Board Thread:Season 55 - Nakuru/@comment-7073826-20191025000927/@comment-24277959-20191025233210

Hey Jino,

To answer your question, I believe I should be voted for as the winner, despite having to go back on my promises to a few jurors, because it was the approach I had to play with in order for me to reach Day 39, and because putting the lies aside, I believe I displayed the characteristics of outwitting, outlasting, and outplaying more so than Nicole (who was also labeled a frequent liar in the game).

I covered it entirely in my speech as to why I had to lie and break promises, but if you couldn’t read that I understand if you’re busy and can explain again here in a shorter form. The reason why I had to play the way I did is because of the target I had on my back coming into the season, along with the perception of me as being a challenge beast and immunity idol magnet. In the 3rd time I played and lost, I was voted out and blindsided early in the jury phase for playing too selflessly in a game where you need to be selfish to survive. I stuck my neck out too far for my alliance and it was my undoing because my position in the game crumbled from the outside looking in.

I believe Survivor is about having to always adapt and change your game for the better, and in order for me to have survived and not go out in the same exact way as I did in HVV2, I had to play a more aggressive style of game and make people believe me and want to work with me to have options moving forward. I truly believe that if this was a newbie season, I could’ve gone the loyal route, but in returnee seasons, you are shaped by the perception you give off, and if I played too up front and loyal, I was going to fall hard again.

Jino, on a personal level, I want you to know the relationship we formed was real and you were, to me, the nicest and most easy-going person in the game to talk to on a human level. I know you’re really hurt from your speech and I’m not here to invalidate your feelings at all, because if anything, you being hurt shows that you have a huge heart and I’m going to apologize to you for having to go back on my word. I had to vote you out because from a game perspective, I truly believe that had you stayed any longer, you weren’t going to be voted out for a very long time because of how likable you were.

So Jino, I want to ask you to vote for me because the actions I had to perform in lying to you and voting you out were entirely separate of the bond we formed this season. After the Ashlee vote, where I had no idea you were voting Chris up until Natalia told me, I told you I was okay with that because that was your best move at the time to stay alive and that didn’t change how I felt about you personally. By this same token, I hope you’re able to understand that me voting you out was my best case to stay alive too, because before that, I was the target from Nora after my score was swapped, and I had to fight to stay alive in the game, while also casting a vote that was best for me to advance in the game. I really hope you can understand and that we can maintain our friendship when this is all said and done.

As for the number, since Nicole stole my idea smh, I’m going to pick number 2, because this season is a final 2, and I’m hoping the two of us can be fine after this game is over, even if that sounded corny as fuck I’m sticking to it LOL