Question: I feel like I'll do a pretty good job of keeping this updated from round to round. Is it acceptable for me to only include the people on my tribe for this particular round or would you prefer that I go ahead and do it using all 21 other players in the game? I don't have the slightest idea how I would include the other 11 people in a bootlist currently. Thanks in advance!

Episode One Bootlist

1. Russell
2. Katie
3. Becky
4. Marisa
5. NaOnka
6. Yul
7. Bill
8. Purple Kelly
9. Jean-Robert
10. Ken


1. Russell - To me, Russell is in the one who needs to go from our tribe the most. The consensus that I'm gathering from everyone is that he is never really around very much and what conversations he does have with people leave much to be desired. I would be pretty shocked if Russ isn't in the bottom three tonight. He needs to be.

2. Katie - Lots of mixed opinions out there on Katie. Some say she is great and extremely sweet. Others say she isn't very sociable. For me personally, I have had a chance to meet her yet, so I don't have a whole lot to go on. Honestly, I don't expect her to be in the bottom three because I think there are enough people around who do like her. However, if it is left up to me, I won't be the one saving her unless something changes.

3. Becky - Becky is a little bit difficult to talk to. She seemed to do pretty well in the challenge the other day, but I'm pretty sure she is always on mobile when she is online, so it's kind of difficult to have a good conversation with her. Her social game is lacking a little bit, so I should probably make a little extra effort to get in contact with her soon and try to have a good, worthwhile conversation. As of right now, it's been kind of like pulling teeth to talk to her.

4. Marisa - I don't love her or hate her. Marisa is just another person in the game for me as of right now. I'm sure she is sweet. Like Becky, I need to try to strike up a few more conversations with Marisa soon. You can't burn bridges with anyone in this game because of the twists that are in place. Never know when I'm going to need Marisa.

5. NaOnka - It's kind of ironic that NaOnka is five to me. She and I have had a couple good conversations, but I can already tell that NaOnka likes to start shit. Every time I talk to her, she tries to tell me someone else that needs to be on the chopping block. Most recently, she tried to tell me that Russ was talking shit about me. I'm not sure how much I trust NaOnka, but I feel like I have a pretty good grasp for how she's going to be playing the game.

6. Yul - I like Yul. He seems pretty level-headed. Conversations aren't always amazing, but they're good enough. He seems like a good guy, and I have a feeling he is going to be around for a while. He's probably a good person to tie myself to, because he isn't someone people are going to want to vote out early, but I don't see him being a threat that people are going to be targeting later in the game either. Like I said, he's just a good, level-headed guy that is probably going to be around for a while.

7. Bill - Everyone like Bill, myself included. In the conversations I have had with people, his name almost always comes up as someone who is likeable. His charm and charisma is going to take him far.

8. Kelly - The girl responsible for this whole tribe. Kelly is obviously going to be a force to be reckoned with in challenges, but her social game is even better. The fact that she already has some power in this game is a little bit disconcerting for me, but I think Kelly is someone I can see myself working with from time to time as the game unfolds. She's definitely one of the stronger players on this tribe.

9. Jean-Robert - My main man and ally as of right now. JR and I were pretty much an instant connection. I want to think that he and I could make some noise in this game, but I refuse to get too attached to anyone. For the foreseeable future, I see myself remaining very loyal to Jean-Robert and hopefully expanding our alliance to others in the days to come.

10. Ken - It's a little odd that I'm putting someone I'm not aligned with in front of someone I am aligned with, but I just like Ken that much. He's a good guy and we've had some pretty awesome conversations so far. I haven't been completely honest with him about some details of my life in an attempt to remain alias, but I appreciated the life advice he gave me for my made-up scenarios. I may be misreading him entirely, but I think Ken has a soft spot for me. He gives me a lot of encouragement and tries to keep me thinking positively. He either cares or does a good job pretending he cares, so for that, I will more than likely be saving him first in the Sausage Link twist if the opportunity arises. We'll just play that by ear when that time comes, I guess.

I'm going to start with this one this week. I won't be self-voting, but I'd like to update it from last week anyway. Here goes...

