I will also say that I did not have prior connections to a lot of the players in this game. For example, I did not know Zach and Rick, yet they both became some of my closest allies. In other words, I took the time to get to know people and I would like the jury to consider whether Johnny can say the same about his relationships with each of you.

OK, so I'd first like to add a little dose of positivity into this FTC because I think this cast is actually a pleasant group of people, and I'm kind of regretting that I didn't have more FUN this season. I'm big on making group games being an enjoyable competitive experience, because the people who put the most effort into a season end up typically having the worst time, and I found myself getting kind of sour and game-botty in the latter portions of the game.

So, with that being said.

Johnny. I think you're actually hilarious, and even when I was dead-set against you, you often made me laugh with a gif or some general antic in the main chat. Your dedication to this game was unmatched by all of us I think, yet you're self aware and funny enough to acknowledge that you out-losered all of us. I appreciate that.

Eric. From what I got to know of you this game, I think you're a genuinely considerate and pleasant person to work with. I enjoyed getting to know you better this game and having a chance to go deep together.

That being said, I do have questions and concerns.

Johnny. I'm glad we cleared things up yesterday, and since you mentioned it already, I can attest that our alliance effectively iced you out, refusing to talk strategy with you, shutting down any options you might've had to maneuver if you lost immunity. I feel bad about it in hindsight, even though it's a game. But I can't take you to task for not having a social/strategic game when that was partially my doing (and Ben's, and Keith's, and Eric's to different extents).

However, I think calling people out in the main group and saying "someone tell me a vote" each round, while hilarious, did not incentivize any of us to talk to you. You presented yourself as a fire cracker, willing to expose people (like Keith, when you posted in the main group and then deleted it), and I think we all saw that as a warning sign to STAY AWAY, lest it happen to us, too. Do you agree? Do you regret that at all? And if you play the social game over again starting at the merge, what would you change, if anything?

Eric. I'm not going to lie, I'm a little bit butthurt over you throwing challenges / letting me take on Johnny BY MYSELF, which, because I came close and proved myself as a competent challenge player, at least partially got me targeted in your stead at the F4. Before challenges, I sat down, pulled up tabs with all the info I needed, closed apps that were running fast and potentially slowing my internet, tried to make myself less nervous, and then put my ALL into beating Johnny for the sake of our alliance. (All of this makes me, as Johnny would say, a HUGE loser, I know).

Lessening your target is a valid strategy, but skipping challenges or not giving your all looks especially bad against a competitor like Johnny in the F2. And it especially irks me because I showed up and played hard in almost every challenge this season, so to see you HAUL ASS in the final challenge, after I had been hauling ass for the entire season (and losing, over and over and over again), rubbed me the wrong way, to say the least.

I don't have a specific question for you, but you can address any part of that.

Huge congratulations to both of you - as much as I wish I was in one of your places, this is an impressive F2, and I hope the result makes for a good end to this season.

Hey Ryan,

My intention was never to make you or anyone else look like a fool for going against Johnny in immunity challenges. In fact, I admire you for standing up to him, and had you ever beaten him, I would have admired you even more; however, I would have also been a bit more threatened by you because it would have been an incredible feat in the game. That said, it is for those reasons that I did not stand up to him until the final 3 immunity challenge. I did not want to stand out physically and I did not want to be considered the next Johnny in the game if I ever beat him – especially considering that I was on the outs of your duo with Ben. Downplaying my ability to win challenges was less so a mockery of everyone else playing the game and more so the result of my taking an introspective look at my own game and determining that the best path for me would be to lay low and continue developing my relationships with everyone in the game. I understand your frustration and I do not think anyone should discount the fact that you played your ass off to try to take down Johnny, but I ultimately had to do what was best for me to win the game.

Ryan:

I know that this is most definitely the wrong answer in your mind, but I actually slightly disagree. I fully agree on a social or strategic level it wasn't smart...however...at that point in the game I was literally at like such a low motivation level to keep going that being dramatic or entertaining myself was the only way to keep myself actually like, IN the game. I knew I was talking to myself and in a way I knew that there was a 90% chance the outcome wasn't changing so I figured I might as well enjoy myself if no one else was going to.

Obviously if I'm redoing it from the start of the merge there are a lot of things that could have gone differently. Given that Sandy was in a 9-1 minority I would have probably worked to save her unless it made me a big target. At least then maybe her, me, Rick, and Tyler might've had a chance at some point after the idol play. I still think I wouldn't have got the votes and it goes the same way. Truthfully the way the alliances shaped up, I don't know that changing a damn thing would have mattered. I probably would have talked to Zach a bit more just to get to know him, and I would have talked to Eric more (not that I didn't enough to get here, just like, on a personal level).

While I took the game seriously enough to dedicate a LOT of time to it, I knew I would drive myself insane if I wasn't such a *firecracker* in the chat. I really don't think anything changes and if nothing else it would have irritated me too much beyond a certain point of just talking to a brick wall. I think that would have demotivated me and ultimately been my undoing before making it here.

Thank you both for the answers! Totally reasonable on both sides.

I'll admit, this is a tough vote -- kind of a "comparing apples and oranges" situation. Either way, good luck to both of you.

6/8 jury votes received

I just wanted to thank you for answering my questions @both. It was tough, but I sent my vote in. Love you both, and best of luck to you as these votes are about to be read. You guys both played one hell of a game, and both 2 different styles.