Jefra,

Thank you for your questions. I will try to answer them as simply and honestly as I can.

1) If I remember correctly, you played a mutiny to escape from a certain doom back at Ki, and chose to join... Ozato. With Caleb, Eliza, Sydney and Kat. Why did you join a tribe where you were again at risk instead of going back to Spencer, Marisa and Jonny in Sakai?

You’re right. I could have played my mutiny to avoid the almost certain vote against me and rejoined my allies from the Ki tribe. I felt at that point that I had made enough of a bond with Eliza, Sydney, and Kat...and was practically being begged by Caleb, that it was worth the risk. I joined the other tribe because I wanted to continue building relationships with those players. I knew that my place with the Ki’s was secure. I also knew that if I could make it to the merge after spending time on the Ozato tribe, I could be in a much better position in the game. It was worth the risk.

2) We were in an alliance, the legendary and horribly named Kajafra Sydza, the one that epically blindsided Butch. I did appreciate your eagerness to work with us and even let us use your name as a decoy. When the merge came, however, you decided to work again with Ki though. Did you ever consider staying with them?

I very much considered staying and playing with the “Kajafra Sydza” (best name ever!) alliance post-merge. Up until after the Gervase vote, I still thought that I was in the middle and could still pick which side I wanted to go with. In the end I chose to stay with the Ki’s because of the certainty of those numbers. I had Spencer and Marisa, and felt that I was still really close to Jonny. I thought that they had a better shot of pulling Dana over because of my suggestion that we warn her before the Gervase vote, which ended up being correct. On the other side, I had Caleb lying to me about his idol, and both Kat and Sydney telling me that they would be willing to vote for him…to flush the idol or send him home with it. The connections here felt way less secure than the connections on the Ki tribe. It wasn’t a difficult decision, especially after Syd and Kat switched their vote to Jonny, and the Caleb didn’t talk to me for days after. I was good with my decision.

3) Last one and the most straightforward: why should I vote you instead of Spencer? I don't really want to hear "well, he was kinda the snake calling the shots and I hid behind that" cause I already know, and that doesn't make me want to vote for you more.

You should vote for me over Spencer because I played a much better game. In the answers that Spencer gave in his opening statement and to some of the jury questions, he is having a great time explaining how he was behind all these big moves, and that nothing happened in the game that he wasn’t controlling. He would like for you to believe that, but it simply isn’t true.
From the beginning of the game, Spencer came to me for advice before almost every move he made. “Should I do this…” or “What do you think __________ would do if I told him this…” He may have spoken to people and made bonds with people without help…but I cannot think of any moves that he made, particularly after the merge, on his own without my help or guidance. Everyone called him a snake from very early on…and he has really embraced the title. To be honest, I fail to see how being a public snake makes you a great Survivor player. If everyone sees how sneaky and snake-like you’re being, then that means that you are not being very sneaky and sly. It means that you are a shitty snake.
And being a shitty snake is someone that I would like to sit next to at the end of the game. Spencer did not control this game and he is not deserving of the all the praise of how good of a game he played. Spencer is a good player and a loyal partner, who was brought to the end by me…the one person who saw his game the best, from beginning to end. Spencer is taking credit for moves that we either decided to make together, or that I convinced him to make. If the choice is between us two…then I feel that I absolutely have played the better game and I deserve your vote.

Thanks! :)

Jefra Bland @ 6/5/2016 17:03

Those are perfectly good answers, thanks :) Lastly, a pro tip for James and Spencer: you keep trying to claim the same moves and fighting, so that means one of you is lying. I'm no clairvoyant so I can't really tell who is saying the truth, which is why I'd appreciate honesty if you don't want me to just vote for Julia by default.

