Author Topic: Aras Baskauskas~ Sole winner of Survivor 12 !!  (Read 6525 times)

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Offline puddin

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Aras Baskauskas~ Sole winner of Survivor 12 !!
« on: January 16, 2006, 03:58:41 PM »


Aras Baskauskas completed his undergraduate program in three years and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from the University of California, Irvine. In 2003, he was named one of UC Irvine's "Most Eligible Bachelors" in the student newspaper. 
 
Baskauskas continued his education at UC Irvine and graduated from the Graduate School of Management, where he received his Masters in Business Administration. He is proudest of being the only student to have played NCAA Men's Division One basketball on scholarship while in the MBA program. 
 
Baskauskas is a former professional basketball player, having played briefly overseas in Lithuania. After leaving the court, Aras moved to Capetown, South Africa, where he opened up a donation-based yoga studio. He currently works as a yoga instructor in Santa Monica, California. His hobbies include meditation, golf and surfing. He describes himself as outgoing, compassionate and genuine. 
 
Baskauskas is currently single and living in Santa Monica, California. His birth date is September 26, 1981. 
 
FAVORITES
 
Colors  Blue 
Scents Lavender 
Flowers Orchid 
Board Games Parcheesi 
Video Games Warcraft II 
Sports to Play Basketball, soccer, golf, football, whiffle ball 
Sports Teams UC Irvine Anteaters 
Outdoor Activities Surfing, mountain biking 
TV Shows No favorite 
Movies Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter…and Spring; The Big Lebowski 
Actors John Cusack, Dustin Hoffman 
Actresses No favorite 
Music Jack Johnson, Krishna Das, Norah Jones, Miles Davis 
Magazines Tricycle 
Books/Authors The Wisdom of Insecurity, Alan Watts, Krishnamurti, Osho 
Cereals Trader Joe's granola 
Fruits Banana 
Snack Foods Have-A Chips 
Cookies Oatmeal Raisin 
Candy Bars Snickers 
Alcoholic Drinks No favorite 
Non-Alcoholic Fresh squeezed orange juice 
« Last Edit: May 15, 2006, 01:27:03 PM by puddin »

Offline puddin

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Re: Aras Baskauskas~ Sole winner of Survivor 12 !!
« Reply #1 on: May 15, 2006, 01:32:35 PM »
Aras Aces 'Survivor: Panama'
( Realone video link ) CBSNews.com's Amy Bonawitz talks to the cast of "Survivor: Panama" minutes after the live season finale
May 15, 2006
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(CBS) There were four players as Sunday's season finale of "Survivor: Panama — Exile Island" began but when the curtain came down, Aras Baskauskas, a 24-year-old yoga instructor from California, had emerged as sole Survivor.

In the end, Aras' insistence that he had played the game "honestly and with integrity" won over the members of the tribal jury. In the broadcast live from New York, "Survivor" host Jeff Probst read the final votes guaranteeing victory for Aras, and his family rushed towards him, cheering wildly.

On The Early Show Monday, Aras told co-anchor Rene Syler, "It's really exciting. It's overwhelming."

And, winning $1 million "hasn't sunk in. It's so hard to even fathom a million dollars in my mind, living with my dad and freeloading like I do. So it's an honor to be here. It's really overwhelming."

When the check was placed in his hand, he exclaimed: "I don't even know what to do! Like, where do I go with this?"

"Going into (the final) tribal council," Aras told Syler, "I had no idea how the vote was going to go. There were a lot of unknowns. How was Courtney going to vote? How was Shane going to vote? Sally and Austin were question marks. It ended up going my way. It could have easily gone the other way."

Interviewed by CBSNews.com Sunday night after his winning moment, Aras called the feeling of victory "awesome" and said he plans to use his prize money to open his own yoga studio, fund an apparel company he's starting and "just stay grounded."

But yoga, he said, is still his "passion."

"Survivor" host Jeff Probst had a little advice for Aras on his new millionaire status. "Pay your taxes!" said Probst, an obvious reference to the winner of the first "Survivor," Richard Hatch. Hatch is scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday in Providence, R.I., for failure to pay taxes on his "Survivor" winnings and other income.

Aras also has advice for future "Survivor" contestants.

"The more real you can be out there," he says, "the more successful you'll be at it."

Probst says Aras' approach to the game was simple: "Aras' strategy was not to be voted out, not to be glib. But that's really the strategy — that's how you play this game. 'How do I get it off me and on to you? Off me and on to her. Just keep it off me.' Aras kept it off him for 16 weeks."

