Hey, y’all! I’m gonna try to do my best and keep this as short as possible as I, myself, hate sitting through lengthy speeches. But I want to start off by thanking you all for participating in probably one of the most intense, stressful, and euphoric games I’ve played in my five years on this site.

I think it’s important to emphasize my game based off of the fact that I initially had a very clear final three: Hali and Von. This wasn’t a surprise to anyone, and their respective vote-offs left me pretty upset. I was excited to play with two of my closest friends on this site and they didn’t even get to see single digits. However, the silver lining lied in the fact that their exits likely propelled me to go a lot further in this game than I anticipated.

I came into the merge understanding that it was likely going to be a two-sided affair, and I was ready for that. I made it evidently clear that I was going to bat for my side no matter what, proving to be loyal to a fault. I stuck to my guns and kept close to those I was with (Von, Andrew, Zac, Tyler, Sam, Cameron). There proved to be some cracks and divides (see: Von and Sam’s exits) within that core group, but that was all I had and I was going to do my best to make it work. Whenever things were chaotic within the group, I did my best to keep most people in our alliance informed. It was important for someone to bat for total unity, or else. I think a benefit of this was the fact for much of the mid-merge, I was the opposing vote. At that point, it was nonsensical for anyone on my side to flip and take me out. I was a 100% confirmed vote for my side at all times, somewhat of a rarity when considering there were several times member of the core were thinking of/actually did flip on each other.

I stood by this ideology up until the endgame, standing staunch in my loyalty and refusing to ever write down an ally’s name. My ideal final three was ANYONE in that core group, no matter the combination. where I knew it was imperative to weed out the bigger threats to win the game: Julian and Tyler. I made it abundantly clear that no matter how much the latter needed to go, I wasn’t writing his name down. And I stood by that, I voted with because I owed Tyler that. I knew he’d beat me in the end, but I didn’t have in my heart to vote him out along with everyone else.

Final 5 was a very tight round. Julian winning was concerning, as I believe he’d win out, and I’d be the next person up to leave. Knowing that Zac had been throwing my name out to several people as a target in prior rounds, whether or not he actually voted for me, I was pretty sketchy of him. Knowing he had a string of leading people on but ultimately voting for him, I threw a vote on him and used the idol I acquired to ensure there was no way I went home. Final 4 was a funny round, I figured after F5 there was absolutely NO way Zac was taking me to FTC. So, to ensure my immunity win, I had Andrew peddle me his tokens (along with the complimentary additions from Tyler and Cameron) and did what I had to do to get to the end.

I hope that served as a proper brief overview of my game, and I am more than happy to answer any questions you may have! Thank you again for providing a brilliant season, as well as Shawn for hosting.

Sorry, one thing I want to add:

I totally understand that many of you may not vote for me because you feel backstabbed or blindsided. In all honesty, I was aligned at one point or another with every single one of you, so I understand. My game was extremely cutthroat and that's really not the person I am. The Michelle and Julian votes made me stick to my stomach (literally like I was sick). So, whether I win or lose, I really hope you all understand that I never meant anything personal and I want to say it was really fun playing with you all!

I urge you to listen to all of our answers and not be swayed by each other, but by our words and speeches.

Thank you!

Its honestly remarkable that I am sitting here on my "Second Chance" season watching an almost identical narrative play out in front of me. Coming into this merge we saw defined tribal lines and a one vote swing at the merge vote that lead to a dividing "7-6" vote that dictated the direction this game was headed all the way to the end game and I find myself looking at a Final Three that shapes up pretty similarly to the lineup that was presented to me last season after Julian and I were picked off as the last two members of the majority alliance.

I will start with Zac. Your gameplay was puzzling and unnerving as both a player playing alongside you and as a fan of the game. You came into this merge in the optimal position to play both sides and meander your way between tribal lines picking out the threats from the opposing alliances yet you entered this final four with two tremendous jury threats who would undoubtedly wipe the floor with you in this jury. Instead of using your minority connections to make plays, you decided to lead us on for almost a full week promising flips, big moves, sunshines and rainbows.

You were the person that had the most power to guide the narrative of this season throughout, yet you failed to proactively use that role increase your odds of winning the game. Giving yourself a one vote window in Final Five to vote out Ashanti is mind-boggling gameplay, and stringing Julian along all the way to Final Four is just as bad. Ashanti came into this merge with you outside his Top 3 Allies yet you treated him like royalty, handing him golden tickets past the Final 7-8 rounds when he has openly admitted that he was open to blindsiding you after you teased voting him out round after round. The only reason you even flipped on Washed was because your boring/passive plan to vote me out was leaked, you were completely prepared to let another pocket minority vote leave the game for some reason before cutting down the jury threats from your side. NEWS FLASH we would have still been the minority had you sent home Ashanti. Andrew and Cam actively wanted you in their Final Three. Your game ended after you decided to cast votes to send me and Michele home.

