I wanna preface this speech by saying that I lied, A LOT, during this game. I’m pretty sure I lied to everyone throughout this merge - I can even admit I lied unnecessarily at times and that was not cool of me and I truly do apologize for that. I don’t know how many of you will believe my sincerity, but truly I am.
This game was a lot different from how I normally play, I’m usually very faithful and loyal to the people that show loyalty to me, but this game I flipped constantly, I constantly wanted to change my position in the game and make sure I had connections to everyone.
Coming into this game, I started off on the Isfahan tribe just trying to establish my place and create strong social bonds. Since we won the first two challenges, it gave me time to develop a relationship with Kolby and Brady. After the two quitters left our tribe, we were even at 6-6 again, and I knew our tribe needed a majority in case we lost the immunity challenge. Kolby and I decided to pull in Cole along with Brady to make an alliance of four as the majority of our tribe. We knew that Tim and Hoop were close, plus they had connections on the other tribe.
At tribal, we decided to take out Hoop because we felt Tim was stronger in challenges and we were hoping to have at least some numbers heading into the merge.
We entered the merge at even numbers 5-5, and I did not want to get stuck in a tribal game where I am glued to my original tribe alliance, especially knowing how close Tim and Josh were I was not expecting our original alliance to last long.
Josh came to me with an idea to form a partnership alliance kind of thing. Basically, we secretly alternate voting off member’s of each others alliances so we can control the game and who goes home.
This worked out well for the first vote! I voted to take out Cole and solidify my bonds with Josh and Tim, because I saved Tim’s ass that tribal.
So from here on out I played the middle game - I had connections on both sides and I was able to maintain both of them under the guise I was loyal to both of them. Yes, they questioned me throughout about my loyalties on both sides, but I was always able to dissuade their paranoia and convince them I was with them.
At final 9, I wanted Will gone. I had talked to Kolby and Brady and they were both totally down. I brought this plan to josh and he said he would get Tim on board so we have a majority.
I assume that’s the vote, I vote for Will and go away. I logged on literally 3 minutes before tribal to find out everything has gone to shit! Josh and Tim are now voting out Kolby and Brady organized the votes against Josh. I’m like oh fuck! Well, even though I have the partnership with Josh, he went behind my back and didn’t honor the deal we had to alternate between taking out alliance members.
I voted for Josh that tribal, the plan didn’t have enough numbers. However, I was able to recover and still stay in the good graces of Josh and Tim convincing both of them I only did it out of fear and confusion.
Final 8 rolls around, we have brady attempting to organize the votes for Will to go home. I know this is never gonna happen so I went with Josh and Tim on this vote to take out Brady and we agreed to split votes on Keizo as well just in case Brady had an idol. However, I also told brady that I voted Keizo because I wanted to keep ties with both sides.
So I still have connection to Tim and Josh as well as Brady.
Brady goes on a winning streak, so Tim and Josh have to turn their sights on other targets. They wanted to take out Will and Brady wanted to go for Tim or Josh.
I though I was going to need to take out Tim and Josh eventually, but this vote was not the time. I had no strategic connection to Will and I didn’t want to commit to a side yet. So I voted with Tim and Josh to take out Will because I could maintain social ties to them.
And I told Brady I voted for Tim, so he would continue to trust me and would be distrustful of Swaggy and Livingston; however, that would not matter because Brady eventually figured it out. But, he had to trust me because he had no other options.
At final 6, I finally got caught. Brady came to me and he knew that I had lied about voting out Tim last tribal. I did lie to him, but he told me to cut the bull crap. So we came together, with a plan to split the votes between Tim and Josh along with Livingston and Swaggy - and I knew it was time to cut ties with Tim and Josh. Despite me being very loyal to them throughout the merge, I didn’t feel like they were reciprocating that trust and this was evident when they tried to vote me out this tribal.
However, a shocking turn of events last second. Brady and I find out that swaggy is probably going to self-vote, so we can’t split our votes in the event of an idol. We both switched our votes over to Tim and watched as one of the biggest threats walked out of the game. Tim goes and Brady has to continue working with me simply because he has no else!
