1. Where does my game end and yours begin? Was it a partnership, was I a shield, were you a pawn? None of the above? All of the above? Explain who did how much of the strategic and social lifting for our alliance.

It's a little bit of everything you said. It was definitely a partnership; we hit it off basically from the start. I legitimately enjoyed a lot of the conversations we had and the strategizing we did. You made a good portion of this game for me in terms of entertainment. I also wanted to use you as a shield and stay off the radar. In theory, this is a classic strategy, but somehow, I ended up getting way more votes than you ever would have gotten lol. In theory, I was trying to hide behind you, and if people targeted me, I could say, "Why do I pose a threat to your game?? He's the one you should be looking at!" A few lovely ladies were targeting me though, so my plan didn't work out as well as I wanted it to. For the premerge, I'd say I was definitely trying to be more of a pawn. I wanted to remain off people's radar, and I knew you were gaining a reputation around, which made you the perfect person to theoretically hide behind going into the merge. Then, part way into the merge, I was going to turn my game up to 11 and melt some faces off. The merge is really where the game starts, and by doing what I was told and making some decent friendships (along with a little luck from getting on the winning tribes) all while staying mostly under the radar? Everyone would view me as a pawn and underestimate me, which could give me the element of surprise; one of the most valuable things in this game. You were definitely the alpha during the premerge and part way into the merge, but I think at around the Candice boot is where we started to get more equal footing.

Admittedly, you did a lot of the social lifting for me. I'd say we both were fairly equal in terms of strategizing for our alliance, but socially? You definitely did a lot more work there than I did. You made a connection with Misty off the bat, you were in good with Bob Dawg, and you were getting information from a lot of people. Me? I was mostly getting information from you, and getting pieces of it from other people. I used you as my primary source, and then I did my double-checking and made my rounds with the people we were playing with. I wasn't in good enough graces with some people to know what they were thinking and doing behind the scenes, and you would fill me in about them so I could have a better understanding of what was going on and who to talk to about what. This was done so that I could know what's going on while attempting to stay off the radar. You were getting a very large chunk of information, so in turn, I was as well, all while people could underestimate how much info I actually had.

2. Let’s say, hypothetically, Bobdawg goes at the Final 6. What happens from there? Are we going to the Final 2, or am I getting cut? If so, in an ideal situation, when does that happen?

Sorry dude, as much as I'd like to say I'd take you to the end, you said it yourself at one point. I was the Danielle to your Aras. I'm not playing for second though! I want to win. I knew you would sweep me in every single scenario, and if I wanted to win, I knew you had to go at some point so our games could be distinguished from one another. If Bob Dawg goes at F6, I'd need to speak with Jenn after that and see what she thinks about it. If she is for it, then whoever loses between you and Misty would probably go (with the help from Debbie of course), then the other would go ASAP. If you/Misty keep winning, then I pick off Debbie at F4, and then I pick off the winner at F3 assuming I win immunity. If my phrasing doesn't make a fucking lick of sense, then this is basically it:
F5- I use my, Debbie's, and hopefully Jenn's vote to take out whoever lost immunity between you and Misty. If neither win, probably vote off Misty.
F4- If Misty is still around and she wins immunity, go for Debbie; if she doesn't win immunity, she's gone. If you win immunity, Debbie goes; if you don't, then hopefully I can swing Jenn to vote for you.
F3- If it's Me/Deb/Jenn, then I probably take Jenn to the end, but seeing as she was having doubts about making it to FTC, it seemed like she might want to be voted out before then? So if that's the case, I probably grant her the wish. If Misty or you are still around, winning immunity is my #1 goal.

If everything could go my way, I probably wouldn't change much up until F7. If everything went my way and I had 100% control and immunities played no factor in who I want gone, then I probably vote Misty off at F7, Bob/you at F6 and the other at F5, so I have a F4 between Shane (who I tipped off at F8), Jenn (who I've been with all game), and Debbie (who I included in my plans and attempted to give new life to in the game) so that I could be in the center of their plans and they would feel loyal to me in terms of what I had done for their games at that point. At that point, I'm sure I'd be able to navigate to the end in some way, shape, or form. It'd be hard to fully know at that point who would benefit me most to go to the end, since mistakes get made and bridges get burned. Gun to my head, Debbie would probably go at F4 and then Shane at F3.

