Confessional

[Alec Christy]

So, lots of stuff happened today, most of it good for once haha.

So, I get on AIM around 6:30, cause I had a lot to do today. Hell, before breakfast I’d gotten my blood test done and became an ordained minister...yeah it’s much easier than you’d think, and I'm easily amused. So anyway, when I came on, the Alec’s Angels chat had exploded. Apparently, Elyse won both of the prizes (btw, I totes suggested RC for the Foghorn one, I am da’ bestest) and was gonna switch the tribes tonight.

There was a lot of discussion on who’d we switch, whether we should bring Shane with us or instead bring a Malaga to boot, specifically Jax, because Morgan’s afraid of her. But that idea was vetoed because we wanted minimal risks of coups. I’m glad that happened naturally, because while I know its probably dumb and gonna bite me in the ass down the line, but I do really like Jaclyn. Voting her out, especially prejury, is just something I don’t want to do. I probs don’t want to go the finale with her, but I do want to work with her in some capacity if possible. We chat too much for something not to happen.

Anyway, the switch happens, and Kenny and Cao are the obvious people out on either tribe. I’m not sure whats going on with Cao - Morgan was cursing him out after the Coach vote out last night, which I thought was a bit excessive. But Cao, being who he is, hasn’t been on the board since the vote off, and we’ve pretty much written him off as anything but fodder on his tribe.

As for Kenny, he’s playing hard to try and stick around, but they kept him on this tribe for a reason. He’s a good player and a strong challenge performer, and we want him gone. Like, I sent him a sympathetic message saying its a shame he got swapfucked, and he immediately posted it in the groupchat. He’s playing balls to the wall, and on one hand its understandable, on the other I was just offering some sympathy, I’m not the one you should be pissed at.

So we’re obviously throwing, we probably got a bit too giggly about sitting Kenny out in the groupchat but its the truth. He’s a goner. The only people that would vote with him are Pete, and maaaaaaaybe Sandra, if something big were to happen to make her realize she’s at the bottom of the five, but Shane and me,l Brenda, Morgan, and Elyse are voting Kenny out. We’re not getting cute with this, he needs to go if we want our alliance to survive.

Brenda, and Morgan too, are really amusing themselves playing with Kenny and Pete. Making them go at each other’s throats has some strategic reasoning, because we don’t want them trying anything, little risk as it is. But leading them on to the extent to they are... I don’t know, its one thing to say you’ll do what you can, which I did in case something crazy happens, but they’re being very stone cold about this. This kinda goes back to the whole Jaclyn thing - I don’t like to completely override game at any cost. And I think its too cute, to be completely honest - getting into that kind of mindset can turn peeps against you. I mean, its funny, especially their reactions to it, but it feels kinda meh to do, at least for myself. Kenny’s playing for his life, after all.

Shane removing himself, while noble, irritated me a little because it narrowed the margins. We would’ve left him on the other tribe if we wanted him to do that. At any rate, we should still be solid, and we just gotta steer the ship to get Kenny out this round. Sorry guys, not everyone round can be like the Coach one. Kenny’s been swapfucked, and hopefully, for the sake of my own game, I can keep it that way.

[Alec Christy]

(Seriously, there are NOT a lot of Alec images, this is ridiculous. I’m gonna run out by merge. Maybe it’s a sign I’ll be the merge boot, as I oft prophesize to my fellow players, haha.)

Not much to talk about in summary to the round. Sorry we had to do this to you guys, but Kenny was a strong player, and keeping him around simply couldn’t happen. I kinda wish Shane told us he was gonna bow out voluntarily, we would’ve grabbed another fodder in that case, but there’s not much to do now. I don’t want to vote out Pete anytime soon, in part because I think we can control him to an extent, Brenda’s suspicions about him and Jefra aside, and in part because if we vote him out, we’re gonna be down to just the five. Even if we never have to vote one of ourselves out, the plans will almost certainly be made, and unity fractured.

Going into this next round, we desperately need to win. We’re willing to use the black mark this round, because it’s one of those scenarios haha. If we win, there’s a good shot we can keep the alliance intact til merge. IF not, my swan song my fast arrive, although I think Sandra would be the boot there.

...

Okay, not to go on too much of a segue here, but what does swan song mean? Do swan’s sing as they die? If it a shoutout to that play or whatever about the skating birds whose name escapes me at this moment? Like, I’m curious now, and Google’s for bitchez. (Nevermind that I’m typing this in Google Doc’s, just got a new laptop and getting Microsoft Word is both money and effort.) PW’s, I command thee to assist Alec in this endeavor, and you will be richly rewarded with meat of all shapes and sizes. I got Ostrich, and lemme tell you, Ostrich meat is some good stuff.

