FTC Prep

[Tina]

Here to Put it All Together

[Tina]

This will need considerable editing, just a rough outline

Tina's Ruthless Reign

********************* FIRST DRAFT ********************

Hi All! I am very pleased to be here and able to talk to you all once more! In fact, despite anticipating that this may be a bit of a bumpy night, I am delighted to be in this very spot and explain to you why I should be the person declared as the winner! Before anything else though, I'd like to thank the hosts for doing a wonderful job with this game, and for most everyone in the cast for making this game a lot of fun and very memorable!

Anyways, I suppose that I must now explain my case to you! So, firstly, I will just state that I had a ball while playing this game, and I am not ashamed of that. In fact, most of the moves that I made, while being primarily strategic, I do have to admit taking a deal of pleasure from. And hey, it worked! While simultaneously getting me to this point right now, I believe it helped spice the game up also, in a way that nobody else really was. Secondly, I can't say I played a perfect game, but any error made, I was able to correct, with very little left to mere luck.

I also must admit that I told a whole heap of fibs in this game. Lots. I told little white lies and great big whoppers. That is in the past. Tonight though you get the truth. All of it and as ugly as it might be, and I will encourage you if there is anything you want to know, if I don't cover it, please ask and I promise you will get the truth - good or bad, it will be the truth, because that is what you deserve here.

Bottom line is, I own what I did in this game.

Tonight, it is my full intention that, once i have had the opportunity to present my case, that by the end I will have done enough to prove to you that I deserve and have earned your votes. Right now, you may not feel that way, but of the 3 of us sat before you, it is my contention that I had by far the biggest impact and influence on this game. Whether you like the way I did things or not, I do not think that this is in any way possible to dispute.

So, now that that's out of the way, I guess I should explain what my thoughts were for pretty much the whole game.

PRE-MERGE

Having come in as a replacement for the original person that played as Tina, 4/5days after the game began did effect how I came to approach much of the game. Having missed out on all the formal bonding that took place over that first weekend, meant that I had a 'playing catch up' mentality, which propelled me to play a lot more pro-actively than what might otherwise have been the case. Thankfully Madhesi won a string of early immunity challenges, which did allow me to bed in, and form a lot of connections on that tribe; with Debb initially, as she had likelwise not been around much those first few days. And with Jeff and Kimmi, who came across as very much at the centre of all things Madhesi in those early days. Being invited to be part of an alliance with these 2 and Mad Dog was a definite step in the right direction, but was always cautious of investing too much, because I had a much closer relationship with Debb than I had with Mad Dog, and I don't mean that in a negative way.

At this point I should highlight one of the main tactics I used repeatedly in the game as a way of establishing, developing and maintaining connections and being able to reconnect throughout the course of the game. Essentially, what I often tried to convey to others was how much I relied upon them for my own survival, rather than how they relied upon me. Even in one on one pairings, where we both had a mutual interest I would still highlight this, This has a number of effects, including if people feel as though my game was at their mercy then I would not be perceived as a threat to them directly and at the same time, while not being privy to every single detail, would always have enough information to be able to ensure I was in the know of what was happening and could make choices and plans that benefited me accordingly, and people would not see me as a threat until it was too late and I was voting them out.

Thankfully Papa Bear was well on his way to digging his own grave by the time our tribe lost it's one and only challenge prior to the tribe swap, but even still the social game I had played prior to that had seen Papa Bear go from putting me up for sacrifice one round to the very next round giving me the clues to the HII, which I promptly shared with pretty much everyone. Personally, I never had any great intention or desire of looking for myself. Why? Because this was a way of fostering and building trust with people, and trust is a much more valuable commodity than any HII ever was or ever will be. Not to mention if people suspect you of having a HII it can put a target on your back and that is something I rather preferred to avoid.

After the tribe switch I arrived back on nuMadhesi, having lost 2 people I had developed solid, yet independent bonds with, but picked up Stacey and a clutch of former Kirati members. My delayed arrival in the game and subsequent experience in playing catch up again came into play here, as I was able to use the line about being on the outs on the orig Madhesi tribe due to my late arrival, in order to work my way in with the former Kirati people, as well as set in motion a chain of events that made this phase of the game an interesting one for me personally.

Ostensibly, intrigued by Stacey's initial plan to go after Carter, with respect, her lack of detail as to why she would want this as well as the vagueness of the tie break rules meant I was far from convinced that this could be achieved. So I set out to try and cast shade on Artis, hopefully it would have the Kirati people turn on Artis and in so doing keep Kimmi, Mad Dog and I out of the line of fire. Unfortunately it didn't quite work out, and once it was for sure certain that 4 votes were going on Mad Dog, I intentionally strayed, as to vote Carter would only potentially cause irretrievable damage to the work I had already put in and fostered, but at the same time would 'show' I was not as tight with the original Madhesi, where I painted a picture of Kimmi and Mad Dog being much more central to the pecking order - something I did repeatedly through the course of the game, which kept the focus off of me, even though Kimmi and I were still on good terms, it did mean Stacey began going on the warpath.

Around this time while I was still fostering relationships with Carter and Angie, Chris and I began to talk in earnest and set plans for the future, which noone might suspect, especially when he had been the one putting me on sacrifice at this time. The clusterf*ck of the tied vote was next, and I was more than happy for the Kirati group to make a mess of that as I just kept my head low, although my assertion that Artis and Stacey had been working together the previous round may not have been true at the time, it came to fruition at this point, and this sudden shift from being low on the food chain to being an asset meant I was no longer in danger here... Except that I somehow found myself as a defacto liason between Artis and Stacey which was kind of odd, and when it all unfolded and Stacey was still in the game, it was no surprise that I was again going to be in her sights.

MERGE & BEYOND

This didn't bother me though as the merge arrived, and with it Tina's ruthless reign started to really pick up. That first weekend, it was a matter of patience, but knowing that Stacey would be looking to rekindle connections with the original Rai people, as she knew she could not rely on nuMadhesi to have her back and more than likely, she would want to target me. Patience though was the key here. Jeff and Debb both tried to court me to join the nuKirati people, but with Stacey already aligning with the Rai people meant that this was never a realistic option. Because sooner rather than later she would come gunning for me. However, as I pointed out that for Debb and Jeff to join nuMadhesi kept their options open, whereas voting for me would only reduce these. Meanwhile Denise was being courted to join us also by Angie and co, and suddenly, from being possibly voted out, 7-5. to being very safely in, 8-4. Sorry Stacey. Bye.

The next round I genuinely did have a migraine, but given the circumstances was more than happy to just go along as Ramona was voted out. There was no need for anything to be done here except let it play out, but as it was someone that had voted for me the previous round, I was more than happy to see them voted out. The next round though, things got interesting. The original Madhesi proposed a plan to have an alliance with the remaining original Rai, Richard and Hayden. Of course I said I was on board, however, instantly this was something I was genuinely concerned about and did not feel was in my personal interest to have happen. For one thing, both of these guys had voted for me less than 48hrs before, and for another I struggled to be able to get a good read on Richard (and credit to him), while Hayden quickly proved to me how dangerous he could potentially be if he were given the opportunity to work his way into the game, because Hayden is very charming and extremely charismatic. So I stuck with the original Kirati people, and agreed with Carter to throw mine at Hayden instead of Richard.

This left 2 big issues, because now I had misled Debb, Kimmi and Jeff, and would have to make this right. But also where this left me with the original Kirati people and now Richard presented as an alternative option for them to work with instead of me. Seizing on the opportunity afforded by Denise and Angie discussing voting comments, which raised some eyebrows also and noting that the group chat we had been part of at that point had dropped off set off even more alarm bells. Taking all this into account it was now time to get Chris to flip, as we had previously discussed the prospect and necessity of this happening at some point.

So knowing it had to be done now, I set in motion one of my more subtle schemes. First obtaining Chris' OK to feed a line (but not the full extent of why I was doing it), I fed a line to Denise and Angie about how I had told Chris about how things were shaping up for that previous vote (but supposedly had got cut off before being able to mention it to anyone else) and by manipulating the situation suddenly this put the spotlight on Chris from the remaining original Kirati people, to make him feel a little uncomfortable by their questioning which effectively made Chris realize the time to flip had come, but in doing it this way, he would come to that realization himself rather than feeling like I had pulled too many of the strings. This was important, because if Chris was to flip he would want to be credited with the move, so I had to make the conditions right for him to come to this conclusion himself.

So Chris flips, but the thing is, it is not just Chris that flips. We flip together, because I had not been with the Madhesi group at the previous vote, so it appeared me more returning to the fold, rather than a flip and it made perfect logical sense that Denise go. After all, I had a prior relationship with Carter and Angie, whereas Denise had only gotten to speak with since the merge. Yet in just this short space, I had already been impressed by how switched on she was and the dangers she posed if allowed to carry on. So the choice between Denise and Angie was no choice at all. Not to mention all the while that it was being propositioned to me that Kimmi go. Kimmi was someone that I had a long term connection with and was proving an effective shield, so why would I want to lose her at F9? No chance.

So Denise goes, and Angie and Chris are steaming at each other, but it did not serve my game any purpose to lose either at this point, and having already flip flopped in back to back rounds, would do so again here. In the build up to the previous round, the group chat I had been a part of had broken down, a point I had raised with Carter so I could reference back to it once Denise was gone, as an explanation why I had flipped on them, under the impression that with Denise on the scene I was going to get squeezed out, and with her out of the picture, I would be open to working with them again. So Denise going, again meant keeping the most options for myself going while minimizing them for others.

Again, this is just one example of how I was not just thinking about the immediate vote coming out, but how I would be able to work my way in with those I had previously gone against, but leaving these little nuggets that I could reference back to. I did the exact same thing in the lead up to the Hayden vote also, with Debb, Kimmi and Jeff, noting my lack of confidence in Richard. But on this occasion I used this as the pretext to keep both Angie and Carter in the game, with the pretext that with the weekend looming there might be time for a reconciliation between them and Chris - and possibly open the doorway to get to the end as that 4some.

And it was with this in mind that Richard had to go next. Chris and the orig Madhesi wanted Angie gone. Chris (& I think Kimmi, who from memory was flying home that evening) had even prevoted Angie. I did not want Angie gone, because not only was Angie an option for me, she was also a useful shield to keep and losing that at F8 would be as much a waste as potentially losing Kimmi would have been at F9.

By contrast, Richard was far more unpredictable and I was concerned about leaving an 'X' factor like this in the game, to be allowed to float and be an option for people to work with down the line. I had a reasonable handle on where every other player in the game stood except for Richard. And I do mean this as one of the biggest compliments I can make about a player in this game. If you are uncertain about where they stand or you can't predict their behaviour, then that is a liability. I needed to be the only 'X' factor in the game, so Richard had to go. So for these and various other reasons I set about getting Richard out, by getting Angie and Carter to agree to put their vote on him, then shortly before TC floated the idea to Madhesi that we should throw a vote on Richard 'in case of a HII play'. Jeff agreed to this just before TC, so I now had coverage to do the same, even though I didn't let on I fully intended on doing this also. It would be enough, 4-3-1. I played it off in discussion with Jeff as being that there had been a miscommunication, but knew what I was doing.

Going into last weekend then, it meant that the attention was all on Angie. And I was fine with keeping it there for most of the weekend, while minds would be idle. But while everyone was lulled to sleep with target on Angie, I was cooking and weighing up what each person's case, should they make it to the end, as well as taking into account immunity threats that might prove a spanner in the works. I honestly did not want Angie to go at F7, as I genuinely liked Angie, and she would still be a target if left in the game for the other Madhesi, but without posing that same potential threat to win immunities than what others might. Sadly, it was around this time that Chris and I relationship began to show some cracks also, after having gone behind his back to take out Richard. I had explained to him and Debb what I hoped to achieve by this, but felt only reprimanded, as Chris sought to curb my play. But like players from Rob C to Tony V have showed, once you start playing an aggressive, dynamic game, you have to play it all the way. If you are going to do it, you have to do it all the way, not half arsed or sititng back which becomes the recipe to complacency and getting caught out.

As much as I loved playing with him, it was clear that Chris was emerging as a big threat in his own right - a true triple threat - and that sitting beside him, especially if I did take his counsel and just allowed the game to flow, which under other circumstances would be sound advice, would be bad for my game. In the context of this game, and in character with the game I had played, I could not sit back. Not now. It had gone past the point where sitting back was really an option. If I wanted any shot at winning, knowing I had ticked a few people off already, I had to stay proactive and on the offensive. The job was only half done and needed to be finished. So I set in motion a plan to blindside Chris the first time he didn't have immunity, which i had hoped would be that Sunday night. As much as I loved playing the game with Chris, by this point I was really genuinely worried about going up against you at the end, as you were one of the few players iun this game I felt could give me a genuine run for my money had we been sitrting side by side, especially if I had taken your advice and put the brakes on. So the plan to blindside Chris was born.

I can honestly say that I never actually mentioned Chris by name to Carter or Angie. This would at least give me an out, and therefore a way of skewering the truth, a backdoor in the event that he won immunity. Grounds for genuine denial. Kinda. However I had to have Debb in play and ready to move in the event Chris lost, because once the challenge was over if anyone other than Chris had won, I could then get Angie and Carter to vote Chris and then there would be 4 votes - especially as Angie and Chris had not really mended their fences too much over the past few days, so it seemed. And was banking on Carter being much closer to Angie than he was with Chris, so in a choice between the 2 he would want to keep Angie. I had everything in place, including the PMs ready to send that I had written up in the afternoon, outlining all the reasons why Chris had to go and who I had as the 4th vote. All I needed was for Chris to not win immunity and I could click send and the trap would be set.

Of course, the best laid plans of mice and men and all that... Chris won immunity, Debb leaked the plan and regretfully Angie had to go as there wasn't any time to change things up after that. However I had said that afternoon if Carter or Angie had a HII it might not be a bad time to use it... but that is what it is. This was the one time things did not go according to plan, but there was always the Plan B to go back on, but I really did not want to be voting Angie out... yet.

Anyhow, we move on to the F6, and after Chris comments at the previous TC, I suspect he knows I was on board to take him out had he not won, but as I mentioned was able to deny it, because the only person I had directly spoken to about it was Debb. As the round progresses, I get to talking to Carter and Chris, knowing that between them, one of them is was highly likely had to have a HII. I wasn't sure who and neither said that they did, but had always felt as if 1 of Angie/Chris/Carter had one and with Angie out of the picture the safe bet was that one of them did. In truth for a long time I thought it had been Chris, but was not for sure certain, only that it seemed most logical. Again playing both sides here and saying yes to both sides, but knowing that Carter was not happy with both Debb and I, by teaming up with Chris and Carter, at least ensured that the target was not going to be me. I am really sorry Debb, but there was an element of self preservation this round, and as it turned out, everyone else but the 2 of us would be immune, so it really was between you and I and I needed to do what I could to make sure it wasn't me. However, in a perfect world, it had been my intention since the start to be sitting alongside you here today.

After all the Idols were flushed at the previous vote, it meant that the game once again was entirely in my hands at F5 and it would go the way of my choosing. Yet having just voted out Debb, under the circumstances of so many HII plays, I was in a position to flip back with Kimmi and Jeff or stay with Carter and Chris here.

Time and time and time again I was able to move between alliances as I saw fit, and keep those I had time and time again not been on the same page as, into wanting to keep working with me and able to reestablish those bonds and work with them again. I played both sides here until I came to the decision it meant that whichever of Carter and Chris won immunity, the other would have to go. And that is what happened, with Chris being voted out. I have previously said it, in my opinion Chris was by far the biggest single danger to sit beside at the end; and that includes Carter or anyone else. It was a matter of necessity to take Chris out.

Sadly Carter really did not take this final betrayal all that well, declaring that he was upset with all the lying. Newsflash! This is Survivor. Lying and deception happens. And with respect, everyone has to owe up to having done some at some point in the game, including Carter. However Carter elected to back himself into a corner where only winning immunity would ensure his place at the FTC. Had he talked, who knows? I know Carter, you were not very happy about my comments that you had checked out at this point, and do hope your friend is OK, but there is more than one way to do something in this game and to put all your eggs in the one basket of winning immunity or bust is a sign of someone that has given up all other hope, and the only person's game you hurt by doing that is your own, sadly.

So, yes, I manipulated. I twisted the truth. I flipped and flopped repeatedly. And then did it again. I put targets on people and left shields in the game. Minimized the options of other players, whilst kept as many as I could open for myself. Continuously minimized the target on myself as well as maximizing it on others. And undoubtedly had a greater impact and left a bigger impression on the game than anyone else in the entire game, let alone those of the 3 of us sat before you.

You may hate me for the game I played, and there are certainly people that are more well liked in this game than I am right now - indeed, a few of you are on the Jury for that very reason. I am indeed very different from the person you may think of me right now in real, but in the context of this game I needed to be as heartless and ruthless as I could in order to achieve what I have and play the game I did. And in the end you have to respect the fact I ripped this game up, and owned it in a way no one else can even come close to claiming.

There was a ruthlessness and aggressive pattern to the style I played in this game, especially post merge, but there were tell-tale signs of what was to come in the pre-merge portion of this game also. Although on the surface sometimes it may not appear much, but the signs and the wreckage I left in my wake is proof of the killer instinct and effect I had, which was unmatched by anyone else in this game.

Most importantly, I have the blood of every single person on the Jury on my hands. I am not embarrassed or shy away from this, rather I embrace it and wear it as a badge of honour; testament to the game I played, the effect I had and the mark I have left on it. There is only one person that can say that they contributed to every single one of you sitting where you are now and why I am sitting here. People trusted me, they believed me, and even when I had gone against them the round before, proved time and time again was able to re-establish those connections and work with them again, only if I were to betray them again or indeed, even vote them out at the next opportunity.

Neither Jeff or Kimmi can come close to laying claim to this - they pretty much picked an alliance and stuck to it. Neither was prepared to take the chances I did or would be as ruthless or dynamic. Even when they had arranged to make a move, with Hayden and Richard, it was ill concieved and failed. Not just because I did not go along with it (although that certainly played a part, as it was not in my best interests), but because it was also reliant on someone that just 2 rounds before had been stung by Jeff and Debb.

