The relatively short but highly scrutinized life of Amber Brkich revisits an old question that has engaged philosophers for centuries - what, exactly, is reality?

Or, in the case of Amber Brkich (aka Amber Joy Mariano), Reality?

Was it her early years in Pennsylvania, where she was a cheerleader at Beaver Area High School and a sorority sister, public relations major and Dean's List student at Westminster College in New Wilmington? Or did her real life really begin with her appearance on "Survivor: The Australian Outback," which catapulted Brkich into millions of living rooms.

Brkich auditioned for and was accepted on the second season of Survivor, and was assigned to the Ogakos tribe. There, she quickly formed alliances (the public relations training, perhaps) and was a central figure in the dismissal of rival tribe member Jeff Varner. Eventually, however, she was ousted by her own tribe and finished sixth.

Which didn't matter, as far as her public profile was concerned. Playboy approached her with the usual offer, but she turned them down and appeared on the cover of Stuff instead. In 2004, Maxim magazine named her the 50th most beautiful woman in the world (she unaccountably slipped to 73rd the following year). She also appeared in TV ads and hosted an adventure travel game on a cruise ship.

Perhaps all this notoriety led to her being named to the 2004 All-Star version of Survivor, where she formed an alliance with Rob Mariano in more ways than one. The two became obviously friendly early on (their relationship was the subject of a heated discussion in one tribal council), and wound up as the final pair. Before the last vote was taken, Rob proposed to Amber and she accepted. Then, by a 4-3 vote, she was revealed to be the sole survivor.

But Rob and and Amber were not finished with reality TV. In 2005,they participated as a couple in "The Amazing Race" and finished second. It didn't hurt that they were recognized (and aided) by people all over the world.

The pair brought the same competitiveness to bear on that challenge as they had shown in Survivor. At one point, they drove past the scene of a car accident involving two other competitors without stopping,  thus gaining valuable ground on all the other participants who did.

Amber and Rob were married on April 16, 2005 at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. Two years later, they were back on TV as competitors in an All-Star version of The Amazing Race. This time, the finished last.

Their most recent adventure, in 2007, was titled “Rob and Amber: Against the Odds,” and focused on Rob’s attempt to become a professional poker player.

In July of 2009, now living in Florida, Amber and Rob welcomed their first child, a daughter they named Lucia Rose.

Really.