...Moving along then.... (easily bored and equally easily amused, sorry peeps )

In other news, Cao did not quit, and he’s back on the boards and AIM. Normally I wouldn’t be overly happy about this, but he’s sharing information with our side, if not necessarily me haha. He told Elyse and Morgan about the idol, which even Jax was being coy about haha, and confirmed that someone has it. If he has it, awesome, he can idol one of the Malagas out. (I’m going to ignore that they’re on Loa Seki and we’re on Malaga, thank you very much.) I’m hoping he goes back to the Loa Seki’s, even though we kinda majorly screwed him haha.

Also, was chatting with Cochran a bit tonight. He seems a little shady, subtly prying for information and all that, but the talk of alliance came up, more of a “I’ll watch your back down the line if you watch mine” kind of thing. Calling it The Bros, obviously, because we’re the most masculine guys in the game. I’m not sure if he’s being entirely truthful with me, but I get the sense that he’s not completely comfortable with the Malagas, majority alliance or not. Coupled with him trying to keep the guys together and Vytas still going out, and I wonder about his position.

Someone has the idol now, and I’m sure we’ll all go crazy wondering who it is. I was helping Jax with the clue last night, 303115 or whatever, and we didn’t get much figured out. This’d be an elaborate ploy to dissuade me from thinking she has it, so I’m gonna go ahead and assume it’s not her, haha. Since I don’t have much to go on, let's just say Bobdawg has it. He won individual immunity, he obviously knows how to get these clues. See that little eeinie bittee chunk of logic there? That’s about the extent I have, haha.

Oh, and I married Bobdawg and Jaclyn. Because not only am I a detective, I’m an ordained minister. #JustFillOutTheForm

Not much else to say - was kinda chill round. Talk to you peeps later.

[Alec Christy]

I hate this tribe swap, because from all accounts, I’m at least going to be getting three votes on a seven person tribe. Don’t know if I’ll necessarily leave, but there’s a good shot if it happening.

So I log on to AIM at like 5:15, less than an hour before the challenge, and no one has stepped up to be leader. And I’m like, fuck, everyone’s being spotty about this. So reluctantly, with Africa and the "ambassadors" chief in my mind, I said I’d be the leader if no one else wanted to do it. No one did, so away I was whisked.

As I feared, it was a tribe swap, and I was one of the captains, along with Jaclyn. Nothing much interesting happened here, except for Jaclyn cutting short my odds for survival by giving the unpicked Cochran to me, and piling forces against me. But I had Hope and Cao, and me and Cochran formed that alliance last night - maybe we can get something working with literally anyone besides Jefra.

I talked to Cao, and apparently Morgan cursing him out means I have to pay for her sins - he’s an awful liar, he wants me out. Hell he's telling the same thing to Cochran. Greeeeat. Things with Hope were more promising, but nothing substantial has happened yet. But, of all things, COCHRAN came to save the day.

He wants to flip omgomgomgomg I’m not necessarily going out OMG.
I'm so happy I made that spur of the moment alliance, so fucking happy about that right now.

Okay, moving on. Cochran said he doesn’t feel secure on Malaga, because apparently there’s a girl power thing going on there, and when Courtney was supposed to second, they flipped the vote last second to boot Vytas against his wishes. That’s what he’s telling me anyway - who knows, it could be a way to throw the votes on Jefra and keep himself safe, or it could be what Brenda did to Kenny. But it’s my best chance right now, so I’m grabbing it full force.

I think I said all the right things. Said if he does this for me I have his back to finals, and to be completely honest I’m not necessarily against that. He seems really down for flipping - I think my read’s good, just based on the amount of text he was typing, AND because he offered it, I didn’t ask it. But it could be a very in flux situation, so I’m doing what I can to keep this good.

I’ve talked with Brenda about it, and as soon as I can get a hold of Elyse I’ll talk to her too. We’ll make a groupchat, and god willing Cochran pulls a SoPa.

There’s also a bit of a headache for me with the challenge. Because everyone’s convinced Morgan’s gone on her tribe if they lose, Brenda and Morgan want us to throw. And fine, whatever, if we can get Jefra out I’m fine with that, but its not your name they’re tossing about. I at least want to grab individual immunity, but doing that could piss them off. They’re basically making me rely on Cochran or someone else flipping to save someone else, or else I’m one. And I can’t grab the individual immunity necklace that’s right fucking there. Awesome. And Cochran doesn’t wanna throw, so if we’re obvious about it, he could flip back. This challenge is a headache and a half.

The conclusion to the Meat Collector Diaries could be fast approaching, who knows, but I’m hoping thats not the case. Cochran not flipping, Jefra idoling, a thousand things could happen to screw me over - I just gotta do what I can to not see my name on those parchments.

[Alec Christy]

(Shoutout to John for finding me more images, this should make it a bit easier haha.)

This vote has been both surprisingly easy and surprisingly difficult at the same time.

The easiest thing has been, of all things, been getting Hope and Cochran to vote Jefra. They both feel like they're on the outs, it seems, and want to work with my me/Brenda/Elyse threesome. Awesome, I did the whole groupchat hoopla, chatting them up and making them both feel secure, and my read is that they’re both being honest. Should be a simple 5-2 Jefra blindside.