Now for some questions:

1. How close were you to ever actually flipping in this game?

2. Were you honestly prepared to vote Julian out in F6 had he not won immunity?

3. Respond to the statements I have addressed in my commentary. Defend yourself.

Andrew, I think you played an impressive game to land a spot at Final Tribal, but did not carve a path to secure the victory against many players. If you had made this final tribal with Zac and Cameron, its a slam dunk. I do believe that that was your dream scenario, but also you actively decreased the odds of that dream scenario from happening by allowing Ashanti, Julian and Tyler to fill out the Final 6 slots. Everything had to work out PERFECTLY for you to achieve the scenario that you wanted, and the odds of that happening were very slim with an active idol, Julian's relationship with Zac, and immunities.

I knew from the second I saw you in this cast that I wanted you gone because I really do believe that you are a strong strategic player, what I didn't know was that your social game was as good as it was. I harassed Washed, Peyton, and Nick HARD to get you voted out at our first tribal noting the fact that you were a snake and unafraid to vote out whoever to progress your own game. They refused and then you proceeded to vote them out back to back to back in the merge stage which I think is a tremendous testament to your skills as a manipulator.

The issue I have here is is that you did not play a perfect game to get the jury votes. You backstabbed many people along the way and built relationships that people thought were STRONG. My gut tells me that you should have let Zac vote out Ashanti in Final Seven because it would have kept blood off your hands and set up Julian and I as easy boots with Tyler as a good shield in Final Four? I think your odds of winning would have drastically increased. I also think Tyler sending Tyler home at Final 6 over Ashanti was a complete blunder on your part. I think you knew that Tyler did not have the idol and that he would have always been against Zac/Julian not you.

1. Why did you not push harder for me or want me to stay over Julian in Final 7?

2. Why did you go along with a vote on Tyler in F6?

3. What would you change about your game looking back?

4. How well do you think you managed this jury?

Ashanti, you fit the the exact archetype of the person that won my initial season. You were at the center of the majority alliance and everyone trusted you within that alliance. The amount of times that I heard "I can't do AJ" within that majority is going to send me to a mental hospital. You were really only ever vulnerable once in the entire game, that being at F10, where the only reason you would have even gone home was if the idol had been played correctly.

You played an extremely loyal game and had absolutely no reason to turn your backs on them and entertain my side about making a move all merge. I never contacted you because I knew you were smart enough to not make a move. It was never beneficial for your game and you focused on cultivating deep bonds with every person from your side instead. You come into this FTC with absolutely zero blood on your hands and you never had to make cold-blooded move to get here which is just insane on an all returnee season. Not to mention the fact that you  were able to save the idol for a crowd pleasing blindside of a goat in F5 which happened to be the only correct idol play of the entire season. I really really don't know how to put into words how you were able to establish this extreme positioning in this game.

1. How are you able to build a cult like this around you in group games?

2.  How confident were you in Zac and Cameron staying loyal all the way to the finale?

3. Do you think that not conversing with our side at all on a personal level could hurt your chances?

Also @Andrew @Zac why do you think that I should be voting you over AJ?

Cole:

1. How close were you to ever actually flipping in this game?

I think the closest I was to flipping was voting Ashanti at Final 7. Ultimately it didn’t make sense to leave you/tyler/cam/julian in the game because I believe I would get 5th in that scenario.

2. Were you honestly prepared to vote Julian out in F6 had he not won immunity?

No, I don’t ever think I said I was.

3. Respond to the statements I have addressed in my commentary. Defend yourself.

I think you have misinterpreted the game. I was never a target in this game until maybe the Final 5 because I was good with both sides. Despite continuously choosing the other side of you guys, I was always safe, even though vote after vote I lied to you. I really did reach out to you guys in hopes of doing something, but to be honest from the very early stages of the game it was clear you well connected. You call my gameplay puzzling and I don’t mind that, but I think my gameplay is what was necessary. Flipping back and forth gets you 5-8th place, but I put myself in a position where I was never in real danger.

I lied a shit ton in this game and I will take the heat. If you don’t vote me because you think I’m a liar and a backstabber, then fine. But I came to fucking play this game.

From final 9- onwards I had a final 3 seat locked as long as I didn’t do anything dumb. Tyler and you were the most likely players to turn on me in this game.

