivor Auction	Survivor Auction	Survivor Auction	
11 	Fire and Water 	Immunity 	 	 	
12 	End of the Line 	Reward 	 	 	
12 	Blue Plate Special 	Immunity 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	
|-|Voting History=
Episode 	Amber'sVotes	Voted AgainstAmber
1 	 	
2 	 	
3 	 	
4 	 	
5 	 	
6 	colspan="2" 	
7 	 	
8 	 	
10 	 	
11 	 	
12 	 	
 	 	
Voted forSole Survivor	colspan="2" 	
 In , the vote ended with a 3-3 tie between Keith and Mitchell, forcing a revote. Amber did not change her vote on the revote. In , the vote ended with a 5-5 tie between Colby and Jeff, forcing a revote. Amber did not change her vote on the revote.</tabber>
===All-Stars===
As one of the quieter personalities of , Amber's inclusion in the All-Stars installment of came as a surprise to most fans. She was a member of the red Chapera tribe, a boisterous group including Rob Mariano, Rob Cesternino, Susan Hawk, Tom Buchanan, and fellow The Australian Outback alumna Alicia Calaway.
In the season's premiere episode, Rob M. and Amber agreed to form an alliance, with Rob citing his reasoning simply as:
As part of the most dominant tribe in Survivor: All-Stars, Amber enjoyed a healthy winning streak, until Day 12, where they suffered their first loss in an Immunity Challenge. Rob M. and Amber's relationship was a matter of discussion at the Tribal Council, but Amber claimed to have come to play Survivor, not a dating game. Ultimately, the tribe decided to blindside Rob C., who was perceived as the bigger strategic threat over the more combative castaways, Alicia and Susan.
The following day, in a twist that "dissolved" the yellow Saboga tribe, two of its four remaining members, Jenna Lewis and Rupert Boneham, joined Chapera. Rob and Amber quickly fortified a long-term alliance with the tribe's two new members, one of the pair's many "agreements." The Chapera tribe then enjoyed a lengthy winning streak, winning immunity the next three times. The group did lose one member, however, when Susan opted to leave the game due to an indecent encounter with Richard Hatch.
In the season's ninth episode, a tribal shuffle managed to merely make each contestant switch buffs, with the exception of Amber, who remained on the Chapera tribe with Lex van den Berghe, Shii Ann Huang, Jerri Manthey, and Kathy Vavrick-O'Brien. Amber bluntly stated she felt screwed over by this outcome. The tribe went on to lose the next challenge and, in one of the season's more famous moments, Rob said to Lex, "You take care of her, I'll take care of you." Not knowing about Rob's plea, Amber worked hard to sway Kathy on her side against Jerri, since Jerri was not an original Mogo Mogo member like the rest of the majority alliance. Jerri was voted out, with Lex staying true to his deal with Rob and Kathy convinced that Amber would be loyal.
In the following episode, the merge occurred, and Lex was chosen to be eliminated, despite Rob's promise to "take care of him." In the episodes following, Rob and Amber managed to maintain several "alliances," including their agreement with Rupert and Jenna, an agreement with Tom Buchanan, and an agreement with Alicia. With all these castaways believing themselves to be safe, Rob and Amber proceeded through the game, eventually finding themselves in the final four with Jenna and Rupert. While it appeared Rob was the mastermind, Shii Ann Huang noticed that Amber was just as devious but managed to maintain a more pleasant persona.
On Day 37, Amber won her first individual Immunity Challenge, and she and Rob convinced Jenna to vote out her ally Rupert instead of forcing a tie. In the final three, Rob won immunity and chose Amber to continue with him to the Final Two. Facing the jury, Rob and Amber met much criticism for their gameplay, particularly because of how the power couple mixed personal friendships with strategy. Amber maintained her composure, appealing to the largely hurt jury and explained that her strategy was to work closely with someone while still making her own moves.
In the season finale several months later, Rob and Amber revealed they were still dating, Amber even wore a yellow "I Love Rob" shirt (and was booed by the audience in the process) at the Finale/. Just before the votes were read, Rob surprisingly proposed to Amber and she accepted. It was revealed that, in a 4-3 decision, Amber was the Sole Survivor.
At the Survivor: America's Tribal Council special, Amber was one of ten females from the first eight seasons to be in the "Hottest Survivor Woman" category. Amber ended up winning. She also awarded Shii Ann a new car as thanks for her deciding vote.
<tabber>Challenge History=
Episode 	TribeAffiliation 	Challenge 	Challenge Type 	Sit-Out? 	Result
1 	rowspan=14 	Quest for Fire 	Immunity 	No 	
2 	Stairway to the Stars 	Reward 	No 	 	
2 	Float Your Boat 	Immunity 	No 	 	
3 	Better Homes and Island Living 	Reward 	Yes 	 	
4 	Match Maker 	Reward 	No 	 	
4 	Blind Cube Crisis 	Immunity 	Yes 	 	
5 	Shipwrecked Raft Rescue 	Reward 	No 	 	
5 	Pilfering Pirates 	Immunity 	No 	 	
6 	Stomp-ede 	Reward 	No 	 	
7 	Floating Puzzle 	Reward/Immunity 	No 	 	
8 	Log Jam 	Reward 	No 	 	
8 	Choose Your Weapon 	Immunity 	No 	 	
10 	 	Immunity 	No 	 	
11 	Rock Bottom 	Reward 	 	 	
colspan="6" 	 	 	 	 	
11 	rowspan=11 	Waiting to Exhale 	Immunity 	 	
12 	Big Bad-O Course 	Reward 	 	 	
12 	Big Bad-O Course 	Immunity 	 	 	
13 	Face Off 	Reward 	 	 	
13 	When It Rains, It Pours 	Immunity 	 	 	
14 	Survivor Smorgasbord 	Reward 	 	 	
14 	Fire And Rain 	Immunity 	 	 	
15 	Learn from Past Mistakes 	Reward 	 	 	
15 	Survivor Scramble 	Immunity 	 	 	
16 	Obstacle Puzzle Maze 	Immunity 	 	 	
16 	Hand on a Hard Idol 	Immunity 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	
Notes: The castaways competed as individuals. The castaways first competed as two teams for reward. Only the members of the winning team would have the right to compete for individual immunity.	Notes: The castaways competed as individuals. The castaways first competed as two teams for reward. Only the members of the winning team would have the right to compete for individual immunity.	Notes: The castaways competed as individuals. The castaways first competed as two teams for reward. Only the members of the winning team would have the right to compete for individual immunity.	Notes: The castaways competed as individuals. The castaways first competed as two teams for reward. Only the members of the winning team would have the right to compete for individual immunity.	Notes: The castaways competed as individuals. The castaways first competed as two teams for reward. Only the members of the winning team would have the right to compete for individual immunity.	Notes: The castaways competed as individuals. The castaways first competed as two teams for reward. Only the members of the winning team would have the right to compete for individual immunity.
|-|Voting History=
Episode 	Amber'sVotes	Voted AgainstAmber
1 	 	
2 	 	
3 	colspan="2" 	
4 	 	
5 	 	
6 	colspan="2" 	
7 	 	
8 	 	
10 	 	
11 	 	
12 	 	
13 	 	
14 	 	
15 	 	
16 	 	
16 	 	
Jury Votesfor Amber	colspan="2" 	
 	 	
