Ryan:

I am feeling downright GIDDY after that vote. I did say I was lighting candles and manifesting that Daniel gets rocked out, and it HAPPENED, and I didn't even have to worry because Johnny played an idol on me.

That was a super simple merge vote in some ways -- nobody from the other side reached out to me except for Sagar, who just asked me how my day was going, etc., and when I asked him later if they were coming for me he did not respond. Then I heard that maybe votes were coming for me, and I did nothing to scramble, hoping that everyone on my side would go to rocks. I was worried Rick would maybe flip if I was the vote, but we didn't have to worry -- they voted Absol again, we luckily changed our votes from Brad to Tina, and we went to rocks as planned while also flushing 3 idols out of the game.

I truly did want to work with Sagar during the merge because I adore him, but at this point it doesn't look like that's going to happen -- the lines were drawn, and he did nothing to talk game with me. I'm hoping he doesn't do what he did on the James vote, ie. realize he's in the minority, come back to me about wanting to be included, and hoping I show him the same transparency I did pre-merge. Last time, I literally told him the exact group he was excluded from, who the target was, and told him I would absolutely not write his name down. I won't do the same this time and risk the trust I've built with Johnny and Tyler.

At this point, the minority alliance should be pretty defenseless. No idols, no idol clues. I don't think anyone will flip the FIRST round after winning a rock draw, and if people do flip I again don't think it will be to take out lil ol' me.

Am I playing a winning game? Probably not. I think people will probably view me as a sheep to Johnny, which is fine. I actually love that after Santorini I promised myself I would play with the people I genuinely like and show them absolute loyalty -- and I'm doing that, whether it gets me the win or not. So far, with THREE of the FIVE people who got Kelly rocked out now out of the game, I think it's working out pretty well for me.

I also love that I went from being DEAD SET against Johnny in Santorini to having him play an idol on me in this season, and also working with Rick to some extent (although we still have a lot of work to do in order to trust each other fully). RIP Eric, but the rest of us are pretty much set to go deep in this game, and I think Rick and I are playing with similar strategies -- lay low, let bigger targets take the fall before us, etc.

If I DO win this season, it will be because I coasted relatively safely to finals, letting other people do the heavy lifting, and because the jury absolutely HATES whoever I'm sitting next to. There's still a ton of game left to play, but I'm totally fine with that strategy. I have no shame coattail riding this time around. And based on past Tengaged All-Star seasons, I know the juries do have a tendency to vote "bitter" if you believe in such a thing, and usually the person who ends up winning did not play some flashy, dominant game.

Either way, I'm hoping my loyalty and transparency to the people I like brings me to finals, or at least to 4th so I can match my original placement.

Ray:

Confessional:

Not me somehow controlling our vote this round.. they don’t know it yet but I’m actually sitting pretty for a few rounds now if this goes through. I just have to hope people stay loyal and Tyler & Johnny don’t come from each other’s throat too early. With the trio of Nate, Tina, and Brad all still in the game next round I know there isn’t much I’ll have to worry about in terms of my safety.

Nathan:

Well, well, well... today I truly think is my make our break moment.

writes hope in the sand and meditates

However, there is a glimmer of hope

I was on call with Tylor last night, and he's well aware that Johnny/Ray/Absol/Ryan are a tight 4. He told me and Brad that Brady is most likely getting 11th, and that he wants to make a move with Canary Islands at Final 10

It's all gonna come down to tonight. If Brady goes, I think I have a chance to blindside Sagar at final 10. It's been made aware to me how close he is to Johnny, and knowing that Johnny has the re-hidden merge idol, and Rick/Tylor have the 3rd idol, I need to play very quiet today.