You say you’re a fan of this game, so understand this gameplay. Andrew no doubt played an excellent game, but Andrew’s game relied on me. My game was the only independent one here. I controlled the entire merge and my vote was always the most significant. Whether or not you agree with who went home each round is your call, but it is a fact that I was influencing each vote.

My control in this game is underestimated and I hope you all really understand that to me this is a game of Survivor and after being blindsided by my allies, I really understood everyone was here to play for themselves.

Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Also @Andrew @Zac why do you think that I should be voting you over AJ?

I really think if you are not going to vote me you should vote Andrew. Both Andrew and myself came to play this game and we worked our asses off to be here. Ashanti hid behind fake loyalties to Tyler and Sam when he fully knew and wanted Andrew and I to take those shots. Is that good gameplay? It’s your call, but in my opinion I think I simply worked the hardest. I ensured that I always knew what was happening and I cannot stress the fact that I had no relationships before this game. Take you and Julian for example, you both came in with each other and I knew that you would never give up that bond. Ashanti had Alexa, Hali and Andrew (not to mention Tyler). Andrew and Tyler are great friends.

There are two ways you can look at my gameplay.

1) I am a backstabber and a liar who controlled the merge votes and prevented himself from being a minority vote or ever being flipped on.

2) I am a backstabber and a liar who unnecessarily went out of my way to “lead people on”

It’s your call how you look at my game, but I believe every word and move I made in this game had strategical purpose and I hope you all can see that.

Oh Zac you have it so wrong. You played the game to make FTC and not to win the game. You allowed Ashanti to sit back and relax while Andrew backstabbed his Yucatan connections and Washed/Tyler and you burned bridges with the entire minority alliance while acting like a paranoid buffoon for the entire merge, unsettling people in your own alliance (Washed/Tyler) along the way.

You were dragged here because you are a goat that everyone would have loved to sit next to plain and simple. I didn’t trust you from F10 onwards but could not blindside you because Julian refused to turn his back on you despite the shit you put us through round after round. I am so happy that you were the one who put the final nail in the coffin of the one person who actually cared about you in this game. You were the one being used and you are the one who was not winning this jury against any combination of individuals in F3. The fact that you have the nerve to say Ashanti deserves this the least is comical and shows that you are not an astute reader of the game.

I will be shocked if you get one vote to win this game, but I would put my life savings on the fact that you have not a chance in hell of winning this game.

You “controlled the entire merge” yet you did NOTHING but vote out Second Swapped El Marsa one by one. You voted all six of us out of the game to spite us for leaving you out of one vote in the premerge. You should be THANKING andrew for bestowing the vote curfew curse upon me because it did not allow me to scramble before DC and send your ass home.

Hello all!! I would first like to congratulate all three of you for making it to the end, which is always an accomplishment in and of itself!! Now, to the hard hitting questions!

AJ - Many people have stated that your social game this season was phenomenal. And I would have been able to see that, considering premerge we would message each other before the votes and wish each other good luck! Yet, after Hali was voted out, you stopped reaching out to me for the rest of my game. How am I supposed to justify you having a good social game when you cut me off after a vote where I didn’t even vote your friend off?

Andrew - Hey star. I was so happy we got to play and work together for a short time this season. However, I have a qualm in your game, in that I feel like you lie a lot for no reason. Some examples include - telling me that you have the voter curse, meaning you have to vote before 12pm, yet, on the merge vote, you messaged me after 12pm trying to make an alliance with you, me and Julio even though you had already locked in Julio by that point? And also me saying that you were justified to be angry and mad at me for writing your name down, yet you saying it was okay and that you had my back and would protect me, yet proceeded to write my name down the next tribal you voted? So I guess my question is, why did you feel the need to lie for absolutely no reason in the game? Like you could’ve remained silent or expressed your anger to me, but instead, you lied for no reason? Please justify :)

Zac - Honestly, the way you came off in the main chat with constantly claiming you were going to quit and complaining rubbed a lot of people, myself including, the wrong way. And as Cole said, you do come across as a follower who had a vendetta over El Marsa leaving you out of a singular vote and didn’t take the opportunity to flip and make a move when you had ample opportunity. So, why should I vote for someone who was irksome and didn’t really make moves to benefit their own game and stand out?

Once again, congrats all!! My vote is still somewhat a tossup, so please answer truthfully and to the best of your ability!!

Hey girls! I'm gonna keep this short.

AJ - Why does Andrew deserve my vote?

Andrew - Why does AJ deserve my vote?

