[James]

And I want to hear this straight from you Mike because I don't believe for a second you thought all the advantages in this game were fake so why the fuck say that lmao? Like, at least to me, it's entirely 100% unbelievable and it truly was one of the most absurd takes I heard in the game. Felt almost satirical lmao.

[James]

And also, holy hell why the heck were there 2 hidden idols in the Bounty boxes (I assume they came from there)? And assuming a third one in Michelle's hands. Were they all idols lol?

[James]

It truly seems like there was no gaming going on at all in this game. Truly overestimated how much you all were working together. Like hello? Were playing Survivor and it seems like the dynamics are like a new cast meeting on the first day still haha

[Mike]

I was so ready to be a hardass on you Mike. I had my jury question lined up for you :(

LMAO I was ready for it! What was it? Can you share?

Obviously if you would have made F2 it would have meant you would have made some decent moves.
So probably something like: "Stop acting like a pick me boy in high school, chill out on the Canadian stereotypes like being nice to everyone, take ownership for the shit you did and tell me and the rest of the jury, and (whoever you're F2 with) how you managed to play us like a fiddle and get into F2".

Obviously was gonna tweak it to make it perfect once the time comes lmao.

I've got passive aggressive questions lined up for everyone don't worry. 

Love it. I mean what I'm going to own is the fact that I am just genuinely trying to be nice to everyone because I have a customer service background. It's hardwired into my brain. I'd actually take ownership about my mistakes (like targeting you and Morgan even though you would have been loyal to me for longer than it happened), having all these social relationships (that probably weren't as strong as I thought - Paul and I were TIGHT, Hali and I obviously, Steph was my only explicitly and sincerely stated #1 in the game, and then I had a f2 with Syd come together after the Morgan boot) blah blah blah. All that kinda stuff. It's a great question but I knew part of my final pitch would have to be OWNING my mistake in targeting Morgan when I did, but then turning it into a strength by uniting everyone under a common enemy (you) to make my social bonds that much stronger. I killed someone who would have worked with me to give me strength with other players.

[James]

Who would have taught that Michelle would be such a comp beast?

[Mike]

And I want to hear this straight from you Mike because I don't believe for a second you thought all the advantages in this game were fake so why the fuck say that lmao? Like, at least to me, it's entirely 100% unbelievable and it truly was one of the most absurd takes I heard in the game. Felt almost satirical lmao.

Oh yeah there was part of me that was like "Oh these people are fucking with us and there's nothing" because it made it easier for me to not distract myself with advantages. I knew if I thought about them too hard I'd go insane, overplay and destroy myself way sooner. So I used it as a distraction mechanism and started saying it more so I believed it more. My bounty was Hali so I knew I was NEVER going to get near one so I made myself feel better about it by trying to convince myself they didn't matter/weren't real. I was SALTY someone got an advantage from Carolyn and even went as far as offering up my bounty to the hosts so that someone didn't just get handed an advantage from a player being inactive.

[James]

LMAO I was ready for it! What was it? Can you share?

Obviously if you would have made F2 it would have meant you would have made some decent moves.
So probably something like: "Stop acting like a pick me boy in high school, chill out on the Canadian stereotypes like being nice to everyone, take ownership for the shit you did and tell me and the rest of the jury, and (whoever you're F2 with) how you managed to play us like a fiddle and get into F2".

Obviously was gonna tweak it to make it perfect once the time comes lmao.

I've got passive aggressive questions lined up for everyone don't worry. 

Love it. I mean what I'm going to own is the fact that I am just genuinely trying to be nice to everyone because I have a customer service background. It's hardwired into my brain. I'd actually take ownership about my mistakes (like targeting you and Morgan even though you would have been loyal to me for longer than it happened), having all these social relationships (that probably weren't as strong as I thought - Paul and I were TIGHT, Hali and I obviously, Steph was my only explicitly and sincerely stated #1 in the game, and then I had a f2 with Syd come together after the Morgan boot) blah blah blah. All that kinda stuff. It's a great question but I knew part of my final pitch would have to be OWNING my mistake in targeting Morgan when I did, but then turning it into a strength by uniting everyone under a common enemy (you) to make my social bonds that much stronger. I killed someone who would have worked with me to give me strength with other players.