I'm trying to convince Sagar and Brady that I've got Tylor's vote for Absol. So Absol should be getting 5 votes tonight while the other 6 go to Brady

Sagar should be voting w us to keep face with our tribe, but I know now that he's with Johnny

We're not sure if we can tell Tina this plan yet, but later today I need to make it seem like Tylor is on board with getting Absol, but I need Tylor to go back and tell them so they continue to trust him. I don't wanna play TOO hard, bc they might just go after me today, so I'm gonna wait for Tylor to talk to me and see what I should do

This game literally is a marathon. Sometimes you have the baton and you're running as fast as you can with it, and other times you're the one waiting to get the baton. Right now I'm at the mercy of Tylor, but if I can survive today, I know I can do it.

Brady:

Vote...

My vote goes to Absol

Low key hope they vote me tonight. There’s no point in even campaigning to any of them when they’re all assholes and I’ve been shunned by all of them. Typically I like playing the bottom but not with assholes reigning supreme.

I think its a waste of time for me to exert so much energy into this game when I know I’m on limited time anyways.

Tyler- Fucking loser, literally spends his whole life on tengaged so who’s really the laughing stock.

Absol- Cocky ass bitch. He must have a hard life if his name is Absol tho. It makes sense tho since he’s absolutely pathetic.

Johnny- Power hungry weirdo. He literally thinks he’s god when he couldn’t be far from it. Nobody is scared of you cuz you’re a pathetic piece of dogshit. My foot could make more money than your entire existence.

Rick- You’re honestly just a natural asshole. You think you got everything figured out when you absolutely don’t. Go suck Tyler’s dick some more and re evaluate your life.

Ryan- You talk a big game for someone that literally has done nothing in this game. You’re dry, you’re bland, you’re boring as fuck and you’re name is Ryan (a common ass guys name) so that explains your whole existence.

Ray- Nicest one out of the group but so irrelevant.

Anyways my rant is over, hope you guys enjoy uglies with no life running this game. Maybe they’re all stars in the get a life category.

--- Brady gets 11th ---

Ryan:

I love when BRADY attacks me for having a common male name. In any case, I am one step closer to completing my primary goal of avenging Kelly0412, so, in a perfect world, Nathan goes next so I can finally be at peace.

But, with that being said, there is some shady business going on -- it appears that one of us voted Johnny on the first vote, and I'm thinking it was either Rick or Ray. But WHY? What did they gain from that? If they were going to flip, why not flip on the revote? Did someone just get annoyed that Johnny was being psycho about the vote and vote for HIM instead? I tried to prove myself -- literally sent my entire Tengaged outbox to show that I had not flipped, and I think they trust it wasn't me.

I don't know who flipped, then not-flipped. Honestly, it's not my problem to worry about. I am sitting pretty, AND I'm reading an excellent Hungarian novel right now, so I am utterly content with everything. I don't know how to the rest of this season is going to shape up -- something tells me out group of 6 will NOT be the final 6 -- but if people want to change up the game later, then I'll deal with it when the time comes.

Brady:

This ssn sucked

Where’s ponderosa so I can see my friend

I’ll save my true feelings for in here but I seriously wish y’all wouldn’t cast terrible people for like every season I happen to be in except Egypt was fine. Not bashing hosting at all but I had 2 ssn where I genuinely had a absolute shit time cuz of the people. Can’t wait for one of the ugly no life tengaged freaks to win this

I’m sure y’all hate me but I can go on a rant about this ssn for hours

Ray:

Confessional: Sagar and Brad both have been urging me to make a move. I trust Sagar way more than I trust Absol so honestly it might be time. We’ll see, he shouldn’t have been trying to get me out.

--- Sagar gets 10th ---

Nathan:

Okay well Brady went home as planned, so I knew tylor was 100% down w flipping on the 4 (Absol/Ray/Ryan/Johnny)

And guess who FINALLY won an immunity??????

I think I’ve placed 3rd or 2nd in every immunity challenge you’ve done, so this was so nice to finally win

Tylor already told me Johnny found the rehidden idol, so to solidify some trust with Tina, I gave him the clue

I learned a thing or two from my last season, when things don’t go your way, you have to be calm. Calling out the chat is exactly what Brady did and look where it got him? So I calmly approached rick and started working that relationship.