Aras had entered the final episode — Episode 14 — in a struggle against Terry, a 46-year-old airline pilot and retired Navy fighter pilot from Connecticut; Cirie, a 35-year-old nurse from South Carolina; and Danielle, a 24-year-old sales rep from Boston.In Episode 13, there had been a tie in the vote on which of them should get kicked out of the money — a deadlock that was resolved in a fire-making challenge. Danielle won, sending Cirie — by far the most popular of Panama's Survivors — home.

As Danielle contemplated the final crunch, a force field developed between the men.

"I'm definitely caught in the middle of these two guys who have a testosterone match every day," said Danielle, talking about the intense competition between Terry and Aras.

Terry, who had dominated the individual challenges, continued that streak by winning a reward challenge that gave him a full meal and cot the night before the final challenge.

But in the final immunity challenge, Danielle won the extreme balancing act, leaving her with a tough decision to make: Who to take to the final tribal council? Aras, who she'd given a secretive nod to during the balancing challenge, or Terry, with whom she had made a pact with earlier in the season?

"I'm not going to take someone because I made a promise to them," Danielle said. "I'm going to take someone I have a better chance of beating."

Danielle chose Aras as her final competitor "because Aras and I voted off the same amount of people and I felt like people on the jury had the same amount of animosity towards us … It was a tossup ... (Aras and Terry) were the two most competitive people in the game."

Danielle's choice was a loser, but she isn't bitter.

"I'm still so proud of myself that I made it as far as I did," says Danielle. "The decision I made at the time, is what I thought was the right decision. I move — and look — forward."

Terry is also philosophical about the outcome of the adventure in Panama.

"On the social side of the game, I made a bunch of mistakes," he said, talking strategy. "I hope to bring some of that stuff I learned back home, as far as interpersonal relationships with my family."

So not a total loss after all.

Aras told Syler on Monday morning: "Terry went with the soft sell and I went with the hard sell. Looking back on it, I feel a little bad that I pressed so hard. You're out there and you do what you have to do when you're out there, and you can apologize now or later and whenever it is."

Aras admitted his competitive streak can be fierce sometimes: "I do teach yoga and I don't try to pretend like I'm a yogi, 'cause I'm not. And I'm learning. And sometimes I get competitive. Sometimes, I really wanna beat Terry, and most of the time Terry beats me. And you learn from it. That's the wonderful thing about 'Survivor' for me is that I learned a lot. I learned that a 46-year-old buck can still whoop me pretty bad. And he did.

"I think we're both really competitive. We both wanted to win. ... It ended up being so cool because we really do have a great relationship now. He's an amazing guy. He's an amazing family guy. And I'm honored to be able to be in a rivalry with Terry."

The other three members of the final four joined Aras and co-anchor Julie Chen, along with Syler, later on The Early Show Monday.

Since it was Aras' contention that he'd played the game honestly and with integrity that tipped the scales in his favor in the end, the other three were asked about his depiction of how he'd conducted himself.

Their answers seemed diplomatic.

"He played within his moral bounds, and he made choices according to the situations that were posed to him, and I think he did a fine job," Terry commented.

"I think he played a pretty loyal game. I mean, of course, he's manipulative as all heck, and that helped him get to where he is," Danielle remarked.

"I love Aras," Cirie said. "I think he's great. And I think he played the game with a whole lot of integrity. I mean, he made some moves that he absolutely had to, but no, I think Aras deserves the million dollars. I'm so happy for him. Good job, Aras."

"And," Aras insisted, "I came home and I was really proud of myself to play the way I played. I mean, it's really difficult to not tell a lie and to not do things for 39 days. I told a couple lies. I've lied more to my mom since I've been back about the fact that I didn't get to the final two than when I was out there. But you know, it's all a lesson. You make a mistake, you learn from it and you get to watch it on tape and see yourself and, hopefully, you learn a little bit."



Offline puddin

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Re: Aras Baskauskas~ Sole winner of Survivor 12 !!
« Reply #2 on: May 16, 2006, 01:00:47 AM »
Yoga Guru Keeps His Cool to Win Survivor
by Allison Corneau
 
Aras Baskauskas, Survivor: Panama
 
Aras Baskauskas may have butted heads with his Casaya tribe mates early on, but his athletic prowess and true competitive nature helped him survive 39 days in Panama by outwitting, outplaying and outlasting 15 other castaways to walk away as the sole Survivor. The 24-year-old Santa Monica-based yoga instructor was awarded the ultimate prize Sunday night as CBS' Survivor: Panama---Exile Island concluded its 16-week run. TVGuide.com sat down with the newly minted — albeit exhausted — millionaire the day after his big win to get the scoop on his "wonderful experience" in Panama, how he'll spend his winnings, and his latest business venture to keep America warm with his new brand line of winter hats.
TVGuide.com: Congratulations! How did it feel to wake up this morning a millionaire?
Aras Baskauskas: [Laughs]

TVGuide.com: Going into the game, did you ever think that you'd manage to outwit, outplay and outlast your 15 teammates?
Aras: It was amazing!



