The Latest on Amber Brkich and Rob Mariano

One of reality TV's most enduring relationships wasn't even born on The Bachelor or The Bachelorette. Instead, it was born on Survivor, and continued on The Amazing Race. Amber Brkich and Rob Mariano were the winner and runner-up on Survivor: All Stars, and had fallen in love during filming. It's certainly not the first time a relationship was begun under the watchful eye of Jeff Probst, but it's actually lasted much longer than most of the relationships originated on The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, save for Trista Rehn and Ryan Sutter, and has even been given a "Hollywood" relationship name of "Romber."

Amber, a native of Beaver, Pennsylvania, had first appeared on Survivor: Australia and struck up an immediate friendship with Jerri Manthey. This saved her for awhile, but once the teams merged, Jerri was gone quickly, and Amber was immediately guilty by association, meeting the same fate two weeks later. It was two seasons later that Rob made his appearance on Survivor: Marquesas. He quickly started a relationship with Sarah Jones, and when she was voted off after just a few weeks during a tribal switch, he figured his control of the game would only increase. However, the tribes merged two weeks later, and "Boston Rob," attempted to stir the pot flirting with a drunk Kathy. Although she was completely smitten, she came to her senses the next day, and he was voted out.

Season eight of Survivor brought Survivor: All Stars, and brought Rob and Amber back to the series. They were both on the same tribe, and Rob quickly turned to Amber for an alliance, just as he had done early on with Sarah in Marquesas. The difference was, unlike Sarah, Amber knew how to play the game, and her play was solely to ride coattails, just as she had done with Jerri. A bona fide relationship began to develop, and when the two were split up in a tribal switch, Rob made sure to ask his friend Lex van den Berghe to watch after his "girl." When Lex was voted out the following week, he wasn't very happy with his "friend," and it was clear the relationship they enjoyed outside the game, would no longer exist.

Getting people to do what he wanted, was no problem for Rob, who has a B.A. in Psychology from Boston University. Eventually, he finagled his way into the final two, along with Amber, as he figured either he would win the money, or she would, and if they were in a relationship together, they could share the pot. During the live finale, before the results were revealed, Rob popped the question, and Amber said yes. His detractors will always say that he only proposed to ensure a share of the big money at the end of the game. When the results were revealed shortly after, Rob was then engaged to the Survivor: All Stars winner.

Many didn't give Amber and Rob much credit, believing their relationship wouldn't last that long, but the next time they reappeared after Survivor, they were still together, yet on another reality show. They became contestants on The Amazing Race, and their fellow racers on the show weren't giving them much credit. Anyone that would have watched Rob on either Survivor would know he was pretty crafty, yet racers like Patrick, Lynn, and Alex, assumed he was "dumb as a bag of rocks." The locals of every country they were in, however, knew them from Survivor, and often helped them, treating them as celebrities. They proved those other racers wrong, coming in second place.

In the only way they knew how, Rob and Amber shared their nuptials with the world, via their televisions. In a special aired shortly after they were on The Amazing Race, Rob and Amber were shown preparing for the wedding both separately and together, readying their home they would share together, meeting with a wedding planner, etc. The television event culminated with us watching them exchange vows in the presence of a select few Survivor and The Amazing Race contestants.

"Romber" wasn't ready to head off into the reality TV sunset just yet, though. Amber penned a book, "Amber's Guide for Girls," giving advice to young girls everywhere on how to conduct their lives, presumably just as she has, and Rob has appeared regularly in bits for CBS's The Early Show, Rob to the Rescue. Although some reality TV fans are complaining that these two have definitely had more than their fifteen minutes of fame, they'll be back again, starting February 18, on The Amazing Race: All Stars.

Many would like to see the couple make a quick exit and stay off their television screens, and others are hoping they make it to the finish line this time. My prediction is that it will certainly be a different race for them than the last time, as I don't think they'll be so severely underestimated again. However, Rob is cunning at its best, and I would bet that he has some new tricks up his sleeve.