Whereas, every person that crossed me ended up going out not long after. Stacey was gunning for me, Stacey goes out. Those that voted for me at that merge TC went out 3 of the next 4 TC's. Denise raises suspicions about me, Denise has to go. Chris starts to emerge as a greater threat and looks to curb my gameplay - first time he isn't immune he goes. The list goes on.

All of which was achieved without ever once having immunity at any point. So potentially I was vulnerable at every point along the way, but the style of game I played and my ability to play and embrace this, and own this meant that I never needed any such immunity. There is always a way of succeeding without immunity, and think I have conclusively proven that here. Not to diminsh the efforts of anyone who is good at challenges, but reliance on this one aspect alone is an error when there are other componants there also.

Even those sitting beside me are here because I chose to sit beside them. They were at my mercy at Final 5. I could have gone with Chris and Carter, in which case Jeff and Kimmi would be sitting beside you on the Jury now. Again, this underlines that only 1 person truly dominated this game and effected the shape and path it took unlike anyone else.

Overall, I'd say my game was a definite step-up from both Kimmi and Jeff's. For all of Jeff winning some critical immunities, Kimmi being very likeable, and both being very loyal, neither of them can claim to have impacted the game as I have or to have been anywhere near as dynamic as I have been. I took a stack of risks in this game, including voting out allies, but there was always strategic reason behind each move I made. Other than that, I feel as though I played a solid social game also, as it opened the doors for me to play the strategic game I did, and by having pissed off so many people it would help camoflague the threat level I posed. I am sorry if I hurt people's feelings through the course of the game and the trusts I betrayed, but I do not regret them and won't apologize for having made the moves I did because at the end of the day, I was not playing for team Madhesi or team nuMadhesi or any of the various combinations that Debb and I had, or Mad Dog, Kimmi, Jeff & I had or that Chris and I had or anything else.

I own what I did, because at the end of it all, for better or worse there was only 1 person whose interests I had solely at heart. And that was mine to get me here. I had to be ruthless, I had to be dynamic and willing to shift and shake things up. And apart from Chris, was the only one that actually did.

Oh, and if anyone wants to bring up my record in the challenges, again I think it highlights the game I played that I was always vulnerable and never needed immunity, but for what it is worth, I am not very fast, and given the types of challenges in this game, I am not particularly well suited to any of these, especially given that they proceeded each TC, so there was a finite amount of time any and each of these could go for, but of those that were not speed related, I ended up 2nd from last to have their number hidden at the guess challenge - which in effect reveals a pecking order, although not a strict one, does give some indication of where everyone is that is still left in the tribe, only outlasted by the person who actually won immunity. And the survey challenge, which again, although it can be a bit follow the leaderish, is much more informative to watch and not tick anyone off (which, even after all this time, I do still genuinely feel bad about that one gaff I made, as I genuinely thought I was still responding to the previosu question after my internet session had locked up, lol.) than the value of pursing the immunity and having people identify as someone that thinks whatever about them, or another player, which can be used to your advantage or their detriment. Ironically, the only one I genuinely had a half decent effort at was the merge counting one - until I missed the upshift, haha. Anyhow, long story short, although it may not seem it, I did actually have a challenge strategy - and that was to intentionally not pursue any of the immunities up for grabs.

So, I don't know if this'll actually give you all the information you need or want out of me, or whatever, so be free to ask me any questions you want answered and will be more than happy to answer them. I have been brutal in this game, so I am anticipating some brutal questions and I promise you will get the brutal and honest truth. Just know that I don't regret any of my moves at all and I don't regret or apologize for how I acted in the course and context of this game. I am very different outside of this game, but I am not asking that you take that into account, only judging me on my actions and how they relate to getting me to this point here and being able to present my case to you.

So, yeah, once more, thanks for the opportunity to play and for making this such a fun experience!

I sure had a lot of fun owning the shit out of every single one of you.

[Tina]

How was I able to reestablish trust after each flip/flop...

At this point I should highlight one of the main tactics I used repeatedly in the game as a way of establishing, developing and maintaining connections and being able to reconnect throughout the course of the game. Essentially, what I often tried to convey to others was how much I relied upon them for my own survival, rather than how they relied upon me. This has a number of effects, including if people feel as though my game was at their mercy then I would not be perceived as a threat to them directly and at the same time, while not being privy to every single detail, would always have enough information to be able to ensure I was in the know of what was happening where and could make choices and plans that benefited me accordingly. By straddling the middle ground every step of the way and people may not see me as a threat until it was too late and I was voting them out.

Secondly, by removing options for people, it forced them to have to include me in their plans. For example, by removing Denise. This would make it necessary for Carter and Angie to include me in plans they had, because while others had directly voted for Angie the round before, I could say I was not looking at harming them, but as a way to take someone out that I felt was a threat to me working with them. In doing it this way I was able to keep my options as open as possible while limiting what others could do without including me.

[Tina]

Tina's Ruthless Reign



Hi All! I am very pleased to be here and able to talk to you all once more! In fact, despite anticipating that this may be a bumpy night, I am delighted to be in this very spot and explain to you why I should be the person most deserving of your vote and being declared as the winner!

Before anything else though, I'd like to thank Probst and the hosting team for giving me the opportunity to be part of this and for doing a wonderful job with this game, and everyone in the cast for making this game a lot of fun and very memorable!

Anyways, I suppose that I will need to outline my case to you, because some things I did may not be blindingly obvious and some things will need some explaination. Before I do, I will just state that I had a ball while playing this game, and I am not ashamed of say it, because hey, it worked! While simultaneously getting me to this point right now, I believe it helped spice the game up also, in a way that nobody else really was - and if anyone looked to begin doing it, I had to eliminate them. And I can't say I played a perfect game, but very little was left to mere luck.

I also must admit that I told a whole heap of fibs in this game. Lots. And them some. I told little white lies and great big whoppers. However, that is in the past. Tonight you get the truth. All of it and as ugly as it might be, and I will encourage you if there is anything you want to know, if I don't cover it, please ask and I promise you will get the truth - good or bad, it will be the truth, because that is what you deserve.



Bottom line is, I own what I did in this game. I own the decisions I made and actions I took and how they effected others, in order to make sure I was positioned where I wanted and needed to be. This included projecting the image of vulnerability. There is undoubtedly those that question my Jury management but if I had played as aggressively as I had, made as many moves as I did but was too well liked, then it is likely that others may have wanted to take me out before the end. I don't like hurting people, this is not something I take a perverse pleasure in, however this is a game, and what was said and done in game has to be viewed in the context of this being in a game. Whatever else, this was always first and foremost in my mind - that this was a game.

Tonight, it is my full intention that, once i have had the opportunity to present my case, that by the end I will have done enough to prove to you that I deserve and have earned your votes. Right now, you may not feel that way, but of the 3 of us sat before you, it is my contention that I had by far the biggest impact and influence on this game. Whether you like the way I did things or not, I do not think that this is in any way possible to dispute.

So, now that that's out of the way, I guess I should explain what my thoughts were for pretty much the whole game.

PRE-MERGE

Having come in as a replacement for the original person that played as Tina, 4/5days after the game began did effect how I came to approach much of the game. Having missed out on all the formal bonding that took place over that first weekend, meant that I had a 'playing catch up' mentality, which propelled me to play a lot more pro-actively than what might otherwise have been the case. Thankfully Madhesi won a string of early immunity challenges, which bought me time and allowed me to bed in, and form connections on that tribe; with Debb initially, and then with Jeff and Kimmi, who came across as very much at the centre of all things Madhesi in those early days. Being invited to be part of an alliance with these 2 and Mad Dog was a definite step in the right direction, but was always cautious of investing too much, because I had a much closer relationship with Debb than I had with Mad Dog, and I don't mean that in a negative way, rather privately Debb was more in my long term plans than what Mad Dog was.

Papa Bear was well on his way to digging his own grave by the time our tribe lost it's one and only challenge prior to the tribe swap, but even still the social game I had played prior to that had seen Papa Bear go from putting me up for sacrifice one round to the very next round giving me the clues to the HII - which I promptly shared with pretty much everyone. Personally, I never had any great intention or desire of looking for myself. I would say I did, but never really did. No word of a lie, maybe tried 5 different passwords - if that.

Why? Because this was a way of fostering and building trust with people, and trust is a much more valuable commodity than any HII ever was or ever will be. Not to mention if people suspect you of having a HII it can put a target on your back and that is something I rather preferred to avoid.

After the tribe switch I arrived back on nuMadhesi, along with Stacey and a clutch of former Kirati members. Again I used my delayed arrival in the game as an explanation for why I was on the outs on the original Madhesi, and opened the door in order to work my way in with the former Kirati people. Which brings us to the first real critical vote of the game for me.

Although I was initially intrigued by Stacey's plan to go after Carter, with respect, her lack of detail as to why she would want this as well as the vagueness of the tie break rules meant I was far from convinced that this could be achieved. So I set out to try and cast shade on Artis and indirectly on to Stacey who could then be targeted in the event of a second immunity loss. Hopefully it would have the Kirati people turn on Artis and in so doing keep Kimmi, Mad Dog and I out of the line of fire. So I took some info that Artis had told me, used a little bit of instinct and embellished it.... A lot. Unfortunately it didn't quite work out, and once it was for sure certain that 4 votes were going on Mad Dog, I intentionally strayed.

• to vote Carter would only potentially cause irretrievable damage to the work I had already put in and fostered with Angie, Carter & Chris
• it would 'show' I was not as tight with the original Madhesi, where I painted a picture of Kimmi and Mad Dog being much more central to the pecking order - something I did repeatedly through the course of the game, which kept the focus off of me.
• Kimmi and I were still on good terms, and needed to make sure it bought us time to get to the merge
• Although in an alliance with Mad Dog, she was not as critical to my plans as had they targeted Kimmi, who I had more of a 1-on-1 connect with
• Setting Stacey up to take the fall as the architect of targeting Carter would put her as the target should we lse another immunity before the merge

Of course Artis and Stacey are both pissed at me and on the surface I was persona non grata, for having tried to push too hard to divide and conquer the Kirati people, and with Stacey, for having messed with her plans. But Chris and I began to talk in earnest and set plans, all the more noone might suspect, especially when he had been the one putting me on sacrifice at this exact same time. I believe that this did help heal the situation with Artis, and I cant understate how much I learned from this experience in overplaying my hand here, that I learned from and didn't ever have to push as hard to get things done, to how to rebuild a bridge after burning one. So Artis, wherever you are, you did have a part to play in my getting here. Thanks!

What I didn't expect was that Artis rather remarkably pretty much did precisely what I had been talking up the revious round, in looking to team up with Stacey, as I had basically mixed a bit of instinct and a whole heap of bullshit about for an entire day ahead of the Mad Dog vote. This shift meant I was no longer in danger here... Except that I somehow found myself as a defacto liaison between Artis and Stacey which was kind of odd. Anyhow, I leave the organizing of the vote largely to the Kirati people and the vote ended up tied. I am trying to keep a low-ish profile at this point after having overplayed the previous round and when it all unfolded and Stacey was still in the game, it was no surprise that I was again going to be in her sights.



Quite simply, I had made a gaff, but I was able to learn from it. And if my instincts and social game had not been up to scratch, for certain I could have been faced with being out before the merge. Instead the connections were in back in place and I was ready for the next phase of the game.

THE MERGE - WHY YOU ARE THERE AND I AM HERE

F12

The merge had arrived, and with it Tina's ruthless reign began. Before I go on, I would like to point out that I contributed to every single one of you being there on the Jury. This is no mere coincidence, and neither of my 2 fellow finalists can say this, as both of whom missed the mark on at least 2 occasions each. This I think demonstrates and underlines that I was always had my finger on the pulse and more often than not was able to have a significant influence on what was going to happen at Tribal Council.

That first weekend, it was a matter of patience, but knowing that Stacey would be looking to rekindle connections with the original Rai people, as she knew she could not rely on nuMadhesi to have her back and more than likely, she would want to target me. Patience though was the key here. Jeff and Debb both tried to court me to join the nuKirati people, but with Stacey already aligning with the Rai people meant that this was never a realistic option. Even had I been so inclined, sooner rather than later she would come gunning for me. A full day and more of silence from all of the 4 former Rai confirmed what I had suspected, that this was going to come down to either Stacey or myself. Part of this was obviously self preservation but it was as much about ensuring that the connections I had with the Kirati people remained intact along with rekindling connections with original Madhesi. Again, this was about me maintaining the most options, and limiting them for Jeff and Debb, as they would be turning their backs on the Rai with whom they had been on the same side as.

This is a theme I am going to touch on a lot. Get used to it, lol.

If I had just wanted to go down the line of self preservation for that one or two rounds I could have joined nuKirati. However, knowing that Stacey was wanting to target me in point of fact actually worked to my advantage. as I pointed out that for Debb and Jeff to join nuMadhesi kept their options open, whereas voting for me would only reduce these for them, and think this did influence their decision to come on board in voting out Stacey. Meanwhile Denise was being courted to join us also by Angie and co, and suddenly, from being possibly voted out, 7-5. to being very safely in, 8-4. Game on!

F11

The next round I genuinely did have a migraine, but given the circumstances was more than happy to just go along as Ramona was voted out. There was no need for anything to be done here except let it play out, but as it was someone that had voted for me the previous round, and didn't have an extensive relationship with Ramona beyond a few PM's when she had been an ambassador and a couple more at the merge, I was more than happy to see her sent to the Jury. I wish I did have more to say about this, however I think that Kimmi and I having connections on both Kirati and Madhesi contributed to these 2 tribes co-existing in harmony for these first couple of rounds.

F10

The next round though, things really started getting interesting. The original Madhesi proposed a plan to have an alliance with what was left of the remaining original Rai; Richard and Hayden. Of course I said I was on board, however, instantly this was something I was genuinely concerned about and did not feel was in my personal interest to have happen, for 4 reasons:

• Both of these guys had voted for me less than 48hrs before, so what personal loyalty did they have to me?
• Second, I struggled to be able to get a good read on Richard (and credit to him for this)
• Hayden quickly proved to me how dangerous he could potentially be if he were given the opportunity to work his way into the game, because he is very charming and extremely charismatic.
• Perhaps most importantly, what personal connections that I had spent so long developing would I be jeopardizing, if not outright throwing away?

So I stuck with the original Kirati people, and agreed with Carter to throw mine at Hayden instead of Richard. I should note Richard meanwhile proved my concerns to be well founded by taking a situation and leveraging it to make a better one for himself. Again, mad props to him, but was just further evidence that my instinct on being not the right move was spot on.

Theoretically, I could have sided with Hayden & Madhesi, and with Chris stray voting Richard, still ended up on the right side of the numbers, but I felt there was a risk here none the less as it would mean putting my faith and my game in the hands of people that had voted for me just days before and secondly, considering Jeff and Debb had voted against them at the merge, how long would it be before Richard and Hayden may look for a little payback? In Richard's case, it was probably only a couple of hours at most.

Sorry, if anyone feels I am dwelling on this particular point in the game, because this vote was pretty critical for so many different reasons in what would follow.

F9

Voting Hayden out left 2 big issues, because now I had misled Debb, Kimmi and Jeff, and would have to make this right. But also where this left me with the original Kirati people and now Richard presented as an alternative option for them to work with instead of me. Seizing on the opportunity afforded by Denise and Angie discussing voting comments, which raised some eyebrows also and noting that the group chat we had been part of at that point had dropped off (or as I more strongly suspect just didn't include me anymore) set off even more alarm bells. Taking all this into account it was now time to get Chris to flip, as we had previously discussed the prospect and necessity of this happening at some point. So I had to get Chris to flip, but to make it seem as though he was the one driving it and not me pulling the strings.

So knowing it had to be done now, I set in motion one of my more subtle schemes. First obtaining Chris' OK (but not the full extent of why I was doing it), I fed a line to Denise and Angie about how I had told Chris about how things were shaping up for that previous vote (but supposedly had got cut off before being able to mention it to anyone else) and by manipulating the situation suddenly this put the spotlight on Chris from the remaining original Kirati people. He even admitted to me it made him feel a little uncomfortable by their questioning. This effectively made Chris realize the time to flip had come, but in doing it this way, he would come to that realization himself rather than feeling like I had pulled too many of the strings. He even had said what I had done had put him in an awkward position, so he was ready to move. This was important, because if Chris was to flip he would want to be recognised for the move, so I had to make the conditions right for him to come to this conclusion himself, but make no mistake, I had intentionally set off the trigger that would make it now or never for Chris.

So Chris flips, but the thing is, it is not just Chris that flips, we move together, because I had not been with the Madhesi group at the previous vote, so it appeared me more returning to the fold, rather than a flip and was able to re-establish the trust within that Madhesi group. And it made perfect logical sense that Denise be the one to go next. After all, I had a prior relationship with Carter and Angie, whereas Denise had only gotten to speak with since the merge. Yet in just this short space, I had already been impressed by how switched on she was and the dangers she posed if allowed to carry on. So the choice between Denise and Angie was no choice at all. Not to mention all the while that it was being propositioned to me that Kimmi go. Kimmi was someone that I had a long term connection with and was proving an effective shield, so why would I want to lose her at F9? No chance.

F8

So Denise goes, and Angie and Chris are steaming at each other, but it did not serve my game to lose either at this point, and having already moved twice in back to back rounds, would do so again here. In the build up to the previous round, the group chat I had been a part of had broken down, a point I had raised with Carter so I could reference back to it once Denise was gone, as an explanation why I had flipped on them, under the impression that with Denise on the scene I was going to get squeezed out, and with her out of the picture, I would be open to working with Carter & Angie again. So Denise going, again meant keeping the most options for myself going while minimizing them for others.