Episode Two Bootlist

1. Becky
2. Marisa
3. Bill
4. Kelly
5. Yul
6. Katie
7. NaOnka
8. Ken
9. Jean-Robert


1. Becky - It's hard to rank someone any higher than this when you simply don't have a relationship with them at all. She's one of the worst conversationalists I've ever seen. I recognize that she probably has some upside in challenges, but we haven't truly seen it yet. She didn't do enough this time and she overbid last time. We're only speculating that she could be an asset. But for me, the social game is unforgivable. I swore I wouldn't burn bridges with people, but I'm not going to pull teeth to get them to talk to me, either.

2. Marisa - In one of the more bizarre moves of the game for me so far, Marisa told JR that she is worried because there don't seem to be any big alliances, then followed that up by down-playing wanting to be in one when JR hinted around at potentially setting one up (with me to be added to it later). She's an odd duck. And frankly, I didn't like how she through us under the bus in her tribal council answer. She solved the puzzle first, so JR and I stopped working, thinking she wasn't going to take an hour and a half to post it. I don't feed her, but I still would encourage her not to bite my hand.

3. Bill - Still a charming and likable guy. I just have no immediate connections with him. I like him and think he will go far, but we aren't aligned and don't really even talk about the game like that. We're more acquaintances than anything - which is fine.

4. Kelly - I like Kelly, but who doesn't? I'm realizing how much power she holds in this game, because every single person sees her as likeable, strong, and someone they can trust. That's a bit of a red flag, but there's nothing we can do about it yet.

5. Yul - I adore this guy. I predicted last round that he would be around for a while, and I'm sticking to my guns on that one. He's the underdog of our season. He has a lot of charisma, does well in challenges, and seems to be pretty well thought of by everyone. I need to work on setting something up with him or something. He's a gem.

6. Katie - In what may turn out to be an idiotic move, I more or less created an alliance of sorts with the girl whose head is on the chopping block the most. Look at you go, Betsy! We had such a wonderful conversation earlier, and I think she really believes that people are looking out for her and won't be voting for her. Her social game is wonderful, but she's really not much of an asset in challenges. I'm not going to vote for her, but I'll be shocked if she makes it through.

7. NaOnka - NaOnka is as real as they come. I'm not convinced that she isn't secretly paired with someone else, but I really have a lot of faith and trust in her. Our relationship is unique and difficult to describe, but I think we both have a lot of faith in the other person. I hope she is as dependable as she seems.

8. Ken - He's dropped from the top spot, but he's still way up there. Ken and I thoroughly enjoy talking strategy with one another, and I feel pretty confident that we are both being very open and honest. He's someone I could see myself working with for many votes to come, but I think he's going to be a hot commodity moving forward. Not to mention he's probably the class clown of our Survivor season.

9. Jean-Robert - No surprises here. He and I aligned on day one, and it's been no turning back ever since. We've both been actively seeking out people that we could potentially add, surprisingly to no avail. If extending alliance agreements and being turned down won't elevate your anxiety, I don't know what will. Nevertheless, I trust him. If I can't trust him, there's no point in me playing anymore, because I'm way too gullible for the rest of this season.

In typical Survivor fashion, things started becoming a little more clear cut this week. I feel like my relationships with people either got significantly stronger or than began to fade some more. I'll explain...

Episode Three Bootlist
1 Marisa
2 Becky
3 Bill
4 Kelly
5 Ken
6 NaOnka
7 Yul
8 Jean-Robert


1. Marisa - Truthfully, I have my doubts as to how much longer Marisa is going to last in this game, and that's why I rank her so low. The girl literally has an excuse for everything. The first round, it was that she wasn't going to be able to get online for whatever reason, so she couldn't participate in the Sausage Link or talk to people much. Last round, her computer allegedly kept delaying, preventing her from posting the completed puzzle and winning immunity for us. This round, she had a court date and had to work all day, so our tribe had to pretty much make up for her lack of participation by killing her off in the story from the very beginning. It's something all the time with Marisa and, frankly, I'm over it. There are a lot of people who deserve to be here more than her.

2. Becky - Tensions with Becky continue. We did have a conversation to try to clear the air, but that's difficult. Once trust is broken, it takes time and consistency to restore it. I don't know if Becky or I will give the other the time of day to try to repair our relationship. Truthfully, I'd rather just see her leave soon instead.

3. Bill - Bill is the equivalent of Mr. Nice Guy. He's got a good reputation and seems to be pretty well-admired by everyone on Sebou. The problem is our relationship is getting weaker instead of stronger. We've never really talked strategy or made any sort of long term plans. We desperately need to find some common ground, because I'm not about burning bridges. I may need him later.