That’d be too easy. People are worried Jaclyn is going to idol Jefra, sending me out. Even though I’m willing to take the gamble, plans have been proposed to put two votes on Cochran, or even just straight up vote him out, because no one wants to lose me as a number it seems. Convincing Brenda to vote Jefra has been an ardorous task, but I think I’m starting to get through to her.

And yes, I know these plans increase my own personal safety. But I’m willing to increase the risk to myself if it means increasing my chances for numbers at the merge, which has to be coming soon. I think it’s the message in the bottle, but I’m not certain of it - it could be another TC, or a tribe swap, or a bunch of things.

I want Jefra out - she’s a goat and needs to go. So I’m doing my damndest to make that happen.

I wanna take a second to talk about Jaclyn - she’s a snake, and I’m realizing I can’t work with her in an real capacity. FINALLY. We still chat, but she didn’t tell me about the idol, and she outright lied to me to keep herself out of sit outs for the game. She’s not in my alliance, but if we can find a way around that idol, I want her gone at some point. It freakin’ hurts me to do it, but I’ve already sent people I like out of the game, and I can’t afford to let my emotions get the best of me again. At least she’ll hopefully be jury.

She’s also apparently trying to work to get the vote off of me and onto Elyse. I doubt she actually is, but who knows, maybe I won’t get any votes at all. Wouldn’t that be sweet?

I’d type more but I’m starting to get sick of talking about strategy and junk haha. I just want this vote to work so desperately, pull off another blindside. And I kinda wanna rip the band aid of me getting votes and potentially going out off, haha.

[Alec Christy]

I’m effing proud of myself. I managed to flip what conceivably could’ve been a 4-3 vote to evict me into a 5-2 Jefra ouster. Now, to be fair while Cochran probably wouldn’t have flipped without my nudging, Hope was already tight from Brenda and Elyse from when they were on the same tribe, so she proooooobs would’ve gone with us anyway. But let’s just conveniently ignore that and say I saved myself, sounds much more convincing for my story arc, I assure you. Like, Vytas is never going anywhere over Kat or Laura B, but the editors knew better than to let that be the story - Tina was loyal to Aras and all that jazz, so voting out his brother probably wouldn’t have flown under her tight watch. Although, thinking about this previous round in respect to the current one, changing the margins has given us some wiggle room for this vote, and made my threesome’s chances for survival exponentially higher, way less dicey.

Yeah, let’s stop with the rambling, haha. This second consecutive vote could’ve been easy, but the damn hidden Tyler Perry nonsense means I have to do a bit of planning with my fellows beforehand. Of course, with Jaclyn’s idol this split the vote plan would’ve come into play in a regular double tribal too. Anyway, at this point, I trust Hope more than I trust Cochran - that’s not to say I don’t think either of them plan on not working with my group for the foreseeable future, but I gotta burn one of them on this vote, and Cochran seems more out for his own hide down the line. Hope’s really nice, and while I’m sure part, if even only a small part, of it’s an act, the girls seem to think we can keep her longer than Cochran, and I’m willing to take a backseat on this one. God knows my target is already large enough as it is, haha, no way I’m nitpicking every decision like a control freak or something.

Cao’s been irritating me. He insists on voting for me even though I’ve been nothing but civil to the guy, because apparently I’m guilty by association for the things Morgan and Shane said to him, and he like, pouts when things don’t go this way. He threatened to quit after Shane’s blowup, he went inactive for days after Coach’s blindside, and now he seems to have pretty much given up and is just voting me for spite, if what Brenda’s saying is correct. Because we all know he’d never talk to me. He’s made himself a self-fulfilling prophecy - I never really wanted him out, until much like Coach, he wanted me out. Here’s hoping history repeats.

And, I’m sure the guy’s awesome in real life, as a general rule I like to believe people who play ORG’s are awesome, but in this game his seeming hatred for me is just, like, perplexing. I’m genuinely frustrated by this guy, mostly because his basis for dislike is like, not there. I wish he’d straight up tell me his issue, because as far as he’s told me, he’s mad at me for um, not bindly following him and Coach. Greeeeeeeat.

Anyway, because we’re sure Cao is probs gonna vote one of the me/Brenda/Elyse (you’ll never guess which) we’re splitting the vote on him and Cochran. We’ve set it up in the four person me/Brenda/Elyse/Cochran groupchat that the four of us are gonna do guys on Cao, girls on Hope, so there isn’t a random Hope vote in the pile. Elyse talked to Hope, and she’s down for the plan - those two are voting for Cochran. Me, Cochran, and Brenda will vote for Cao, and Cao will vote me. If he’s immune, Cochran goes 2-1. If not, Cao goes and I need to deal with a pissed off Cochran. At any rate, I’m not taking the same gamble twice in a row - not splitting last time made this vote infinitely easier to handle instead of a potential disaster, but I’m not suicidal enough to risk a straight vote again, haha. I may dislike split votes as a general rule, but they have their place.

