...AND THEN THERE WAS JUST ONE TRIBE...
Stacey, for my part I actually do respect you and am sad that things turned as sour as they did. For someone that has not seen the show you certainly seemed to have a fair grasp on how it all works, and have so much potential. Fierce and proud, and brutally honest, I respect that, but in a game like this it can put a target on your back, and the way the game played out was just that. For my part, it was never anything personal.
Despite your time as Rai's ambassador, It is a shame we didn't really connect to any great degree at any point. Once the merge happened, it wasn't long before it was pretty self evident that Stacey had teamed back up with Rai, and the sudden cease of any contact from yourself, Rich and Hayden gave me a pretty strong indication I was going to be targeted. Once Stacey left, you seemed a little angry that it hadn't worked out and that I was still in the game, but can only hope time has helped ease those hurts. If the circumstances had have been different, who knows how this may have been?
Oh, Hayden. Wow, you impressed me! From your msgs as ambassador, to what you were like the round that the rest of Madhesi and Rai were talking about teaming up. Within days of voting for me, I was actually really pleasantly surprised by how you bounced back and dealt with advertity. I'm sorry I could not let you be my 'Colby', because at the time, Chris was already filling that role. And you were right - i tried and I couldn't find a pic of Hayden and Tina together despite playing on the same season, lol. In fact, I am struggling to remember a scene in the entire season when the 2 were in the same shot, escept for like at challenges haha. But in regards to this, you were just so charming and charismatic, was both concerned about Richard's commitment as well as your ability to really work your way into the game if allowed a foothold, because could see the potential dangers you would pose to me down the line and I don't think it is unrealistic to say that. Another game, and it could have been a very different story. Nothing but admiration.
Danger! Danger, Will Robinson! Danger! This was what my head was screaming at me when we talked. Smooth, very social and this belied the danger you posed at first, but after just a few days of us talking and starting to see your mind working more and more was able to see the problems that would develop had things been different, had Chris and I not moved to take you out. In many ways, this was a 'get you out before you got me out' situation, and it is because of this you had to go. Girl has serious game!
Wow, you scared me! You had shown that with the situation in voting out Hayden that you knew how to take a situation and leverage it to improve your own even more. In your shoes, I would have been strongly tempted to do the same, and appreciated that you were playing the game, for real and not just trying to survive. I found it so hard to get a read on you, and when adding these 2 factors together saw the danger i letting you stay in the game too long, as an 'X' factor that could potentially wreck havoc of your own. I remember Stacey having a snap at you in public very early on in the game, and found out what happened at the Jenna vote. People might have disrespected your social game at the survey challenge, but in my mind there is no question - you came to play and could cause a lot of headaches if left in. And for this reason, I risked pissing off people I had strong connections with, but felt the risk was justified in order to make sure you were out of the picture.
Oh, Angie! In every way the sweetheart of the season, but at the same time, with a 'don't f*ck with me' bite. There was so much of the game where I really needed to repeatedly remind myself that I had to Heidik the in game relationship we had. This was not the personal relationship which I really liked, as there was a genuine quality about you that was almost unique, and I really appreciated and really did feel that personal connection. My heart did go out to you in what you were dealing with in real life and I genuinely would have loved to have seen you go further in the game, possibly to the F5 or even F4 and really wanted to keep you around, even if I couldn't have let you get all the way to the end. That said, you had your reasons for going out as you did. Love ya!
Debb, Debb, Debb! My first true ally in this entire game, and someone I would have loved to have been sitting beside now at the Finals. But it was not to be. I loved the underdog spirit you engendered and found it so infectious and relate-able and we bonded so quickly because of it. Often when people are separated it is hard to rekindle the same degree of attachment. For example, as much as I liked Jeff, there was a distinct difference between Madhesi Jeff and merge Jeff, but with Debb it really was as if we had never been apart. We just clicked and I appreciated that. Sorry I had to be part of taking you out, but under the circumstances had to do what I did to make sure it was you and not I that was targeted and as it turns out it could only have been either you or I, and with respect, it had to be you. Sorry.
Chris! I really did like playing the game with you and have nothing but the utmost admiration for you as a player. A true triple threat in every sense of the word. You had so much going for you in this game, especially carrying the targets you were and were putting together an impressive resume of your own. It was not that you got angry with me for taking out Richard behind your back, rather when you counseled me to 'put the brakes on', that I realized had I done so and we went to the end together I would have absolutely zero chance of winning against you. But knowing that you didn't want me to continue to play the ruthless game that I had set myself on meant that this was when we started to drift apart. But that does not mean I do not respect you as a player. You were a great ally while it lasted.
Finally Carter. This one is very tough and very complex. We both hurt each other's feelings as the game moved into the final few rounds. For the whole you were a very impressive player, with a strong social game and backed it up with challenge ability. I know that RL is more important than any game, and that this meant you couldn't compete in the final challenge, but by that time you had resigned yourself to the fact that the only way you could make it to the end was to win immunity. The game is outwit, outplay and outlast. There is more than one component and challenges are just a tiny fraction of the whole picture, so to set all your hopes to that means you had turned your back on everything else. So when I said you had checked out, this is what i meant. I am really sorry for my part and hope that we can move past this, that what happened in game stays in the game, because there is no point in holding grudges, and outside of the context of this game, hope that this can be the case. I do genuinely respect and like you and wish you all the best always.
