Amber Joy Mariano (née Brkich, born August 11, 1978 in Beaver, Pennsylvania) is an American television personality and winner of Survivor: All-Stars, after appearing as a contestant on one of its predecessors, Survivor: The Australian Outback. On May 9, 2004, she accepted fellow All-Stars competitor Rob Mariano's proposal of marriage on the live Survivor: All-Stars finale which took place at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Biography

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. Maxim ranked Brkich as the 50th most beautiful woman in the world in 2004 and 73rd in 2005. 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.