Not sure if I mentioned this before, but when getting Cochran on our side, I did give him some info, stuff I didn’t think was too valuable. He asked who had the Black X, I told him Elyse, because knowing who has the sit-out isn’t too valuable at this point. He also asked if me/Morg/Brenda/Elyse were a thing and I said yes, conveniently neglecting to add Sandra to that mix. Knowing the four of us are tight is probably a good thing for him, so I’m starting to think we take him out at the merge, especially if that's at F11. He knows about us, and while I’m sure this information is evident to most, even with his burned bridges he could wreck some shop if given enough time. Also I’m sure he won’t be all forgive and forget about this vote split thing, haha. I feel kinda bad, cause he seems like a good guy, but he’s gonna be against me and is a solid player - I hope he makes jury, especially over someone like Cao.

As for more long-term stuff, I’ve already began to discuss late-game shiz with my alliancemates. Morgan and I are perceived as a pair, and that will go a long way in keeping her loyal to me, if my read’s correct. And I want to go far with her, especially since I’m seen as the alpha of our duo, but I know other people are wary of pairs. So I’ve already talked to Elyse, telling her I was worried I’d be seen as attached to Morgan, made myself seem confused as to why that was, yada yada. I reaffirmed that I wanted all of us at the end, but the seed’s been planted - as much as I may want us to actually be the final four, chances are rare that will actually happen. But when she or Brenda start wanting to trim the alliance, they’ll know where a vote is, and that gives me a vital in.

My endgame has always been spotty, to be completely honest. I’m not good at making those finals deals necessary to get to the end of the game, although I’m sure I’d have a decent shot to win if I get there. So I’ve been trying to cultivate relationships with people who are apt to try and shake things up like Elyse or Jaclyn.

(By the way, quick aside, still telling Jaclyn I’m with her, even though she lies straight to my face, like saying she wanted me in this last round when I know she was pissed at Cochran and Hope for their decision, saying as much to them. She’s a snake, but she’s a snake I know, and to an extent I can predict how she’s gonna play, and I know she’ll think of her own self-interest first and foremost. And I do think she likes me as a person, so developing this bond can definitely work for me, since she’s a power player. And hell, having someone I like around, even if they’re probably against me game-wise, is still pretty nice. Jax is awesome to shoot the shit with.)

I’m gonna start working Sandra over more soon, because merge is approaching and we haven’t talked as much - I need her not to worry she’s on the bottom and flip to get me out or something. Also, she’ll be a pivotal vote down the line, when the alliance seemingly inevitably fractures. Cultivating deeper personal bonds with my alliance members individually is crucial to not being blindsided, because hopefully they think I’m in their corner when the fracture happens. Also, I actually happen to like the people I’m alligned with, so talking to them is, #shocker, pretty fun. Actually on the whole John got a really good cast this time around.

I’m not sure how deep into the merge I can go, and who knows if I can even make it there. People perceive me as running things, and while to an extent I’ve exerted a bit of influence on how votes went down, it’s insanely difficult for one person to run a game, haha - it’s more like my alliance has the best players in it, and we’re running things collectively. At any rate, having this target going into the merge sucks, I honestly think someone like Elyse is in the ideal spot, but it’s a result of my playstyle, so I can’t really combat it - let’s fucking roll with it. And hey, let’s be stlyin’ while we’re at it, k?

[Alec Christy]

I WAS going to post my beauiful poem here, haha, but it looks like Cao's not going, because Brendas of all people want's Cochran gone over him. So I guess I'll hold off on it till he actually goes ou- eh, fuck it.

There once was a man named Cao,

When I blindsided Coach he said wow,

Inactive he then went, but soon he returned,

and with him a passion for vengeance quite burned.


Day after day, the man he plotted away,

at how to eliminate his dudebro prey.

But in his stupor, little did old Cao know,

that this was quite the crafty Christy bro.


Cao went to the town, pleading to them all,

“Everyone, this bro is here for the long haul.”

But deaf were they, to old man Cao’s protests,

And by now, the bro wanted to end his stress.


Cao aimed carefully, taking his shot,

but alas, his efforts were for naught,

with but a few simple words came a pact,

for the bro and his allies to now act.


There once was a man named Cao

And for now, all he can say is “Ow.”

At any rate, the vote now stands at the girls voting Cochran, me and Cochran voting Cao, and Cao voting proooooobably me. Brenda was really strange in how she wanted to change the vote - she just came to me with it out of nowhere. Cochran's a threat, I agree, but why didn't we hash this out in the groupchat earlier? It makes me suspicious she's trying to blindside me or something, haha, But its oddly aggressive for her, it makes me think she has something going with Cao or whatever. But for now there's not much I can do, and I wanted Cochran out soonish anyway. A shame he probs won't make jury, I think he deserves it especially over Cao, but I'm sorry man - even if I really wanted to help you, it ain't happening.