4. Purple Kelly - I remain neutral on Kelly. She holds more power than I would prefer, but I still think she has a good personality. I've realized my biggest beef with Kelly is that we are trying to play the same way. We are both relying on our ability to say all of the right things and make plenty of friends to advance us further. I realize everyone is doing that to some degree, but I guess I just feel like she and I are very similar in our approaches.

5. Ken - I adore Ken. I think he is funny and brilliant. I would love to find a way to work with him down the road, but that's going to be tricky to set up. Maybe I should just go for it. Ken told me today that if we went to tribal council this round there was a 0% chance that he would be voting for me. Him confirming that for me was huge. It made me realize that we both have a mutual respect and affinity for one another. He also said I could charm just about anyone's pants off, so that was a nice compliment, too.

6. NaOnka - Nay and I stepped it up a notch this round. She congratulated me on final eighteen and I made a comment about how we were inching closer and closer to the end. She then pretty explicitly stated that she would love for that to happen and we began entertaining the option of going to the finals together. Deep down, I can't ever see that happening, or at least not with the way things are going. I love NaOnka, but she has a very dynamic personality that I think may cause her demise sometime in the middle rounds of the game. But I'm certainly not saying no either. If the opportunity presents itself late in the game and she's still wanting to work with me, I'm all for it.

7. Yul - Yul can do no wrong in my eyes and hasn't been able to for quite some time now. I really appreciate how simple he is, and I mean that in the best way possible. He never bites off more than he can chew and he is very much in control of his emotions. We've both expressed to one another that we really admire the other and that we have each other's backs. Yul is the kind of person I would gladly take to the finals.

8. Jean-Robert - So, we didn't talk as much this round as we usually do, but I assume all is still well between Jean-Robert and I. I don't know why it wouldn't be. The vote didn't go as planned last time and so I was definitely a little disappointed that he chickened out and just went with the majority, but overall I think our potential for working together is still very much in tact. I trust JR and value his loyalty.


That's all we got this time. It's amazing how much these things can change in just a matter of a few days. That's just how the game goes, I guess.

Nice to see some new names on this list!


Episode Four Bootlist
1. Peter
2. Debbie
3. NaOnka
4. Abi
5. Jean-Robert


1. Peter - I'm only putting him here because I haven't talked to him much yet, and he just seems a little weird based on first impressions on the board. On the whole, Jean-Robert and I have talked about how Peter could be someone we may want to consider picking up and using after this next vote. I think he could be a good swing vote with a lot of potential. I just need to work on developing a better relationship with him for now.

2. Debbie - I feel really bad, because I'm probably going to end up voting for Debbie, but I really, really like her as a person. She just seems really risky as a player. She was good in the challenges so far, and she seems like someone who would probably be well-liked and trusted by her old tribe. I fear that working with her would only be a temporary thing until she can get back to her old tribemates. That lack of trust is hard to overcome, especially when so many other people want to vote for her, too.

3. NaOnka - Just the opposite, I like and trust NaOnka, but I feel like I probably shouldn't. NaOnka is a bit of a loose cannon with lots of paranoia issues, and that says a lot coming from me. Her relationship with Jean Robert has always been somewhere between mediocre and poor, and that's obviously a conflict of interest for me. Sometimes she talks to me non-stop, and sometimes she is so short with me that I must've done something to hurt her feelings. I'm quickly becoming wary of Nay, so I may need to strike and take her out before she gets me. We'll see.

4. Abi - Every time Survivor has a cast member like Phillip Sheppard or Abi Maria Gomes who has a really polarizing personality, I begin to wonder if the show isn't somewhat scripted to keep those sorts of looney tunes on the show a little longer for ratings purposes. Playing with Abi has taught me that keeping those sorts of people around actually has some benefit for all of the other people in the game, too. I do think that Abi is a little bit batty, but her craziness and her determination to screw her old tribe over just means I can play my game a little bit harder and just hide behind her dynamic personality. To give an example, it's like interstate driving. Speeding is against the law, and I will get a ticket if a police officer catches me going 25 mph over the speed limit. But if someone else in front of me is going 30 mph over, then I'm less likely to stick out for my speed or get pulled over. Long story short, it benefits me to have Abi around, so I don't plan on sending her packing anytime soon.

5. Jean-Robert - No surprise here. This twist keeping us together was a miracle, and I'm glad it's worked out for us. The level of trust we have with one another is pretty hard to find, I think. He's my number one in this game.