Again, this is just one example of how I was not just thinking about the immediate vote coming out, but how I would be able to work my way in with those I had previously gone against. Leaving these little nuggets that I could reference back to in conversations that would lend credibility to what I was saying when re-establishing trust, and this is so very important when trying to play the middle. I did the exact same thing in the lead up to the Hayden vote also, with Debb, Kimmi and Jeff, noting my lack of confidence in Richard, and was proved right. But on this occasion I used this as the pretext to keep both Angie and Carter in the game, with the pretext that with the weekend looming there might be time for a reconciliation between Angie and Chris - and possibly open the doorway to get to the end as that 4some - if we could get through that one round.

And it was with this in mind that Richard had to go next. Chris and the orig Madhesi wanted Angie gone. Chris (& I think Kimmi, who from memory was flying home that evening) had even prevoted Angie. I did not want Angie gone, because not only was Angie an option for me, she was also a useful shield to keep and losing that at F8 would be as much a waste as potentially losing Kimmi would have been at F9. No chance.

By contrast, Richard was far more unpredictable and I was concerned about leaving an 'X' factor like this in the game, to be allowed to float and be an option for people to work with down the line, when every vote can matter so much. I had a reasonable handle on where every other player in the game stood except for Richard. And I do mean this as one of the biggest compliments I can make about a player in this game. If you are uncertain about where they stand or you can't predict their behaviour, then that is a liability. I needed to be the only 'X' factor in the game - even if I didn't always appear to be that. So for these and various others I set about getting Richard out, by getting Angie and Carter to agree to put their vote on him, then shortly before TC floated the idea to Madhesi that we should throw a vote on Richard 'in case of a HII play'. Jeff agreed to this just before TC, so I now had what I needed, even though I didn't let on I fully intended on doing this also. It would be enough, 4-3-1. I played it off in discussion with Jeff as being that there had been a miscommunication, but knew what I was doing.

F7

Going into last weekend then, it meant that the attention was all on Angie. And I certainly played my part with keeping it there for most of the weekend, while minds would be idle. But while everyone focused with the target on Angie, I was taking stock and weighing up what each person's case, should they make it to the end, as well as taking into account the various scenarios that may prove to be spanners in the works. I honestly did not want Angie to go at F7, as I genuinely liked Angie, and she would still be a target if left in the game, but without posing that same potential threat to throw a spanner in the works than what others might. Sadly, it was around this time that Chris and I relationship began to show some cracks also, after having gone behind his back to take out Richard. I had explained to him what I hoped to achieve by this, but felt only reprimanded, but more importantly Chris sought to curb my proactive play.

But like players from Rob C to Tony V have showed, once you start playing an aggressive, dynamic game, you have to play it all the way. If you are going to do it, it cannot be half arsed or and you can't be caught sitting back which becomes the recipe to complacency and the only way to earn respect for playing like this is to carry it out to the end. You have to finish what you start, and that is what I had to do. In the context of this game, and in character with the game I had played, I could not sit back. Not now. It had gone past the point where sitting back was really an option. I had to stay proactive and on the offensive. The job was only half done and needed to be finished.

As much as I loved playing with him, it was clear that Chris was emerging as a big threat in his own right - a true triple threat - and that sitting beside him, especially if I did take his counsel and just allowed the game to flow and be a passenger, which under other circumstances might seem like good advice, it would be bad for the game I have played here. So I set in motion a plan to blindside Chris the first time he didn't have immunity, which i had hoped would be that Sunday night (last week). As much as I loved playing the game with Chris, and have no doubt that we could have gotten to the end together I had great doubts of being able to beat him at the Finals.

I can honestly say that I never actually mentioned Chris by name to Carter or Angie that round. By not doing so, it would at least give me an out, and therefore a way of skewering the truth, a backdoor in the event that he won immunity. Grounds for genuine plausible deniability, as it were. However I had to have Debb convinced, in play and ready to move in the event Chris lost, because once the challenge was over if anyone other than Chris had won, I could then get Angie and Carter to vote Chris and then there would be 4 votes - especially as Angie and Chris had not really mended their fences too much over the past few days of that weekend. And was banking on Carter being much closer to Angie than he was with Chris, so in a choice between the 2 he would want to keep Angie. I had everything in place, including the PMs ready to send since the afternoon, outlining all the reasons why Chris had to go and who I had as the 4th vote. Everything, All I needed was for Chris to not win immunity and I could click send and the trap would be set.

Of course, the best laid plans of mice and men and all that... Chris won immunity, the plan got leaked and regretfully Angie had to go as there wasn't any time to change things up after that. However I had said that afternoon if Carter or Angie had a HII it might not be a bad time to use it... but that is what it is. This was the one time things did not go according to plan, but there was always the Plan B to go back on that had been set up since the Thursday, even if I really did not want to be voting Angie out... yet.



F6

Anyhow, we move on to the F6, and after Chris comments at the previous TC, I suspect he knows I was on board to take him out had he not won, but as I mentioned was able to deny it, because the only person I had directly spoken to about it was Debb. As the round progresses, I get to talking to Carter and Chris, knowing that between them, one of them is was highly likely had to have a HII. I wasn't sure who and neither said that they did, but had always felt as if 1 of Angie/Chris/Carter had one and with Angie out of the picture the safe bet was that one of them did. In truth for a long time I thought it had been Chris, but was not for sure certain, only that it seemed most logical. Again playing both sides here and saying yes to both sides, but knowing that Carter was not happy with both Debb and I, by teaming up with Chris and Carter, at least ensured that the target was not going to be me. I am really sorry Debb, but there was an element of self preservation this round, and as it turned out, everyone else but the 2 of us would be immune, so it really was between you and I and I needed to do what I could to make sure it wasn't me. However, in a perfect world, it had been my intention since the start to be sitting alongside you here today.

F5

After all the Idols were flushed at the previous vote, it meant that the game once again was entirely in my hands at F5 and it would go the way of my choosing. Yet having just voted out Debb, under the circumstances of so many HII plays, I was in a position to align back with Kimmi and Jeff or stay with Carter and Chris here. I have previously said it, in my opinion Chris was by far the biggest single danger to sit beside at the end; and that includes Carter or anyone else. It was a matter of necessity to take Chris out.

F4

Sadly Carter really did not take this final betrayal at all well, declaring that he was most pissed about all the lying. Newsflash! This is Survivor. Lying and deception happens. And with respect, everyone has to owe up to having done some at some point in the game, including to me. However Carter elected to back himself into a corner where only winning immunity would ensure his place at the FTC. Had he talked, who knows? I was naturally concerned about going to the end with Carter, but to not even try to arrange something just in case? Kimmi had. Jeff had. Carter, nope. I know Carter, you were not very happy about my comments that you had checked out at this point, and do hope your friend is OK, but there is more than one way to do something in this game and to put all your eggs in the one basket of winning immunity or bust is a sign of someone that has given up all other hope, and the only person's game Carter hurt by doing that was his own, sadly.

Challenges

Oh, I assume this will be something that someone may want to bring up, my record in the challenges. Again I think it highlights the game I played that I was always vulnerable and never needed immunity. To my mind challenges are only a small fraction of the overall picture in Survivor and probably constitutes the least important element in the game. They are a tool, a device to progress the game and not the be all and end all. Long story short, although it may not seem it, I did actually have a challenge strategy, and it was two pronged - firstly, it was to intentionally not pursue any of the immunities up for grabs and secondly to learn everything I could from them about everyone in the game. I may not have been very active but I was always very attentive.

For what it is worth, winning challenges, and especially individual ones is a very easy way to put a target on someone's back, and this was something I was aiming to avoid as much as possible. Especially those that are speed or skill based. And of those that were not this way related, the best thing you can do is learn about your opponents. I made quite a few notes from the tribe ranking challenge early in the game that would come into play later, but in terms of the Individual variety, there were 2 - the hidden number elimination challenge & the Survey challenge that stood out.

The hidden number guess challenge - which in effect reveals a pecking order of a fashion, although not a strict one - gives some indication of where everyone is that is still left in the tribe. As I was asked very few times what my number was and only outlasted by the person who actually won immunity, highlighting that I was not someone that people felt needed to be kept away from immunity, and therefore that I was pretty securely placedm but just as importantly, who people did want to see knocked out. And the survey challenge, although it can be a bit follow the leaderish, is much more informative to watch and not tick anyone off (which, even after all this time, I do still genuinely feel bad about that one gaff I made, as I genuinely thought I was still responding to the previous question after my internet session had locked up, lol.) than the value of pursing the immunity. And I should point out that I was named as the person who people would trust with their lives in that Survey challenge. In real life this is something I strive for and am honoured if people thought that way of me, but in the context of this game I was someone that people felt they could trust and I used this fully to my advantage.

Summary

You may hate me for the game I played, and there are certainly people that are more well liked in this game than I am right now - indeed, a few of you are on the Jury for that very reason. I am indeed very different from the person you may think of me right now in real, but in the context of this game I used my social game that would set up the connections I needed to make it this far, and had to be every bit as heartless and ruthless as I could in order to achieve what I have and play the game I did.

In the end you have to respect the fact I ripped this game up, and owned it in a way no one else can even come close to claiming. The carnage and the wreckage I left in my wake is proof of the instinct and effect I had, which was unmatched by anyone else in this game. As I even taught my daughter,



So, yes, I manipulated. I twisted the truth. I flipped and flopped repeatedly. And then did it again. I put targets on people and left shields in the game. Tried as best I could to limit the options of other players to make sure I was always in their plans, and by so doing kept as many as I could open for myself. I may have been a bitch, but it was done to aid minimizing the target on myself, while at the same time was able to inflate the target on others.And my positioning post merge and the ability to play both sides was always key.

Most importantly, I have the blood of every single person on the Jury on my hands. I am not embarrassed or shy away from this, rather I embrace it and wear it as a badge of honour; testament to the game I played, the effect I had and the mark I have left on it. There is only one person that can say that they contributed to every single one of you sitting where you are now and why I am sitting here. Because of my social game, people trusted me, they believed me, and if they doubted me were either taken out or were forced to work with me, because I had eliminated other potential options. So even when I had gone against them the round before, proved time and time again was able to re-establish those connections and work with them again, only if I were to betray them again or indeed, even vote them out at the next opportunity. You can't do that unless you have a strong social game, and I put a lot of effort into this.

Neither Jeff or Kimmi can come close to laying claim to this. They pretty much picked an alliance and stuck to it. Neither was prepared to take the chances I did or would be as ruthless or dynamic. Even when they had arranged to make a move, such as with Hayden and Richard at F10, it was ill conceived and failed. Not just because I did not go along with it (although that certainly played a part, as it certainly was not in my best interests), but because it was also reliant on people that just 2 rounds before had been stung, and in Richard's case at least, had not properly healed.

All of which was achieved without ever once having immunity at any point. So potentially I was vulnerable at every point along the way, but the style of game I played and my ability to embrace it and position myself while playing all sides and own this meant that I never needed any such immunity. There is always a way of surviving without immunity, and think I have conclusively proven that here. I am not looking to diminish the efforts of anyone who is good at challenges, but reliance on this is an error when there are much bigger components there also.

Even those sitting beside me are here because I chose to sit beside them. They were at my mercy at Final 5. I could have gone with Chris and Carter, in which case Jeff and Kimmi would be sitting beside you on the Jury now. Either way, the point is, I would be sitting here, not as a goat, but having played the most proactive and independant game out of anyone here had been able to position my way accordingly. Again, this underlines that only 1 person truly dominated this game and effected the shape and path it took unlike anyone else, and why I deserve your vote.

Overall, I'd say my game was a definite step-up from both Kimmi and Jeff's. For winning the odd challenge and bveing likeable and loyal, neither of them can claim to have impacted the game as I have. Or to have been anywhere near as dynamic as I have been. I took a stack of risks in this game, including voting out allies, but there was always a reason behind each move I made and how it would best suit my game, and my game alone, thanks as much to having played a solid social game, as it opened the doors for me to play the strategic game I did.

I am sincerely sorry if I hurt people's feelings through the course of the game - I definitely do not take a perverse pleasure on hurting people - but I do not regret and won't apologize for having made the moves I did because at the end of the day, I was not playing for team Madhesi or team nuMadhesi or any of the various combinations that I had or anything else.

I own what I did, because at the end of it all, for better or worse there can only be 1 winner and so there was only 1 person whose interests I had solely at heart. That was what got me here. I had to be ruthless, I had to be dynamic in my positioning and willing to shift and shake things up. And not just once, but time and time again. And that is exactly what I did.

So, I don't know if this'll actually give you all the information you need or want out of me, or whatever, so be free to ask me any questions you want answered and will be more than happy to answer them. I have been brutal in this game, so I am anticipating some brutal questions and I promise you will get the brutal and honest truth. Just know that I don't regret any of my moves at all and I don't regret the decisions I made context of this game. I am very different outside of this game, but I am not asking that you take that into account, only judging me in the context of the game and how they relate to getting me to this point here and being able to present my case to you.

So, yeah, once more, thanks for the opportunity to play and for making this such a fun experience! It has been a blast owning the shizznit out of this game, I think I definitely outwitted and outplayed, and now it is up to you all to determine if I deserve to earn your vote in having outlasted everyone also. There can only be one, and I definitely think I am worthy of being that one.

[Tina]

Will need to rim this some, and so I can expand on some points outwith of it being an opening statement.

[Tina]

Challenges Situation

They are a tool, a device to progress the game and not the be all and end all. Speed and skill ones partly because am not well suited to them and secondly because I would not discount any strrategy that could help keep a target off my back. If people thought that they could perhaps take me out at any point, especially early in the merge they could think this, until it got to the point where it would be too late to take me out because my grip over the game and the various factions was too complete.

Social ones...
I made quite a few notes from the tribe ranking challenge early in the game that would come into play later, but in terms of the Individual variety, there were 2 - the hidden number elimination challenge & the Survey challenge that stood out.

The hidden number guess challenge - which in effect reveals a pecking order of a fashion, although not a strict one - gives some indication of where everyone is that is still left in the tribe. As I was asked very few times what my number was and only outlasted by the person who actually won immunity, highlighting that I was not someone that people felt needed to be kept away from immunity, and therefore that I was pretty securely placedm but just as importantly, who people did want to see knocked out. And the survey challenge, although it can be a bit follow the leaderish, is much more informative to watch and not tick anyone off (which, even after all this time, I do still genuinely feel bad about that one gaff I made, as I genuinely thought I was still responding to the previous question after my internet session had locked up, lol.) than the value of pursing the immunity. And I should point out that I was named as the person who people would trust with their lives in that Survey challenge. In real life this is something I strive for and am honoured if people thought that way of me, but in the context of this game I was someone that people felt they could trust and I used this fully to my advantage.

[Tina]

I am sincerely sorry if I hurt people's feelings through the course of the game - I definitely do not take a perverse pleasure on hurting people - but I do not regret and won't apologize for having made the moves I did because at the end of the day, I was not playing for team Madhesi or team nuMadhesi or any of the various combinations that I had or anything else.

Either way, the point is, I would be sitting here, not as a goat, but having played the most proactive and independant game out of anyone here had been able to position my way accordingly. Again, this underlines that only 1 person truly dominated this game and effected the shape and path it took unlike anyone else, and why I deserve your vote.

[Tina]

Tina's Ruthless Reign



Hi All! I am very pleased to be here and able to talk to you all once more! In fact, despite anticipating that this may be a bumpy night, I am delighted to be in this very spot and explain to you why I should be the person most deserving of your vote and being declared as the winner!

Before anything else though, I'd like to thank Probst and the hosting team for giving me the opportunity to be part of this and for doing a wonderful job with this game, and everyone in the cast for making this game a lot of fun! Thanks to you all!

Anyways, I suppose that I will need to outline my case to you, because some things I did may not be overly obvious and some things will need some explanation. Before I do, I will just state that I had a ball while playing this game, and I am not ashamed of say it, because hey, it worked! While simultaneously getting me to this point right now, I believe it helped spice the game up, in a way that nobody else really seemed prepared to do. And while I can't say I played a perfect game, especially post merge very little was left to mere luck.

I also must admit that I told a whole heap of fibs in this game. Lots. And them some. I told little white lies and great big whoppers. However, that is in the past. Tonight you get the truth. All of it and as ugly as it might be, and I will encourage you if there is anything you want to know, if I don't cover it, please ask and I promise you will get the truth - good or bad, it will be the truth, because that is what you deserve.



Bottom line is, I own what I did in this game. I own the decisions I made and actions I took, in order to make sure I was positioned where I wanted and needed to be. This meant that I was going to step on some toes along the way, but part of making as many moves as I did meant that I could not be too well liked, if I weas to have any chance of making the end, which I have. I don't like hurting people, and this is not something I take some kind of perverse pleasure in, however this is a game, and what was said and done in game has to be viewed in the context of this being in a game. Whatever else, this was always first and foremost in my mind - that this was a game.

Right now, you may not feel this way, but of the 3 of us sat before you, it is my contention that I had by far the biggest impact and influence on this game. Whether you like the way I did things or not, I do not think that this is in any way possible to dispute, and in so doing, aim to prove to you that I deserve and have earned your votes.

So, now that that's out of the way, I guess I should explain what my thoughts were for pretty much the whole game.

PRE-MERGE

I think all of you know by now that I came in as a replacement for the original person that played as Tina, 4/5days after the game began. And this did play a part in my approach. Having missed out on all the formal bonding that took place over that first weekend, meant that I had a 'playing catch up' mentality, which propelled me to play a lot more pro-actively than what might otherwise have been the case. Thankfully Madhesi won a string of early immunity challenges, which bought me time and allowed me to bed in, and form connections on that tribe. With Debb initially, and then with Jeff and Kimmi, who came across as very much at the centre of all things Madhesi in those early days. Being invited to be part of an alliance with these 2 and Mad Dog was a definite step in the right direction, but was always cautious of investing too much, because I had a much closer relationship with Debb than I had with Mad Dog, and I don't mean that in a negative way, rather privately Debb was more in my long term plans than what Mad Dog was.