[Alec Christy]

Cao is friggen infuriating. I knew the vote was Cochran, and was starting to think he’d hopped aboard the bandwagon, and sure enough it was 4-2 to boot Cochran. He starts taunting me after the challenge, saying it’s funny that I’m on the wrong side of the vote, and I’m like - dude. I knew Cochran was going. It’s just - UGH, he’s getting under my skin. And not just mine, no one I talk seems to think Cao has an ally to speak of, because he’s a bad player and is just sooooo condescending.

So now it’s a 4-1 margin against Cao on the tribe. People want to throw, and part of me’s like, OK, we have the numbers, let’s get Cao out. But Brenda’s been acting odd, like she dislikes Cao and says she wants him out, but in such an unconvincing manner. I worry that if I throw here, something like a 3-2 Alec boot is gonna happen. Jaclyn could also go temporarily insane and idol Cao, but I don’t see that happening to be honest, she’s too selfish a player to do that.

Side Note: I’ve had to go to every fucking tribal except the first two, and I kinda want a fucking break, haha.

But at any rate, it looks like we’re throwing the challenge to get Cao out, and there’s not much else to it. I’m hesitant, because Cao’s openly against me and things could flip, but if we win chances are Morgan goes on the other side. And I don’t want that. Actually, if I could find a way to win, and have like, Pete go, that’d be ideal. Because we need targets to stay united against post-merge, and at this rate everyone will be with us except for Cout/Bob/Jax. If Cao’s there too, it’s 6-4 - nothing to flip to rocks over, but sizable enough that it gives me some breathing room. Then Alec’s Angels + Hope could vote someone out, and I can maybe Tony my way to the end saying “the minority’s still around, we need to get them out.” That’d be rad, and it’d give me a way to the end even with this huge ass target. But it’s a very delicate thing, and tricky to do, so probs not the path, haha.

Other news - I probably tell Jaclyn too much info, lol. I offhandedly mentioned we threw challenge 5, and I kinda feel like she wasn’t expecting it. I need to be quieter about these things, but I do think it makes her trust me more, and gives me an in with the other side that makes them possibly less likely to target me should I get to merge.

Ugh, I just wanna merge already. If we were merging at 10, we should have had 16 like in Borneo. This feels like it’s been going on for so long, haha, and surviving all these tribals is hard. I’m not sure how long I can keep it going, and I want jury, haha.

[Alec Christy]

So, that whole battleship thing was crazy, haha. I was half-convinced someone was leaking them info or something. Like I literally said “OK L10 is our last thing then right?” and half a second later Jax types “L10.” It was insane, lol. Although thanks to Elyse, I go ma’self some shiny new pearls. I didn’t tell anyone immediately, and that grace window disappears very quickly haha. I’ll probs use it at the first challenge I lose in the merge, so I can get a jump on the early merge prizes - I think there’s a good chance an idol will be put there early, like how there’s a merge idol on the actual show.

As for the vote, I was a bit worried a flip or something would happen, and I was doubling down with Hope once I hopped on to make sure nothing funny would happen - I think she trusts me a ton, although she’s probably playing it up. I should probably be more wary of her than I am. At any rate, I think she’s with me for the time being, and she’s certainly convinced me she doesn’t want me out anytime soon. Talking merge plans with her was a solid move, I think.

Cao was probably going out anyway, aside from maybe in my own paranoid mind, but he sent us all a message saying he wants to leave, the game hasn’t been fun for him in a while. We hashed a few things out, he was very respectful, and he said he wasn’t voting for me because he respected my game - he’s voting who he thinks played the weakest game, one of the girls. Could be any of them, I’d wager Hope since she flipped, but I’m not sure. Elyse hasn’t talked to him since round two, and I’m not sure if Brenda has either. At any rate, I told him it was nothing personal, which it really isn’t, and while I’ve been frustrated with him, I’m not holding it against him outside of the game. And it’s the truth - I’m such a nice guy, not illogically holding grudges outside of a game, a saint among ORG’ers obviously.

I’m looking to merge now, barring an unexpected blindside from the girls. (Please God no haha.) It’d be very Cook Islands not to merge next round, and I’d be quite irritated if we didn’t, haha. There’s a good chance 10th place doesn’t make jury either, which would suck, especially since I’ve been prophesying my merge boot since forever.

I should have Alec’s Angels and Hope - Pete may join us as well, I’m not entirely sure. That leaves, at most, 4 people on the outs, only one of which is seen as a huge threat. I don’t foresee the alliance lasting too long, aside from a vote or two, and I really need to shore up some relationship. I’m not sure if I can make it to the end, this merge in particular looks quite chaotic, but I’m hoping I can make some magic happen.

Sorry for the boringish confessional, hopefully someone will piss me off or something come merge, haha. I must steal all of Jax’s PW admirers, mwahahahaha.