If either of you give a copout answer I will simply vote the other person immediately, if you both do then congrats on my vote Zac.

Zac - Why in the world did you admit to asking to get 4th and then immediately go back on it? Do you really think that's something the jury will respect? It just doesn't make sense to me.

1. Why did you not push harder for me or want me to stay over Julian in Final 7?

To be honest Cole, it was just the fact that you were a bigger threat than Julian at the specific point in the game. I remember Tyler defending you and telling me that he doesn't want to vote you out until Zac and Julian leave. Zac also told me that Cam did not want to vote you out and preferred if others went out before you. To top it all off, you had Julian who you were working with from the start of the game.
It was also harder to trust you because as you know yourself and have stated in your speech, you were coming for me and tried to target me multiple times. It was just very hard to believe that you did want to have my back. At the same time, Julian and Tyler had so many problems that I knew they wouldn't be able to work together. I was right about that because Julian didn't even think about saving Tyler, where I know you would have at the Final 6. I could easily see a scenario where you view me as a bigger threat than Tyler and target me over Tyler. You said it for yourself, I could be really good strategically and socially.
Besides that, you were also the BIGGEST threat in my opinion to win this game. I was thinking about my end game and who I wanted to sit in the end but at the same time I was worried about what would happen the next day. If you went on to the Final 6, I really do not think I would be in the Final 3 right now. Either way, I knew you were coming for my NECK and you would've ended everyone in a FTC.

2. Why did you go along with a vote on Tyler in F6?

I went along with the Tyler vote because at that point, realistically, my only two options were Ashanti or Tyler because Julian had just won the immunity. Ashanti and I were closer not only in the game, but outside the game. We really became friends throughout this season. Ashanti and I were so close that he trusted me enough to let me know that he had the idol. Knowing this information, I knew Ashanti could secure my safety in Final 5 if I really needed it.
At the same time, I can't even lie... I really did not think Ashanti would be as loved by the jury as he is because he really did not make an effort to play the game with the minority. I've wanted to make a move since the Final 10 because I hated how this game was going and I was finally able to pull something at Final 9. I even remember Michelle telling me completely out of the blue, that he would most likely vote for the person in the majority who tried to help the minority out the most. Ashanti did not want to backstab members in his alliance, even if it was good for his game. He was okay with 5th, or 4th if no one in our group was willing to make a move and I was hoping the jury would see that.

3. What would you change about your game looking back?

I would change the way I acted through the early merge phase. I was honestly such a wreck and I was so nervous every tribal. I acted like a mess and made some promises that I couldn't keep. Getting votes on the first and third tribals of merge really just made me uncomfortable in this game.

4. How well do you think you managed this jury?

I think it's a mix honestly. The people that I managed the worst were Peyton and Julio. I genuinely wanted to work with them the most from the other side, however I lied to them and did vote them out at the first three merge tribals. In my defense, they did vote for me too but I'm sure they were both in tough positions just like me.
I also think I did a poor job with Cameron. I did promise him a Final 3, just to vote him out for 5th.
Besides that, I really don't think my jury management was poor. Most people in the game knew I was voting for them and I tried my best to make few fake promises, and even though Zach was shocked at his vote-off, I think he understood that it was just a game move to propel myself further.
In conclusion, my management wasn't the best but at the same time, I don't think it's the worst. I've seen MUCH worst.

Also @Andrew @Zac why do you think that I should be voting you over AJ?

I've read how you responded to Zac and I completely understand the point you are making. Zac and I both made those moves while Ashanti got no blood on his hands. However what I want people to understand is that Zac, and I had to make moves like that got blood on our hands to ensure that we could be here.

In the majority alliance, I'm pretty sure
Tyler wanted to sit in the end with me and Zach
Zach wanted to sit in the end with Cole and Tyler, and Tyler has told me after Zach's vote off that Zach wanted to bring me to the Final 4.
and Cam did not want Ashanti anywhere near the Final 5 and trusted Zac and Tyler the most in our alliance.

these moves were not only NEEDED to be made by me, but they NEEDED to be made by Ashanti as well. And if he really would not have made these moves without Zac or I, then why should he deserve any votes in the end?  If he wasn't gonna make those NECESSARY moves without Zac and I in the game, he simply would not even be sitting in the end. I paved my own way to the end, and Ashanti simply cannot say the same.

P.S :)
I also feel like I deserve it more than Zac because his jury management is very poor. I told him that his biggest mistake was constantly giving false hope to people as they were leaving. I tried my best not to do that and kept it as upfront as you could in the game of Survivor.