Papa Bear was well on his way to digging his own grave by the time our tribe lost it's one and only challenge prior to the tribe swap, but even still the social game I had played prior to that had seen Papa Bear go from putting me up for sacrifice one round to the very next round giving me the clues to the HII - which I promptly shared with pretty much everyone. Personally, I never had any great intention or desire of looking for it myself. I would say I did, but never really bothered. No word of a lie, maybe tried 5 different passwords - if that. Why? Because sharing the clues was a way of fostering and building trust with people, and trust is a much more valuable commodity than any HII ever was or ever will be. Not to mention if people suspect you of having a HII it can put a target on your back and that is something I rather preferred to avoid.

After the tribe switch I arrived back on nuMadhesi, along with Stacey and a clutch of former Kirati members. Again I used my delayed arrival in the game as an explanation for why I was on the outs on the original Madhesi, and opened the door in order to work my way in with the former Kirati people. Which brings us to the first real critical vote of the game for me.

Although I was initially intrigued by Stacey's plan to go after Carter, with respect, her lack of detail as to why she would want this as well as the vagueness of the tie break rules meant I was far from convinced that this could be achieved. So I set out to try and cast shade on Artis and indirectly on to Stacey who could then be targeted in the event of a second immunity loss. Hopefully it would have the Kirati people turn on Artis and in so doing keep Kimmi, Mad Dog and I out of the line of fire. So I took some info that Artis had told me, used a little bit of instinct and embellished it.... A lot. Unfortunately it didn't quite work out, and once it was for sure certain that 4 votes were going on Mad Dog, I intentionally strayed.

• to vote Carter would only potentially cause irretrievable damage to the work I had already put in and fostered with Angie, Carter & Chris
• it would 'show' I was not as tight with the original Madhesi, where I painted a picture of Kimmi and Mad Dog being much more central to the pecking order - something I did repeatedly through the course of the game, which kept the focus off of me.
• Kimmi and I were still on good terms, and needed to make sure it bought us time to get to the merge
• Although in an alliance with Mad Dog, she was not as critical to my plans as had they targeted Kimmi, who I had more of a 1-on-1 connect with
• Setting Stacey up to take the fall as the architect of targeting Carter would put her as the target should we lse another immunity before the merge

Of course Artis and Stacey are both pissed at me and on the surface I was persona non grata, for having tried to push too hard to divide and conquer the Kirati people, and with Stacey, for having messed with her plans. But Chris and I began to talk in earnest and set plans, all the more noone might suspect, especially when he had been the one putting me on sacrifice at this exact same time. I believe that this did help heal the situation with Artis, and I cant understate how much I learned from this experience in overplaying, followed by rebuilding bridges after burning one. So Artis, wherever you are, you did have a part to play in my getting here. Thanks! I point this out now because this is something that I managed to achieve with much more success as the game progressed.

What I didn't expect was that Artis rather remarkably pretty much did precisely what I had been 'suggesting' the previous round. When this came out this shift meant I was no longer in danger here... Except despite trying to keep a low profile following the previous round, I somehow found myself as a defacto liaison between Artis and Stacey which was kind of odd. Anyhow, I leave the organizing of the vote largely to the Kirati people and the vote ended up tied. When it all unfolded and Stacey was still in the game, it was no surprise that I was again going to be in her sights.



Quite simply, I had made a gaff, but I was able to learn from it. And if my instincts and social game had not been up to scratch, I may have been in more trouble Instead of secure in the connections I had in place and was ready for the next phase of the game.

THE MERGE - WHY YOU ARE THERE AND I AM HERE

F12

The merge had arrived, and with it Tina's ruthless reign began. Before I go on, I would like to point out that I contributed to every single one of you being there on the Jury. This is no mere coincidence, and neither of my 2 fellow finalists can say this, as both of whom missed the mark on at least 2 occasions each. This I think demonstrates and underlines that I was always had my finger on the pulse and more often than not was able to have a significant influence on what was going to happen at Tribal Council.

That first weekend, it was a matter of patience, but knowing that Stacey would be looking to rekindle connections with the original Rai people, as she knew she could not rely on nuMadhesi to have her back and more than likely, she would want to target me. Jeff and Debb both tried to court me to join the nuKirati people, but with Stacey already aligning with the remaining Rai people meant that this was never a realistic option.

If I had just wanted to go down the line of self preservation for that one or two rounds I could have joined nuKirati. However, knowing that Stacey was wanting to target me in point of fact actually worked to my advantage. as I pointed out that for Debb and Jeff to join nuMadhesi kept their options open, whereas voting for me would only reduce these for them, and think this did influence their decision to come on board in voting out Stacey. Meanwhile Denise was being courted to join us also by Angie and co, and suddenly, from being possibly voted out, 7-5. to being very safely in, 8-4.

In other words, I was able to maintain the most options, and cutting some for Jeff and Debb, as they would be turning their backs on the Rai with whom they had been on the same side as, and which meant that any future plan they had more than likely would have to involve and include me.

This is a theme I am going to touch on a lot. Get used to it, lol.

F11

The next round I genuinely did have a migraine, but given the circumstances was more than happy to just go along as Ramona was voted out. There was no need for anything to be done here except let it play out, but as it was someone that had voted for me the previous round, and didn't have an extensive relationship with Ramona beyond a few PM's when she had been an ambassador and a couple more at the merge, I was more than happy to see her sent to the Jury.

F10

The next round though, things really started getting interesting. The original Madhesi proposed a plan to have an alliance with what was left of the remaining original Rai; Richard and Hayden. Of course I said I was on board, however, instantly this was something I was genuinely concerned about and did not feel was in my personal interest to have happen, for 4 reasons:

• Both of these guys had voted for me less than 48hrs before, so what personal loyalty did they have to me?
• Second, I struggled to be able to get a good read on Richard (and credit to him for this)
• Hayden quickly proved to me how dangerous he could potentially be if he were given the opportunity to work his way into the game, because he is very charming and extremely charismatic.
• Most importantly, what personal connections that I had spent so long developing would I be jeopardizing, if not outright throwing away?

So I stuck with the original Kirati people, and agreed with Carter to throw mine at Hayden instead of Richard. I should note Richard meanwhile proved my concerns to be well founded by taking the situation and leveraging it to make a better one for himself. I respected that, but was just further evidence that my instinct on being not the right move was spot on.

Theoretically, I could have sided with Hayden & Madhesi, and with Chris stray voting Richard, still ended up on the right side of the numbers, but I felt there was a risk here none the less as it would mean putting my faith and my game in the hands of people that had voted for me just days before and secondly, considering Jeff and Debb had voted against them at the merge, how long would it be before Richard and Hayden may look for a little payback? In Richard's case, it was probably only a couple of hours at most.

If anyone feels I am dwelling on this particular point in the game, I beg your indulgence because this vote and the next would prove pretty critical for so many different reasons in what would follow.

F9

Voting Hayden out left 2 big issues, because now I had misled Debb, Kimmi and Jeff, and would have to make this right with then. But also where this left me with the original Kirati people and now Richard presented as an alternative option for them to work with instead of me. Seizing on the opportunity afforded by Denise and Angie discussing voting comments, which raised some eyebrows also and noting that the group chat we had been part of at that point was soon to drop off (or as I more strongly suspect just didn't include me anymore) set off even more alarm bells. Taking all this into account it was now time to get Chris to flip, as we had previously discussed the prospect and necessity of this happening at some point. So I had to get Chris to flip, but to make it seem as though he was the one driving it and not me pulling the strings.

So knowing it had to be done now, I set in motion one of my more subtle schemes. First obtaining Chris' OK (but not the full extent of why I was doing it), I fed a line to Denise and Angie about how I had told Chris about how things were shaping up for that previous vote (but supposedly had got cut off before being able to mention it to anyone else) and by manipulating the situation suddenly this put the spotlight on Chris from the remaining original Kirati people. He even admitted to me it made him feel a little uncomfortable by their questioning. This effectively made Chris realize the time to flip had come, but in doing it this way, he would come to that realization himself rather than feeling like I had pulled too many of the strings. This was important, because if Chris was to flip he would want to be recognized for the move, so I had to make the conditions right for him to come to this conclusion himself, but make no mistake, I had intentionally set off the trigger that meant that the time was right.

So Chris flips, but the thing is, it is not just Chris that flips, we move together, because I had not been with the Madhesi group at the previous vote, so it appeared me more returning to the fold & able to re-establish the trust within that Madhesi group. And it made perfect logical sense that Denise be the one to go next. After all, I had a prior relationship with Carter and Angie, whereas Denise had only gotten to speak with since the merge. Yet in just this short space, I had already been impressed by how switched on she was and the dangers she posed if allowed to carry on. So the choice between Denise and Angie was no choice at all. Not to mention all the while that it was being propositioned to me that Kimmi go. Kimmi was someone that I had a long term connection with and was proving an effective shield, so why would I want to lose her at F9? No chance.

F8

So Denise goes, and Angie and Chris are steaming at each other, but it did not serve my game to lose either at this point, and having already had a pretty important hand in back to back rounds, would do so again here. In the build up to the previous round, the group chat I had been a part of with Denise, Carter, Chris, Angie & I had broken down, a point I had raised with Carter so I could reference back to it once Denise was gone, as an explanation why I had flipped on them, under the impression that with Denise on the scene I was going to get squeezed out, and with her out of the picture, I would be open to working with Carter & Angie again. So Denise going, again meant keeping the most options for myself going while minimizing them for others. And instead of me getting squeezed out at F5 or F6 would be able to progress so much further.

Again, this is just one example of how I was not just thinking about the immediate vote coming out, but how I would be able to work my way in with those I had previously gone against. Leaving these little breadcrumbs that I could reference back to in conversations that would lend credibility to what I was saying when re-establishing trust, and this is so very important when trying to play the middle. There are other examples of this, if anyone wants to know more. Anyhow on this occasion I used this as the pretext to keep both Angie and Carter on my side, with the pretext that with the weekend looming there might be time for a reconciliation between Angie and Chris - and possibly open the doorway to get to the end as that 4some - if we could get through that one round.

And it was with this in mind that Richard had to go next. Chris and the orig Madhesi wanted Angie gone. Chris (& I think Kimmi, who from memory was flying home that evening) had prevoted Angie. I did not want Angie gone, because not only was Angie an option for me, and her going at F8 would be as much a waste as potentially losing Kimmi would have been at F9. No chance.

By contrast, Richard was a wild card, and I mean this as a compliment. I was very concerned about leaving an 'X' factor like this in the game, to be allowed to float and be an option for people to work with down the line. I had a reasonable handle on where every other player in the game stood except for Richard. If you are uncertain about where they stand or you can't predict their behaviour, then that is a liability. I needed to be the only 'X' factor in the game - even if I didn't always appear to be that. So for these reasons I set about getting Richard out, by getting Angie and Carter to agree to put their vote on him, then shortly before TC floated the idea to Madhesi that we should throw a vote on Richard 'in case of a HII play'. Jeff agreed to this just before TC, so I now had what I needed, even though I didn't let on I fully intended on doing this also. It would be enough.I played it off in discussion with Jeff as being that there had been a miscommunication, but knew what I was doing.

F7

Going into last weekend then, it meant that the attention was all on Angie. And I certainly played my part with keeping it there for most of the weekend, so everyone coulf go off and enjoy the break from the game. But while everyone focused with the target on Angie, I was taking stock and weighing up what each person's case, should they make it to the end, as well as taking into account the various scenarios that may prove to be spanners in the works. I honestly did not want Angie to go at F7, as I genuinely liked Angie, and she would still be a target if left in the game, but without posing that same potential threat to throw a spanner in the works than what others might. Sadly, it was around this time that Chris and I relationship began to show some cracks also, after having gone behind his back to take out Richard. I had explained to him what I hoped to achieve by this, but felt only reprimanded, but more importantly Chris sought to curb my proactive play.

But like players from Rob C to Tony V have showed, once you start playing an aggressive, dynamic game, you have to play it all the way. If you are going to do it, it cannot be half arsed or and you can't be caught sitting back which becomes the recipe to complacency. I had to finish what I had started. In the context of this game, and in character with the game I had played, I could not sit back. Not now. It had gone past the point where that was really an option. I had to stay proactive and on the offensive. The job was only half done and needed to be finished.

As much as I loved playing with him, it was clear that Chris was emerging as a big threat in his own right - a true triple threat - and that sitting beside him, especially if I did take his counsel and just allowed the game to flow and be a passenger, which under other circumstances might seem like good advice, it would be bad for the game I had played so far. So I set in motion a plan to blindside Chris the first time he didn't have immunity, which i had hoped would be that Sunday night (last week).

I can honestly say that I never actually mentioned Chris by name to Carter or Angie that round. By not doing so, it left a backdoor in the event that he won immunity. Grounds for genuine plausible deniability, as it were. However I had to have Debb convinced, in play and ready to move in the event Chris lost, because once the challenge was over if anyone other than Chris had won, I could then get Angie and Carter to vote Chris and then there would be 4 votes - especially as Angie and Chris had not really mended their fences too much over the past few days of that weekend. And was banking on Carter being much closer to Angie than he was with Chris, so in a choice between the 2 he would want to keep Angie. I had everything in place, including the PMs ready to send since the afternoon, outlining all the reasons why Chris had to go and who I had as the 4th vote. Everything, All I needed was for Chris to not win immunity and I could click send and the trap would be set.

Of course, the best laid plans of mice and men and all that... Chris won immunity, the plan got leaked and regretfully Angie had to go as there wasn't any time to change things up after that. However I had said that afternoon if Carter or Angie had a HII it might not be a bad time to use it... but that is what it is. This was the one of the few times things did not go according to plan, but there was always the Plan B to go back on that had been set up since the Thursday. It wasn't going to backfire on me at least, even if I really did not want to be voting Angie out... yet.



F6

Anyhow, we move on to the F6, and after Chris comments at the previous TC, I suspect he knows I was on board to take him out had he not won, but as I mentioned was able to deny it, because the only person I had directly spoken to about it was Debb. As the round progresses, I get to talking to Carter and Chris, knowing that between them, one of them is was highly likely had to have a HII. I wasn't sure who and neither said that they did, but had always felt as if 1 of Angie/Chris/Carter had one and with Angie out of the picture the safe bet was that one of them did. In truth for a long time I thought it had been Chris, but was not for sure certain, only that it seemed most logical. Again playing both sides here and saying yes to both sides, but knowing that Carter was not happy with both Debb and I, by teaming up with Chris and Carter, at least ensured that the target was not going to be me. I am really sorry Debb, but there was an element of self preservation this round, and as it turned out, everyone else but the 2 of us would be immune, so it really was between you and I and I needed to do what I could to make sure it wasn't me.

However, in a perfect world, it had been my intention since the start to be sitting alongside you here today.

F5

After all the Idols were flushed at the previous vote, it meant that the game once again was entirely in my hands at F5 and it would go the way of my choosing, with a pair on either side. Having just voted out Debb, under the circumstances of so many HII plays, I was in a position to now align back with Kimmi and Jeff or stay with Carter and Chris here. I have previously said it, in my opinion Chris was by far the biggest single danger to sit beside at the end; and that includes Carter or anyone else. It was a matter of necessity to take Chris out. This is what happened, and as it happened. the F3 you have in front of you today was because of my choice, as I could have been sitting here with Chris and Carter. Either way I would be sitting here and not as a goat, but as someone that had called so many of the shots in the game. And this was just the latest of many.

F4

Sadly Carter really did not take this final betrayal at all well, declaring that he was most pissed about all the lying. Newsflash! This is Survivor. Lying and deception happens. And with respect, everyone is guilty of it. However Carter elected to back himself into a corner where only winning immunity would ensure his place at the FTC. Had he talked, who knows? I was naturally concerned about going to the end with Carter, but to not even try to arrange something just in case? Kimmi had. Jeff had. Carter, nope. I know Carter, you were not very happy about my comments that you had checked out at this point, and do hope your friend is OK, but there is more than one way to do something in this game and to put all your eggs in the one basket of winning immunity or bust is a sign of someone that has given up all other hope, and the only person's game Carter hurt by doing that was his own, sadly.

Challenges

Oh, I assume this will be something that someone may want to bring up, my record in the challenges. Again I think it highlights the game I played that I was always vulnerable and never needed immunity. Long story short, although it may not seem it, I did actually have a challenge strategy, and it was three pronged:

• First,, it was to intentionally not pursue any of the immunities up for grabs
• Second, to learn everything I could from them about everyone in the game. I may not have been very active but I was always very attentive.
• Third, not being seen as a challenge threat people could get comfortable in their mindset that if need be they could take me out anytime, only I would be too much in control to let that happen by the time they would want to get around to it.

For what it is worth, winning challenges, and especially individual ones is a very easy way to put a target on someone's back, and this was something I was aiming to avoid as much as possible. Especially those that are speed or skill based. And of those that were not this way related, the best thing you can do is learn about your opponents.

Summary

You may not like the game I played, and there are certainly people that are more well liked in this game than I dare say I am - indeed, a few of you are on the Jury for that very reason. Personally, I am very different from the person you may think of me right now in real, but in the context of this game I used my social game that would set up the connections I needed to make it this far, and had to be every bit as heartless and ruthless as I could in order to achieve what I have and play the game I did.

In the end you have to respect the fact I ripped this game up, and owned it in a way no one else can even come close to claiming. The carnage and the wreckage I left in my wake is proof of the instinct and effect I had, which was unmatched by anyone else in this game. As I even taught my daughter,



So, yes, I manipulated. I twisted the truth. I flipped and flopped repeatedly. And then did it again. I put targets on people and left shields in the game. Tried as best I could to limit the options of other players to make sure I was always in their plans, and by so doing kept as many as I could open for myself. I may have been a bitch, but it was done to aid minimizing the target on myself, while at the same time was able to inflate the target on others.And my positioning post merge and the ability to play both sides was always key.

Most importantly, I have the blood of every single person on the Jury on my hands. I am not embarrassed or shy away from this, rather I embrace it and wear it as a badge of honour; testament to the game I played, the effect I had and the mark I have left on it. There is only one person that can say that they contributed to every single one of you sitting where you are now and why I am sitting here.

