Survivor birthday: Amber Brkich (Australia, All-Stars) turns 39
Who knew that one little alliance on Survivor All-Stars could change the world for Amber Brkich (now known as Amber Mariano).
Player: Amber Brkich (Amber Mariano)
Occupation: Administrative Assistant
Hometown: Beaver, Pennsylvania
Seasons: Survivor: The Australian Outback, All-Stars
Tribes: Ogakor (Lime Green Buff), Barramundi (Orange Buff) in Australian Outback, Chapera (Red Buff), Chaboga Mogo (Blue Buff) in All-Stars
Finished: 6/16 in Australian Outback, Sole Survivor of All-Stars
It’s unfortunate that so much darkness surrounded the events of Survivor All-Stars. Not only did players quit due to ill loved ones at home, but we saw a horrific, indecent incident involving Richard Hatch and Sue Hawk that saw nobody support the victim. CBS did what they could to spin the season as a positive; showcase the Amber Brkich / Boston Rob Mariano love story to its biggest degree.
The two were thick as thieves, working as an alliance from the very beginning. Of all the loud, boisterous reality contestants of that season, Amber Brkich represented the calm, cool and collected voice of reason. While playing up as the face of their alliance, it was very much a strategic front to build trust in the scores of post-merge players who believed they were safe in partnerships with the two.
Above all else, however, Amber Brkich was a goofy player who was down for any sort of fun. On Day 3, every member of the Chapera tribe decided to let loose by pretending to be different members of the Saboga tribe. Amber played Tina Wesson (the inevitable first eliminated contestant from the season) by putting on a fake Southern accent and augmenting her chest with some materials found on her tribe’s beach.
Everyone worked their impersonations to a T, but it was Amber who had her part downplayed the most. The editors knew who was going to win the season before it aired, but by contrasting Amber’s lighthearted approach to this mock Tribal Council with Boston Rob’s underhanded strategy of creating distrust in Ethan Zohn, they began to craft the narrative of a scorned jury.
Next: Survivor Winners: Ranking All 33 Sole Survivors By Season
With Boston Rob and Amber Brkich making their way to the Final 2 and getting engaged before a winner was announced, it didn’t matter. Amber was a winner twice that day, spawning one of the most recognizable couples of early 21st-century television. Being happily married for more than a decade, we at Surviving Tribal would like to wish Amber Mariano a happy 39th birthday!