I need you to go for my throat. Right for the jugular. Still too nice Mike

[Mike]

It truly seems like there was no gaming going on at all in this game. Truly overestimated how much you all were working together. Like hello? Were playing Survivor and it seems like the dynamics are like a new cast meeting on the first day still haha

Oh yeah I shredded you for your totem pole. It was way off.

[James]

And I want to hear this straight from you Mike because I don't believe for a second you thought all the advantages in this game were fake so why the fuck say that lmao? Like, at least to me, it's entirely 100% unbelievable and it truly was one of the most absurd takes I heard in the game. Felt almost satirical lmao.

Oh yeah there was part of me that was like "Oh these people are fucking with us and there's nothing" because it made it easier for me to not distract myself with advantages. I knew if I thought about them too hard I'd go insane, overplay and destroy myself way sooner. So I used it as a distraction mechanism and started saying it more so I believed it more. My bounty was Hali so I knew I was NEVER going to get near one so I made myself feel better about it by trying to convince myself they didn't matter/weren't real. I was SALTY someone got an advantage from Carolyn and even went as far as offering up my bounty to the hosts so that someone didn't just get handed an advantage from a player being inactive.

That was Morgan who got it. And I wasn't lying to you when I said I knew what it was. Hence why I indirectly called you dumb for not realizing how I knew what the advantage was so early in the game lol

I'm guessing we're allowed to tell each other our bounties now. Mine was Paul so I knew I was never going to get him (neither did I want to for that matter).

[Mike]

Obviously if you would have made F2 it would have meant you would have made some decent moves.
So probably something like: "Stop acting like a pick me boy in high school, chill out on the Canadian stereotypes like being nice to everyone, take ownership for the shit you did and tell me and the rest of the jury, and (whoever you're F2 with) how you managed to play us like a fiddle and get into F2".

Obviously was gonna tweak it to make it perfect once the time comes lmao.

I've got passive aggressive questions lined up for everyone don't worry. 

Love it. I mean what I'm going to own is the fact that I am just genuinely trying to be nice to everyone because I have a customer service background. It's hardwired into my brain. I'd actually take ownership about my mistakes (like targeting you and Morgan even though you would have been loyal to me for longer than it happened), having all these social relationships (that probably weren't as strong as I thought - Paul and I were TIGHT, Hali and I obviously, Steph was my only explicitly and sincerely stated #1 in the game, and then I had a f2 with Syd come together after the Morgan boot) blah blah blah. All that kinda stuff. It's a great question but I knew part of my final pitch would have to be OWNING my mistake in targeting Morgan when I did, but then turning it into a strength by uniting everyone under a common enemy (you) to make my social bonds that much stronger. I killed someone who would have worked with me to give me strength with other players.

I need you to go for my throat. Right for the jugular. Still too nice Mike

Oh you'll see in my confessionals I did. I'm the one who leaked the photo rumour into the game to get all the craziness started. I'm just tired and there's no point in going to that place tonight now that we can all be friends here lol

[Mike]

And I want to hear this straight from you Mike because I don't believe for a second you thought all the advantages in this game were fake so why the fuck say that lmao? Like, at least to me, it's entirely 100% unbelievable and it truly was one of the most absurd takes I heard in the game. Felt almost satirical lmao.

Oh yeah there was part of me that was like "Oh these people are fucking with us and there's nothing" because it made it easier for me to not distract myself with advantages. I knew if I thought about them too hard I'd go insane, overplay and destroy myself way sooner. So I used it as a distraction mechanism and started saying it more so I believed it more. My bounty was Hali so I knew I was NEVER going to get near one so I made myself feel better about it by trying to convince myself they didn't matter/weren't real. I was SALTY someone got an advantage from Carolyn and even went as far as offering up my bounty to the hosts so that someone didn't just get handed an advantage from a player being inactive.

That was Morgan who got it. And I wasn't lying to you when I said I knew what it was. Hence why I indirectly called you dumb for not realizing how I knew what the advantage was so early in the game lol

I'm guessing we're allowed to tell each other our bounties now. Mine was Paul so I knew I was never going to get him (neither did I want to for that matter).

