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Name is Aras Baskausas. Anyone familiar with him? Found this on E! Online: Link to article
Aras Survives "Survivor: Panama"by Gina Serpe, May 15, 2006, 6:50 AM PT
Becoming the ultimate Survivor champ was more than just a balancing act. Which, for Aras Baskausas, was a good thing.
The 24-year-old yoga instructor became the 12th winner of the CBS reality show, taking home the $1 million prize and earning the title of sole survivor in Sunday night's finale of Survivor: Panama--Exile Island.
The peace-loving warrior, who once played pro basketball in Lithuania, ultimately outwitted, outplayed and outlasted fellow finalist Danielle DiLorenzo, a 24-year-old medical sales rep from Boston, bringing to an end 39 days of battling elements, shifting tribal alliances and one of the show's fiercest rivalries. He prevailed five to two in the final vote, announced live from New York's Ed Sullivan Theater.
Following his win, Baskausas told CBS.com that victory felt "awesome" and that he would use his hefty payout to open his own yoga studio and "just stay grounded."
The om-loving Santa Monica, California, resident nabbed a spot in the final two despite DiLorenzo's earlier promise to take Baskausas' alpha male rival--and immunity challenge dominator--Terry Dietz all the way.
DiLorenzo, whom host Jeff Probst not so flatteringly called one of "the weakest players who've ever played the game," beat out her male counterparts in the game's final immunity challenge, a balancing act on a series of floating lily pads. A struggling Dietz was the first to fall with Baskausas purposefully jumping ship soon after, but not before receiving a conspiratorial nod from DiLorenzo.
At the Tribal Council, she ultimately voted off Dietz, an ex-Navy pilot, in lieu of her Casya tribe mate Baskausas.
Despite their intense rivalry and frequent exchange of not-so-niceties, Deitz ended up throwing his support behind Baskausas, saying as he cast his vote because "out of the two of you, you were head and shoulders the winner."
Indeed, the young champ did a bang-up job in the competition--quite literally.
As the two finalists had a celebratory stroll on the island's rocky shore, Baskausas took a spill, slicing his palm and finger and winding up with a glass shard deep in his back. The medical team stitched him up and sent him to the final Tribal Council at which time he took the enlightened stance that his freshly bruised ego was a good thing.
"I got my butt kicked out here by the elements. I got my butt kicked by Terry Dietz a lot of the time. I got my butt kicked by my own shortsightedness, falling down on the rocks. Despite the fact that I made it 39 days, I feel like my ego has been crushed," he said.
"Falling down and hurting myself today reminded me just how human I am, and reminded me just how much of a game this is. What that is saying, look Aras, you don't have to be a Superman. You don't have to be a superhero, and you'll be okay. And so with that perspective coming into Tribal Council, maybe I'll be able to connect with people at a deeper level."
Though not with everyone.
Previously ousted jury member--and requisite wild card--Shane Powers blasted Baskausus for being "broke, homeless and freeloading off your father," claiming it should have been Dietz in the final two instead. As for DiLorenzo, he said she was basically "useless at camp."
That seemed to be a sentiment shared by the rest of the seven-person jury. Baskausas easily won the million dollar prize, with DiLorenzo nabbing just two of the votes. (It was a lose-lose situation for DiLorenzo: In a straw poll conducted by Probst during the post show reunion special, the jury indicated it would have voted five to two in favor of Dietz should DiLorenzo have selected him instead.)
Which may have surprised more than a few betting types.
Last month, the online gambling site Bodog.com announced it was suspending wagers on Survivor: Panama after a string of bets poured in for DiLorenzo and a tip-off phone call from a "concerned citizen" warned of a possible broken link in the confidentiality chain.
As for Baskausas, Probst told the newly minted millionaire to learn from original Survivor winner Richard Hatch's IRS-related mistakes, offering one practical piece of advice: "Pay your taxes!"
Survivor: Panama was a Top 10 Nielsen performer for CBS, with nearly 17 million viewers tuning in for Sunday's finale. Producers are already at work on the 13th edition, Survivor: Cook Islands, set to debut in the fall.