I realize this kind of loses its purpose when I do it in hindsight, but I really want to keep my streak alive of doing it each round.

Episode Five Bootlist

1. NaOnka
2. Abi
3. Peter
4. JR


1. NaOnka - I cannot tell you how much trust I lost in Nay in such a short period of time. Coming into the tribe swap, I couldn't have been happier that we were together. We saw eye to eye on a lot of things back on Sebou, and she and I had lots of great conversations on our original tribe. As soon as the tribe swap happened, those conversations stopped. She started being really short with me in conversation; in fact, she was acting so strange that I kind of had a panic attack and convinced myself that I was being blindsided the round that Debbie left. After that tribal council, she told JR and me that she had told "everyone" that she played the idol. Obviously, that led to some very valid questions about who "everyone" is. Not only that, but why was she throwing JR and me under the bus and making it look like we voted against her and it was an idol who saved her. She went on to make a status that essentially implied that we had all done her wrong, and Ken ended up questioning me about it. In an attempt to cover her phony story, I just played it off like I wasn't sure what she was talking about. During this past challenge, she told us all at the beginning that she had been talking to Hayden and he allegedly told her that Dadès was going to try to send Sebou to tribal. The fact that she talked to Hayden so much was understandably unnerving. Then, to seal the deal, she had a horrible showing in the challenge by often posting tiles far away from where we had already started chains and more or less picking fights with others. My patience was running thin with Nay, so she had to go. I don't know what happened, but she changed. And I didn't like the new NaOnka.

2. Abi - As I have mentioned before, Abi is a little bit crazy... and that's being generous. I have a hard time understanding how her mind works, but keeping her around just mentions that the other tribes have a target on someone that isn't me when that time comes. She's remarkably pleasant in conversation but then ruins all of that by refusing to participate in challenges that she doesn't like. Abi's time in this game is quickly coming to an end. I just don't know how long that will take.

3. Peter - Peter is an interesting one. I still can't get a good feel for him. I think he means well, but I question how strong of a game he is playing. His social game is a little lackluster and he made a very questionable decision by trusting Abi with so much information and consequently getting burned at tribal council. He tried to create a pact with JR and me, and I'm not entirely opposed to that but I'm not entirely in favor either. He's either going to be ousted in the next couple of rounds or he's going to slide under the radar and end up doing really well - I can't decide which yet.

4. Jean Robert - All we have done for the past few days is complain about how pathetic our tribe is. The only thing more pathetic than our tribe is our luck. He and I simply aren't catching breaks, and I think the time is rapidly approaching when people identify that we're a unit - if they haven't already. I was the crazy paranoid one last round, and this round it was his turn. JR worried about blindsides and idols multiple times, and I frequently had to reassure him that I thought he was in the clear. So far, we've been on two tribes and been pretty underwhelmed by who we are stuck with. Hopefully Dadès has some gems for us. Otherwise, we're going to have to get creative with how we close out this game.



FYI: I think starting next round I'm going to start posting my thoughts on the entire cast. 22 was difficult, but I think 13 or 14 will be much more manageable. So, there's something to look forward to I guess!

As I previously mentioned, I think it's time to start doing a full bootlist.

Episode Six Bootlist
1. Charlie
2. Bill
3. Marisa
4. Hayden
5. Eddie
6. J'Tia
7. Jonathan
8. Kelly
9. Abi
10. Peter
11. Ken
12. Yul
13. Jean-Robert


1. Charlie - I'm not putting him here because I don't like him or because he's a big threat or anything. He's simply number one because I've never spoken to him at all - not even back before he and Kelly chose our original tribes. I hope to chance that as soon as I can when the opportunity presents itself.

2. Bill - Bill seemed a little like an introvert back when I was playing with him, which only fed my conspiracy theories that there was a big alliance going on at Sebou. He never really had a whole lot to say and we never engaged in much strategic dialogue. We'll see how things change as the game continues.

3. Marisa - She's surprised me here lately. She went from being the queen of excuses to actually putting up some pretty solid challenge performances. Nevertheless, that doesn't exactly erase the fact that our relationship was a little rocky. We definitely need to mend some things.

4. Hayden - I don't remember much about Hayden from the beginning of the game, but I'm looking forward to meeting him and getting to know him a little better. I don't think he's viewed as an immediate threat by anyone, which probably can't be said about some of his tribemates. Hayden will probably be around for a little while.