I figured you knew from Morgan but at that point in our relationship I was like "just let him dig his own grave and say what he needs to" I didn't take it as you calling me indirectly dumb. It felt very direct but I didn't mind or take it personally haha

[James]

It truly seems like there was no gaming going on at all in this game. Truly overestimated how much you all were working together. Like hello? Were playing Survivor and it seems like the dynamics are like a new cast meeting on the first day still haha

Oh yeah I shredded you for your totem pole. It was way off.

 No, my totem pole is still rather accurate. Only reason you got the boot was for making the move too early againt Paul from what I can gather. I've said it myself, these hierarchies are very fluid. Voce still being in the game doesn't negate my totem pole. I think Sydney was my only misread in the game because I was being fed so much different info regarding the Morgan boot. 

Also I'm not saying she is but if Steph is positioning herself with two goats (Voce and Syd) then more power to her. She knows she wouldn't win against the majority of us in F2 so that's the perfect strategy. 

[Paul]

Of course that was you lol. Poor Paul. Too empathetic really just loves to believe people haha. 

[James]

Lmaooooo I knew it was you. That was blatantly obvious. I just had to go after Steph because she was the "obvious" target now that I knew people did their homework about the past season. You, Sydney and Michelle were the only people I realistically thought for a second actually did it. But then from what I gathered was that Sydney didn't come up with any part of the plan to save her own ass and something just told me that that wasn't a "Michelle" move so you were logically the only one left. Hence why I was trying to make something happen where Steph was my "target" and that just a few stray votes would end up on you.

[James]

But yeah, holy shit it seems like I clearly overplayed this game way too hard from the get go. I was out here playing Stranded Mykonos and half of these people were on vacation at Mykonos LOL. Truly shocked at how little gaming/alliance work actually went down. 

[Mike]

It truly seems like there was no gaming going on at all in this game. Truly overestimated how much you all were working together. Like hello? Were playing Survivor and it seems like the dynamics are like a new cast meeting on the first day still haha

Oh yeah I shredded you for your totem pole. It was way off.

 No, my totem pole is still rather accurate. Only reason you got the boot was for making the move too early againt Paul from what I can gather. I've said it myself, these hierarchies are very fluid. Voce still being in the game doesn't negate my totem pole. I think Sydney was my only misread in the game because I was being fed so much different info regarding the Morgan boot. 

Also I'm not saying she is but if Steph is positioning herself with two goats (Voce and Syd) then more power to her. She knows she wouldn't win against the majority of us in F2 so that's the perfect strategy. 

I broke it down (and roasted you for doing a horizontal totem pole you asshole) and compared. The way I saw the game, which still stands up is something like...

Michelle
Paul
Hali
Mike
Steph
Voce
Rodney
Sydney

That's what I think I put. Michelle has so much more power than I think people realize. Everyone I talked to said the same thing - they tell Michelle everything and get nothing back in return. Paul was next because of our foursome but down a peg because I don't think he was managing threat level accordingly. Hali next because she has made some good social moves (her relationship with Steph in particular), I'm right in the middle because that's how I felt - I knew I didn't have as much control as I thought but still felt well connected, I think you had me third. Steph, at the point of the game you made the totem pole, was where I have her now (but she might be higher now) because people only seemed interested in keeping her around because she was a heat magnet for you. It benefited everyone to keep her because everyone made it seem like she was always your focus. Voce didn't even start playing til right before you left. Not a good social game from him and then he picked it up. Rodney is Rodney. And then for the Morgan boot, Sydney didn't actually do anything other than show up - it was Paul's fault Morgan got booted. I was ready to take Syd out there.

[Paul]

It was the third day lol. There were a lot of people working together. By that time the pairs of Michelle/Paul and Hali/Mike were already working together. I mean there might not have been as much as when you wanted but it wasn't like we were just chillin lol. 

[Paul]

Oh yeah I shredded you for your totem pole. It was way off.

 No, my totem pole is still rather accurate. Only reason you got the boot was for making the move too early againt Paul from what I can gather. I've said it myself, these hierarchies are very fluid. Voce still being in the game doesn't negate my totem pole. I think Sydney was my only misread in the game because I was being fed so much different info regarding the Morgan boot. 

Also I'm not saying she is but if Steph is positioning herself with two goats (Voce and Syd) then more power to her. She knows she wouldn't win against the majority of us in F2 so that's the perfect strategy. 

