STECKBRIEF


Amber Joy Brkich Mariano (born August 11, 1978 in Beaver, Pennsylvania) is an American reality TV contestant who was the winner of Survivor: All-Stars, and previously was a contestant on Survivor: The Australian Outback. On May 9, 2004, she accepted fellow All-Stars competitor Rob Mariano's proposal of marriage on live television.

Early life

Born in the Pittsburgh suburb of Beaver, Pennsylvania to Croatian parents, Brkich went to Beaver Area High School. She is a graduate of Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, north of Pittsburgh, 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.

Career

Immediately following her appearance on Survivor: The Australian Outback, 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. Amber has also appeared in various commercials for Adelphia Cable, Rite Aid drugstores, and Mountaineer Racetrack in West Virginia.

On April 16, 2005, Rob Mariano and Amber Brkich were married in a private ceremony at Atlantis Paradise Island, in the Bahamas. CBS aired a two-hour special about the wedding on May 24, 2005.

According to a post-race interview conducted by TV Guide, Rob and Amber are in the process of planning a secret, new project. Rob revealed in a June 19, 2007 press release that the project is a new reality show, Tontine, that will follow 15 contestants competing for keys on all seven continents over 100 days. The winner will receive a $10 million prize.