Hey Josh! OMG, what a video. Definitely put my video to shame.
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| Which two people in this game truly deserved to be sitting there in the Final 2 and why? |
I think from a gameplay standpoint, I think you and Luke deserve to sit next to each other in the Final 2. First of all, the thought of that Final 2 made me cringe because you guys would claw each other's eyes and left nuts the entire time sitting there and throughout the entire journey to make it to the Final 2. But from a strategic standpoint, let me explain why I think the two of you deserve to be sitting there.
I think I would not be sitting here right now if it wasn't for you. You showed ultimate loyalty and strategized the heck out of this game. You formed bonds with everyone, with our side of the numbers, and with Luke and Grant and even Brian at some point. You were intricately involved with everyone's games that it got people talking and telling you things that they weren't supposed to, thereby giving us information we could use to make moves in this game. We were a strong unit. You would go out there any make deals with everyone and I sat back, worked my magic when I had to and made sure that every single move that we made was Kosher, calculated and the BEST for our games. We would strategize to no end. We'd talk about every single scenario and how it would benefit us. Of course, things didn't go our way but you fought very hard ever since the Final 11 to get where we're at. I remember at the Final 11, Ben was apprehensive as to whether you would flip on Annette. Little did he know that you were locked up before he even started considering to flip as we had that alliance with Tina. You made deals with Grant and deals with Luke to further yourself in this game, and if we can somehow erase the emotionality and the words that you had said to the jury, I think you would've had a very strong case to win this game. If I was to give my spot in the Final 2 to someone, it would be to you.
The second spot would be for Luke. We had our differences, but I think Luke played the best game and was on pace to win this game, had that meltdown not happened. Luke was so intricately aligned with everyone including yourself and Ben that he seemed to have this game on lock. The other side (Gabe, Brian, Grant) was not flipping on Luke and he seemed to have been working with Ben. If I had the luxury of being in Luke's position, I would have accepted the Ben/Luke/Stan alliance and see how that would pan out because he definitely had his fall back with the Gabe/Brian/Grant trio. And with Ben being as prone to flipping, Luke could have made it work. I'm not going to lie and take credit away from Luke's game simply because we didn't see eye to eye, but one of my main reasons to take him out was the fact that he couldn't be beat in the Final 2 and I think he could've beaten anyone - even Ben - hands down. Also, for the record, hypothetically, if I was in Luke's position and I had been offered a F3 alliance by my #1 ally (Ben) with someone who I didn't really want to fuck with (Stan), I would have been just as skeptical because there's no way that Ben didn't have a Final 2 with Stan at that point for him to even consider bringing Stan to the Final 3. And all this was true. Ben had a Final 2 with me before the Luke-Ben issue happened.
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| Compare each of the Final 11 to a previous Survivor castaway |
Annette - Stephenie LaGrossa, Palau, Guatemala, Heroes vs. Villains
Annette was someone who you wanted to root for as a viewer and wanted to work with as a player. She was also a sweetheart that everyone loved. Stephenie was also a strong player, and she did come off as that. This was her first game and everyone loved to see her succeed. However, she was painted as someone who was in a majority alliance and was subsequently targetted for it.
Phil - JT Thomas, Tocantins, Heroes vs. Villains
I think Phil has the skill set to take the entire game by the horns and win it just like JT did in Tocantins. I have personally witnessed Phil dominate a game and wiggle his way to the top. He is very liked by fellow players, he is very respected as well and I think with the right moves, he could've made it to the top in this one. From the one round (and two TCs) that I played with Phil, it was obvious that he was sticking to his Baratheon alliance and part of what JT's game was is loyalty. That along with his charisma and charm makes for an absolutely deadly combination.
Tina - Cirie Fields, Exile Island, Micronesia, Heroes vs. Villains
Tina is the motherly figure of this game and I love her dearly for that. She is the epitome of Cirie. She is a great person inside and out and won't hesitate to play the game. We got to know each other very well and I love her to death, but her ultimate downfall, much like Cirie's in Heroes vs. Villains was her threatening nature as too much of a sweetheart and that's what got her.
Luke - Rob Mariano, Marquesas, All Stars, Heroes vs. Villains, Redemption Island
Luke is a very talented Survivor player. He is a very strong player and I had respect for his game throughout. What made me compare his game to Boston Rob was the fact that in two different seasons, his game could've turned out in complete opposite fashions. In Heroes vs. Villains, much like this season, he had no problem going at it with people. He wore his heart on his sleeve and spoke what was on his mind. On the complete contrary, he has the social game, the strategic game and capability to take this game and run with it, just like Rob did in RI.
Sagar - Jerri Manthey, Australia, Heroes vs. Villains
I think the first thing Loren told me about Sagar was he was a threat. They played together at Tengaged and Sagar was this snake that should not be trusted. I quickly found out that it was bullshit and Sagar is an awesome person who would be loyal to me in this game and was an absolute beaut to work with. Much like Jerri, the original Villainness of Survivor, she had a complete transformation in Heroes vs. Villains and proved to be a great person and a loyal ally.
Grant - Ciera Eastin, Blood vs. Water
I can't help but compare Grant's game to Ciera. I loved Ciera's game and as a viewer, I would love watching Grant maneuver his way through the game. Yeah, he had his alliance, much like Ciera did, but when push came to shove, Grant had no problems flipping on his allies to get further in the game. Ciera did everything she could to make it to the end and played as hard as she could much like Grant did. I think he would have had a very strong case in front of the jury.
Brian - Colby Donaldson, Australia, Heroes vs. Villains
Brian is the ultimate fan favorite and I completely respect his game for being just as honest and just as loyal albeit on the complete other side. He is an absolute class act and he deserves every bit of this comparison because we all know that had Brian made it to the end, just a couple more challenge wins away, then he would've swept the Hero vote just like Colby would have in HvV for simply being true to his word and being an awesome person.