I broke it down (and roasted you for doing a horizontal totem pole you asshole) and compared. The way I saw the game, which still stands up is something like...

Michelle
Paul
Hali
Mike
Steph
Voce
Rodney
Sydney

That's what I think I put. Michelle has so much more power than I think people realize. Everyone I talked to said the same thing - they tell Michelle everything and get nothing back in return. Paul was next because of our foursome but down a peg because I don't think he was managing threat level accordingly. Hali next because she has made some good social moves (her relationship with Steph in particular), I'm right in the middle because that's how I felt - I knew I didn't have as much control as I thought but still felt well connected, I think you had me third. Steph, at the point of the game you made the totem pole, was where I have her now (but she might be higher now) because people only seemed interested in keeping her around because she was a heat magnet for you. It benefited everyone to keep her because everyone made it seem like she was always your focus. Voce didn't even start playing til right before you left. Not a good social game from him and then he picked it up. Rodney is Rodney. And then for the Morgan boot, Sydney didn't actually do anything other than show up - it was Paul's fault Morgan got booted. I was ready to take Syd out there.

Bro that's not true at all. You came to me telling me how icky you felt about James targeting Sydney after what happened to her. No reason to lie now. 

[James]

Oh yeah I shredded you for your totem pole. It was way off.

 No, my totem pole is still rather accurate. Only reason you got the boot was for making the move too early againt Paul from what I can gather. I've said it myself, these hierarchies are very fluid. Voce still being in the game doesn't negate my totem pole. I think Sydney was my only misread in the game because I was being fed so much different info regarding the Morgan boot. 

Also I'm not saying she is but if Steph is positioning herself with two goats (Voce and Syd) then more power to her. She knows she wouldn't win against the majority of us in F2 so that's the perfect strategy. 

I broke it down (and roasted you for doing a horizontal totem pole you asshole) and compared. The way I saw the game, which still stands up is something like...

Michelle
Paul
Hali
Mike
Steph
Voce
Rodney
Sydney

That's what I think I put. Michelle has so much more power than I think people realize. Everyone I talked to said the same thing - they tell Michelle everything and get nothing back in return. Paul was next because of our foursome but down a peg because I don't think he was managing threat level accordingly. Hali next because she has made some good social moves (her relationship with Steph in particular), I'm right in the middle because that's how I felt - I knew I didn't have as much control as I thought but still felt well connected, I think you had me third. Steph, at the point of the game you made the totem pole, was where I have her now (but she might be higher now) because people only seemed interested in keeping her around because she was a heat magnet for you. It benefited everyone to keep her because everyone made it seem like she was always your focus. Voce didn't even start playing til right before you left. Not a good social game from him and then he picked it up. Rodney is Rodney. And then for the Morgan boot, Sydney didn't actually do anything other than show up - it was Paul's fault Morgan got booted. I was ready to take Syd out there.

I guess there's different ways to analyze hierarchies in the game. Michelle is well positioned and is winning challenges but she will have a hard time selling to anyone in jury that she was the lead behind any move. It's the downfall of playing such an undercover game (if that is truly what she's doing). And that's why I would have her nowhere near the top despite her performance. I guess it truly depends on  criteria and how the game is analyzed.

[Mike]

But yeah, holy shit it seems like I clearly overplayed this game way too hard from the get go. I was out here playing Stranded Mykonos and half of these people were on vacation at Mykonos LOL. Truly shocked at how little gaming/alliance work actually went down. 

Yeah that's what did you in man and that's part of my game too. You overplayed the same way I did last season, I could just see the small subtle social things you were doing that I did, how you were pushing things through etc. and that's when I took the photo, mixed it with being uncomfortable with the Sydney boot and suddenly everyone was like "James IS being a dictator...I'm so glad you said something!". From there at the Morgan boot, when you won immunity it was supposed to be you which I'm sure you figured out. I was ready to just give up Sydney but then Paul argued something to the effect of "If we boot Morgan we only make James mad vs. if we boot Sydney we get Rodney and Voce mad (might have been another name in there too)". Morgan leaving when she did was not good for my game at all BUT I leveraged you as an enemy for better social standing.