Because of my social game, people trusted me, they believed me, and if they doubted me were either taken out or were forced to work with me, because I had eliminated other potential options. So even when I had gone against them the round before, proved time and time again was able to re-establish those connections, rebuild bridges and work with them again, only if I were to betray them again or indeed, even vote them out at the next opportunity. You can't do that unless you have a strong social game, and I put a lot of effort into this.

Neither Jeff or Kimmi can come close to laying claim to this. They pretty much picked an alliance and stuck to it. Neither was prepared to take the chances I did or would be as ruthless or dynamic. Even when they had arranged to make a move, such as with Hayden and Richard at F10, it was ill conceived and failed. Not just because I did not go along with it (although that certainly played a part, as it certainly was not in my best interests), but because it was also reliant on people that just 2 rounds before had been stung, and in Richard's case at least, had not properly healed.

All of which was achieved without ever once having immunity at any point. So while I potentially was vulnerable at every point along the way, the style of game I played and my ability to embrace it and position myself accordingly while playing all sides meant that I never needed any such immunity. There is always a way of surviving without immunity, and think I have conclusively proven that here. I am not looking to diminish the efforts of anyone who is good at challenges, but reliance on this is an error when there are much bigger components there also.

Overall, I'd say my game was a definite step-up from both Kimmi and Jeff's. For winning the odd challenge and bveing likeable and loyal, neither of them can claim to have impacted the game as I have. Or to have been anywhere near as dynamic as I have been. I took a stack of risks in this game, including voting out allies, but there was always a reason behind each move I made and how it would best suit my game, and my game alone, thanks as much to having played a solid social game, as it opened the doors for me to play the strategic game I did.

So, I don't know if this'll actually give you all the information you need or want out of me, or whatever, so be free to ask me any questions you want answered and will be more than happy to answer them. I have been brutal in this game, so I am anticipating some brutal questions and I promise you will get the brutal and honest truth. And while I am sorry if I hurt anyone's feelings, Just know that I don't regret any of my moves at all and I don't regret the decisions I made in the context of this game. I am very different outside of this game, but I am not asking that you take that into account, only judging me based on the game and how it related to getting me to this point here and being able to present the case I have.

So, yeah, once more, thanks for the opportunity to play and for making this such a fun experience! It has been a blast owning the shizznit out of this game, I think I definitely outwitted and outplayed, and now it is up to you all to determine if I deserve to earn your vote in having outlasted everyone also. There can only be one, and I definitely think I am worthy of being that one.

[Tina]

Chris Blindside plan.

I can honestly say that I never actually mentioned Chris by name to Carter or Angie that round. By not doing so, it left a backdoor in the event that he won immunity. Grounds for genuine plausible deniability, as it were. However I had to have Debb convinced, in play and ready to move in the event Chris lost, because once the challenge was over if anyone other than Chris had won, I could then get Angie and Carter to vote Chris and then there would be 4 votes - especially as Angie and Chris had not really mended their fences too much over the past few days of that weekend. And was banking on Carter being much closer to Angie than he was with Chris, so in a choice between the 2 he would want to keep Angie. I had everything in place, including the PMs ready to send since the afternoon, outlining all the reasons why Chris had to go and who I had as the 4th vote. Everything, All I needed was for Chris to not win immunity and I could click send and the trap would be set.

[Tina]

Tina's Ruthless Reign



Hi All! I am very pleased to be here and able to talk to you all once more! In fact, despite anticipating that this may be a bumpy night, I am delighted to be in this very spot and explain to you why I should be the person most deserving of your vote and being declared as the winner!

Before anything else though, I'd like to thank Probst and the hosting team for giving me the opportunity to be part of this and for doing a wonderful job with this game, and everyone in the cast for making this game a lot of fun! Thanks to you all!

Anyways, I suppose that I will need to outline my case to you, because some things I did may not be overly obvious and some things will need some explanation. Before I do, I will just state that I had a ball while playing this game, and I am not ashamed of say it, because hey, it worked! While simultaneously getting me to this point right now, I believe it helped spice the game up, in a way that nobody else really seemed prepared to do. And while I can't say I played a perfect game, especially post merge very little was left to mere luck.

I also must admit that I told a whole heap of fibs in this game. Lots. And them some. I told little white lies and great big whoppers. However, that is in the past. Tonight you get the truth. All of it and as ugly as it might be, and I will encourage you if there is anything you want to know, if I don't cover it, please ask and I promise you will get the truth - good or bad, it will be the truth, because that is what you deserve.



Bottom line is, I own what I did in this game. I own the decisions I made and actions I took, in order to make sure I was positioned where I wanted and needed to be. This meant that I was going to step on some toes along the way, but part of making as many moves as I did meant that I could not be too well liked, if I weas to have any chance of making the end, which I have. I don't like hurting people, and this is not something I take some kind of perverse pleasure in, however this is a game, and what was said and done in game has to be viewed in the context of this being in a game. Whatever else, this was always first and foremost in my mind - that this was a game.

Right now, you may not feel this way, but of the 3 of us sat before you, it is my contention that I had by far the biggest impact and influence on this game. Whether you like the way I did things or not, I do not think that this is in any way possible to dispute, and in so doing, aim to prove to you that I deserve and have earned your votes.

So, now that that's out of the way, I guess I should explain what my thoughts were for pretty much the whole game.

PRE-MERGE

I think all of you know by now that I came in as a replacement for the original person that played as Tina, 4/5days after the game began. And this did play a part in my approach. Having missed out on all the formal bonding that took place over that first weekend, meant that I had a 'playing catch up' mentality, which propelled me to play a lot more pro-actively than what might otherwise have been the case. Thankfully Madhesi won a string of early immunity challenges, which bought me time and allowed me to bed in, and form connections on that tribe. With Debb initially, and then with Jeff and Kimmi, who came across as very much at the centre of all things Madhesi in those early days. Being invited to be part of an alliance with these 2 and Mad Dog was a definite step in the right direction, but was always cautious of investing too much, because I had a much closer relationship with Debb than I had with Mad Dog, and I don't mean that in a negative way, rather privately Debb was more in my long term plans than what Mad Dog was.

Papa Bear was well on his way to digging his own grave by the time our tribe lost it's one and only challenge prior to the tribe swap, but even still the social game I had played prior to that had seen Papa Bear go from putting me up for sacrifice one round to the very next round giving me the clues to the HII - which I promptly shared with pretty much everyone. Personally, I never had any great intention or desire of looking for it myself. I would say I did, but never really bothered. No word of a lie, maybe tried 5 different passwords - if that. Why? Because sharing the clues was a way of fostering and building trust with people, and trust is a much more valuable commodity than any HII ever was or ever will be. Not to mention if people suspect you of having a HII it can put a target on your back and that is something I rather preferred to avoid.

After the tribe switch I arrived back on nuMadhesi, along with Stacey and a clutch of former Kirati members. Again I used my delayed arrival in the game as an explanation for why I was on the outs on the original Madhesi, and opened the door in order to work my way in with the former Kirati people. Which brings us to the first real critical vote of the game for me.

Although I was initially intrigued by Stacey's plan to go after Carter, with respect, her lack of detail as to why she would want this as well as the vagueness of the tie break rules meant I was far from convinced that this could be achieved. So I set out to try and cast shade on Artis and indirectly on to Stacey who could then be targeted in the event of a second immunity loss. Hopefully it would have the Kirati people turn on Artis and in so doing keep Kimmi, Mad Dog and I out of the line of fire. So I took some info that Artis had told me, used a little bit of instinct and embellished it.... A lot. Unfortunately it didn't quite work out, and once it was for sure certain that 4 votes were going on Mad Dog, I intentionally strayed.

• to vote Carter would only potentially cause irretrievable damage to the work I had already put in and fostered with Angie, Carter & Chris
• it would 'show' I was not as tight with the original Madhesi, where I painted a picture of Kimmi and Mad Dog being much more central to the pecking order - something I did repeatedly through the course of the game, which kept the focus off of me.
• Kimmi and I were still on good terms, and needed to make sure it bought us time to get to the merge
• Although in an alliance with Mad Dog, she was not as critical to my plans as had they targeted Kimmi, who I had more of a 1-on-1 connect with
• Setting Stacey up to take the fall as the architect of targeting Carter would put her as the target should we lse another immunity before the merge

Of course Artis and Stacey are both pissed at me and on the surface I was persona non grata, for having tried to push too hard to divide and conquer the Kirati people, and with Stacey, for having messed with her plans. But Chris and I began to talk in earnest and set plans, all the more noone might suspect, especially when he had been the one putting me on sacrifice at this exact same time. I believe that this did help heal the situation with Artis, and I cant understate how much I learned from this experience in overplaying, followed by rebuilding bridges after burning one. So Artis, wherever you are, you did have a part to play in my getting here. Thanks! I point this out now because this is something that I managed to achieve with much more success as the game progressed.

What I didn't expect was that Artis rather remarkably pretty much did precisely what I had been 'suggesting' the previous round. When this came out this shift meant I was no longer in danger here... Except despite trying to keep a low profile following the previous round, I somehow found myself as a defacto liaison between Artis and Stacey which was kind of odd. Anyhow, I leave the organizing of the vote largely to the Kirati people and the vote ended up tied. When it all unfolded and Stacey was still in the game, it was no surprise that I was again going to be in her sights.



Quite simply, I had made a gaff, but I was able to learn from it. And if my instincts and social game had not been up to scratch, I may have been in more trouble Instead of secure in the connections I had in place and was ready for the next phase of the game.

THE MERGE - WHY YOU ARE THERE AND I AM HERE

F12

The merge had arrived, and with it Tina's ruthless reign began. Before I go on, I would like to point out that I contributed to every single one of you being there on the Jury. This is no mere coincidence, and neither of my 2 fellow finalists can say this, as both of whom missed the mark on at least 2 occasions each. This I think demonstrates and underlines that I was always had my finger on the pulse and more often than not was able to have a significant influence on what was going to happen at Tribal Council.

That first weekend, it was a matter of patience, but knowing that Stacey would be looking to rekindle connections with the original Rai people, as she knew she could not rely on nuMadhesi to have her back and more than likely, she would want to target me. Jeff and Debb both tried to court me to join the nuKirati people, but with Stacey already aligning with the remaining Rai people meant that this was never a realistic option.

If I had just wanted to go down the line of self preservation for that one or two rounds I could have joined nuKirati. However, knowing that Stacey was wanting to target me in point of fact actually worked to my advantage. as I pointed out that for Debb and Jeff to join nuMadhesi kept their options open, whereas voting for me would only reduce these for them, and think this did influence their decision to come on board in voting out Stacey. Meanwhile Denise was being courted to join us also by Angie and co, and suddenly, from being possibly voted out, 7-5. to being very safely in, 8-4.

In other words, I was able to maintain the most options, and cutting some for Jeff and Debb, as they would be turning their backs on the Rai with whom they had been on the same side as, and which meant that any future plan they had more than likely would have to involve and include me.

This is a theme I am going to touch on a lot. Get used to it, lol.

F11

The next round I genuinely did have a migraine, but given the circumstances was more than happy to just go along as Ramona was voted out. There was no need for anything to be done here except let it play out, but as it was someone that had voted for me the previous round, and didn't have an extensive relationship with Ramona beyond a few PM's when she had been an ambassador and a couple more at the merge, I was more than happy to let this one be straightforward play out, and send Ramona over to the Jury.

F10

The next round though, things really started getting interesting. The original Madhesi proposed a plan to have an alliance with what was left of the remaining original Rai; Richard and Hayden. Of course I said I was on board, however, instantly this was something I was genuinely concerned about and did not feel was in my personal interest to have happen, for 4 reasons:

• Both of these guys had voted for me less than 48hrs before, so what personal loyalty did they have to me?
• I struggled to be able to get a good read on Richard (and credit to him for this)
• Hayden quickly proved to me how dangerous he could potentially be if he were given the opportunity to work his way into the game, because he is very charming and extremely charismatic.
• Most importantly, what personal connections that I had spent so long developing would I be jeopardizing, if not outright throwing away?

So I stuck with the original Kirati people, and agreed with Carter to throw mine at Hayden instead of Richard. I should note Richard meanwhile proved my concerns to be well founded by taking the situation and leveraging it to make a better one for himself. I respected that, but was just further evidence that my instinct on being not the right move was spot on.

Theoretically, I could have sided with Hayden & Madhesi, and with Chris stray voting Richard, still ended up on the right side of the numbers, but I felt there was a risk here none the less as it would mean putting my faith and my game in the hands of people that had voted for me just days before and secondly, considering Jeff and Debb had voted against them at the merge, how long would it be before Richard and Hayden may look for a little payback? In Richard's case, it was probably only a couple of hours at most.

If anyone feels I am dwelling on this particular point in the game, I beg your indulgence because this vote and the next would prove pretty critical for so many different reasons in what would follow.

F9

Voting Hayden out left 2 big issues, because now I had misled Debb, Kimmi and Jeff, and would have to make this right with then. But also where this left me with the original Kirati people and now Richard presented as an alternative option for them to work with instead of me. Seizing on the opportunity afforded by Denise and Angie discussing voting comments, which raised some eyebrows also and noting that the group chat we had been part of at that point was soon to drop off (or as I more strongly suspect just didn't include me anymore) set off even more alarm bells. Taking all this into account it was now time to get Chris to flip, as we had previously discussed the prospect and necessity of this happening at some point. So I had to get Chris to flip, but to make it seem as though he was the one driving it and not me pulling the strings.

So knowing it had to be done now, I set in motion one of my more subtle schemes. First obtaining Chris' OK (but not the full extent of why I was doing it), I fed a line to Denise and Angie about how I had told Chris about how things were shaping up for that previous vote (but supposedly had got cut off before being able to mention it to anyone else) and by manipulating the situation suddenly this put the spotlight on Chris from the remaining original Kirati people. He even admitted to me it made him feel a little uncomfortable by their questioning. This effectively made Chris realize the time to flip had come, but in doing it this way, he would come to that realization himself rather than feeling like I had pulled too many of the strings. This was important, because if Chris was to flip he would want to be recognized for the move, so I had to make the conditions right for him to come to this conclusion himself, but make no mistake, I had intentionally set off the trigger that meant that the time was right.

So Chris flips, but the thing is, it is not just Chris that flips, we move together, because I had not been with the Madhesi group at the previous vote, so it appeared me more returning to the Madhesi fold & able to re-establish the trust within that Madhesi group. And it made perfect logical sense that Denise be the one to go next. After all, I had a prior relationship with Carter and Angie, whereas Denise had only gotten to speak with since the merge. Yet in just this short space, I had already been impressed by how switched on she was and the danger she potentially could pose if allowed to carry on. So the choice between Denise and Angie was no choice at all. Not to mention all the while that it was being propositioned to me that Kimmi go. Kimmi was someone that I had a long term connection with and would drawing heat away from me, so why would I want to lose her at F9? No chance.

F8

So Denise goes, and Angie and Chris are steaming at each other, but it did not serve my game to lose either at this point, and having already had a pretty important hand in back to back rounds, would do so again here. In the build up to the previous round, the group chat I had been a part of with Denise, Carter, Chris, Angie & I had broken down, a point I had raised with Carter so I could reference back to it once Denise was gone, as an explanation why I had flipped on them, under the impression that with Denise on the scene I was going to get squeezed out, and with her out of the picture, I would be open to working with Carter & Angie again. So Denise going, again meant keeping the most options for myself going while minimizing them for others. And instead of me getting squeezed out at F5 or F6 would be able to progress so much further - if I chose to go that way.

Again, this is just one example of how I was not just thinking about the immediate vote coming out, but how I would be able to work my way in with those I had previously gone against. Leaving these little breadcrumbs that I could reference back to in conversations that would lend credibility to what I was saying when re-establishing trust, and this is so very important when trying to play the middle. There are other examples of this, if anyone wants to know more. Anyhow on this occasion I used this as the pretext to keep both Angie and Carter on my side, with the pretext that with the weekend looming there might be time for a reconciliation between Angie and Chris - and possibly open the doorway to get to the end as that 4some - if we could get through that one round.

And it was with this in mind that Richard had to go next. Chris and the orig Madhesi wanted Angie gone. Chris (& I think Kimmi, who from memory was flying home that evening) had prevoted Angie. I did not want Angie gone, because not only was Angie an option for me, and her going at F8 would be as much a waste as potentially losing Kimmi would have been at F9. No chance.

By contrast, Richard was a wild card, and I mean this as a compliment. I was very concerned about leaving an 'X' factor like this in the game, to be allowed to float and be an option for people to work with down the line. I had a reasonable handle on where every other player in the game stood except for Richard. If you are uncertain about where they stand or you can't predict their behaviour, then that is a liability. I needed to be the only 'X' factor in the game - even if I didn't always appear to be that. So for these reasons I set about getting Richard out, by getting Angie and Carter to agree to put their vote on him, then shortly before TC floated the idea to Madhesi that we should throw a vote on Richard 'in case of a HII play'. Jeff agreed to this just before TC, so I now had what I needed, even though I didn't let on I fully intended on doing this also. It would be enough.I played it off in discussion as being that there had been a miscommunication, but knew what I was doing.

F7

Going into last weekend then, it meant that the attention was all on Angie. And I certainly played my part with keeping it there for most of the weekend, so everyone coulf go off and enjoy the break from the game. But while everyone focused with the target on Angie, I was taking stock and weighing up what each person's case, should they make it to the end, as well as taking into account the various scenarios that may prove to be spanners in the works. I honestly did not want Angie to go at F7, as I genuinely liked Angie, and she would still be a target if left in the game, but without posing that same potential threat to throw a spanner in the works than what others might. Sadly, it was around this time that Chris and I relationship began to show some cracks also, after having gone behind his back to take out Richard. I had explained to him what I hoped to achieve by this, but felt only reprimanded, but more importantly Chris sought to curb my proactive play.

