Finale: I Shall Be Released

[jamal]

[jamal]

God damn it typo.

Sarah voted out because she wouldn't fucking believe that Hayden was voting for her over Andrea. Jefra told me she voted Sarah after the deadline, so I could not idol her. Bleh. I mean, it's still not bad for my game, but fuck -- that's rough.

[jamal]

And Jefra just told me - conveniently - that Hayden has an idol this round. Do I believe her? Maybe. I've lost a bit of trust in her this round because of what she did, but I don't think she's stupid enough to take Hayden to the end. Nevertheless, that means that the goal this round is to either get Andrea or Jefra out, to guarantee that vote at the Final 4.

I will likely give Phoebe my necklace in the very unlikely scenario that I win immunity.

[jamal]

(Or just play the idol on her. That would be more of a badass move, in my opinion.)

[jamal]

At this point, I've made my bed in this game. If it's an F3, I think I have a pretty decent shot at making it. If it's an F2, that might be more up in the air. Jefra has to recognize that she can't beat Hayden in the end, and the best path to that end has to be against me. I imagine I may fill the goat role a little at this point, compared to at least Andrea/Hayden.

My game just hasn't been very visible nor has it been particularly honest and straightforward. But in the end, I'll own it for what it was. I'm not sure if I could have played differently and got this far, especially along with Phoebe.

Speaking of Phoebe, I'd like to sit with her at the end if I could, but that means she has to win this immunity (which I legit fucked up on). I am not sure if she can survive past this round, but I might be able to get Andrea to vote for Jefra -- pushing Jefra to vote for Phoebe. If I have Phoebe, Jefra, and Hayden in the F4, I think I can guarantee that I'll be at least F3 - knock on wood.

[jamal]

Even though Jefra claims that she is down vote Andrea right now, I'm anticipating she's going to push Phoebe to go. That would be the smart move -- cutting an asset away from me and making me an easy vote at the F4 if Hayden wins immunity again.

And since Hayden is likely playing the idol on Jefra, she is not a target right now.

So how do I get Phoebe to stay here?

Option A: Hope Jefra is telling the truth here (at this moment).

Option B: Talk to Andrea and Phoebe and tell Andrea to vote Jefra -- or hope that Andrea is voting Phoebe. Play the idol on Phoebe, sending Andrea hope as I vote for her.

Option C: Tell Andrea and Phoebe the whole situation -- Jefra knows about Hayden's idol, she's sketchy as fuck, to hopefully ensure that whoever stays around will vote with me in the F4 situation (this is a bit too crazy for me).

Option D: Tell Jefra that I'm using the idol on Phoebe and see if she actually trusts me enough to push the votes on Andrea instead of myself. This, though, would cause Jefra to lose a little bit of trust in me.

Undoubtedly, Jefra is the most powerful player in the game right now. She's played very, very well, and, in the end, I'd rather sit next to Phoebe - who I believe also has played well, but just a little more passively than Jefra.

[jamal]

LMAO. I told Phoebe to downplay my connections with Jefra, so she goes to her and asks Jefra if she would be down to vote me out. C'MON PHOEBE. BE MORE SUBTLE.

[jamal]

It actually might have worked. I told Jefra that she could vote with Hayden against me. And Phoebe will vote for Andrea with me, and it's 2-2-1 or 2-3 with Andrea going.

[jamal]

Really dreading Jefra blindsiding Phoebe here, but I can't really risk using the idol on her.

[jamal]

Woah - woah - okay.

I think I may have just made the FTC.

[jamal]

I should make Final Tribal Council here, but if I don't, good for them. I'm extremely happy with the game I've played and I'm very happy with any of the other three winning the game.

I can't let you all know enough how much I enjoyed this game. Hosts, I've never played a game (even my own), with more interesting and enjoyable challenges. This shit was time-affordable and yet all really fun. You guys do great work, and you SHOULD do a second season. And I mean it - Justin - STEAL MY GOD DAMN CHALLENGES (if they are up to your standard).

[jamal]

I truly do believe that I played the best game out of the two others here, but I'm not going to be mad if I lose. I think the other two have great stories as well. I'm excited/dreading defending myself at Tribal Council. My game has been very subtle, but very active. I got to make the subtle explicit, but that's probably going to be a bit difficult for me.

[jamal]

I really fear for Phoebe/Jefra changing their opening statements if I post mine before then. I've made a few drafts, but here is my latest:

Jamal's Opening Statement

Hello, all. First of all, I'd like to thank the hosts for putting together a fantastic game. I had quite a lot of fun playing it, and I hope that you were justly awarded with tons of interesting confessionals and insight. I'd also like to thank the VL who helped me get through one particular tough time. You all have no idea how much that meant to me.