[Alec Christy]

So everyone else is approaching this challenge with, y'know, tact, strategy, in general some form of intelligence. But I'm effin' Alec Christy, so YOLO. As long as Pete doesn't get immunity.

...

I may as well be  John Carroll during the coconut chop, haha.

[Alec Christy]

I was bored, so I’d figure I’d write down my first impressions of the cast. Didn’t get to reading the bios just yet, but I watched each video to get a sense of their general demeanor, engageability, thoughts on strategy and whatnot, etc. I wrote it down for posterity, wanna see how this peeps actually do post-game. I ranked my favorites as Yeah, the uncertain or neutral’s as Meh, and peeps I don’t really think can win as Nah.

...

Yeah I’m really easily amused. My sleep schedule’s all kinds of fucked up right now, I’m going to bed at noon and waking up at 10 PM. This is the kind of stuff that happens over social interactions. Anyway, figured I may as well put it in my confessional for posterity, and so the PW’s will have all the more reason to talk about me in the lounge. Even iiiiiiiiif it’s probably gonna have a bit more of a negative tinge, haha.

Carolyn: I was a bit bored during her her interview. She doesn’t have anything really working against her in my book, but in this cast I feel like you need more than that - you need attributes that will work for you. I get a very Missy esque vibe from her - solid, but far from outstanding. Yeah, Meh, Nah: Nah.

Dan: I like Dan a lot, he’s very engaging in how he talks, pretty articulate, definitely smart, and he’s a super-fan. I worry he’s gonna get screwed by his age, and I’m not sure if he’s cut-throat enough to last deep in the game. He’s either going pre-jury or mid-mere in my opinion. Yeah, Meh, Nah: Meh.

Hali: I get so many mixed signals from Hali. She’s either gonna go pre-merge, or be a definite presences for a decent chunk of the game, but which one it is very hard to predict. I’m leaning towards the former, but either’s certainly possible. Yeah, Meh, Nah: Meh.

Jenn: I love Jenn, she has a sardonic sense of humor that makes me feel like she’d draw people to her, particularly on a tribe like the No Collar, who seem to be more chill than anything. She’ll fit in well, and I definitely think she can get to the end, like a Sophie, with people underestimating her the whole way. A fan of the game, and looks like a solid player. Yeah, Meh, Nah: Yeah.

Joaquin: This guy’s fucked. Like, for a second he seemed kinda self-aware about his douchiness, and I was like, OK maybe he can play it up to manipulate people. Then he somehow managed to make himself seem deluded at the same time. He kinda reminds me of my sister, who would be horrible on Survivor. God willing, Joaquin can complete the Drew/Garrett trifecta. Yeah, Meh, Nah: Nah.

Joe: Someone mentioned this in passing, and I think Joe was cast to be another Malcolm. I don’t think he’ll be as good as him, he’s a bit too cocky, but I do think there’s a sort of genuineness, even in that cockiness, that will keep him around for a bit. I see him going early-mid merge. Yeah, Meh, Nah: Meh.

Kelly: Kelly talked a ton about her backstory in her video, which is cool and everything, but is definitely not engaging. If that’s an indicator of her general social game, I don’t think she’s gonna too well. The Trish that sucks, perhaps - she could make it mid-merge, but I don’t see her winning under most circumstances. Yeah, Meh, Nah: Nah.

Lindsey: Tattooed alternative mom Lindsey? Man, obviously gonna be another qui- no, stop that right now. She seem so bubbly and excitable, just so sheerly likable, to me that I think she’s gonna mesh well with the others, and can make it very far in this game. Yeah, Meh, Nah: Yeah.

Max: First of all, this dude knows us way too well, haha. He knows the backlash peeps like Spencer got, and it’s this type of self-awareness that makes me think he’d be able to recognize how he’s perceived by the others. If this is a precursor to him being able to manipulate himself as someone working behind the scenes, he can pull out the win. He has my support regardless, because I love for people in the superfan community to get a chance to play. Yeah, Meh, Nah: Yeah.

Mike: I mean, he certainly has spirit, and maybe he can be a J.T. and use his Southern charm to get himself to the end. But more likely, he’ll be a Jeremiah. Yeah, Meh, Nah: Meh.

Nina: I like her, but I don’t think it will do her much. She kinda reminds me of my own mother, like Mrs. Wesson did, but I don’t think she has the will of steel that made Tina such an awesome player. If I had to compare her to someone, I’d say a Monica in One World - endearing, but not so much that it will save her. Yeah, Meh, Nah: Nah.

Rodney: A lot of people dislike Rodney, and I get it, he’s cocky. But he comes off as very charismatic to me - maybe being a hustler will make people think he’s shady, but I think there’s a certain charisma to his motor mouth tendencies. He’s gonna probably mess up in the middle and play himself but of the game. I get a mixture of Tony and Boston Rob 1.0 from him, albeit not with their winning potential. Yeah, Meh, Nah: Meh.