5. Eddie - I remember thinking back at the beginning of the game that Eddie was going to be our season's wild card. I really hope I pegged him correctly, because I think we're going to need a dynamic player and personality like that once the merge hits. He seemed to be down for anything at the time, so I look for Eddie to make some pretty big moves in the latter half of the game.

6. J'Tia - I really liked her back when the game first started. She was probably my favorite person to talk to back on day one. I'm not sure if that counts for anything now that we are so far into this game, because she likely has herself lined up with a good group of people, but I'm a pretty big J'Tia fan as it stands now.

7. Jonathan - Like J'Tia, Jonathan was extremely pleasant back in those early days of conversation and I was really bummed when we didn't end up on a tribe together. I'm glad he's made it this far, and I hope we can start talking again like we did toward the beginning of the game.

8. Kelly - I'm so torn on how I feel about Kelly. There are lots of pros and cons to having her in the game. I think that is probably reflected in my putting her right in the middle of this list.

9. Abi - When I first started making this list, I pictured placing Abi somewhere in the first five. As I started writing this, though, I quickly began to realize that I actually talk to and even trust Abi more than most. Her antics can be a little over the top sometimes, but I really do like her. I'll probably end up voting for her this round, but she's really not that bad.

10. Peter - We struggle to communicate regularly, but the one conversation we did have that was worthwhile gave me lots of hope for the future between us. I hate not being able to talk to him much, but he seems like someone who could be easily picked up and used to our advantage.

11. Ken - I like Ken, and I'm really starting to realize that he is a pivotal player in the game for me as the rest of it unfolds. I hate having to ever rely on someone, but he and I have a really good connection and I think we reach a different network of people. If he and I can work together, we can do some damage in the game.

12. Yul - I've really liked Yul ever since our time together on Sebou. I'm curious to see how he fits in with the rest of his tribe currently. I would love for him to feel like an outsider, so I could work with him without having to feel like I have to work with the entire tribe. I'm also concerned, because I don't think he and JR have a very strong relationship, which could be problematic in the future. I've got a lot to think about and find out when it comes to Yul.

13. Jean-Robert - Who's surprised?

In case you've missed it, I've recently posted a new Episode Eight confessional as well as my answers to the merge questions. I'm going to post this bootlist in hindsight (a.k.a. with Hayden included) just to keep this authentic to the round, but this can obviously apply for future rounds, too. I'm assuming a Sausage Link is coming soon, so I'd rather be safe than sorry!

Episode Eight Bootlist
1. Eddie
2. Charlie
3. Bill
4. Marisa
5. Kelly
6. Hayden
7. Jonathan
8. Yul
9. J'Tia
10. Ken
11. Jean-Robert


1. Eddie - He and I had the worst conversation I've had in this whole game. I said hello to him and tried to strike up conversation a few times, and he legitimately replied the whole time with answers between one to five words. At one point, I even asked him to throw me a bone and try to help keep the conversation from dying, to which he responded that he was just going to leave. The dude is a prick, and all of the stuff I'm hearing about him working behind the scenes to screw over the Outcasts makes me hate him that much more. I want to tell him to go to hell and just completely ignore him until he's gone, but I know that's not wise. Still, I don't like him.

2. Charlie - Our conversations were pretty vague, which is to be expected considering how we are coming into the merge in completely different positions. Nonetheless, I kind of liked the guy as a person, and I wouldn't write off the potential to work together later maybe. He seems like a good guy. I may pursue him further in the days and rounds to come.

3. Bill - As I have previously mentioned, I have some serious trust issues with Bill. We spoke for the first time in weeks and even the new conversations were pretty underwhelming. Ken and JR expressed to me that they have a lack of trust in him, too. J'Tia and Hayden both tipped me off that his connections with Dadès are pretty strong. He's one to watch out for, so I may try to craft yet another genius plan to cut him loose like the one I posted about in my Episode Eight confessional. He's not to be trusted, and I'd feel much more comfortable with him gone.

4. Marisa - Marisa and I made some amends to our relationship this round when she pretty much called me out about my relationship with NaOnka and admitted that she had trouble trusting me before because she assumed I was with her. I tried to clear the air on that situation as best as I could and left that conversation feeling like we had made significant progress. I later tried to pitch the idea of talking to her about maybe forming something a little closer with one another. She didn't take the bait, which makes a second time that has happened in this game - albeit, the last time JR was the one making the proposition. Her inability to commit further confirms for me that she is working against me, not with me. She's turned out to be much stronger than I expected, but I still don't want to see her lasting very long.

