Board Thread:Season 30 - Svalbard/@comment-26457160-20160127212914/@comment-27162441-20160127231108

The movie that I can compare my game to the most is Law Abiding Citizen starring Gerald Butler and Jamie Foxx.



The character I relate to the most is Nick Rice, Jamie Foxx's character. Rice is a lawyer who is prosecuting the men that raped and murdered the wife and daughter of Clyde Shelton, Gerald Butler's charcter.

Nick Rice is a lot like me in the sense that we both wanted to play as safe as we could. Rice was hesitant to take a chance on his case because he didn't want to risk a loss, and that's something that I played by. I didn't want to take risks so early on because I didn't want to potentially dismantle my game. This however, would come back to bite me, similar to Nick Rice.

Clyde Shelton was always one step ahead of everything. He was so sharp and concise in his moves, and I apply this to players from this season: Alietta, Brett, Rhiannon for the most part. They were powerful beings in the game of Survivor and it felt like you couldn't touch them. It was going to take so much to outlast these people.

I caved in to them at times when I felt I didn't have the resources necessary to put them away. Nick Rice was hesitant at first to try and cut deals with Clyde Shelton, because he was always ahead of the game. Shelton took revenge against the men responsible for his family's murders, and although it was known he was guilty, he was able to provide enough doubt to save himself. The bigger players were in control, and for me, I felt like I couldn't do anything. So I kept at it, and I kept working. I knew that if I wanted to survive this, I needed to find a way to beat them at their own game.

I can compare Shelton's time in prison, to me targeting Alietta. When it seemed like things were finally going to work out, Alietta still kept fighting. She managed to convince people she had an idol and spared herself an extra vote. She continued to cause doubt and make me question my decision. Shelton continued to get his revenge on people and cause chaos from beyond his cell, and it felt like he was everywhere.

Nick Rice persevered until he discovered Clyde Shelton's secrets. He discovered a tunnel Shelton had access to, along with a supply of weapons. I never stopped looking for ways to get on the upper level, and when I found out about Alietta's plan to target Rhiannon, it gave me that boost. When Rhiannon didn't win immunity in the final 6, it gave me that boost. When I finally won an immunity challenge, it gave me that same boost I needed to make it through this.

Eventually, Nick Rice is able to overcome his obstacles. He successfully got one over on Clyde, and lived to tell about it. For me, I never thought I would make it this far. Every vote I felt like I was gonna have a panic attack because it was such a journey. I can sit here and plead my case and show that I too persevered until the end. I never sat back, I was active in the game. My biggest issue now is trying to find the words to say, because like in the game, I over-think and I'm filled with doubt. I didn't want people to view me as delusional or that I had no say in how things turned out, but at the same thing I was worried about flooding a person's screen with word vomit. Making it this far was not a fluke for me, and it's essential for me to express that.

I don't want people to count me out, because I had so much drive and fire inside me while playing this game. There were nights where I had trouble sleeping because things were running through my mind. I know I made mistakes, and I am still making them, but I'm only human. And for someone as quirky as I am, it's a rarity that I'll perfect writing a speech.

So Johnny, I hope you can understand where I'm coming from and may you vote to your heart's desire.