Secondly, I'd like to congratulate my fellow partners-in-crime, Phoebe and Jefra for a game well-played. I hope to have a healthy debate with both of you on the merits of each other's games. And no hard feelings at the end!

Now, to the topic at hand.

I firmly believe I should win this game. Below, I'm going to outline my strategy, as well as a few important moves that I've made throughout this game. I think I played a subtle game, so I hope your questions encourage me to make the subtle explicit. I am extremely proud of how I played here, especially given the hand that was dealt to me. At times, I may have played more emotional than I would have liked. Those who were closer to me likely know some of the stuff I was going through in this game. But, in the end, I do not regret any move that I made.

Onto the info-dump. This is really a cliff-notes version, and I hope that you have questions about it so I can clarify.

My strategy from the very beginning was simple: communicate. I wanted to talk to as many people as possible and I wanted them to each think that I talked to them the most. In Survivor, relationships lead to alliances -- not the other way around! I had just finished Season 39 of Survivor, and I think I kind of subconsciously took the mantle of Tommy. He was social, charming, and always in the know. Luckily, I met quite a few people who I really "clicked" with on a personal level. On old RaroTonga, I met Jaime. She was my first real "ride or die." In Round 1, I also grew very close to Brenda. I encouraged Jaime to create an alliance of Brenda, Jaime, and I, which Jaime agreed to. We later brought in Silas as a fourth.

Of course, you know the story from there. We lost. We got our asses kicked. And, soon enough, we swapped. Brenda and Jaime - my closest allies - were on a different tribe, and I was left with Spencer and Phoebe, the two players I felt least close to. Luckily, I had found the RT Idol, but it could only guarantee me one round of safety. So I tried to socialize the best with my new tribemates.

I bonded really quickly with Sarah. I told her I had an idol very early on & we worked together quite well. For most of the rest of the game, Sarah was my #1 ally. We exchanged information and tried to keep our relationship as quiet as possible, always trying to throw each other subtly under the bus to others. I also bonded with Jefra -- we formed a partnership very early on that would obviously work well for both of our games. Like my relationship with Sarah, we tried to downplay our connection as much as possible. Over time, I grew to trust Jefra more and more, to a point where she and I were talking more with her than Sarah and I. I also grew close with Phoebe, especially after the merge -- she became the second person I would tell that I had an idol, with Jefra the third.

Throughout the rest of the game, these three people - Sarah, Jefra, and Phoebe - would put me in the know about most information. I knew, for example, that Locky was being disingenuous when he proposed an alliance with Phoebe and I, because Sarah told me that he ratted it out almost instantaneously. I proceeded to tell Phoebe that and we both kept each other on our toes around him. I knew that Silas did not trust me because he threw me under the bus to both Phoebe and Sarah multiple times. I knew that Hayden had an idol at the F5 and that he was playing it on Jefra, because Jefra told me about it at the F6, which allowed Jefra and I to orchestrate the F5 vote against Andrea. I knew the result of every vote in this game before it happened and I was never blindsided, although I was very disappointed when Sarah did not vote with me at the F6.

Those three alliances also helped me orchestrate some of the "big moves" of the game. Whether it be the Locky/Silas vote at the F7-F9, or the Andrea vote at the F5, my connections with people helped solidify those votes. I couldn't have done it alone, of course, but I feel like I often stood at the center of each voting bloc, pulling together different people because they all felt more close to me than others.

To circle back around, my main goal in the game was to keep people around who trusted me and to cut people who did not trust - or did not talk to me. I wanted people at the end who I enjoyed talking with, and, if you did not talk to me, I was not that interested. This is why, for example, I was so keen on pushing Aubry out over Andrea, who not only talked to me, but formed an alliance with Phoebe and I.

Above all else, I played hard. I played hard from Day 1. I was always thinking, always talking, always trying to form relationships, and always strategizing. Many of you saw this firsthand. At times, especially early on, I was an underdog, but managed to work my way into a majority over and over again. Despite being a threat at the F11, I did not receive a single vote until the F5 Tribal Council, which allowed me to keep my idol to guarantee a Final 4. I persevered, and, with the help of allies, I got to the end. I think I have a great story, and I will be honored, if, by the end of this, you vote for me to win.

[jamal]

ooooh boy I may have shit the bed with that Aubry response, but I hope I gain respect by some other jurors from it.

[jamal]

no idea what precisely means from aubry there, except I love the fact that she praised Phoebe for essentially doing the same thing I did - not making her a part of her plans, not promising anything, etc. Ooookayyyyy.