5. Kelly - She and I had some better talks this round that had a little more substance to them, unlike the ones we had in old Sebou. I'm trying to trust Kelly more, and that effort gained a lot of momentum when Ken essentially told me that she was his main bitch. If I can't tie her down, I'm glad he's got control of her. I'm kidding, but I really am glad we're kind of working on a similar page now. That common ground may be all we need. We had a strategic talk or two, so I feel much better about things between us. We'll see how long it lasts.

6. Hayden - I realize he is gone now, but this is where he would've went. His ties to Dadès really hurt his cause, but I really was hoping that we could potentially work together down the line. Had hidden immunity idols not been a part of this game, he would've stayed. Since they are, we had to avoid voting for the obvious targets of Eddie or Charlie in fear that they might play an idol. I saw myself working with J'Tia and Jonathan before Hayden, so it had to be him. All in all, he was a hell of a guy though. I hate he went out like this.

7. Jonathan - He's a nice dude, but he's playing very passively so far. I didn't know what to expect from him, but I'm hoping he'll break out a little more in the future. Pretty much everyone considers him a sidekick to J'Tia, and I find myself talking to J'Tia like she is in control of him. I've noticed several others hint at that in conversations to me, too. Hopefully I can get to know him better in the next few rounds.

8. Yul - The man. I think I'm pretty much the only one that thinks highly of him, but I just can't help it. Our conversations are solid, and there's a mutual respect there. I was previously expecting him to coast toward the finals with relative ease, but the votes he caught from Dadès have me second guessing that now. I'm hoping to make our relationship even stronger soon. I would love to elevate him to JR-like levels.

9. J'Tia - She's a smart cookie. We started this round talking about the potential for working with one another, and I think we ended it under the assumption that it's not a matter of being in the future anymore. We're pretty close, and I recognize that she could be a key player in my game going forward. Sometimes she kind of tries to tell me how to think, which I don't particularly care for. But on the whole, she's a great player and a close friend now.

10. Ken - Holy shit did we ever pick up right where we left off. Ken and I love nothing more than strategizing, and we did it til our brains hurt this past round. I think we weighed out just about every possible scenario this round, and we got a lot of pleasure out of picking each other's brains. Point blank - this guy is the man. He's one of the best players in this game, and I love strategizing and socializing with him. If we continue to work in the future like we did this round, there's no stopping us. I'm anxious to see how our relationship continues to develop.

11. JR - He is and has always been my main squeeze. Unfortunately, we didn't get to talk like we usually do very much this round. That kind of scares me, because I don't want my conversations with all of these other people detract from the good thing I've got going with JR. He made a comment about me being better-connected than he is, so I desperately want to avoid him getting jealous or feeling like he is second place in my book. I need him in the game.

Test for the challenge ;)

Let's go ahead and knock this out.


Episode Nine Bootlist
1. Eddie
2. Marisa
3. Bill
4. Charlie
5. Kelly
6. Jonathan
7. Yul
8. J'Tia
9. Ken
10. Jean-Robert


1. Eddie - Eddie is a real bore in conversation. He doesn't know how to give a good, lengthy answer, and I think that stems from the fact that we are in very different positions in the game right now. If my Sausage Wheel is an accurate theory, then Eddie being on the opposite side of the wheel from me means that I would benefit most from him leaving. I may really try to push for that next round or maybe the one after that. If he and I are ever going to work together, I don't see it being anytime soon. He won't really give me the time of day at this point.

2. Marisa - She's really starting to piss me off, and I'm glad that people are starting to toss her name out there as an option. Once again, she had a reason why she couldn't participate in the challenge and made a huge fuss about her excuse. I get that it sucks to not be able to participate, but I'm really over the bitch fits. But it goes beyond that. I tried to reach out to her last round about us maybe trying to work together in the future since we haven't really had that common ground up until this point, and she immediately shot that down. I don't care how nice someone is if they refuse to ever talk strategically. Immediately shooting people down in strategic conversations is a really poor strategy, so I'm hoping that she really will be the one to go this time. I don't like how she plays.

