First off, I don't understand throwing this challenge when regardless you have to go out and buy the ingredients. It's a waste of your money and it's not fun as a host.

Second, I hope that Nick also realizes they're trying to pick off the individuals and passes his idol to Brian Wo, I think that would be amazing but idk if it would happen.

Third, sitting on call with Scully and Kate and Scully was talking about going to FTC together and Kate PMed me this:

[10:35:12 PM] Kate: i would never ever go to ftc with brian


I'm curious what her actual end game plans are...

Also. For this challenge I add the match-ups to private chats to discuss the challenge and only the challenge. This one just happened....

[10:27:15 PM] *** Ashlee added Sean ., Nick DeMott ***
[10:27:40 PM] *** Ashlee has renamed this conversation to "Cafe: Nick vs Sean" ***
[10:27:42 PM] Ashlee: You guys will have last pick. Once the duos before you select, then i'll let you know what is available, but you can begin discussing prior to that. You cannot discus the game further than this challenge
[10:28:26 PM] Nick DeMott: wonderful
[10:39:06 PM] Sean .: You're gonna lose
[10:39:15 PM] Sean .: I eat dicks like you for work
[10:42:25 PM] Nick DeMott: that sounds marginally better than a raw egg and prune juice

RJ Sobczak @ 7/8/2016 0:22

[1:20:01 AM] Ashlee: any questions before this old lady goes to bed? [1:20:18 AM] Chris LeCompte: How many men have you slept with As classy as ever.

and my response:

[12:20:39 AM] Ashlee: Less than Sam
[12:20:50 AM] Ashlee: More than RJ

Brian Scully @ 7/8/2016 3:24

Brian is pissed about that Casey vote. That Vic and I deceived them all day. That we betrayed him. Brian needs to wake the fuck up and realize his shit has consequences. He needs to realize that forcing an alliance down our throats was not engendering any actual loyalty. That shit talking us to other people while playing nice to our faces will get back to us. Tonight's vote was for many reasons. It weakened Jesse. It removed a wildcard. Lots of reasons. And when we lose Endure Cafe, we will vote Brian out and permanently destroy any ground Jesse has to stand on, forcing him to scramble hardcore and paint an even bigger target on himself. We will be keeping in people who are at odds with each other. We will be doing a lot of things that benefit our mutual games. Mine especially. I'll also be sure to note in my vote against Brian that it was purely cause and effect. He caused this effect.

This kinda frustrates me for a few reasons. For one, the part about faking alliances is very hypocritical. Did they not just do that to Casey? For two, Brian Wojan isn't really the type to talk shit behind people's backs, but if you're talking cause/effect you voted out his sister...Third, what is the obsession with Jesse? Like even if they don't throw it, their pairs have 8 people, there are only 5 singles, even if he wanted the numbers he doesn't have them, even if he has the idol that'd only last one round. This is so reactive and negative that it's not even good strategy.

Not gonna lie part of me hopes that Nick would realize they're picking off singles and use on or pass the idol to Brian Wojan to blindside one of the bigger powerplayers. I doubt it will happen. I hope that not everyone will throw though...

I'm not spoiling any duel results here but man the one we just hosted was close and it was brutal.

I don't think that is true about Jesse/Scully. Jesse is super paranoid about them.

I really want something to happen in these next two rounds so that merge isn't a predictable "pairs" run the endgame.

And I'd be okay if that something was one of the bigger players Sam/Vic, Scully/Kate leaving.

I think if Scully left, Kate's allegiances would shift a bit, more towards Miller and therefore Nick, which could potentially change the dynamics quite a bit. I've been a little disappointed in some of Kate's confessionals/conversations, she tells Scully everything, and her game really is wrapped up in him when at the beginning they were mostly playing separately and had that healthy competitive thing that was endearing.

Holli constantly surprises me with how much she is invested in this game and unlike most of the other people with their loved one still in, she isn't wrapped up in Chris's game, and she also hasn't made as many enemies. I think she has the most options, but I don't know if she realizes that and I don't think she sees what a powerful position she could be in.

I think my favorites in the game are the "underdogs" not solely because they're the underdogs but because they're also the most aware and they're not mean about the game. Brian Wojan, Nick, Jesse. They're mostly positive, they haven't screwed people over royally or caused anyone to be super bitter (Vic/Scully to Casey/Razek/etc).

Thanks Alex for mentioning Jesse. I love Jesse and I love this side to his gameplay. It shows that he is more than just the OTT "dumb" player. He is very smart, and he is being very vulnerable in this game compared to others. I love it.

Alex Rico @ 8/8/2016 14:57

Of course, this is the side of Jesse that he shows you when he plays with you which makes him so cool and relatable, very different than who he shows in confessionals.

RT. This is the Jesse I got to know in Legends and it's part of what makes him such an amazing person. I want everyone to know this side of Jesse because he's honestly just great.

Vic said he already told Brian that he's voting him. This depresses me. I don't need this kind of negativity in my life.

Oh i totally get the frustration, I'd be right there with them if it were me. But at the same time games have twists and they're still playing it to their advantage no matter how much they complain.

Yes they've villainized themselves (yes that's not an actual word) but they've also been playing the twist fairly smart. They're taking out singles in the event of additional TTB rounds, they're throwing to make sure they have the right people at the TTB tribals. I get both sides of it. And I think that the pairs are playing it the best they can.