1. How has your journey been up to this point? Have you had an easy ride of it, or has it been a struggle? Do you feel like you are settled into a good spot, or working from behind?
I think overall that I've made a pretty good spot for myself socially. I don't think that I've been so good at challenges that people are perceiving me to be a threat in that department. I wouldn't be surprised if some people see me as threatening but my goal at this point is just to have a strong 1-on-1 relationship with everyone that I encounter. If everyone TRULY believes that I am their number 1 or at least sees me as someone that trusts them wholeheartedly, hopefully I can cushion myself and keep people from even considering me as a boot option. I know that gets a bit risky, especially say, if I vote someone out that really trusted me, they could drag my name through the mud after they leave and put me in a rough spot. But hopefully at that point, everyone left can see I'm still "being real" with them because I didn't come for them and I voted someone else out. I'm definitely getting the feeling that my social game is the most important part of my game here and that it's going to be my ticket to the end.
2. What is your focus moving forward? Are you thinking about the game one round at a time, or trying to look forward towards an impending merge and beyond?
It's kind of a combination of thinking about each round one round at a time but also thinking about the merge. There's no secret that the merge is right around the corner so I'm sure it's on everyone's mind, but also I think everyone knows that to get to the merge they have to get through all the rounds before it so there's definitely still a tribal dynamic happening and it doesn't feel like the game has moved to a more individual groove. I'm praying that we are merged by the weekend.
3. Give us a little more details on the dynamics of your tribe as you see them - like/dislike, aligned with/targeting, showmancing/disgusted by, etc. What do you want to happen if you lose again? What do you think will happen?
I think that Kylie, Mat, and I have gotten in good with nearly everyone on the tribe. We're all 3 active and chatty and easy to get along with. Although I do think that Kylie does some things or just presents herself in this really intense and blunt and a bit brash way that Mat and I don't. I verbalized to Mat yesterday that sometimes Kylie rubs me the wrong way, which was brought on by the fact that I've seen Mat say a couple things that seems like he's not exactly thrilled with her. But on the flipside I do believe that Kylie is fully for the Bananas (David, Kylie, Mat, and me) and that she wants us to go all the way to the final 4. I think in today's day and age of Survivor, the idea of an original alliance on an original tribe making it all the way to the end doesn't necessarily seem very exciting or even realistic but I do think Kylie truly wants to make it there. I would say that I would be okay with that too because I think that I could outtalk Kylie and have more pull socially on the jury with them. The only person I would have trouble beating is Mat but I even think I could do that if given the chance to answer the jury and defend myself. I just wanted to establish some kind of hierarchy in the Bananas and I believe that Mat and I are at the top of it. Aside from that, I think that a group of 5 between Kylie, Mat, Sarah, Tegan and me is going to be formed really soon.
I actually kind of overstepped a boundary last night before I realized the way the tribe was existing in its current state after Casey left. I was talking to Daisy and I legitimately do like talking to her so in my spell of being under Daisy's charm, I mentioned that I might want to make an alliance with her. She seemed to be fully on board but then the idea of who to include in it came up and I tried to make a list but I literally listed everyone, deleted my message, and rethought the whole thing. I do fully trust Michelle but with this group of 5, I think it's important to see value in staying with a majority group and not risking my neck to save Michelle if it came down to it. So as of right now I think that Daisy would be the next one to go and then potentially Michelle. If Daisy does need to go tonight, it'll be hard to tell Michelle but I think I would. Although, of course, there's the risk that Daisy has the idol, so maybe an authentic lying-style blindside would be best, where we make Daisy feel fully comfortable and then vote her out, which would mean it's probably best not to tell Michelle. But I don't want Michelle to be mad at me, and I definitely think if we vote Daisy out that she will be, so I'm kind of conflicted because I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place but I can't risk my game just because I have a close relationship to Michelle and everyone else isn't as close to her as I am.
4. Mysterious challenge, eh? Got any thoughts?
I think that one of the numbers has immunity behind it for each tribe and that one person will win immunity and both tribes go to tribal council and then we merge.