But like players from Rob C to Tony V have showed, once you start playing an aggressive, dynamic game, you have to play it all the way. If you are going to do it, it cannot be half arsed or and you can't be caught sitting back which becomes the recipe to complacency. I had to finish what I had started. In the context of this game, and in character with the game I had played, I could not sit back. Not now. It had gone past the point where that was really an option. I had to stay proactive and on the offensive. The job was only half done and needed to be finished.

As much as I loved playing with him, it was clear that Chris was emerging as a big threat in his own right - a true triple threat - and that sitting beside him, especially if I did take his counsel and just allowed the game to flow and be a passenger, which under other circumstances might seem like good advice, it would be bad for the game I had played so far. So I set in motion a plan to blindside Chris the first time he didn't have immunity, which i had hoped would be that Sunday night (last week).

Of course, the best laid plans of mice and men and all that... Chris won immunity, the plan got leaked and regretfully Angie had to go as there wasn't any time to change things up after that. However I had said that afternoon if Carter or Angie had a HII it might not be a bad time to use it... but that is what it is. This was the one of the few times things did not go according to plan, but there was always the Plan B to go back on that had been set up since the Thursday. It wasn't going to backfire on me at least, even if I really did not want to be voting Angie out... yet.



F6

Anyhow, we move on to the F6, and after Chris comments at the previous TC, I suspect he knows I was on board to take him out had he not won, but as I mentioned was able to deny it, because the only person I had directly spoken to about it was Debb. As the round progresses, I get to talking to Carter and Chris, knowing that between them, one of them is was highly likely had to have a HII. I wasn't sure who and neither said that they did, but had always felt as if 1 of Angie/Chris/Carter had one and with Angie out of the picture the safe bet was that one of them did. In truth for a long time I thought it had been Chris, but was not for sure certain, only that it seemed most logical. Again playing both sides here and saying yes to both sides, but knowing that Carter was not happy with both Debb and I, by teaming up with Chris and Carter, at least ensured that the target was not going to be me. I am really sorry Debb, but there was an element of self preservation this round, and as it turned out, everyone else but the 2 of us would be immune, so it really was between you and I and I needed to do what I could to make sure it wasn't me.

However, in a perfect world, it had been my intention since the start to be sitting alongside you here today.

F5

After all the Idols were flushed at the previous vote, it meant that the game once again was entirely in my hands at F5 and it would go the way of my choosing, with a pair on either side. Having just voted out Debb, under the circumstances of so many HII plays, I was in a position to now align back with Kimmi and Jeff or stay with Carter and Chris here. I have previously said it, in my opinion Chris was by far the biggest single danger to sit beside at the end; and that includes Carter or anyone else. It was a matter of necessity to take Chris out. This is what happened, and as it happened. the F3 you have in front of you today was because of my choice, as I could have been sitting here with Chris and Carter. Either way I would be sitting here and not as a goat, but as someone that had called so many of the shots in the game. And this was just the latest of many.

F4

Sadly Carter really did not take this final betrayal at all well, declaring that he was most pissed about all the lying. Newsflash! This is Survivor. Lying and deception happens. And with respect, everyone is guilty of it. However Carter elected to back himself into a corner where only winning immunity would ensure his place at the FTC. Had he talked, who knows? I was naturally concerned about going to the end with Carter, but to not even try to arrange something just in case? Kimmi had. Jeff had. Carter, nope. I know Carter, you were not very happy about my comments that you had checked out at this point, and do hope your friend is OK, but there is more than one way to do something in this game and to put all your eggs in the one basket of winning immunity or bust is a sign of someone that has given up all other hope, and the only person's game Carter hurt by doing that was his own, sadly.

Challenges

Oh, I assume this will be something that someone may want to bring up, my record in the challenges. Again I think it highlights the game I played that I was always vulnerable and never needed immunity. Long story short, although it may not seem it, I did actually have a challenge strategy, and it was three pronged:

• First,, it was to intentionally not pursue any of the immunities up for grabs
• Second, to learn everything I could from them about everyone in the game. I may not have been very active but I was always very attentive.
• Third, not being seen as a challenge threat people could get comfortable in their mindset that if need be they could take me out anytime, only I would be too much in control to let that happen by the time they would want to get around to it.

For what it is worth, winning challenges, and especially individual ones is a very easy way to put a target on someone's back, and this was something I was aiming to avoid as much as possible. Especially those that are speed or skill based. And of those that were not this way related, the best thing you can do is learn about your opponents.

Summary

You may not like the game I played, and there are certainly people that are more well liked in this game than I dare say I am - indeed, a few of you are on the Jury for that very reason. Personally, I am very different from the person you may think of me right now in real, but in the context of this game I used my social game that would set up the connections I needed to make it this far, and had to be every bit as heartless and ruthless as I could in order to achieve what I have and play the game I did.

In the end you have to respect the fact I ripped this game up, and owned it in a way no one else can even come close to claiming. The carnage and the wreckage I left in my wake is proof of the instinct and effect I had, which was unmatched by anyone else in this game. As I even taught my daughter,



So, yes, I manipulated. I twisted the truth. I flipped and flopped repeatedly. And then did it again. I put targets on people and left shields in the game. Tried as best I could to limit the options of other players to make sure I was always in their plans, and by so doing kept as many as I could open for myself. I may have been a bitch, but it was done to aid minimizing the target on myself, while at the same time was able to inflate the target on others.And my positioning post merge and the ability to play both sides was always key.

Most importantly, I have the blood of every single person on the Jury on my hands. I am not embarrassed or shy away from this, rather I embrace it and wear it as a badge of honour; testament to the game I played, the effect I had and the mark I have left on it. There is only one person that can say that they contributed to every single one of you sitting where you are now and why I am sitting here.

Because of my social game, people trusted me, they believed me, and if they doubted me were either taken out or were forced to work with me, because I had eliminated other potential options. So even when I had gone against them the round before, proved time and time again was able to re-establish those connections, rebuild bridges and work with them again, only if I were to betray them again or indeed, even vote them out at the next opportunity. You can't do that unless you have a strong social game, and I put a lot of effort into this.

Neither Jeff or Kimmi can come close to laying claim to this. They pretty much picked an alliance and stuck to it. Neither was prepared to take the chances I did or would be as ruthless or dynamic. Even when they had arranged to make a move, such as with Hayden and Richard at F10, it was ill conceived and failed. Not just because I did not go along with it (although that certainly played a part, as it certainly was not in my best interests), but because it was also reliant on people that just 2 rounds before had been stung, and in Richard's case at least, had not properly healed.

All of which was achieved without ever once having immunity at any point. So while I potentially was vulnerable at every point along the way, the style of game I played and my ability to embrace it and position myself accordingly while playing all sides meant that I never needed any such immunity. There is always a way of surviving without immunity, and think I have conclusively proven that here. I am not looking to diminish the efforts of anyone who is good at challenges, but reliance on this is an error when there are much bigger components there also.

Overall, I'd say my game was a definite step-up from both Kimmi and Jeff's. For winning the odd challenge and bveing likeable and loyal, neither of them can claim to have impacted the game as I have. Or to have been anywhere near as dynamic as I have been. I took a stack of risks in this game, including voting out allies, but there was always a reason behind each move I made and how it would best suit my game, and my game alone, thanks as much to having played a solid social game, as it opened the doors for me to play the strategic game I did.

So, I don't know if this'll actually give you all the information you need or want out of me, or whatever, so be free to ask me any questions you want answered and will be more than happy to answer them. I have been brutal in this game, so I am anticipating some brutal questions and I promise you will get the brutal and honest truth. And while I am sorry if I hurt anyone's feelings, Just know that I don't regret any of my moves at all and I don't regret the decisions I made in the context of this game. I am very different outside of this game, but I am not asking that you take that into account, only judging me based on the game and how it related to getting me to this point here and being able to present the case I have.

So, yeah, once more, thanks for the opportunity to play and for making this such a fun experience! It has been a blast owning the shizznit out of this game, I think I definitely outwitted and outplayed, and now it is up to you all to determine if I deserve to earn your vote in having outlasted everyone also. There can only be one, and I definitely think I am worthy of being that one.

[Tina]

Tina's Ruthless Reign



Hi All! I am very pleased to be here and able to talk to you all once more! In fact, despite anticipating that this may be a bumpy night, I am delighted to be in this very spot and explain to you why I should be the person most deserving of your vote and being declared as the winner!

Before anything else though, I'd like to thank Probst and the hosting team for giving me the opportunity to be part of this and for doing a wonderful job with this game, and everyone in the cast for making this game a lot of fun! Thanks to you all!

Anyways, I suppose that I will need to outline my case to you, because some things I did may not be overly obvious and some things will need some explanation. Before I do, I will just state that I had a ball while playing this game, and I am not ashamed of say it, because hey, it worked! While simultaneously getting me to this point right now, I believe it helped spice the game up, in a way that nobody else really seemed prepared to do. And while I can't say I played a perfect game, especially post merge very little was left to mere luck.

I also must admit that I told a whole heap of fibs in this game. Lots. And them some. I told little white lies and great big whoppers. However, that is in the past. Tonight you get the truth. All of it and as ugly as it might be, and I will encourage you if there is anything you want to know, if I don't cover it, please ask and I promise you will get the truth - good or bad, it will be the truth, because that is what you deserve.



Bottom line is, I own what I did in this game. I own the decisions I made and actions I took, in order to make sure I was positioned where I wanted and needed to be. This meant that I was going to step on some toes along the way, but part of making as many moves as I did meant that I could not be too well liked, if I weas to have any chance of making the end, which I have. I don't like hurting people, and this is not something I take some kind of perverse pleasure in, however this is a game, and what was said and done in game has to be viewed in the context of this being in a game. Whatever else, this was always first and foremost in my mind - that this was a game.

Right now, you may not feel this way, but of the 3 of us sat before you, it is my contention that I had by far the biggest impact and influence on this game. Whether you like the way I did things or not, I do not think that this is in any way possible to dispute, and in so doing, aim to prove to you that I deserve and have earned your votes.

So, now that that's out of the way, I guess I should explain what my thoughts were for pretty much the whole game.

PRE-MERGE

I think all of you know by now that I came in as a replacement for the original person that played as Tina, 4/5days after the game began. And this did play a part in my approach. Having missed out on all the formal bonding that took place over that first weekend, meant that I had a 'playing catch up' mentality, which propelled me to play a lot more pro-actively than what might otherwise have been the case. Thankfully Madhesi won a string of early immunity challenges, which bought me time and allowed me to bed in, and form connections on that tribe. With Debb initially, and then with Jeff and Kimmi, who came across as very much at the centre of all things Madhesi in those early days. Being invited to be part of an alliance with these 2 and Mad Dog was a definite step in the right direction, but was always cautious of investing too much, because I had a much closer relationship with Debb than I had with Mad Dog, and I don't mean that in a negative way, rather privately Debb was more in my long term plans than what Mad Dog was.

Papa Bear was well on his way to digging his own grave by the time our tribe lost it's one and only challenge prior to the tribe swap, but even still the social game I had played prior to that had seen Papa Bear go from putting me up for sacrifice one round to the very next round giving me the clues to the HII - which I promptly shared with pretty much everyone. Personally, I never had any great intention or desire of looking for it myself. I would say I did, but never really bothered. No word of a lie, maybe tried 5 different passwords - if that. Why? Because sharing the clues was a way of fostering and building trust with people, and trust is a much more valuable commodity than any HII ever was or ever will be. Not to mention if people suspect you of having a HII it can put a target on your back and that is something I rather preferred to avoid.

After the tribe switch I arrived back on nuMadhesi, along with Stacey and a clutch of former Kirati members. Again I used my delayed arrival in the game as an explanation for why I was on the outs on the original Madhesi, and opened the door in order to work my way in with the former Kirati people. Which brings us to the first real critical vote of the game for me.

Although I was initially intrigued by Stacey's plan to go after Carter, with respect, her lack of detail as to why she would want this as well as the vagueness of the tie break rules meant I was far from convinced that this could be achieved. So I set out to try and cast shade on Artis and indirectly on to Stacey who could then be targeted in the event of a second immunity loss. Hopefully it would have the Kirati people turn on Artis and in so doing keep Kimmi, Mad Dog and I out of the line of fire. So I took some info that Artis had told me, used a little bit of instinct and embellished it.... A lot. Unfortunately it didn't quite work out, and once it was for sure certain that 4 votes were going on Mad Dog, I intentionally strayed.

• to vote Carter would only potentially cause irretrievable damage to the work I had already put in and fostered with Angie, Carter & Chris
• it would 'show' I was not as tight with the original Madhesi, where I painted a picture of Kimmi and Mad Dog being much more central to the pecking order - something I did repeatedly through the course of the game, which kept the focus off of me.
• Kimmi and I were still on good terms, and needed to make sure it bought us time to get to the merge
• Although in an alliance with Mad Dog, she was not as critical to my plans as had they targeted Kimmi, who I had more of a 1-on-1 connect with
• Setting Stacey up to take the fall as the architect of targeting Carter would put her as the target should we lse another immunity before the merge

Of course Artis and Stacey are both pissed at me and on the surface I was persona non grata, for having tried to push too hard to divide and conquer the Kirati people, and with Stacey, for having messed with her plans. But Chris and I began to talk in earnest and set plans, all the more noone might suspect, especially when he had been the one putting me on sacrifice at this exact same time. I believe that this did help heal the situation with Artis, and I cant understate how much I learned from this experience in overplaying, followed by rebuilding bridges after burning one. So Artis, wherever you are, you did have a part to play in my getting here. Thanks! I point this out now because this is something that I managed to achieve with much more success as the game progressed.

What I didn't expect was that Artis rather remarkably pretty much did precisely what I had been 'suggesting' the previous round. When this came out this shift meant I was no longer in danger here... Except despite trying to keep a low profile following the previous round, I somehow found myself as a defacto liaison between Artis and Stacey which was kind of odd. Anyhow, I leave the organizing of the vote largely to the Kirati people and the vote ended up tied. When it all unfolded and Stacey was still in the game, it was no surprise that I was again going to be in her sights.



Quite simply, I had made a gaff, but I was able to learn from it. And if my instincts and social game had not been up to scratch, I may have been in more trouble Instead of secure in the connections I had in place and was ready for the next phase of the game.

THE MERGE - WHY YOU ARE THERE AND I AM HERE

F12

The merge had arrived, and with it Tina's ruthless reign began. Before I go on, I would like to point out that I contributed to every single one of you being there on the Jury. This is no mere coincidence, and neither of my 2 fellow finalists can say this, as both of whom missed the mark on at least 2 occasions each. This I think demonstrates and underlines that I was always had my finger on the pulse and more often than not was able to have a significant influence on what was going to happen at Tribal Council.

That first weekend, it was a matter of patience, but knowing that Stacey would be looking to rekindle connections with the original Rai people, as she knew she could not rely on nuMadhesi to have her back and more than likely, she would want to target me. Jeff and Debb both tried to court me to join the nuKirati people, but with Stacey already aligning with the remaining Rai people meant that this was never a realistic option.

If I had just wanted to go down the line of self preservation for that one or two rounds I could have joined nuKirati. However, knowing that Stacey was wanting to target me in point of fact actually worked to my advantage. as I pointed out that for Debb and Jeff to join nuMadhesi kept their options open, whereas voting me out would only reduce these for them, and think this did influence their decision to come on board in voting out Stacey.

Even if Jeff did want to vote for me 'to save face', I had to convince him otherwise. Bitch, no you don't. Maybe the game would have been different if he had, and Jeff may have been able to have kept a better connect with Richard, and maybe the whole game works out differently if Jeff had voted for me as he originally wanted to. Who knows? The fact is, he didn't & and we will never know. Meanwhile Denise was being courted to join us also by Angie and co, and suddenly, from being possibly voted out, 7-5. to being very safely in, 8-4.

In other words, I was able to maintain the most options, and cutting some for Jeff and Debb, as they would be turning their backs on the Rai with whom they had been on the same side as, and which meant that any future plan they had more than likely would have to involve and include me.

This is a theme I am going to touch on a lot. Get used to it, lol.

F11

The next round I genuinely did have a migraine, but given the circumstances was more than happy to just go along as Ramona was voted out. There was no need for anything to be done here except let it play out, but as it was someone that had voted for me the previous round, and didn't have an extensive relationship with Ramona beyond a few PM's when she had been an ambassador and a couple more at the merge, I was more than happy to let this one be straightforward play out, and send Ramona over to the Jury.

F10

The next round though, things really started getting interesting. The original Madhesi proposed a plan to have an alliance with what was left of the remaining original Rai; Richard and Hayden. Of course I said I was on board, however, instantly this was something I was genuinely concerned about and did not feel was in my personal interest to have happen, for 4 reasons:

• Both of these guys had voted for me less than 48hrs before, so what personal loyalty did they have to me?
• I struggled to be able to get a good read on Richard (and credit to him for this)
• Hayden quickly proved to me how dangerous he could potentially be if he were given the opportunity to work his way into the game, because he is very charming and extremely charismatic.
• Most importantly, what personal connections that I had spent so long developing would I be jeopardizing, if not outright throwing away?

So I stuck with the original Kirati people, and agreed with Carter to throw mine at Hayden instead of Richard. I should note Richard meanwhile proved my concerns to be well founded by taking the situation and leveraging it to make a better one for himself. I respected that, but was just further evidence that my instinct on being not the right move was spot on.

Theoretically, I could have sided with Hayden & Madhesi, and with Chris stray voting Richard, still ended up on the right side of the numbers, but I felt there was a risk here none the less as it would mean putting my faith and my game in the hands of people that had voted for me just days before and secondly, considering Jeff and Debb had voted against them at the merge, how long would it be before Richard and Hayden may look for a little payback? In Richard's case, it was probably only a couple of hours at most.

If anyone feels I am dwelling on this particular point in the game, I beg your indulgence because this vote and the next would prove pretty critical for so many different reasons in what would follow.