Gabe - Jenn Brown, Worlds Apart
I think Jenn is a great comparison to Gabe. I have gotten the chance to know Gabe inside and out for the past year and I think he's very similar in personality to Jenn. He's very likeable and a fan favorite and gives no fucks about what people think of him. He can be someone that's awesome to talk to when you connect with him on a personal level, but when the shade comes, oh boy. LOL. Just like Jenn, he knows how to have a good time and has a way with his words (see Jenn's CBS video "I can't even with" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6L3o8nlyJ6c) LOL.
Josh - Kass McQuillen, Cagayan
Kass knows that the moment she flipped, she would be a marked woman. Josh did the exact same thing. But Josh had the balls to do it and wanted to work with the other side of the house and he pretty much played that way until the end. He gave no fucks about who he was going to run into. He had a pretty public argument with Gabe, which he didn't back down from. He made his moves to get to the end and almost made it to the Final 2. Similar to Kass' game, it wasn't perceived well at all by the jury. However, it is difficult to discard the impact Josh had on this game and its trajectory. It would have been completely different had he stuck to Baratheon all the way. Queen J for All-Stars! And you know what, I completely agree with the Courtney Yates comparison too. *i whip my hair back and forth* She's fierce, awesome and does not give a flying fuck. So if Josh is Courtney, I'll take it. *fist bump, girl!* <3
As for the Final 2, I think I would like to compare two castaways to the each of us as I think our games are a blend of two particular castaway's games. Let me start with Ben.
Ben - Rob Cesternino, Amazon, All-Stars and Russell Hantz, Samoa, Heroes vs. Villains and Redemption Island
As I've been saying from my opening statement, Ben has played an impressive game. His strategic gameplay has been great and he definitely worked his butt off to get here. He flipped and flopped very similarly to Rob Cesternino in the Amazon. Like Rob, his personality did have some kick into it. He was very friendly and everyone loved him as a person, but flags were raised about this being merely a conduit to make it to the end and was more of a game bot as opposed to actually getting to know you guys for the sake of it. Unfortunately, due to the bitterness of a few jury members, his game draws some parallels to the game of Russell Hantz. There is no question that he played the game very hard in which he masterfully made it to the end and decided to take me to the Final 2 because "I'm universally hated" and tried to show his allegiance to me when he blindsided everyone sitting across from us. It's tragic because he painted me as someone who rode his coattails and was pretty much dependent on his game and Russell painted that exact picture about his allies. It's also quite funny that he compared me to Woo Hwang because my game was all about loyalty, but one stark difference between me and Woo was the fact that I knew how to play this game and I understand this game so much that it transcends any loyalty that I can show anyone. Had I gotten the privilege to win the Final Immunity Challenge, I would not have thought twice and written your name down, Ben. And yes, I knew for a fact that you were going to use that against me that when I told you after you won that "I threw the Final IC and didn't want to vote either of you out." Buddy, I didn't. I studied that entire previous night and wrote over 5 pages of notes about the game in case it was a "Steps of Knowledge" challenge and I worked with Josh throughout the whole thing. I wanted Josh and I in the Final Two. Just like the game in itself, not everything fell into place for me. As Woo, I wanted to take Kass. I wasn't dumb enough to take Tony and hand him the victory.
Stan - Sandra Diaz-Twine, Pearl Islands, Heroes vs. Villains and Shirin Oskooi, Worlds Apart
I see a lot of Shirin's game in mine. She's the total underdog in Worlds Apart and yet she knows the game very well. She knows that the only way she can make it to the end is if people think that she was a goat. She opted for food at the auction instead of going for an advantage to perpetuate her goat nature. She stuck to her allies and was loyal to the No Collars until the bitter end. She doing everything she can to stay in this game. I pretty much did the same thing. I trusted those that trusted me and were willing to take me in. At the end of the day, those are my numbers. She's trying to form deals with the other people but they don't seem to trust her. She's the underdog with three guaranteed votes in the jury. At this point, if she makes it to the end, I have no doubt that she will win Worlds Apart and everyone loves a true underdog story.
I just rewatched the Final Tribal Council of HvV and I also saw a lot of Sandra's game in me. I was loyal to everyone who I gave my word to. When I told you I got your back, I got your back. She protected Courtney to the bitter end and I did exactly the same with my allies. Much like Sandra, not all my plans worked out, because had all my plans worked out, Ben wouldn't be sitting next to me in the Final Tribal Council. But I had to adapt. If Ben wasn't voting me out, then I'll stick with him. He wants to go to the end with me, that's fine. I'll take it. If people want to save me, that's fine too. In Sandra's words: I made sure that if I walked into Tribal Council with my torch lit, it stayed lit. You can vote anyone out except for me and I worked tirelessly for that. I made sure that I was in with the people I was working with and that they wouldn't vote me out. And when Russell, I mean Ben, decided to take out another big target, then that's fine with me, as long as it ain't me. I had to do what I had to do to survive. My allies started dwindling one by one and my back was against the wall. And just like Sandra, I reached out to every single person on the other side of the game and they closed the door each and every time in my face. Multiple times with Gabe. Luke pretty much told me he didn't want me in the game and they all went back to Ben to sell me out. I had no choice in this game but to stick to my allies and I think I did a pretty good job at it because as long as it ain't me, I'm alright with and hopefully I can still walk out of here with my torch still lit when it's all said and done.
Thank you Josh. <3
Survivor Chronicles 16: Game of Thrones
> Final Tribal Council > ~"The Queen of The Jury" Josh's Questions & Comments~