Becoming the ultimate Survivor champ was more than just a balancing act. Which, for Aras Baskausas, was a good thing.
The 24-year-old yoga instructor became the 12th winner of the CBS reality show, taking home the $1 million prize and earning the title of sole survivor in Sunday night's finale of Survivor: Panama--Exile Island.
The peace-loving warrior, who once played pro basketball in Lithuania, ultimately outwitted, outplayed and outlasted fellow finalist Danielle DiLorenzo, a 24-year-old medical sales rep from Boston, bringing to an end 39 days of battling elements, shifting tribal alliances and one of the show's fiercest rivalries. He prevailed five to two in the final vote, announced live from New York's Ed Sullivan Theater.
Following his win, Baskausas told CBS.com that victory felt "awesome" and that he would use his hefty payout to open his own yoga studio and "just stay grounded."
The om-loving Santa Monica, California, resident nabbed a spot in the final two despite DiLorenzo's earlier promise to take Baskausas' alpha male rival--and immunity challenge dominator--Terry Dietz all the way.
DiLorenzo, whom host Jeff Probst not so flatteringly called one of "the weakest players who've ever played the game," beat out her male counterparts in the game's final immunity challenge, a balancing act on a series of floating lily pads. A struggling Dietz was the first to fall with Baskausas purposefully jumping ship soon after, but not before receiving a conspiratorial nod from DiLorenzo.
At the Tribal Council, she ultimately voted off Dietz, an ex-Navy pilot, in lieu of her Casya tribe mate Baskausas.
Despite their intense rivalry and frequent exchange of not-so-niceties, Deitz ended up throwing his support behind Baskausas, saying as he cast his vote because "out of the two of you, you were head and shoulders the winner."
Indeed, the young champ did a bang-up job in the competition--quite literally.
As the two finalists had a celebratory stroll on the island's rocky shore, Baskausas took a spill, slicing his palm and finger and winding up with a glass shard deep in his back. The medical team stitched him up and sent him to the final Tribal Council at which time he took the enlightened stance that his freshly bruised ego was a good thing.
"I got my butt kicked out here by the elements. I got my butt kicked by Terry Dietz a lot of the time. I got my butt kicked by my own shortsightedness, falling down on the rocks. Despite the fact that I made it 39 days, I feel like my ego has been crushed," he said.
"Falling down and hurting myself today reminded me just how human I am, and reminded me just how much of a game this is. What that is saying, look Aras, you don't have to be a Superman. You don't have to be a superhero, and you'll be okay. And so with that perspective coming into Tribal Council, maybe I'll be able to connect with people at a deeper level."
Though not with everyone.
Previously ousted jury member--and requisite wild card--Shane Powers blasted Baskausus for being "broke, homeless and freeloading off your father," claiming it should have been Dietz in the final two instead. As for DiLorenzo, he said she was basically "useless at camp."
That seemed to be a sentiment shared by the rest of the seven-person jury. Baskausas easily won the million dollar prize, with DiLorenzo nabbing just two of the votes. (It was a lose-lose situation for DiLorenzo: In a straw poll conducted by Probst during the post show reunion special, the jury indicated it would have voted five to two in favor of Dietz should DiLorenzo have selected him instead.)
Which may have surprised more than a few betting types.
Last month, the online gambling site Bodog.com announced it was suspending wagers on Survivor: Panama after a string of bets poured in for DiLorenzo and a tip-off phone call from a "concerned citizen" warned of a possible broken link in the confidentiality chain.
As for Baskausas, Probst told the newly minted millionaire to learn from original Survivor winner Richard Hatch's IRS-related mistakes, offering one practical piece of advice: "Pay your taxes!"
Survivor: Panama was a Top 10 Nielsen performer for CBS, with nearly 17 million viewers tuning in for Sunday's finale. Producers are already at work on the 13th edition, Survivor: Cook Islands, set to debut in the fall.
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