Shirin: I think she’s very relatable, and she has a strong wit about her. I kinda get the sense that she’s gonna be able to relate with her tribe in a goofy manner, without being a target. I think she can do very well in this game, but I think she’s apt to be screwed in a swap scenario. I’m still having PTSD from Kelley, and I think she’ll do better, but it could shorten her overall longevity. Yeah, Meh, Nah: Meh.

Sierra: I mean, she certainly thinks she has the potential to go far. I, however disagree. She’s gonna be a Julie in my book - not a quitter, but certainly someone who’s more bark than bite. Yeah, Meh, Nah: Nah.

So Kim: I like her, I get a very Brenda or Parvati like feeling from her - having said that, I think she’s gonna meet their fate from their first go ‘round. I kinda get the feeling she’ll be seen as a player in the merge, and taken out for it. But she definitely has the potential to take this whole thing. Yeah, Meh, Nah: Yeah.

Tyler: Remember Josh? Solid gameplay, kinda a boring character at times. He’s certainly articulate, and I don’t think he’s going anywhere quickly, but he’s the type of MOR strategist that’ll be picked off early merge. Yeah, Meh, Nah: Meh.

Vince: Vince is...interesting. I don’t know how, but they found someone who seems like a mixture of Aras and Shane. I expect good things, and maybe even the rebirth of Coach, God willing. Yeah, Meh, Nah: Yeah.

Will: He’s a bartender, and as a bartender’s son I definitely know how many people skills it requires to do the job. I definitely think he’s a dark horse here for the whole thing, but I could also see him being a Rick, solid player but boring personality. Or he could go the Denise route, listening and manipulating his way to the end. I’m leaning towards the former, however. Yeah, Meh, Nah: Meh.

Winner Pick: It’s not entirely that I think he’ll be the best player in the cast - I have very high hopes for Jenn, Lindsey, Vince, and a few others. But because he’s in the same tier as them for me, and because I want to support my fellow interwebs fan of Survivor, my winner pick is Max.

[Alec Christy]

Going into this vote, I was confident. Despite everything that went down, that challenge ended perfectly - I managed to keep a deal with Jax not to target her, and let her throw a rock at me, making me the good guy. Not gonna mention that I messaged a bunch of people trying to get rocks on her so she wouldn’t win immunity, so it’s win-win for me haha. Elyse was immune on the other side, Pete WASN’T immune on our side, so I thought it’d be a simple vote for Pete to go, so we retain majority 5-3 going into what will probably be a merge. But no, oh no no no, that would be too easy.

The girls are trying to blindside me. I got a message from Jax at 1:30 last night, on both AIM and the boards, saying I need to get on AIM ASAP, that something urgent had come up. I was actually asleep by 1:30, because I’d been up 30 fuckin’ hours fixing my sleep schedule, - I’m moving back to campus today, term starts tomorrow, and I rather like the idea of actually being able to wake up on time for classes, haha. Anyway, I wake up around 7:30, log on to AIM, see the message and ask Jax what’s up. And hearing what I did, damn was I fucking happy I decided to let her throw that rock at me. And in a general sense, I was happy I kept lines of communication open with the “other” side.

She’d been talking to Morgan and Hope, independently of each other, and both said the plan was to blindside Alec this round. Over Pete, of all people, you gotta be kiddin' me. They also told her that he thought the vote was Pete, which immediately made me think they’re actually being legit with her. I can’t convince myself that this is some elaborate ruse they’re doing to screw with Jax, especially if she was as worried as she was. I’d been feeling iffy about the vote when I went to bed, but everyone reassured me it was Pete, and Hope’s in particular made me feel safe, since she was so gung ho about keeping me around. I feel a tad bit bamboozled.

You know what’s funny? Last night I’d actually offered Hope a finals deal. We’d been chatting a ton, so I felt reasonably confident she wasn’t against me, and my way of thinking was, she flipped from then Malaga’s, so none of them are gonna vote for her. Also, she probably feels like she’s on the outs, since she’s the only Malaga in the alliance, this can really work. I felt really proud of that move, especially since she responded so positively... Hope is a smart, smart player.

So how do I resolve this issue? Knowing I’m gonna get blindsided doesn’t mean jack shit if I’m still getting four votes. But I propose to Jax, and seriously I cannot stress enough how keeping that line open has saved my ass, that she give me her idol. And she’s down. She wants me to vote for Hope, and given how much of a blindside Hope was trying to achieve here, and because she’s probably the most dangerous player on our side. So our plan is for the vote to be 4-1 Alec-Hope, but with this sweet little idol, Hope’s gonna take my spot on the jury.

Side note, Jax doing this is really making me think she’s Ashley from Palawan. I know Ashley outside of games, she did something just like this in Epic 2, but I could care less to be quite honest. If she is, and I’m leaning towards that theory now, cool, nice to see her. But it doesn’t affect my in game opinion of her - I’m basing my opinion of Jax on precisely that, my interactions with Jax, in this game. But I want to post this theory here to see if I’m right post game, haha.