That's the god honest truth. I still cherish our friendship though, and our bromance was as real as the moon and stars in the sky <3 I hope we can stay in touch long after this is over.

Don't forget the questions for both of you Jerry! Well answered though. :)

Nick Maiorano @ 13/6/2016 20:53

Rank the jury based on their gameplay. #1 is the star of the season, #8 is the wimpy little non leader.

#9*

:)

Rank the jury based on their gameplay. #1 is the star of the season, #8 #9 is the wimpy little non leader.

Now, bare in mind, we do have a few people who's gameplay I didn't really get to see that much of (and some of that is on me, some of that is on me being sick because that time period was the fucking worst). Regardless, here goes:

1.) Nick. If we discount that raw deal from the rock draw, I think he might have won, despite my plans to get him out. He was in well with basically everyone in the game, all the information was getting served to him like a three course meal, and he had multiple deals and alliances to fall back on, as well as challenge strength. If it didn't go to rocks that round, I seriously think he could have won.
2.) Bob Dawg. The sheer fact that he was able to turn things around from tripping at the start of the merge is impressive, but he managed to basically me an information sponge, and he was very selective about the information he revealed to people. Normally, people would be sketched out by actions like that, but he had the social charm to make you not care. I'm going to enjoy going back through his confessionals and seeing what kinds of things were going through his brain during most rounds.
3.) Misty. She was a social power house, no doubt, and calling her a challenge beast would be the understatement of the season. She was able to get much farther than she probably should have, even if immunity from the votes had a large thing to do with it. I would have ranked her higher, but she voted in the minority multiple times, despite theoretically having connections with basically everyone in the game. Had she gotten her way and voted me out at one point, she'd probably be higher on this list.
4.) Shane. He managed to get an idol and play it correctly when his neck was on the line, and he was the majority for the most part. The only thing is, once the majority inevitably started caving in on itself, he didn't have a whole lot of really strong connections to carry him through, so most people probably didn't think that keeping him benefitted their games. If he had changed that, I think he would have been a much bigger threat than he was.
5.) Candice. I mean, my experience with her was a strange one (thanks for that, Misty -__-), so subjectively, I would probably put her a lot lower. However, she managed to almost turn around after voting in the minority, and she did have a certain charm to her that was appealing. When I started throwing her name out and she got wind of it though, she confronted me with a BS plan and then after I said I wasn't on board, she told me to vote for her and that she wanted me gone. That's an odd way to react to a rumor that your name is being thrown around, if you ask me :P
6.) Jenn. She wedged herself into the majority alliance and managed to ride it out for longer than most people probably expected, but her social game (outside of her allies) wasn't ideal. Not to mention you had to either a night owl or a European to be online when she was. She played a loyal game and won a few challenges, along with staying off of a lot of people's radar, intentionally or not.
7.) Chris. He divulged too much information straight from the start of the merge to people he shouldn't have trusted so easily (me). He clearly had some decent strategy if he was almost able to control the outcome of that first vote at the merge, but he wasn't able to successfully read the room and figure out which people he could trust with what pieces of information.
8.) Tina. She socially isolated herself from her old allies after Nick switched tribes (even though her and Shane were fine anyways) and jumped ship onto the Titanic. We all know how that went...
9.) Joanna. Now personally, I have no idea what the tribe dynamics were on that tribe. No clue. But, Joanna clearly put forth a lot of effort in the challenges early on while she was on a tribe that ended up having a bit of a losing streak. She either got unlucky going against a strong, unwavering alliance, or she didn't make it clear how her tribe needed her. Good gameplay usually requires a little luck, so that's why I put her down so low.