It must’ve paid off bc he told tylor he wanted to work with me, he was just skeptical of brad

Over the past 24 hours tho we have been doing work, and it paid off. Sagar was blindsided and a new 5 majority was creates

Created*

Obv this could go 2 ways - rick/tylor flip on us again or the 5 of us stay strong for a little bit

Personally I think they’ll stick w is bc they know they’re at the bottom of that 4

For now, I’m looking forward to making single digits in the all stars game! I’m so excited

Ray:

Confessional: I’m the biggest goat this point, definitely either me or Ryan like the challenge suggested. The thing is I’m like 80% aware of everything that is going on and because I’m basically inactive when it comes to making moves people think that percentage is lower than it really is. Tyler confirms to me that he has idol and that he wants Absol to go. Him and Johnny are my two closest allies and they both have idols and now neither of them will want to be in finals with the other. I want Brad and Nathan out but Tyler all of sudden wants to align with them and I just don’t understand.

--- Absol gets 9th ---

Ryan:

OK, the people I am trying to sheep are making it very difficult for me to sheep them. I've made it abundantly clear to both Johnny and Tyler that I am with them two only, and I won't lie to them or vote for them. But the problem is Johnny and Tyler are not TOGETHER, per se, because Tyler keeps going and making moves on his own.

I think Tyler probably trusts Rick more than me, because he and Rick took out Sagar and Absol hand-in-hand. But Tyler might not've included me in the Sagar plan because he knew I would tell Johnny, and also because Sagar was another person I actively did not want to vote for. Either way, I at least KNEW about the Absol vote - but there was basically nothing I could do to stop it, and Absol basically self-destructed by voting for Tyler, when we could have had a majority or at least a tie against Timberlie.

Whatever, it really doesn't matter to me as long as I'm not a target -- and I'm simply not a target because, as Nathan so kindly pointed out, I am literally furniture in this game.

But now Johnny left the group chat and says he's going to vote with the other 3, so um, I'm not even doing a good job of being furniture. If Johnny and Tyler come for each other's throats, I have no idea what I'll do, because at that point I'll have to make a decision. I /would/ side with Johnny, because he has not lied to me or excluded me from certain votes like Tyler has, but if Johnny is truly planning on voting with the other 3, then, like... I don't know.

I have no relationship whatsoever with Nathan, Brad, and Tina, and I don't want any of the three of them to get to the end, because most likely it'll be a clean sweep.

But at this point I'm not winning the game in literally any F3 combination, so, should I even care about who makes finals? No, probably not. So I guess I really just need to play to GET there at this point, which means whoever can bring me there effectively (Johnny, with an idol... or Tyler, with his social connections). Riveting content, I know!

Nathan:

Ugh this is gonna be a SAD confessional

So Sagar went home, great move on my part.

I win immunity again which is nice but I know it just amplifies my target to the max.

today was kinda crazy. Absol really sunk his own game, and I voted with him against Tylor. I'm torn on this tho bc if Tina/Brad voted him out, Tylor would be gone, but I would've been screwed at final 8 unless I won immunity bc Rick would've gone right back to Johnny/Ryan/Ray

I have a final 4 with Rick/Tylor/Brad but I know it's just a sham. I think Tylor has a final 3 or something with Ray and Rick, so I'm just praying I make it past 8th. I really wanna do better than my original season.

I came in second today in the immunity challenge... SHOCKER! but no worries, I'm hoping tylor sticks to getting out tina and at final 7 I will try to make my move and get ryan and Johnny to flip on Tylor

this might be my last confessional, but we shall see

Timberlie:

Nathan throwing his vote on Tyler was really dog brained like I usually applaud his gameplay but it was really pointless and has made keeping Tina so much harder. Now we’re just sitting like idiots with thumbs in our asses hoping Johnny doesn’t idol is out but he will and it’s gonna be one of us and I swear to god if it’s me I’m putting Nathan and Tyler on add me contacts 100 times.