- Fri Aug 13, 2021 4:23:06 pm
#75810
Cowabunga!
I just want to start this off by saying that this has been a hell of a game and I have no doubt in my mind that this season will go down in history as one of the best. All of us (sans the handful at the beginning) really came to play and give it just one last shot at a game that we all love. On Day 0, Jonathan let us know that some of us were Legends, some All-stars, some Second Chancers, but that we all had one thing in common: a clean slate to create whatever persona and play whatever game we liked. I knew from the moment that I was asked back to play that I was going to give this season my 110% because it’s more than likely the last time I’ll ever get another chance to play, so I played as hard as I could from the get, and created a persona that was well liked, levelheaded, and willing to do whatever it took to get me to this spot – to plead my case in front of all of you as to why the game that I played is the most deserving of the win. The game of Survivor is based on 3 key factors, and those are how someone can outwit, outplay, and outlast all the others. I accomplished all 3 of those things through basing my strategy on adaptability, proving my worth in challenges on multiple occasions, and using my social skills to foster multiple layers of protection at any given moment.
Initially, I came into this game knowing that my key to success would mean that I would need to take a more analytical and strategic approach to the game than I have in the past. My strategy was simple, but difficult to execute: keep the heat off of me for as long as possible. Once the merge started, beginning with the Tessa vote, it became very clear to me that the culture of this game was going to be to locate who was the most threatening player at any given time, and take them out. Knowing this, that meant that the target on my back needed to stay as small as possible for the longest amount of time possible. I was able to do this mostly in part by having made strong bonds with really strong players, and using them as a shield to ultimately propel myself here into the finals. There a couple of key moments that I think this is obvious in. Namely, the Kylie vote, in which I intentionally voted in the minority in order to appear wholly loyal to the alliance of Kylie, David, Mat, Sarah, and me, and also making the conscious decision to strengthen a strong working relationship with both Tegan and Michelle. Another instance of me doing what I needed to do to minimize the target on my back was not withholding the knowledge I got from the first Mystery Box, and using it as a way to establish trust and loyalty with several members of our merged tribe. It’s no secret that on multiple occasions I voted in the minority, but it should be a testament that even with that being said, my strategy of coming off as a non-threatening presence in a sea of power players meant that I was never once in hot water up until the bitter end. I was adaptable every round that something I wasn't expecting happened, and adjusted accordingly. When Michelle was voted out and David and Mat lied to me, I played it up like I completely understood, and I did, but I knew that there was no chance after that for the three of us to continue the way that we had been, so whenever a clear opportunity to vote Mat out appeared, I ran with it. My strategy was also heavily controlled by the flow of information. My social play helped me provide information which gathered trust in who I gave it to, but conversely in a way that I was always getting information back at me that I could use however I wanted. It's also important to note that my strategy at the very end of the game was crucial as I was the one that planted the seed in David's brain that proved to him how strong of a player Sharn was, which I think ultimately led to her demise.
Additionally, I showed that I had what it took to help my tribe win challenges on multiple occasions and also secured individual immunity for myself twice; once at the Final 4 (which is arguably the most crucial challenge of my whole game), and another at the very beginning of the game. Not only that, but I was able to navigate the merge in a way where people knew I was skilled at challenges, but not in a way that ever made it seem like my winning would be a direct threat to their game. I do believe that if I had not won the immunity challenge at the final 4, it would have been me that left that round. David, Sharn, and Ben were all extremely close, and my persistence on Ben being a strategic and physical threat ultimately led to his demise, and my safety meant that Ben’s preferred target (me) was no longer an option. Sharn and David did not see Ben to be the jury threat that I perceived him as and so for that reason, if I hadn’t won then, I do believe that I would have been the next to go.
Most importantly, I think my strongest asset is my social game. From day 1, I knew that if I wanted a chance at winning, I needed to be as charming and likeable as possible. It is no secret that a huge key to this game is jury management and so I consistently had that in the back of my mind. I needed to navigate this game with burning as little bridges as possible and forging genuine, real relationships with any and everyone that I could. I think I was as successful at that as I could have been. Never did I sit back and let others do work for me on a social premise. I formed extremely close and intentional relationships with David, Mat, Sharn, Michelle, Tegan, Kylie, and Sarah, and never went a round without speaking to every possible person I could speak to. I do want you all to know that our conversations and small talk and all of that was and is very genuine and that is one of my favorite parts of playing these games, but also let it be known that in doing that, I knew that I was solidifying my position for longevity’s sake. Look at everyone that I listed that I had a close relationship with. These are all very strong social and strategic players that I knew would be much better to keep close to me than further away, and I did everything in my power to keep as many people as close to me as possible, and did it in a way where it never backfired or made me look like I was being extra cutthroat, although I was cutthroat in subtle ways. I ensured through my social game that if I actually ever was in danger, that I would know about it, and when I was actually in danger, I did know about it, and was able to say what I needed to say and rely on the connections that I had made to keep me safe.
In short, it’s important to realize the theme of the game – threats go home. To me, I was just as big of a threat than any of you, but I specifically used my gamesense and social power to keep the target consistently off of me round after round. I made moves in voting for Mat and intentionally voted outside of the majority during the Kylie vote in order to keep the flow of information steady from both angles so that I could make calculated moves going forward. I knew what information to give out and when to give it, and did a great job of making sure people perceived everyone else around me as a bigger threat to their game than I was, mostly due to the relationships that I had formed with them. Even when I was out of the loop or did not vote in the majority, my saving grace was the fact that I had important one on one bonds with the strongest players in the game. If you noticed, I didn’t ever receive a vote at tribal council, and never received a single answer in touchy subjects, and that was by design. David, on the other hand did, and received a majority of the negative answers. David’s game was much more cutthroat than mine and went about the game in a way he knew could be hurting people’s feelings. He burned people on multiple occasions in the name of the game but I think did not carefully consider enough the way that that makes the jury feel, whereas speaking to all of you at this point in the game was always something I had happening in the back of my mind and thus, I went about the game in a way that made sure that I myself was safe, but also that I wasn’t being careless, reckless, or overly risky. I know you guys will see the value in the type of game I played and reward it over the risky game that David played. I look forward to hearing from all of you and connecting after all of this is said and done.