If any of you throw a temper tantrum about how I ranked so and so really high, and this person really low, remember, this is MY perspective. The gameplay elements that I think are most important and least important are probably going to differ from everyone else's opinions, even if it's just slightly.

it's always a pleasure nicholas.

if it's okay with you, i'm gonna answer my questions out of order. if it's not okay with you, that's too bad. i'm not getting your vote anyway <3

2. A recurring pattern I had in the game was “Debbie won’t talk to me” or “Debbie is hard to get a hold of.” For me, I’d send you a message, wait an hour, get a response, send a message back, wait an hour, get a response - do you sense a pattern? Why should the jurors reward someone who was in general, a very flaky person.

yes, i cannot deny that for a large part of this game i was not here much. but, not to excuse my own lack of activity at times... hardly anyone was as accessible as is typical for an org. but of course i sense a pattern, and i was well aware of how that would come across, but there was very little i could actually do about it.

during round two, my laptop decided it was time for it to die. since then i played this game only from my phone. mobile aim is a pain in the ass and often wouldn't load messages, and when it did it would have a tendency to eat new messages leaving me unsure of what needed responding to. when i was home or free i made effort to be here and i tried to be present in group discussions when needed, but i will also admit that a lot of my time during this game was spent with my (now ex) boyfriend, who had an issue with me messaging people when i was with him. it was a very hypocritical view of his, but i usually obliged nonetheless, and that's when my messages would come hours apart. there's no excusing that, and there's no forgiving that, because i am the one who put up with his controlling behavior as long as i did. no one is to blame for me flakiness but me, but i don't think i was completely off the grid or ever impossible to get ahold of - in fact, there were times that i'd message people and have to wait hours for a response as well. such as shane's boot round, he messaged me hey debbie, i replied within the minute, and i didn't hear back from him the rest of the day. other people told me about him messaging them during this time, but he did not reply to me all day.

so while my activity in the middle of the game was not the strongest showing, i still do think i'm a valid contender for the title of sole survivor. my finale opponent too was hard to get a hold of, and has a lot less to show of it than i do.

1. Justify your flip to the jury. Give us a strategic reason why I had to go at that exact moment, even with the 66% chance it’d blow up in your face INSTANTLY.

the f6 is where i broke free in a real life sense and an in game sense as well. that day i found out my ex was cheating on me, and i was a mess, but i was finally able to do what i wanted. i was online almost all that day before the vote, discussing every alternative that could go down except the one i knew i wanted to go down - the one i caused to go down. and the thing is, it wasn't a "flip" at all. i was always more tightly aligned with bob dawg than you. at this point in the game i was also much closer to misty, as she was the only person i felt comfortable sharing personal details with, and she was the person who helped me through my breakup. while, yes, i was aligned with you... it was obvious to everyone remaining that you'd have to go at some point. you were the biggest threat in the game, and you were immune for once. with the way votes were being split and my position as the swing, i had the perfect opportunity to possibly send home the biggest threat in the game. was it a huge risk? yes, yes it was. did you try and persuade me not to go to rocks so to keep us both safe? yes, yes you did. but this was where i took the game from your hands. did i know it would burn you the way it did? hell no. not at all. i didn't think you'd see it as burning someone who was working with me when i knew you were much closer to jerry than me, and i didn't think you'd see it as flipping either.

a strategic reason you had to go right then, at that exact moment, even tho it may have blown up in my face? well, for one, you going any further was much more dangerous to my game than bob dawg or jerry going further. bob dawg had protected me for rounds, being the nick to my jerry of sorts. and jerry was someone i knew i could have a shot against in finals, so i wanted him around and wasn't about to let misty and bob dawg completely run away with the game. so, at that moment, the best move for me was the exact move i made. it got rid of prizes, it gave me all the power, and it gave me a chance at sending home the biggest threat to me. it also presented a chance that jenn would go home, which really wouldn't have affected me negatively or positively so i can't say that would've been "blowing up in my face". and it made it possible that i'd go home too, but i'd much rather have gone out playing the game and playing hard than being a goat that got taken out at f4 because the other person had immunity.

so, i hope that answers your question. i do not regret that move in the slightest. i do not regret that it burned you. i was perplexed at your anger, yes, but i do not regret it. i was equally, if not more, perplexed by jerry's anger over this move. it seems to me that he should've been glad that i am the one who burned you, i am the one you consider the flipper, instead of him having to buckle down and vote out his biggest ally just a few rounds later. i kept him from having to write your name down, and in turn you get to write his now. but he continued to be mad about it as recently as two days ago. i never thought that move would've flustered him that much, but O WELL!

moving on to the jury ranking now.

#9 Joanna. can't justify putting the third boot any higher, even though she did fight hard to get back in the game.