</tabber>
===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  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 .
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.
<tabber>Challenge History=
Episode	TribeAffiliation 	Challenge 	Challenge Type 	Sit-Out?	Result
1 	rowspan=2 	Marooning 	Reward/Immunity	No 	
1 	Blue Lagoon Bustle 	Immunity 	No 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	
8 	rowspan=2 	Back in the Saddle	Re-entry 	 	
14 	Don't Call It a Comeback	Re-entry 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	
|-|Voting History=
Episode 	Amber'sVotes 	Voted AgainstAmber
1 	 	
1 	 	
 	 	
2 	colspan="2" rowspan="13"	
3 	 	
4 	 	
5 	 	
6 	 	
7 	 	
8 	 	
9 	 	
10 	 	
11 	 	
12 	 	
13 	 	
14 	 	
 	 	
Voted forSole Survivor	colspan="2" 	
</tabber>
==Post-Survivor==
* In May 2001, Amber, along with the other castaways of , appeared as panelists on for Week. Amber appeared in two episodes, the first episode being paired with Jerri Manthey,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmfwwAvoXH4 and second episode as an individual panelist.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKhBeaD2qy4
*Amber attended the Reunion Show.https://www.reddit.com/r/survivor/comments/oyi7t8/ethan_and_amber_together_at_the_amazon_reunion/
* 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.https://people.com/parents/exclusive-meet-lucia-rose-mariano/
* 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?"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwRtpPrY-6w
* Amber was in attendance for the .
* Amber was in attendance at the . After Rob won the $100K Fan Favorite Award, host Jeff Probst remarked that "Amber can go shopping".
===Marriage to Rob Mariano===
* Amber and Rob married on April 16, 2005 in Paradise Island, The Bahamas.https://www.today.com/popculture/rob-amber-got-married-saturday-wbna7320260 They have four daughters: Lucia Rose (born July 4, 2009https://people.com/parents/exclusive-meet-lucia-rose-mariano/), Carina Rose (born December 10, 2010https://people.com/parents/survivors-rob-amber-mariano-welcome-daughter-carina-rose/), Isabetta Rose born (born May 5, 2012http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-moms/news/pic-meet-rob-and-amber-marianos-adorable-new-daughter-isabetta-rose-2012156), and Adelina Rose (born June 20, 2014https://twitter.com/BostonRob/status/480071699551903744).
* Amber and Rob attended the wedding of fellow ​The Amazing Race 7 team Ray Hosteau and Deana Shane on May 21, 2005.https://web.archive.org/web/20190701204857/http://www.vindy.com/news/2005/may/21/amazing-race-adventurous-couple-to-say-i-do/
* 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 Oddshttp://www.tv.com/shows/rob-and-amber-against-the-odds/}} 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 tutoring Rob.
==Trivia==
* Amber is the first contestant to reside in Pennsylvania during filming.
* Amber is the youngest contestant to compete on .
* 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 , Amber considered Richard Hatch and Rob Cesternino as the best players of the game at the time.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LevOMoRPUOo
* 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 , husband Rob Mariano listed Amber as the previous Survivor castaway that he respects the most.http://web.archive.org/web/20230322091624/https://www.cbs.com/shows/survivor/cast/39405/
* Amber received six elimination votes against her on all three seasons she competed.
* In , 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 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 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==
Category:Contestants
Category:Female Contestants
Category:Youngest Contestants
Category:Contestants Appearing in Multiple Seasons
Category:The Australian Outback Contestants
Category:All-Stars Contestants
Category:Winners at War Contestants
Category:The Australian Outback Jury Members
Category:Finalists
Category:Winners at War Jury Members
Category:Ogakor Tribe
Category:Barramundi Tribe
Category:Chapera Tribe
Category:Chaboga Mogo Tribe
Category:Dakal Tribe
Category:6th Place
Category:Winners
Category:20th Place
Category:Survivor (U.S.)
Category:Survivor (U.S.) Contestants
Category:Survivor: The Australian Outback
Category:Survivor: All-Stars
Category:Survivor: Winners at War
Category:1978 births
Category:Living people