TVGuide.com: You were certainly one of the strongest alpha males in the game this season. What kinds of reactions have you received from your family and friends about your impressive game play?
Aras: They loved watching [me]. They got a kick out of all the times I fell and all the times I did well.

TVGuide.com: Except the time you fell and got cut with broken glass, right?
Aras: I haven't gotten any feedback on that yet, since it [only] just happened, but it's been cool. [My family] didn't know [I won], so it was a big surprise for them that I made it to the final two.

TVGuide.com: Would you do anything differently in the game if you could?
Aras: Well… I wouldn't have made the comments I made about Terry, Austin or Courtney, but other than that, no. I really thought I played a good game with a lot of honor and integrity.

TVGuide.com: Your strategic game play worked well to earn you a spot in the final two, but what were your feelings about how both your tribal friends and enemies would consider your previous actions and decide your fate?
Aras: I made a lot of long-term friendships. Terry and I have a great relationship, Shane and I have a great relationship — despite what you see out there. Obviously Cirie and I do. [I talk with] Danielle and Austin all the time. I did make great relationships, actually, and that's why I think I won.

 
TVGuide.com: Did any of the jury questions surprise you last night?
Aras: Shane's question, definitely. [Shane asked the final two to select an arbitrary number to earn his vote.]

TVGuide.com: If you were sitting on the other side of the fire pit and had to ask a question as a jury member, what would it be?
Aras: I've honestly thought about that, and I don't know what I would ask.

TVGuide.com: So from the start you had a feeling you'd make it to the final two?
Aras: When I got there and saw the other 15 people, I honestly thought to myself, "I can do this." 

TVGuide.com: Now that you have a cool million in the bank, is there any chance you'll pay your dad back after freeloading off him for so long?
Aras: I don't know, maybe I'll keep freeloading. Why stop a good thing?

TVGuide.com: Cirie told me you've already discussed the possibility of her driving you to the bank to cash your check, in her brand-new GMC Yukon.
Aras: [Laughs] That would be awesome!

TVGuide.com: You already had a stamp in your passport from professional basketball play in Lithuania. How did your stay in Panama compare?
Aras: I've traveled all over the world, but I've never been on a deserted island in the middle of a tropical area. It was really cool, such a wonderful experience.

TVGuide.com: You were one of the contestants who paid some dues on Exile Island. During your stay there, did you have any idea how influential the immunity idol would become?
Aras: Yes, I did. I knew it was huge and could totally change the game. And it did. I remember thinking that if there were no Exile Island, I would have won the game.

TVGuide.com: How do you think the game would have been different had you found the idol instead of Terry?
Aras: I probably would have still won.

TVGuide.com: How do you plan to spend your hard-earned winnings? Any plans to open a yoga studio?
Aras: I'm definitely going to be doing the yoga stuff. Did you [hear about] my company? If you could give me a plug for TundraGear.com it would be awesome. You've got to write that down!

http://www.tvguide.com/News/Insider/?cmsGuid=%7B97F5531B-4355-472E-B592-A2150992F3BA%7D

Offline Bathfizzy

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Re: Aras Baskauskas~ Sole winner of Survivor 12 !!
« Reply #3 on: May 17, 2006, 12:49:52 AM »
Congratulations to Aras for winning.  I was pleased.  I liked the way he answered the questions at Tribal Council.  He seemed sincere when he spoke.  I also liked it when he talked about his ego being blown, etc. when he lost the challenges against Terry.  I definitely enjoyed the head to head competition in the last couple of shows.  It definitely made it interesting.  I was surprised that Shane was so angry against him during final tribal council.  I am glad that they are all friendly now.  So do all the survivors have parties and do public events now??

Thanks Puddin for posting the last two articles.  :hearts: :hearts:

Offline Cecil

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Re: Aras Baskauskas~ Sole winner of Survivor 12 !!
« Reply #4 on: June 28, 2006, 06:47:04 AM »
Well one of my Casaya 4 Alliance won and I'm happy.  Aras seems like a really cool guy he played a sound game in all aspects and he deserved it.  Great winner to a Great Season.   Heres to Aras :jam:
« Last Edit: June 28, 2006, 06:52:23 AM by Cecil »
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