Jeffrey R. Staab,CBS via The Assocaieted Press During the live segment of CBS's "Survivor: All-Stars" finale, finalist Rob Mariano takes a moment before the announcement of the winner to propose to Amber Brkich, the other finalist. Amber accepted the proposal and moments later learned that she won the $1 million grand prize. Click photo for larger image.

In the first "Survivor" season with a major romance as a primary story line, Amber Brkich, from Brighton in Beaver County, beat out her co-star and boyfriend, Rob Mariano, to be crowned winner of CBS's "Survivor: All-Stars" last night.

Not only did she win the show's $1 million grand prize, she also walked away with an engagement ring. Mariano proposed marriage to Brkich before the final vote (four to three in favor of Amber) was read.

"Regardless what happens here tonight, I won," Mariano said. "I have the most special girl in the entire world sitting here right next to me."

Brkich, who wore a shirt emblazoned with "I ♥ Rob," hugged her parents after she was announced as the winner.

During a contentious, emotional final tribal council, jury members -- six players who previously were voted out -- expressed anger and hurt feelings over how both Brkich and especially Mariano played the game.

"You sold out your values, you sold out your character, you sold out yourself for a stack of greenbacks," said Lex van den Berghe. "That money will never be enough to buy it all back."

Kathy Vavrick-O'Brien was in tears as she questioned the two finalists, particularly Mariano.

"I just can't imagine any game where you can check your friendship at the door; it's not in my chemistry," she said before voting for Mariano anyway.

Before the final vote, "Survivor: The Rob and Amber Show," followed its usual script: Filler, filler, filler, something pertinent, filler, filler, filler.

When it came down to the final three and Mariano won immunity before the penultimate tribal council, Jenna Lewis knew the Amber-Rob alliance would hold, but she questioned whether it was in Mariano's best interest.

"He's giving his girlfriend a million dollars," said Lewis, the third to last player in the game, thinking Brkich was a shoe-in to win if the jury had to choose between Brkich and the abrasive Mariano, who broke at least one promise to a member of the jury. "That's a pretty good boyfriend."

Mariano even wondered, albeit briefly, about his choices.

"Is my head clouded? Is my judgement bad," Mariano said. "Amber plays a solid game, but Amber did ride my coattails the entire way. Maybe she conned me the whole way. Maybe it's the biggest scam in the history of 'Survivor.' "

It wasn't. It was Brkich and Mariano in the final two, just as some online Web sites predicted before the show began airing.

Brkich was one of the final six players in "Survivor: The Australian Outback," which aired in spring 2001. She was one of two Pittsburgh-area residents competing in the "All-Stars" edition. South Fayette's Jenna Morasca won $1 million in May 2003 as the champion of "Survivor: Amazon." She left "All-Stars" early to be with her dying mother.

Since appearing in "Survivor: The Australian Outback," Brkich has participated in numerous charity functions.

She was also on the cover of Stuff magazine and worked as the host of an adventure travel game for a cruise line. She's also appeared in television commercials.

Brkich graduated from Westminster College with a bachelor of arts degree in public relations and a minor in speech communications in 2000.

In January, "Survivor" host Jeff Probst acknowledged that Brkich, who never spoke much in the "Australian Outback" edition, was a long shot.

"I fought for Amber because I felt like in the 18 spots we had room to experiment and take a chance," Probst said. "She's clearly a risk or she's an interesting choice because she was the most naive person ever to play. You wonder how she'll do and that's why I thought it was interesting. She's a lamb coming into this game. Is she going to play it that way? What if she's learned something in the last couple of years? She could really be a dark horse."

He also acknowledged that her looks were a factor.

"OK, we're giving you a chance, partly because you're really attractive and you're young and also because you're the one everyone is curious about. Why would you bring Amber? Because Amber might surprise you or she might be disappointing, in which case we go, 'Well, hopefully she wore a bikini quickly.' "