#8 Tina. i never got an explanation from you as to why you hated misty and them so much, and i did ask. that's the reason you were targeted so adamantly and there was little us in the minority could've done to prevent it, but you going caused an opening for me and bob dawg that we both appreciated. if you had made amends with misty and co you probably could've been a lot higher up.

#7 Jenn. lol girl. you almost asked to be voted out and did very little of anything from what i could tell. i loved having those fake little fights with you in tribal answers tho. but thats all i got from your game.

#6 Shane. maybe it's because i know next to nothing about your game besides that weird alliance we had for like one round lol, but I didn't see much that you were doing in this game. our conversations were always short and i was glad you took longer than me to reply. that made me feel good. but that doesn't bode well for your standing here either.

#5 Chris. Chris controlled premerge Ifbith with an iron fist. anyone who opposed him went home, and that was that. if he had just waited one round at merge to make a move he could've gone so much further, but he was all about big fun moves. maybe that's where i got my endgame moves from.

#4 Candice. Candice was a firecracker and definitely had a lot up her sleeve, and the way she played made her into this awesome villain that still seemed really sweet. she was charming and funny but also ruthless and ready to cut anyone at any given moment.

#3 Misty. i personally think you're #1 but in relation to who would win in the end i have to put you here. you played a stellar game, made few enemies, won several immunities, and were loyal. you were overall a terrific ally, and a terrific social player.

#2 Bob Dawg. dude it's amazing how you were able to integrate yourself (and me) so well into the merge game after it would've been such easy pickings to get us off back to back. you were INCREDIBLE at the social game. always revealed the exact right amount of info to the right people. you knew what you were doing.

#1 Nick. hands down this was your game from beginning to f6. imagine if Tyson had gone in the rock draw instead of Katie in BvW. that wouldn't pale in comparison to you going in a rock draw. you were the biggest player of the game and had a hold on everyone. everyone was in your pocket for at least one round.

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if not more, perplexed by jerry's anger over this move. it seems to me that he should've been glad that i am the one who burned you, i am the one you consider the flipper, instead of him having to buckle down and vote out his biggest ally just a few rounds later. i kept him from having to write your name down, and in turn you get to write his now. but he continued to be mad about it as recently as two days ago. i never thought that move would've flustered him that much, but O WELL!

Gloves off? Okay then, let's tussle.

You're the one who brought it up in that conversation, not me. I was venting about how Misty could very well win the challenge, which, before the challenge, is something that I was very concerned about. I knew I had a shot to get clobbered by her depending on the challenge, I was nervous as fuck, and I wasn't completely over how you lied to me about wanting to vote Misty at F4 unnecessarily. Maybe it wasn't super mature, but the wound was still fairly fresh and the nerves were kicking in. So, then YOU brought up your move at F6, and I mentioned how it wasn't necessarily smart, but that you could have mentioned it to me before you went through with it for a heads up or something. Then you changed the subject to your love life, to where I happily and contently listened to your problems.

As for earlier, when you mentioned I wasn't around? Yeah, I was fucking SICK through a good portion of the premerge. What am I going to do, be outgoing and fun and be the best version of myself?? Fuck no!! I'm focused on getting better and my personal health, NOT on an online game. Of course I'm not going to be as active. Jesus. If you're referring to the merge, even if my responses weren't always timely, at least I was almost always around to take messages. I'm on mobile too most of the time, so your excuse about how little you messaged is just as valid as mine.

Thanks for the responses y'all, some interesting stuff in here. May disagree with some sentiments, but happy to read the different perspective regardless. Best of luck to both of you!

(Also if you wanna keep fighting in here that would be very entertaining JUST SAYIN'.)

I definitely wasn't trying to invalidate your sickness dude my bad lol. I'm sorry you were so sick that's really shitty and unfortunate. glad you're better now. it's been fun bickering with you like an annoying brother the past few rounds.

when I mentioned you weren't around as much either I wasn't saying it to put you down but to make it known I wasn't the only one who wasn't always around. was not an attack. love your spunk tho <3

Nick me and you are supposed to have fights of passion. where are our fights of passion? why have you delegated this other man to fight with me?? I'm bringing this up to our counselor that's for damn sure