F9

Voting Hayden out left 2 big issues, because now I had misled Debb, Kimmi and Jeff, and would have to make this right with then. But also where this left me with the original Kirati people and now Richard presented as an alternative option for them to work with instead of me. Seizing on the opportunity afforded by Denise and Angie discussing voting comments, which raised some eyebrows also and noting that the group chat we had been part of at that point was soon to drop off (or as I more strongly suspect just didn't include me anymore) set off even more alarm bells. Taking all this into account it was now time to get Chris to flip, as we had previously discussed the prospect and necessity of this happening at some point. So I had to get Chris to flip, but to make it seem as though he was the one driving it and not me pulling the strings.

So knowing it had to be done now, I set in motion one of my more subtle schemes. First obtaining Chris' OK (but not the full extent of why I was doing it), I fed a line to Denise and Angie about how I had told Chris about how things were shaping up for that previous vote (but supposedly had got cut off before being able to mention it to anyone else) and by manipulating the situation suddenly this put the spotlight on Chris from the remaining original Kirati people. He even admitted to me it made him feel a little uncomfortable by their questioning. This effectively made Chris realize the time to flip had come, but in doing it this way, he would come to that realization himself rather than feeling like I had pulled too many of the strings. This was important, because if Chris was to flip he would want to be recognized for the move, so I had to make the conditions right for him to come to this conclusion himself, but make no mistake, I had intentionally set off the trigger that meant that the time was right.

So Chris flips, but the thing is, it is not just Chris that flips, we move together, because I had not been with the Madhesi group at the previous vote, so it appeared me more returning to the Madhesi fold & able to re-establish the trust within that Madhesi group. And it made perfect logical sense that Denise be the one to go next. After all, I had a prior relationship with Carter and Angie, whereas Denise had only gotten to speak with since the merge. Yet in just this short space, I had already been impressed by how switched on she was and the danger she potentially could pose if allowed to carry on. So the choice between Denise and Angie was no choice at all. Not to mention all the while that it was being propositioned to me that Kimmi go. Kimmi was someone that I had a long term connection with and would drawing heat away from me, so why would I want to lose her at F9? No chance.

F8

So Denise goes, and Angie and Chris are steaming at each other, but it did not serve my game to lose either at this point, and having already had a pretty important hand in back to back rounds, would do so again here. In the build up to the previous round, the group chat I had been a part of with Denise, Carter, Chris, Angie & I had broken down, a point I had raised with Carter so I could reference back to it once Denise was gone, as an explanation why I had flipped on them, under the impression that with Denise on the scene I was going to get squeezed out, and with her out of the picture, I would be open to working with Carter & Angie again. So Denise going, again meant keeping the most options for myself going while minimizing them for others. And instead of me getting squeezed out at F5 or F6 would be able to progress so much further - if I chose to go that way.

Again, this is just one example of how I was not just thinking about the immediate vote coming out, but how I would be able to work my way in with those I had previously gone against. Leaving these little breadcrumbs that I could reference back to in conversations that would lend credibility to what I was saying when re-establishing trust, and this is so very important when trying to play the middle. There are other examples of this, if anyone wants to know more. Anyhow on this occasion I used this as the pretext to keep both Angie and Carter on my side, with the pretext that with the weekend looming there might be time for a reconciliation between Angie and Chris - and possibly open the doorway to get to the end as that 4some - if we could get through that one round.

And it was with this in mind that Richard had to go next. Chris and the orig Madhesi wanted Angie gone. Chris (& I think Kimmi, who from memory was flying home that evening) had prevoted Angie. I did not want Angie gone, because not only was Angie an option for me, and her going at F8 would be as much a waste as potentially losing Kimmi would have been at F9. No chance.

By contrast, Richard was a wild card, and I mean this as a compliment. I was very concerned about leaving an 'X' factor like this in the game, to be allowed to float and be an option for people to work with down the line. I had a reasonable handle on where every other player in the game stood except for Richard. If you are uncertain about where they stand or you can't predict their behaviour, then that is a liability. I needed to be the only 'X' factor in the game - even if I didn't always appear to be that. So for these reasons I set about getting Richard out, by getting Angie and Carter to agree to put their vote on him, then shortly before TC floated the idea to Madhesi that we should throw a vote on Richard 'in case of a HII play'. Jeff agreed to this just before TC, so I now had what I needed, even though I didn't let on I fully intended on doing this also. It would be enough.I played it off in discussion as being that there had been a miscommunication, but knew what I was doing.

F7

Going into last weekend then, it meant that the attention was all on Angie. And I certainly played my part with keeping it there for most of the weekend, so everyone coulf go off and enjoy the break from the game. But while everyone focused with the target on Angie, I was taking stock and weighing up what each person's case, should they make it to the end, as well as taking into account the various scenarios that may prove to be spanners in the works. I honestly did not want Angie to go at F7, as I genuinely liked Angie, and she would still be a target if left in the game, but without posing that same potential threat to throw a spanner in the works than what others might. Sadly, it was around this time that Chris and I relationship began to show some cracks also, after having gone behind his back to take out Richard. I had explained to him what I hoped to achieve by this, but felt only reprimanded, but more importantly Chris sought to curb my proactive play.

But like players from Rob C to Tony V have showed, once you start playing an aggressive, dynamic game, you have to play it all the way. If you are going to do it, it cannot be half arsed or and you can't be caught sitting back which becomes the recipe to complacency. I had to finish what I had started. In the context of this game, and in character with the game I had played, I could not sit back. Not now. It had gone past the point where that was really an option. I had to stay proactive and on the offensive. The job was only half done and needed to be finished.

As much as I loved playing with him, it was clear that Chris was emerging as a big threat in his own right - a true triple threat - and that sitting beside him, especially if I did take his counsel and just allowed the game to flow and be a passenger, which under other circumstances might seem like good advice, it would be bad for the game I had played so far. So I set in motion a plan to blindside Chris the first time he didn't have immunity, which i had hoped would be that Sunday night (last week).

Of course, the best laid plans of mice and men and all that... Chris won immunity, the plan got leaked and regretfully Angie had to go as there wasn't any time to change things up after that. However I had said that afternoon if Carter or Angie had a HII it might not be a bad time to use it... but that is what it is. This was the one of the few times things did not go according to plan, but there was always the Plan B to go back on that had been set up since the Thursday. It wasn't going to backfire on me at least, even if I really did not want to be voting Angie out... yet.



F6

Anyhow, we move on to the F6, and after Chris comments at the previous TC, I suspect he knows I was on board to take him out had he not won, but as I mentioned was able to deny it, because the only person I had directly spoken to about it was Debb. As the round progresses, I get to talking to Carter and Chris, knowing that between them, one of them is was highly likely had to have a HII. I wasn't sure who and neither said that they did, but had always felt as if 1 of Angie/Chris/Carter had one and with Angie out of the picture the safe bet was that one of them did. In truth for a long time I thought it had been Chris, but was not for sure certain, only that it seemed most logical. Again playing both sides here and saying yes to both sides, but knowing that Carter was not happy with both Debb and I, by teaming up with Chris and Carter, at least ensured that the target was not going to be me. I am really sorry Debb, but there was an element of self preservation this round, and as it turned out, everyone else but the 2 of us would be immune, so it really was between you and I and I needed to do what I could to make sure it wasn't me.

However, in a perfect world, it had been my intention since the start to be sitting alongside you here today.

F5

After all the Idols were flushed at the previous vote, it meant that the game once again was entirely in my hands at F5 and it would go the way of my choosing, with a pair on either side. Having just voted out Debb, under the circumstances of so many HII plays, I was in a position to now align back with Kimmi and Jeff or stay with Carter and Chris here. I have previously said it, in my opinion Chris was by far the biggest single danger to sit beside at the end; and that includes Carter or anyone else. It was a matter of necessity to take Chris out. This is what happened, and as it happened. the F3 you have in front of you today was because of my choice, as I could have been sitting here with Chris and Carter. Either way I would be sitting here and not as a goat, but as someone that had called so many of the shots in the game. And this was just the latest of many.

F4

Sadly Carter really did not take this final betrayal at all well, declaring that he was most pissed about all the lying. Newsflash! This is Survivor. Lying and deception happens. And with respect, everyone is guilty of it. However Carter elected to back himself into a corner where only winning immunity would ensure his place at the FTC. Had he talked, who knows? I was naturally concerned about going to the end with Carter, but to not even try to arrange something just in case? Kimmi had. Jeff had. Carter, nope. I know Carter, you were not very happy about my comments that you had checked out at this point, and do hope your friend is OK, but there is more than one way to do something in this game and to put all your eggs in the one basket of winning immunity or bust is a sign of someone that has given up all other hope, and the only person's game Carter hurt by doing that was his own, sadly.

Challenges

Oh, I assume this will be something that someone may want to bring up, my record in the challenges. Again I think it highlights the game I played that I was always vulnerable and never needed immunity. Long story short, although it may not seem it, I did actually have a challenge strategy, and it was three pronged:

• First,, it was to intentionally not pursue any of the immunities up for grabs
• Second, to learn everything I could from them about everyone in the game. I may not have been very active but I was always very attentive.
• Third, not being seen as a challenge threat people could get comfortable in their mindset that if need be they could take me out anytime, only I would be too much in control to let that happen by the time they would want to get around to it.

For what it is worth, winning challenges, and especially individual ones is a very easy way to put a target on someone's back, and this was something I was aiming to avoid as much as possible. Especially those that are speed or skill based. And of those that were not this way related, the best thing you can do is learn about your opponents.

Summary

You may not like the game I played, and there are certainly people that are more well liked in this game than I dare say I am - indeed, a few of you are on the Jury for that very reason. Personally, I am very different from the person you may think of me right now in real, but in the context of this game I used my social game that would set up the connections I needed to make it this far, and had to be every bit as heartless and ruthless as I could in order to achieve what I have and play the game I did.

In the end you have to respect the fact I ripped this game up, and owned it in a way no one else can even come close to claiming. The carnage and the wreckage I left in my wake is proof of the instinct and effect I had, which was unmatched by anyone else in this game. As I even taught my daughter,



So, yes, I manipulated. I twisted the truth. I flipped and flopped repeatedly. And then did it again. I put targets on people and left shields in the game. Tried as best I could to limit the options of other players to make sure I was always in their plans, and by so doing kept as many as I could open for myself. I may have been a bitch, but it was done to aid minimizing the target on myself, while at the same time was able to inflate the target on others.And my positioning post merge and the ability to play both sides was always key.

Most importantly, I have the blood of every single person on the Jury on my hands. I am not embarrassed or shy away from this, rather I embrace it and wear it as a badge of honour; testament to the game I played, the effect I had and the mark I have left on it. There is only one person that can say that they contributed to every single one of you sitting where you are now and why I am sitting here.

Because of my social game, people trusted me, they believed me, and if they doubted me were either taken out or were forced to work with me, because I had eliminated other potential options. So even when I had gone against them the round before, proved time and time again was able to re-establish those connections, rebuild bridges and work with them again, only if I were to betray them again or indeed, even vote them out at the next opportunity. You can't do that unless you have a strong social game, and I put a lot of effort into this.

Neither Jeff or Kimmi can come close to laying claim to this. They pretty much picked an alliance and stuck to it. Neither was prepared to take the chances I did or would be as ruthless or dynamic. Even when they had arranged to make a move, such as with Hayden and Richard at F10, it was ill conceived and failed. Not just because I did not go along with it (although that certainly played a part, as it certainly was not in my best interests), but because it was also reliant on people that just 2 rounds before had been stung, and in Richard's case at least, had not properly healed.

All of which was achieved without ever once having immunity at any point. So while I potentially was vulnerable at every point along the way, the style of game I played and my ability to embrace it and position myself accordingly while playing all sides meant that I never needed any such immunity. There is always a way of surviving without immunity, and think I have conclusively proven that here. I am not looking to diminish the efforts of anyone who is good at challenges, but reliance on this is an error when there are much bigger components there also.

Overall, I'd say my game was a definite step-up from both Kimmi and Jeff's. For winning the odd challenge and bveing likeable and loyal, neither of them can claim to have impacted the game as I have. Or to have been anywhere near as dynamic as I have been. I took a stack of risks in this game, including voting out allies, but there was always a reason behind each move I made and how it would best suit my game, and my game alone, thanks as much to having played a solid social game, as it opened the doors for me to play the strategic game I did.

So, I don't know if this'll actually give you all the information you need or want out of me, or whatever, so be free to ask me any questions you want answered and will be more than happy to answer them. I have been brutal in this game, so I am anticipating some brutal questions and I promise you will get the brutal and honest truth. And while I am sorry if I hurt anyone's feelings, Just know that I don't regret any of my moves at all and I don't regret the decisions I made in the context of this game. I am very different outside of this game, but I am not asking that you take that into account, only judging me based on the game and how it related to getting me to this point here and being able to present the case I have.

So, yeah, once more, thanks for the opportunity to play and for making this such a fun experience! It has been a blast owning the shizznit out of this game, I think I definitely outwitted and outplayed, and now it is up to you all to determine if I deserve to earn your vote in having outlasted everyone also. There can only be one, and I definitely think I am worthy of being that one.

[Tina]

Tina's Ruthless Reign



Hi All! I am very pleased to be here and able to talk to you all once more! In fact, despite anticipating that this may be a bumpy night, I am delighted to be in this very spot and explain to you why I should be the person most deserving of your vote and being declared as the winner!

Before anything else though, I'd like to thank Probst and the hosting team for giving me the opportunity to be part of this and for doing a wonderful job with this game, and everyone in the cast for making this game a lot of fun! Thanks to you all!

Anyways, I suppose that I will need to outline my case to you, because some things I did may not be overly obvious and some things will need some explanation. Before I do, I will just state that I had a ball while playing this game, and I am not ashamed of say it, because hey, it worked! While simultaneously getting me to this point right now, I believe it helped spice the game up, in a way that nobody else really seemed prepared to do. And while I can't say I played a perfect game, very little was left to mere chance once I really came into my own, post merge.

I also must admit that I told a whole heap of fibs in this game. Lots. And them some. I told little white lies and great big whoppers. However, that is in the past. Tonight you get the truth. All of it and as ugly as it might be, and I will encourage you if there is anything you want to know, if I don't cover it, please ask and I promise you will get the truth - good or bad, it will be the truth, because that is what you deserve.



Bottom line is, I own what I did in this game. I own the decisions I made and actions I took, in order to make sure I was positioned where I wanted and needed to be. This meant that I was going to step on some toes along the way, but part of making as many moves as I did meant that I could not be always be overly well liked, if I was to have any chance of making the end, which I have. I don't like hurting people, and this is not something I take some kind of perverse pleasure in, however this is a game, and what was said and done in game has to be viewed in the context of this being in a game. Whatever else, this was always first and foremost in my mind - that this was a game.

Of the 3 of us sat before you, it is my contention that I had, by far the biggest impact and influence on this game. Whether you like the way I did things or not, I do not think that this is in any way possible to dispute, and in so doing, aim to prove to you that I deserve and have earned your vote.

So, now that that's out of the way, I guess I should explain what my thoughts were for pretty much the whole game.

PRE-MERGE

I think all of you know by now that I came in as a replacement for the original person that played as Tina, 4/5days after the game began. And this did play a part in my approach. Having missed out on the luxury and all the bonding that took place over that first weekend, meant that I was immediately playing with a 'catch up' mentality, which propelled me to play a lot more pro-actively than what might otherwise have been the case.

Thankfully Madhesi won a string of early immunity challenges, which bought me time and allowed me to bed in, and form connections on that tribe. With Debb initially, and then with Jeff and Kimmi, who came across as very much at the centre of all things Madhesi in those early days. Being invited to be part of an alliance with these 2 and Mad Dog was a definite step in the right direction, but was always cautious of investing too much, because I had a much closer relationship with Debb than I had with Mad Dog, and I don't mean that in a negative way, rather privately Debb was more in my long term plans than what Mad Dog was.

Papa Bear was well on his way to digging his own grave by the time our tribe lost it's one and only challenge prior to the tribe swap, but even still despite the late arrival, and being put me up for sacrifice one round, my social game even managed to pull a 180 here on PB, as the very next round giving me the clues to the HII - which I promptly shared with pretty much everyone. Personally, I never had any great intention or desire of looking for it myself. I would say I did, but never really bothered. No word of a lie, maybe tried 5 different passwords - if that. Why? Because sharing the clues was a way of fostering and building trust with people, and trust is a much more valuable commodity than any HII ever was or ever will be. Not to mention if people suspect you of having a HII it can put a target on your back and that is something I rather preferred to avoid.

After the tribe switch I arrived back on nuMadhesi, along with Stacey and a clutch of former Kirati members. Again I used my delayed arrival in the game as an explanation for why I was on the outs on the original Madhesi, and opened the door in order to work my way in with the former Kirati people. Which brings us to the first real critical vote of the game for me.

Although I was initially intrigued by Stacey's plan to go after Carter, with respect, her lack of detail as to why she would want this as well as the vagueness of the tie break rules meant I was far from convinced that this could be achieved. So I set out to try and cast shade on Artis and indirectly on to Stacey who could then be targeted in the event of a second immunity loss. Hopefully it would have the Kirati people turn on Artis and in so doing keep Kimmi, Mad Dog and I out of the line of fire. So I took some info that Artis had told me, used a little bit of instinct and embellished it.... A lot. Unfortunately it didn't quite work out, and once it was for sure certain that 4 votes were going on Mad Dog, I intentionally strayed, which effectively meant I was letting Mad Dog go myself. This was not done out of cowardice but by trying to take the long view.

• to vote Carter would only potentially cause irretrievable damage to the work I had already put in and fostered with Angie, Carter & Chris
• it would 'show' I was not as tight with the original Madhesi, where I painted a picture of Kimmi and Mad Dog being much more central to the pecking order - something I did repeatedly through the course of the game, which kept the focus off of me.
• Kimmi and I were still on good terms, and needed to make sure it bought us time to get to the merge
• Although in an alliance with Mad Dog, she was not as critical to my plans as had they targeted Kimmi, who I had more of a 1-on-1 connect with
• Setting Stacey up to take the fall as the architect of targeting Carter would put her as the target should we lse another immunity before the merge

Of course Artis and Stacey are both pissed at me and on the surface I was persona non grata, for having tried to push too hard to divide and conquer the Kirati people by putting the target on Artis, and with Stacey, for having messed with her plans. But Chris and I began to talk in earnest and set plans, all the more noone might suspect, especially when he had been the one putting me on sacrifice at this exact same time. I believe that this did help heal the situation with Artis, and I cant understate how much I learned from this experience in overplaying, followed by rebuilding bridges after burning one. So Artis, wherever you are, you did have a part to play in my getting here. Thanks! I point this out now because this is something that I managed to achieve with much more success as the game progressed.

