Board Thread:Season 12 - All-Stars/@comment-6011150-20140218023400/@comment-11497002-20140218034808

Taylor,

You chose to value loyalty in this game and that's your prerogative. But loyalty wasn't a value I was trying to uphold in this game, certainly in real life but not in this game. The values I upheld were dedication, resilience and self-reliance. All the moves I made were based purely on doing what was best for my game, so you can critique me for not being loyal but that wasn't something I was trying to be. I was loyal to myself; I was here to prove something to myself and I had to remain loyal to myself above all else, which meant doing what was right for me and what I wanted to do.

You decided not to vote for me at final four due to your loyalty you felt towards me. I thank you for that and that is your decision but my social game still influenced your decision. If I had not built up a connection and trust with you, if I had not been true to you and supported you throughout the game, then you would have felt no loyalty towards me at the end and you would have voted for me instead of Lloyd. So it was your decision who to vote for but my social game still came into play there. I assured you I was on your side to keep that trust and loyalty. If I had told you I was voting for you then you wouldn't have remained loyal to me.

In no way was I a floater at any point in this game. If you read my FTC speech and responses I highlight the many plans and moves I made that prove I was an active and hard-working player in this game, and that I was the one progressing myself through this game. In Andrei's speech, I highlight my three best moves that defined my game, and two of them were made pre-merge so I was doing a lot during this time, I just kept it under wraps because I didn't want to be perceived as a threat. A floater just goes with the majority and doesn't try to do anything independently. How can you say I was a floater? At final 11 I suggested we vote out Uli even though others wanted to vote out Jhet. I didn't just roll over and accept that, I kept campaigning. Even when the others voted for Jhet I still voted for Uli because that was what I wanted to do, not what everyone else wanted me to do. Instead of sticking with the majority I started making new alliances and arrangements. I started working with Uli and Zac. That isn't floating. You decided not to vote for Adam at final 8. If I was a floater I would have agreed with you and voted for Zac but I didn't. I wanted Adam out so I decided to do it anyway. I made my own independent decision. I took a risk and played the idol on Zac rather than keep it to protect myself. That shows long-term thinking and courage, not floating.

Gerda just voted with her alliance until final 5. I didn't want to take the easy route; I wanted to have a say in who would be at the endgame to make sure it would be people who would work with me. You may think going against my alliance is not loyal but it proves beyond a doubt that I was never a floater. I would appreciate if you read my answers to Andrei's question for evidence on just how much I achieved during the pre-merge and the entire game. I'll highlight one move that you will be familiar with and know that it shows I'm not a floater.

At Kevin's elimination I was the deciding vote. It was very early in the game before Lloyd and Gerda had even been to Tribal Council, before they'd even had to do anything. And I was already playing hard and making decisions to get me through this game. You wanted me to vote for Kevin but I wasn't just going to do what people told me. From the second Tribal Council I was already showing that I was an independent thinker and self-reliant. That I could make it through this game by myself and I didn't need to be guided through. I voted out Kevin because it was better for me to keep Andrei, and to have Ash as a close ally. Keeping Andrei in this game was a defining moment. The game would have been completely different if he had gone so I had a huge impact on this season. I kept control of my game always. I kept on top of my alliances and on top of the votes. I was a dominant force on my tribes pre-merge. I was at the centre of Mpilo after the switch and ran three consecutive vote-outs. I was dominant, active, fierce and resilient. But I was also smart and kept my moves hidden, I didn't brag about what I was doing because I wanted people to underestimate me. And that worked. Here I am in the final. You don't have to vote for me but you can't say I am a floater.