I’m still not convinced this is the right move, even though I’m probs gonna go for it. I’m not going home tonight, I’m playing it no matter what. But the 4-1 plan could possibly not work. Like, what if one of the girls decides to throw a Pete vote in there, which would make it 1-1 Pete/Hope. Or I could even use the idol as a bartering token, if I’m feeling really risky, to get the votes off of me and have an idol come F8. And hell, if the vote changes, or somehow was never on me to begin with, I could look like an idiot for voting Hope and playing an idol on myself.

But I’m pushing those concerns aside. I play the game paranoid of every move I make, but this round, I’m NOT doing that. If Jax somehow orchestrated some Machiavellian scheme, props to her, its worked. Sticking with the 4-1 plan and blindsiding them is my smartest move...and maybe part of it is pride...and maybe part of it is because I have a flair for the dramatic.

I am not going home right before this apparently friggen cursed merge. Instead, one of my “allies” is going to bite the bullet for me. How kind of them.

[Alec Christy]

There’s something very cathartic about outwitting someone who tried to blindside you, particularly when they explode afterwards. 4 Votes Alec + Idol = Bye Bye Hope. I was being honest about our finals deal, and as I found out last night, you told everyone. Led yourself to your own downfall, simple as that.

Morgan was PISSED her little plan didn’t work. There was this HUUUUUUUUGE blowup, me, Bob, and Pete were added to the “meatgazers” chat, which apparently was a chat for an all girls alliance. There, Jaclyn vs. Elyse & Morgan happened. I chimed in from time to time, and I think it’s kinda hilarious that Morgan was like, mad that I was a weeeeeeensy bit irritated she tried to blindside me. “Shut up, Alec.” Love that her plans for the endgame fell apart around her.

They were banking on their fivesome pagonging Bob, Court, and Jaclyn. But, she got greedy - she decided you know what, Alec has been nothing but loyal to us, but he’s a threat. I’ll just quietly replace him with Pete, and that’ll give me a better shot of winning the game. I’m sure they all thought that. But the dumb thing is, its really overplaying. They’re trying to have their cake and eat it too.

Like, think about it. I’m a threat, I get that, but it’s not like one is assigned “threat” status arbitrarily. It’s because I know the game decently well, and have made social bonds with a ton of people. Both Jaclyn, and Elyse a few hours before the vote, told me about the plan - I have people who are on my side, and will give me opportunity to change things up. Elyse was probably more trying to pander for my jury vote, I don’t doubt that, but it still gives me wiggle room. They should know there’s a good chance I can turn things around and then defect from them, making them lose their three easy votes. Now it’s a 4-4 deadlock, and they’re kicking themselves because they tried to pull the trigger too soon, and now they lost their shot at guaranteed F5 and a decent in to the endgame.

Anyway, back to the argument. To be completely honest, I was a bit confused by what they were arguing about. Bobdawg explained it to me, that it was mostly about the Sandra vote and how Jaclyn/Courtney was leading people on about it. Also, apparently she was the one pushing for me to go. True or not, I don’t think this is some master plan she concocted to get me on her side - she gave me an idol, they tried to blindside me, past history and what they might’ve thought, and the intentions behind what they say, are quite indiscernible. My loyalties are clear.

So we’re going into a 4-4 vote, it looks like, but I’d be surprised if we draw rocks. Bob/Court are a bit wildcard for me, although I’m thinking they’ll stay with us. But why would Pete draw rocks for his group? It’d be dumb of him. Especially with the deal me and Bobdawg came up with.

See, in all of this, the two of us were talking about how suddenly, we went from having a good shot to leave the game to way under the radar. And we were thinking, more than anyone else, we have the capacity to play both sides, and if we grab Pete, who’ll probably feel alienated due to the all girls alliance, we can run this merge. Also, if that F3 actually works out, Pete has pretty much no shot, and I don’t think Bobdawg’s social game is as good as mine. I may, despite all my predictions otherwise, actually have a shot to win this. Granted, I have to do one of the hardest possible things to do in this game, which is play the middle.

In theory, we could get Brenda and Morgan out, then flip to get Jaclyn or Courtney out, and then we control things from F5 onwards. I’ve been laying seeds with Elyse, and while she’s not biting at the moment, I’m starting to get us prepped for if when can actually do this. I think it’s a really good plan, props to Bobdawg for approaching me with it - right now my job is to be the JT to his Stephen, however. He can come up with strategy, and I’ll certainly share my input and rearrange plans if need be, but I’ll be the face and jury vote grabber. God willing anyway, haha.

I’m sincerely down for this plan. The only wildcard is Pete, because he’s well, Pete. If he’s not down, this will be monumentally harder. But if he is, then I have a path to the end. And honestly, I think I’ll take it.