[Nico Pan]

G'DAY MATES! your new crush Nico is here with some opening night confessional questions.

1- Stranded will have been running for 14 years as of this coming Saturday! Along the way we've seen some truly unhinged characters, master strategists, and plenty of worthy contenders. Heading into this season, everyone was informed of the alias allstars twist, and had time to prepare accordingly. Is there anyone in particular that you would expect to be here? Do you think people can alias well enough to hide that identity for the entire game?

2-Tell us about your tribe! Who are you clicking with so far? Do you think you'll be able to work within this specific group of personalities?

3- What has changed since the last time you played Stranded? Update us! Help the viewers get to know you!

4- How are you aliasing this season? Any specific information you're withholding from the other players to avoid being detected? Remember that there is one new player with knowledge of which stranded and isolated characters have returned for the season. How do you think this twist will factor into the game?

As always, feel free to use this confessional to update us with anything you feel is important! It's just you, the hosts, and some famous Australians allowed in here, so you can be as honest as you'd like. we can see all of your DMs anyways so it's not like you have anything to hide

[Jarrad]

G'day Stranded! Feeling a bit stiff in the back sleeping on those wooden poles. But there's no way the other tribes have anywhere NEAR as solid of a shelter as we do.

Anyway, let's get this show on the road, shall we? I mentioned this yesterday that I don't think many people will be able to clock me. As far as people I'm expecting, that's also a hard one to answer, because I don't really know of anyone that I like, could even be expecting? I'm maybe a bit disadvantaged in that I played so long ago and have no idea who the new people are that have made names for themselves or are people that are threatening to me. But I'm hoping that puts me at an advantage instead of disadvantaged. I definitely get the feeling that these people are a bit more well versed in playing, so I don't anticipate it to be an easy road, but I know I'll get there as long as I keep moving forward.

As far as the tribe goes, I'm loving the 5 that are here! I want Henry to show up just so it feels legitimate and complete but still no signs of him. At the very least, well, assuming he's not removed before then, I think we'd have a really easy first vote. Aside from that though, no one really stands out as someone that I especially get along with. I talked with Kylie about our animals mostly (I have 2 dogs but for some reason I lied and said I only had 1 and now it's so difficult to keep only referring to my one dog instead of both) and she seems to be smart but definitely getting the energy she's gonna be feisty and maybe a bit devilish. Mat seems like a pretty stand up guy that's excited to play. Kind of dry but he's definitely the more conversational one out of everyone so I've spoken to him the most and he's dropped a couple of lines indicating he's picking up what I'm putting down. I definitely anticipate an alliance between the two of us. David is pretty cool, we bonded over books and sports. Unlikely combo, perhaps, but he was probably the person I enjoyed listening to and talking to the most. Simon was fun as well although he didn't seem to make as intense of an impression on me. I think we've got a really strong tribe that's going to smash challenges, quite frankly, which hopefully means I can hold on to that individual immunity for a long time. I know when I came into the game that I was just looking primarily to make a name for myself, and I still am, but now that I'm here... the idea of victory is just so tempting and delicious that I want and will do whatever it takes to get there. My long luscious locks and mustache will protect me from the evils of the game while I navigate with ease, watching everyone else drop like flies.

[Jarrad]

Damn it! I wasn't the fastest in the individual competition. I would have loved that power! Especially because it would have been secret. Hmmm... I wonder who won. And also, 14 coins! Yay! I have no idea what they mean though. Hopefully I can buy something useful.

[Jarrad]

I'm quickly starting to REALLY like talking with Kylie. She's just so fun and smart and seems interested in talking to me the same way I am her. Our conversations flow naturally and we're both quick which definitely helps. Sometimes it feels like the conversations move slowly with my tribe mates. Especially with Simon recently.

I'd say right now my preferences would be:

1. Kylie
2. Mat
3. David
4. Simon
5. Henry (RIP)

[Jarrad]

Also my plan going into this challenge is to just spend time confirming that each of my answers are correct. I'm pretty sure I've done a Stranded trivia before and I thought I had them all right but I actually didn't. Typically I just have the NeEd foR spEed and I rush and get them wrong so I just want to be careful. Henry's probably not showing up though which sucks for us. Because if we go to tribal council doesn't that mean my first immunity is pretty much wasted? Ugh, so fucking lame. Maybe we can pull it off though. Because I think other tribes are in the same position as us.

[Jarrad]

I feel like Simon is ignoring me. He's online on the board and in the chat but hasn't replied to my 4 messages! Ugh. And we were even gonna talk about drag queens.

[Anders Ofvergard]

Hej där! Nice to meet you! I’m Anders, and I’ll be one of your hosts this season!
We hope you are getting used to your mates this weekend. Just wanted to drop in and see how you are doing with building relationships during your free time! What do you think you are really good at when meeting new people and what’s something that you think you’ll struggle with when connecting with your tribe mates?

[Jarrad]

Hey Anders! Nice smile.

I think I am! I honestly anticipated a bit more chatting this weekend but, can't remember who, but someone mentioned how weekends are normally pretty chill in Stranded and I remembered that to be true so that makes sense. But I'm doing pretty well! I guess I'm hitting the ground running but I would feel a bit better if people were more actively chatting. A lot of my conversations are kind of like spaced out so it's hard to get a real connection going, but I do feel like I'm doing pretty good at establishing relationships with everyone. I've found common ground with everyone and am having an easy time of thinking of things to say, almost I'm afraid of to a fault. In the chats it seems like I'm just so wordy and have so much to say but it's just the only way that feels right to socialize right now.

I think I'm really good at asking questions and coming off as authentic and genuinely interested in who I'm talking with, which definitely helps in the beginning stages of a game where you want to make relationships with people early on to build a foundation for the whole game. And, I think that's what I'm good because I actually AM genuinely interested in getting to know everyone. It's interesting seeing how everyone talks and the vibe of the conversations that I have with everyone online.

I'm afraid I'll struggle with... maybe just being too pushy or like eager to talk? Because it definitely feels like David and Simon in particular are kind of taking socializing slow while I'm trying to go fast. So maybe it's a struggle to read the pace and read the person I'm talking with. I want to make sure I can understand in some sense how everyone communicates and the best way to get along with them. I'm thinking I'm doing a decent job. I wish that Mat was here! He's fun to talk to, but I'm definitely getting really strong ally vibes with Kylie and I'm hoping that we can forge that relationship really early on and it be real.

But it's been fun meeting everyone! I'm still just so excited to finally be back and I'm just really excited to see how all of this pans out. It's really surreal in a way!