3. Bill - Bill is kind of like the Tiger Woods of our cast - one bad rumor leaked out and now all of his dirty laundry is being aired out for the world to see. Lots of people are coming forward talking about the bad things they have learned about Bill. In one sense, I think he is lucky that he hasn't been ousted yet. But in the other, I feel like he is sitting in a real awkward situation. I wouldn't mind reaching out to him after this vote, but I'm sure I'm not the only one thinking that. Vulnerability can mean strength in this game, so he's either about to die a slow painful death or he's going to rise to the top because of all of the people looking to add an extra voter. He's one to watch moving forward.

4. Charlie - Our relationship is steadily improving. In fact, he even proposed that JR and I work with Dadès long term. I kind of agreed to that offer but cited my rocky relationship with Eddie as an impediment for me to move forward with that. If Eddie were gone, I think I would be a little more keen about the idea. I'm not in favor of anyone working solely with old tribal lines, but I like that Charlie and I are finally starting to entertain the notion of working together. We had some good talks this week, so look for him to shimmy further down my bootlist in future rounds.

5. Kelly - Big news. I put a little pressure on Ken this week, and he kind of indirectly hinted to me that Kelly has the idol. I highly suspected that to be the case for a variety of reasons that you can find in my confessional later tonight. She's a scary player in this game though. She straight up said to me that she doesn't like to cause tension and tries to have an exceptionally positive relationship with everyone, so she's a threat. There's no other way to say it. A Kelly blindside may very well be necessary later on in the game.

6. Jonathan - Jonathan is playing smart right now. He's putting himself in a good position and surrounding himself with all of the right people without asserting himself as a huge game threat right now. He is a good conversationalist but isn't too much of a risk-taker, which is something I think is worth thinking about as we move forward. He's the one player who I feel confident will make at least the final six or so. I don't see anyone targeting him before that point. He's sitting pretty.

7. Yul - The Yulster. He's playing well if you ask me. He's covering his own ass and not getting tied down to any one group or person. Sound like a familiar strategy? I think he and I are very similar in this game. I keep waiting for the right time to propose some sort of deal that puts us both in the finals, but that time hasn't presented itself yet. I'm in this constant battle of deciding who I want to most be with between JR, Ken, J'Tia, and Yul. If I could have all four in a final five situation, I would be beyond thrilled. Until then, I continue to have made respect for Yul. He's a good dude.

8. J'Tia - What's not to like? She's a dynamic personality who is willing and eager to make some dramatic changes in this game. She's not afraid to rock the boat, and we seem to be thinking pretty similarly in terms of strategy. I think she will inevitably be a key to my game, so I need to make sure I keep her as close as we are now, if not make our relationship even closer. She's the biggest game changer in the game right now. And according to my Sausage Wheel theory, she benefits most from Marisa leaving here, so she's gaining momentum right now. She's one to watch.

9. Ken - I think I'm quickly becoming what Kelly used to be to Ken. I know they used to talk often and they seemed to share a lot of secrets with one another. Now, Ken seems willing to cut Kelly loose sometime in the near future, and he and I spend just about every night talking non-stop. We do a great job of talking strategy and entertaining all options without taking things too personally or making assumptions about the others game. I am so very tempted to formalize some sort of alliance with Ken, but I think that would be a bold move. As I've frequently mentioned, I don't want to tie myself down to someone if I don't have to, so for now I may just keep things how they are.

10. Jean-Robert - Our relationship is getting trickier. Back on Demdirkom, we talked every day and got much closer than I was ever planning to get with someone in this game. He proved to be someone I could rely on daily, and we always seemed to be on the same page about every single little thing. Fast forward to the merge, and I can already feel things starting to change a little bit. There remains an unwavering and assumed faithfulness and loyalty to one another, but we aren't talking like we used to and our conversations aren't anywhere near as strategic as they once were. We seem to have a lot of common relationships with other people in the game, so I'm curious to see how things progress between us. I almost dropped him to nine this round, but my gut told me to keep him at this point. Things may change though.

Once again, I am doing this in hindsight, but I'll go ahead and keep Eddie on there anyway...

Episode Ten Bootlist
1. Eddie
2. J'Tia
3. Charlie
4. Jonathan
5. Bill
6. Kelly
7. Ken
8. Yul
9. Jean-Robert


1. Eddie - If my Sausage Wheel theory has any credence, Eddie going home this round was huge for me. Even if my theory isn't reliable, it still was a great thing for me. Last round, we cut loose Marisa, who I had practically no relationship with whatsoever. This time, it was Eddie who was ousted, yet another person that I didn't have strong ties with. I seem to be doing a pretty good job of surrounding myself with people who are like-minded and people I trust. Eddie leaving means one of the strongest players in the game is now gone.