True, it would appear that Spencer beat me to the punch on many of the questions so far today. I'm not interested in an argument either, but I do feel like I have to defend my game to a greater degree than he does. I don't think that Spencer is lying. I think that he genuinely believes that these huge moves were his, and his alone.
But, let me ask a question then…why would I want go to the end with Spencer? How does that make sense strategically? If I am nothing but a follower, why would I want to go to the end with someone who is seen by pretty much everyone as the sure bet to win the game? I may be a lot of things, but I am not stupid. The reason is…Spencer is not the amazing player that he thinks he is. He was safe for the entire first half of the game, except when he put the target on his own back by being a sloppy social player, and then he worked with me for much of the second half of the game. There is almost nothing that he did post-merge that was on his own and that he can take sole credit for. Along with myself, you all can claim to be part of many of the moves that he brags that he made on his own. I was there for it all. I helped him come to decisions and get things done. He loved being the visible power player, and so I let him be that. He was good at it.
And all the while I made sure that he did what I wanted him to do, and I made sure that he felt like I was the weaker player and there was no way that I could beat him in the end. But if he truly looks back at his game and the moves that he is claiming, there is no way that he could honestly say that he made any of those moves without my help. For him to say that you can't play under the radar and be manipulative at the same time is ridiculous. There are plenty of players who have shown that you can be smart, control bigger players, and make moves while avoiding attention, who have done quite well. It's that style of gameplay that I chose to emulate.

I understand your predicament. I sympathize, but there is nothing that I can offer other than an argument for my game, just like Spencer and just like Julia. To be honest, I'm not very familiar with the things that Julia did in this game (because I was barely around her, and we didn't get to speak very much (my fault completely)), so she very well could have played better than both of us. If you feel that's the case, then please, vote for her. But I'd like to make it clear that I do not feel that Spencer deserves your vote, or any other votes over me based on social and strategic gameplay.

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I wouldn't say I loved being a visible power. I did like having control over my fate in the game. However, you don't really have much choice when your two closest allies refuse to act. It's fine taking a back seat if you have someone to do the work for you. If you and Marisa were capable of doing it then you were certainly not willing to do so.

I disagree man... from what I saw, you absolutely loved being in visible power. From bragging about who you were getting info from in chat to public borderline arrogant messages, you clearly knew and enjoyed how people viewed you. I don't want to speak for Marisa, but you hit the nail on the head for my gameplan. Why would I need to publicly make the moves when I had you to make the moves for me.

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What did you do to stop Dana from flipping at f6 if I was the meatshield goat you were hiding behind?

Was there anything that anyone could have done to keep Dana from flipping at f6? She was playing her own game and saw the opportunity to make a move to improve her game. I don't think that having you as the "meatshield goat" applies to this example.

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This is true, but they have to actually do something out of the public spotlight to manipulate the game. I honestly don't believe you did that once. If you can point out somewhere you manipulated me I'd happily give you credit for it but if the only move was convincing me that you weren't a threat then I don't think that's much of a move. The choice at f4 was between you Kat and Julia, you were the last person I'd vote out.

You are correct about one thing. The public spotlight was your game, not mine. I didn't have to when I had you doing it for me. Most of our game together involved you coming to me with ideas or information and me ensuring that our plan was really my plan, but you thought it was yours. When I speak of manipulation, I mean that I was able to make suggestions that influenced what you wanted to do. You say that the Caleb vote happened because you pushed for it, and I am saying that you are wrong. You are saying that you pushed to have the votes put on Eliza and Sydney, and I'm saying that you are wrong. You are saying that you were able to make moves all on your own, and I am saying that is absolutely not true. There is nothing that you did post-merge aside from the use if items, that you did without my or someone else's assistance, advice, or help.

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I'd also like to reiterate I never said I made those moves without your help. You were a vote Afterall and as I said in my FTC i wouldn't have made it here without that vote.

Along with my vote, you also wouldn't have made it here without my guidance or advice, aside from the one immunity that you were able to win, and even that I'd raise one lonely eyebrow at.

My last point as well. and then I will move on. Slowly. Looking back.

I would not describe you as a person as a "cocky arrogant asshole." I don't think that you are, and while I don't know who you are, I think that I've talked to you enough to know the type of person that you actually are. I am saying that I believe that you played a game where you wanted to be visibly powerful, and you enjoyed being in that position. I am also saying that the moves that you made in this game were not yours to claim as being only yours, and that I had influence over the things that you did. You cannot deny that to be true.
I greatly enjoyed playing the game with you, but I'm not going to pretend that having you as an ally did not benefit me in the game, just as you shouldn't be saying that being in an alliance with me did not benefit you (more than just being a vote.)
The Phillip Sheppard comparison is a poor attempt at humor. If it upset you, I'm really sorry.
I truly do see you as a friend and I am excited to see you after this whole crazy thing is over. I talked to you the most in this game...seriously, daily since Day 1. I know you are a rad dude. I'm sorry if I gave the impression that I think otherwise. But while it is going on, I will defend my game and not stop challenging statements that you make that I know are at the very least, partially false.