What I didn't expect was that Artis rather remarkably pretty much did precisely what I had been 'suggesting' the previous round. When this came out this shift meant I was no longer in danger here... Except despite trying to keep a low profile following the previous round, I somehow found myself as a defacto liaison between Artis and Stacey which was kind of odd. Anyhow, I leave the organizing of the vote largely to the Kirati people and the vote ended up tied. When it all unfolded and Stacey was still in the game, it was no surprise that I was again going to be in her sights.



Quite simply, I had made a gaff, but I was able to learn from it. And if my instincts and social game had not been up to scratch, I may have been in more trouble Instead of secure in the connections I had in place and was ready for the next phase of the game.

THE MERGE - WHY YOU ARE THERE AND I AM HERE

F12

The merge had arrived, and with it my ruthless reign was set to begin. Before I go on, I would like to point out that I contributed to every single one of you being there on the Jury. This is no mere coincidence, and neither of my 2 fellow finalists can say this, as both of whom missed the mark on at least 2 occasions each. This I think demonstrates and underlines that I was always had my finger on the pulse and more often than not was able to have a significant influence on what was going to happen at Tribal Council.

That first weekend, it was a matter of patience, but knowing that Stacey would be looking to rekindle connections with the original Rai people, as she knew she could not rely on nuMadhesi to have her back and more than likely, she would want to target me. Jeff and Debb both tried to court me to join the nuKirati people, but with Stacey already aligning with the remaining Rai people meant that this was never a realistic option.

If I had just wanted to go down the line of self preservation for that one or two rounds I could have joined nuKirati. However, that is short sighted knowing that Stacey was wanting to target me in point of fact actually worked to my advantage. As I pointed out that for Debb and Jeff to join nuMadhesi kept their options open, whereas voting me out would only reduce these for them, and think this did influence their decision to come on board in voting out Stacey. But this is important because it kept all of my original Madhesi as well as nuMadhesi options and connections open.

Even Jeff wanted to vote for me 'to save face', and I had to convince him otherwise. Bitch, no you don't. Maybe the game would have been different if he had, and Jeff may have been able to have kept a better connect with Richard, and maybe the whole game works out differently if Jeff had voted for me as he originally wanted to. Who knows? The fact is, he didn't & and we will never know. Meanwhile Denise was being courted to join us also by Angie and co, and suddenly, from being possibly out, 7-5. to being very safely in, 8-4.

In other words, I was able to maintain the most options, and cutting some for Jeff and Debb, as they would be turning their backs on the Rai with whom they had been on the same side as, and which meant that any future plan they had more than likely would have to involve and include me.

This is a theme I am going to touch on a lot. Get used to it, lol.

F11

The next round I genuinely did have a migraine, but given the circumstances was more than happy to just go along as Ramona was voted out. There was no need for anything to be done here except let it play out, but as it was someone that had voted for me the previous round, and didn't have an extensive relationship with Ramona beyond a few PM's when she had been an ambassador and a couple more at the merge, I was more than happy to let this one be straightforward play out, and send Ramona over to the Jury.

F10

The next round though, things really started getting interesting. The original Madhesi proposed a plan to have an alliance with what was left of the remaining original Rai; Richard and Hayden. Of course I said I was on board, however, instantly this was something I was genuinely concerned about and did not feel was in my personal interest to have happen, for 4 reasons:

• Both of these guys had voted for me less than 48hrs before, so what personal loyalty did they have to me?
• I struggled to be able to get a good read on Richard (and credit to him for this)
• Hayden quickly proved to me how dangerous he could potentially be if he were given the opportunity to work his way into the game, because he is very charming and extremely charismatic.
• Most importantly, what personal connections that I had spent so long developing would I be jeopardizing, if not outright throwing away?

So I stuck with the original Kirati people, and agreed with Carter to throw mine at Hayden instead of Richard. I should note Richard meanwhile proved my concerns to be well founded by taking the situation and leveraging it to make a better one for himself. I respected that, but was just further evidence that my instinct on being not the right move was spot on.

Theoretically, I could have sided with Hayden & Madhesi, and with Chris stray voting Richard, still ended up on the right side of the numbers, but I felt there was a risk here none the less as it would mean putting my faith and my game in the hands of people that had voted for me just days before and secondly, considering Jeff and Debb had voted against them at the merge, how long would it be before Richard and Hayden may look for a little payback? In Richard's case, it was probably only a couple of hours at most.

If anyone feels I am dwelling on this particular point in the game, I beg your indulgence because this vote and the next would prove pretty critical for so many different reasons in what would follow.

F9

Voting Hayden out left 2 big issues, because now I had misled Debb, Kimmi and Jeff, and would have to make this right with then. But also where this left me with the original Kirati people and now Richard presented as an alternative option for them to work with instead of me. Seizing on the opportunity afforded by Denise and Angie discussing voting comments, which raised some eyebrows also and noting that the group chat we had been part of at that point was soon to drop off (or as I more strongly suspect just didn't include me anymore) set off even more alarm bells. Taking all this into account it was now time to get Chris to flip, as we had previously discussed the prospect and necessity of this happening at some point. So I had to get Chris to flip, but to make it seem as though he was the one driving it and not me pulling the strings.

So knowing it had to be done now, I set in motion one of my more subtle schemes. First obtaining Chris' OK (but not the full extent of why I was doing it), I fed a line to Denise and Angie about how I had told Chris about how things were shaping up for that previous vote (but supposedly had got cut off before being able to mention it to anyone else) and by manipulating the situation suddenly this put the spotlight on Chris from the remaining original Kirati people. He even admitted to me it made him feel a little uncomfortable by their questioning. This effectively made Chris realize the time to flip had come, but in doing it this way, he would come to that realization himself rather than feeling like I had pulled too many of the strings. This was important, because if Chris was to flip he would want to be recognized for the move, so I had to make the conditions right for him to come to this conclusion himself, but make no mistake, I had intentionally set off the trigger that meant that the time was right.

So Chris flips, but the thing is, it is not just Chris that flips, we move together, because I had not been with the Madhesi group at the previous vote, so it appeared me more returning to the Madhesi fold & able to re-establish the trust within that Madhesi group. And it made perfect logical sense that Denise be the one to go next. After all, I had a prior relationship with Carter and Angie, whereas Denise had only gotten to speak with since the merge. Yet in just this short space, I had already been impressed by how switched on she was and the danger she potentially could pose if allowed to carry on. So the choice between Denise and Angie was no choice at all. Not to mention all the while that it was being propositioned to me that Kimmi go. Kimmi was someone that I had a long term connection with and would drawing heat away from me, so why would I want to lose her at F9? No chance.

F8

So Denise goes, and Angie and Chris are steaming at each other, but it did not serve my game to lose either at this point, and having already had a pretty important hand in back to back rounds, would do so again here. In the build up to the previous round, the group chat I had been a part of with Denise, Carter, Chris, Angie & I had broken down, a point I had raised with Carter so I could reference back to it once Denise was gone, as an explanation why I had flipped on them, under the impression that with Denise on the scene I was going to get squeezed out, and with her out of the picture, I would be open to working with Carter & Angie again. So Denise going, again meant keeping the most options for myself going while minimizing them for others. And instead of me getting squeezed out at F5 or F6 would be able to progress so much further - if I chose to go that way.

Again, this is just one example of how I was not just thinking about the immediate vote coming out, but how I would be able to work my way in with those I had previously gone against. Leaving these little breadcrumbs that I could reference back to in conversations that would lend credibility to what I was saying when re-establishing trust, and this is so very important when trying to play the middle. There are other examples of this, if anyone wants to know more. Anyhow on this occasion I used this as the pretext to keep both Angie and Carter on my side, with the pretext that with the weekend looming there might be time for a reconciliation between Angie and Chris - and possibly open the doorway to get to the end as that 4some - if we could get through that one round.

And it was with this in mind that Richard had to go next. Chris and the orig Madhesi wanted Angie gone. Chris (& I think Kimmi, who from memory was flying home that evening) had prevoted Angie. I did not want Angie gone, because not only was Angie an option for me, and her going at F8 would be as much a waste as potentially losing Kimmi would have been at F9. No chance.

By contrast, Richard was a wild card, and I mean this as a compliment. I was very concerned about leaving an 'X' factor like this in the game, to be allowed to float and be an option for people to work with down the line. I had a reasonable handle on where every other player in the game stood except for Richard. If you are uncertain about where they stand or you can't predict their behaviour, then that is a liability. I needed to be the only 'X' factor in the game - even if I didn't always appear to be that. So for these reasons I set about getting Richard out, by getting Angie and Carter to agree to put their vote on him, then shortly before TC floated the idea to Madhesi that we should throw a vote on Richard 'in case of a HII play'. Jeff agreed to this just before TC, so I now had what I needed, even though I didn't let on I fully intended on doing this also. It would be enough.I played it off in discussion as being that there had been a miscommunication, but knew what I was doing.

F7

Going into last weekend then, it meant that the attention was all on Angie. And I certainly played my part with keeping it there for most of the weekend, so everyone coulf go off and enjoy the break from the game. But while everyone focused with the target on Angie, I was taking stock and weighing up what each person's case, should they make it to the end, as well as taking into account the various scenarios that may prove to be spanners in the works. I honestly did not want Angie to go at F7, as I genuinely liked Angie, and she would still be a target if left in the game, but without posing that same potential threat to throw a spanner in the works than what others might. Sadly, it was around this time that Chris and I relationship began to show some cracks also, after having gone behind his back to take out Richard. I had explained to him what I hoped to achieve by this, but felt only reprimanded, but more importantly Chris sought to curb my proactive play.

But like players from Rob C to Tony V have showed, once you start playing an aggressive, dynamic game, you have to play it all the way. If you are going to do it, it cannot be half arsed or and you can't be caught sitting back which becomes the recipe to complacency. I had to finish what I had started. In the context of this game, and in character with the game I had played, I could not sit back. Not now. It had gone past the point where that was really an option. I had to stay proactive and on the offensive. The job was only half done and needed to be finished.

As much as I loved playing with him, it was clear that Chris was emerging as a big threat in his own right - a true triple threat - and that sitting beside him, especially if I did take his counsel and just allowed the game to flow and be a passenger, which under other circumstances might seem like good advice, it would be bad for the game I had played so far. So I set in motion a plan to blindside Chris the first time he didn't have immunity, which i had hoped would be that Sunday night (last week).

Of course, the best laid plans of mice and men and all that... Chris won immunity, the plan got leaked and regretfully Angie had to go as there wasn't any time to change things up after that. However I had said that afternoon if Carter or Angie had a HII it might not be a bad time to use it... but that is what it is. This was the one of the few times things did not go according to plan, but there was always the Plan B to go back on that had been set up since the Thursday. It wasn't going to backfire on me at least, even if I really did not want to be voting Angie out... yet.



F6

Anyhow, we move on to the F6, and after Chris comments at the previous TC, I suspect he knows I was on board to take him out had he not won, but as I mentioned was able to deny it, because the only person I had directly spoken to about it was Debb. As the round progresses, I get to talking to Carter and Chris, knowing that between them, one of them is was highly likely had to have a HII. I wasn't sure who and neither said that they did, but had always felt as if 1 of Angie/Chris/Carter had one and with Angie out of the picture the safe bet was that one of them did. In truth for a long time I thought it had been Chris, but was not for sure certain, only that it seemed most logical. Again playing both sides here and saying yes to both sides, but knowing that Carter was not happy with both Debb and I, by teaming up with Chris and Carter, at least ensured that the target was not going to be me. I am really sorry Debb, but there was an element of self preservation this round, and as it turned out, everyone else but the 2 of us would be immune, so it really was between you and I and I needed to do what I could to make sure it wasn't me.

However, in a perfect world, it had been my intention since the start to be sitting alongside you here today.

F5

After all the Idols were flushed at the previous vote, it meant that the game once again was entirely in my hands at F5 and it would go the way of my choosing, with a pair on either side. Having just voted out Debb, under the circumstances of so many HII plays, I was in a position to now align back with Kimmi and Jeff or stay with Carter and Chris here. I have previously said it, in my opinion Chris was by far the biggest single danger to sit beside at the end; and that includes Carter or anyone else. It was a matter of necessity to take Chris out. This is what happened, and as it happened. the F3 you have in front of you today was because of my choice, as I could have been sitting here with Chris and Carter. Either way I would be sitting here and not as a goat, but as someone that had called so many of the shots in the game. And this was just the latest of many.

F4

Sadly Carter really did not take this final betrayal at all well, declaring that he was most pissed about all the lying. Newsflash! This is Survivor. Lying and deception happens. And with respect, everyone is guilty of it. However Carter elected to back himself into a corner where only winning immunity would ensure his place at the FTC. Had he talked, who knows? I was naturally concerned about going to the end with Carter, but to not even try to arrange something just in case? Kimmi had. Jeff had. Carter, nope. I know Carter, you were not very happy about my comments that you had checked out at this point, and do hope your friend is OK, but there is more than one way to do something in this game and to put all your eggs in the one basket of winning immunity or bust is a sign of someone that has given up all other hope, and the only person's game Carter hurt by doing that was his own, sadly.

Challenges

Oh, I assume this will be something that someone may want to bring up, my record in the challenges. Again I think it highlights the game I played that I was always vulnerable and never needed immunity. Long story short, although it may not seem it, I did actually have a challenge strategy, and it was three pronged:

• First,, it was to intentionally not pursue any of the immunities up for grabs
• Second, to learn everything I could from them about everyone in the game. I may not have been very active but I was always very attentive.
• Third, not being seen as a challenge threat people could get comfortable in their mindset that if need be they could take me out anytime, only I would be too much in control to let that happen by the time they would want to get around to it.

For what it is worth, winning challenges, and especially individual ones is a very easy way to put a target on someone's back, and this was something I was aiming to avoid as much as possible. Especially those that are speed or skill based. And of those that were not this way related, the best thing you can do is learn about your opponents.

Summary

You may not like the game I played, and there are certainly people that are more well liked in this game than I dare say I am - indeed, a few of you are on the Jury for that very reason. Personally, I am very different from the person you may think of me right now in real, but in the context of this game I used my social game that would set up the connections I needed to make it this far, and had to be every bit as heartless and ruthless as I could in order to achieve what I have and play the game I did.

In the end you have to respect the fact I ripped this game up, and owned it in a way no one else can even come close to claiming. The carnage and the wreckage I left in my wake is proof of the instinct and effect I had, which was unmatched by anyone else in this game. As I even taught my daughter,



So, yes, I manipulated. I twisted the truth. I flipped and flopped repeatedly. And then did it again. I put targets on people and left shields in the game. Tried as best I could to limit the options of other players to make sure I was always in their plans, and by so doing kept as many as I could open for myself. I may have been a bitch, but it was done to aid minimizing the target on myself, while at the same time was able to inflate the target on others.And my positioning post merge and the ability to play both sides was always key.

Most importantly, I have the blood of every single person on the Jury on my hands. I am not embarrassed or shy away from this, rather I embrace it and wear it as a badge of honour; testament to the game I played, the effect I had and the mark I have left on it. There is only one person that can say that they contributed to every single one of you sitting where you are now and why I am sitting here.

Because of my social game, people trusted me, they believed me, and if they doubted me were either taken out or were forced to work with me, because I had eliminated other potential options. So even when I had gone against them the round before, proved time and time again was able to re-establish those connections, rebuild bridges and work with them again, only if I were to betray them again or indeed, even vote them out at the next opportunity. You can't do that unless you have a strong social game, and I put a lot of effort into this.

Neither Jeff or Kimmi can come close to laying claim to this. They pretty much picked an alliance and stuck to it. Neither was prepared to take the chances I did or would be as ruthless or dynamic. Even when they had arranged to make a move, such as with Hayden and Richard at F10, it was ill conceived and failed. Not just because I did not go along with it (although that certainly played a part, as it certainly was not in my best interests), but because it was also reliant on people that just 2 rounds before had been stung, and in Richard's case at least, had not properly healed.

All of which was achieved without ever once having immunity at any point. So while I potentially was vulnerable at every point along the way, the style of game I played and my ability to embrace it and position myself accordingly while playing all sides meant that I never needed any such immunity. There is always a way of surviving without immunity, and think I have conclusively proven that here. I am not looking to diminish the efforts of anyone who is good at challenges, but reliance on this is an error when there are much bigger components there also.

Overall, I'd say my game was a definite step-up from both Kimmi and Jeff's. For winning the odd challenge and bveing likeable and loyal, neither of them can claim to have impacted the game as I have. Or to have been anywhere near as dynamic as I have been. I took a stack of risks in this game, including voting out allies, but there was always a reason behind each move I made and how it would best suit my game, and my game alone, thanks as much to having played a solid social game, as it opened the doors for me to play the strategic game I did.

So, I don't know if this'll actually give you all the information you need or want out of me, or whatever, so be free to ask me any questions you want answered and will be more than happy to answer them. I have been brutal in this game, so I am anticipating some brutal questions and I promise you will get the brutal and honest truth. And while I am sorry if I hurt anyone's feelings, Just know that I don't regret any of my moves at all and I don't regret the decisions I made in the context of this game. I am very different outside of this game, but I am not asking that you take that into account, only judging me based on the game and how it related to getting me to this point here and being able to present the case I have.

So, yeah, once more, thanks for the opportunity to play and for making this such a fun experience! It has been a blast owning the shizznit out of this game, I think I definitely outwitted and outplayed, and now it is up to you all to determine if I deserve to earn your vote in having outlasted everyone also. There can only be one, and I definitely think I am worthy of being that one.