2. J'Tia - J'Tia is the big mover on my list this week. I began realizing coming into this week that J'Tia and I had a lot of similar relationships. JR, Ken, and Kelly all seemed to talk highly of her and each had interest in building some sort of long-term deal with her. Everyone knows that she and Jonathan are extremely close, too. That didn't bother me so much until I talked to Bill, though. As I was reaching out to Bill after I realized he was sort of on the outs now, he informed me that J'Tia had recently attempted to reach out to him because she had realized that he was sort of on the outs now. She and I are playing pretty much the exact same game, and I would argue that we are both doing a good job of surrounding ourselves with people who, at the very least, like us. We didn't talk as much this round, only fueling my perception of her as a threat. Something has to be done about J'Tia, because she is putting together a damn good case for winning this game - and I'm not in the losing business.

3. Charlie - I'm torn on Charlie. On the one hand, our relationship continues to improve, and I feel like we could have the potential to work together if we would ever just be upfront with one another. On the other hand, Charlie just won some sort of unknown power, he has a fantastic reputation with all of the current jury members, he's the strongest of the group in challenges, and I pretty much already have some sort of alliance/pact/deal/unspoken agreement with everyone left in the game. If I add Charlie to the list, I risk shooting myself in the foot. I can't decide whether to take him out or help him pack his bags.

4. Jonathan - Great guy who continues to get by on just being likeable. As long as J'Tia is in the game, he is in no danger of leaving. And for that matter, many of the former Sebou's love him.

5. Bill - As I previously mentioned, Bill is someone I tried to reach out to in recent days, because he keeps getting kicked in the gut but no one will ever deliver the knockout punch. He's hanging by a thread, but he's still hanging. In my opinion, sometimes vulnerable is the best thing you can be during the merged portion of the game. At this point, he's a nice guy and an extra vote. He likes talking strategy, and he actually does bring some really good ideas to the table. Unfortunately, he can't get anyone to listen.

6. Kelly - I feel like such a terrible friend to Kelly this round. I really had some selfish motivations that kind of hung her out to dry. After she told me about her idol, I vowed not to tell anyone else. I immediately regretted that, because I was hoping to flush that puppy at some point. Apparently Jonathan kind of asked her about where the idol might be, so Kelly asked me if I thought she should lie or tell him. I told her to tell him, but in hindsight I realize I did that more because I wanted people to know than for Kelly's best interest. Then, she asked me later if she should tell Yul too, and of course I prompted her to do so. When asked if she should go ahead and play it, my answer was no surprise. I feel really bad, because Kelly is incredibly nice and my motivations for spreading the word and eventually encouraging her to play it were extremely selfish. In previous rounds, I saw her as a huge threat, but I'm starting to realize that she really is a sweet individual, so I feel bad for manipulating her like that. Conversely, Survivor isn't a game for people to catch feelings or say sorry, so I just need to roll with it now.

7. Ken - I love the guy, and I will always see him as the best strategist in the game. He's a schemer and does a good job of thinking about all of the options. This round, I felt him starting to pressure me a little bit, though. Specifically, he was digging to see if I had found the idol yet, and of course I avoided those notions. It doesn't matter how much I love you, I will not be telling anyone about my idol. At least not for a while. It just causes unneeded tension and creates a lack of trust. I don't have time for that. Aside from that, Ken and I are doing wonderful, and I hope we can continue things.

8. Yul - My heart and my head tell me it would be incredibly smart to take Yul to the end of the game. Getting him there is going to be trickier since there is a supposed sixsome attempting to be formed (The three J's, the two K's, and my fat ass). Nevertheless, the trust factor there is really strong, and I have been crazy about him for many, many rounds now. I'm going to give it my all to keep him with me as long as possible. Per usual, he's one of my favorites. And he straight up told me his clue too, so that never hurts - even if I did already have the idol.

9. JR - At this point, our relationship is as much because of what we are accustomed to as it is because of what it currently provides one another. I think it's a nice sense of security in a very crazy game, but we continue to not talk like we use to. For that matter, I don't think he's talking to anyone like I was expecting him too. He's lost his edge a little bit. I plan on having a very serious conversation about future plans sometime in the next 48 hours, so I should have more to update about JR next time.