At final five Josh won immunity so it seemed like it was Brady’s time to finally go home, but I thought about it and I realized if Brady goes and Josh wins immunity at final four I am the next biggest threat in the game. But if both Josh and Brady are still in the game at the final four then, if one of them wins immunity we could just take out the other one because they will never work together.
Brady wants to take out Swaggy and I think that’s perfect because Swaggy is now the only person i don’t have a final 2 deal with. Brady, Josh, and Livingston all want to go to the final 2 with me - so I was basically guaranteed a seat at the final tribal council if swaggy went home at final five!
Josh was pissed about the move and came to me threatening that he would not vote for and neither would Tim if I didn’t bring him to the final 2. Basically the dude was bullying me trying to convince me that I needed to take him to the end or he was going to make sure I didn’t win.
Josh I hope when you read this you can learn to respect my game because I didn’t try to use fear or intimidation tactics to get myself further in the game. Yes I lied and manipulated everyone, but at least I played this game with an open mind and did not take it so personally when someone else didn’t do what I wanted them to! I was very open to working with you and Tim, but you never made it easy. You constantly questioned my loyalty and threatened to ruin my game if I went against you. Well it didn’t work cause I’m sitting here and you’re not! I know I’m probably not getting your jury vote or Tim’s tonight because you guys are bitter that the guy you thought was your pawn outsmarted you in the end!
To the rest of the jury, please don’t think bitterly, even if I don’t get your vote tonight, I just want to know that all of you thought about your vote and actually considered both options because we both have a story to tell about our game that should at least be heard out before you make up your mind.
My game was constantly changing - shifting allies and breaking bonds anything I could do to ensure I was moving further in the game. I had connections to Kolby, Tim, Josh, Brady, and Livingston throughout this game! All important alliances that helped me through a game of flip-flopping back and forth, playing both sides, and doing whatever it took to get to the end. I attended 9 tribal councils and knew who was going home at 8 of them. I didn’t control this game directly, but the people who “controlled” this game are sitting on the jury and were desperate for my help many times throughout this game because they needed me if they wanted to stay here. I was the person they came to when they needed help because I was their strongest connection in the game.
By the final four I was the center of the game. Josh needed me, Brady needed me, and Livingston needed me. They all wanted to be sitting in the final 2 with me, so I got to choose who I wanted to be here with.
The move I made at final 5 was critical at final 4! Had I voted out Brady at final 5, then Josh would have won immunity and I would have been sent packing at final 4 by the other three left in the game. By keeping both Josh and Brady in the game - I was keeping two bigger threats in the game over myself. So when Josh won, even though he was pissed at me, he knew the smartest thing for his game was to vote out Brady.
So now Brady is sent packing and I enter the final 3 with Josh and Livingston. Going into the challenge - I had doubts that Livingston could pull it off, so i was expecting a showdown between Josh and I.
BUT I PULLED IT OFF! Check off immunity challenge win from my bucket list! Josh even came to me and tried to convince me to throw the challenge so we could go to the end together! That wasn’t happening.
So Josh made a plea, telling me that if I vote him out he is gonna take three votes away from me and put them on Livingston.
Guys, please look at the gameplay. Livingston was barely present and only made it here because everyone wanted to take him to final tribal council as an easy win! I made moves, I flipped back and forth - I am the only reason I am sitting here right now!
I was back and forth constantly throughout this game shifting alliances, but by the time I was caught - both sides needed me and they couldn’t take me out because there were bigger fish to fry!
So I made sure the bigger fish were here just long enough to make sure I wasn’t a target - that’s why I kept in Brady at final 5 to make sure I wasn’t a threat at final 4.
Here I am, sitting next to someone who floated through this game - handed a spot at final tribal (no offense to Livingston because he is a really cool dude), but my gameplay in comparison to his simply put - my game was better.
I hope you see that my game encompasses shifting strategy and adaptability to do what was best for my game and whenever someone went home during the merge, except for the Kolby vote, it benefitted me because I was making sure people were going home that I wanted to go home!
Thanks for a fun season guys! Looking forward to the questions.