Hey everyone! I'd like to start off by saying that this was absolutely an amazing season, one to definitely remember, and despite all of the blindsides, backstabbing, and all the major events, I think we all contributed into making this season one of the best!
For my jury speech, I'm separating it into two sections. The first one is an explanation of my entire journey and the end of it is just a summary. If you want to read absolutely everything I did, read the first part. If you don't really care too much and want a summary of my game, read the bottom!
Journey:
Okay so in this section I'd like explain my gameplay by explaining my entire journey and all the moves I have done, so this might take a while because I'm literally going to narrate it all lol just a warning. From the start of the game, I knew that I needed to make solid alliances while keeping a pretty low profile. I developed a bond with my closest friend and #1 ally of the season, Alexa, who is the person I leaned on and knew I wanted to get to the end with. We became a duo, and started creating bonds of our own. I talked to Marks, she talked to Jake, and then we decided to get the four of us together, creating the Virgins alliance, being it was all our first ORGs. Despite there being a foursome and powerful, nobody really knew who to get rid of, Julez or Loren. I spoke up after discussing with Alexa, and said it would've been smarter to take out Julez. Immediately from that, I knew that I was in danger of going home because I stepped up as a "leader" and that pisses people off. Through time and time, I got closer with Jake, which is why through 3 tribals straight, it was Alexa, Jake, and myself remaining. I controlled all of the votes on Leshan alongside Alexa, and that progress both of our games.
Once the Brawns had been losing, I volunteered myself to go to Five Flower Lake for a second time, sending two guys that I thought I could connect with, Emile and Jon. Emile and I didn't talk at first, but obviously later we developed a bond. I knew that the Brains were going to be the majority, and I brought up the idea to Jon to tell his tribe mates about creating a Brawn/Beauty alliance. This is what sparked the alliance that basically dominated in merge for a good amount of time. Alongside putting the idea out of a Brawn/Beauty alliance, I got the Blossom of Enlightenment that I KNEW I wanted to use to gain allies in this game, which comes to play later on.
On the tribe swap, Jake and I were placed in the middle. Yasmin and Vanne knew from what Jon and I discussed that an alliance was blooming, but Sim and Priscilla also offered one to us as well. We were in the middle and had all the power. Jake had brought up the idea to work with the Brains, but I ultimately controlled and told him it was smarter to work with the Brawns. I single-handedly created the path that was Brawn/Beauty vs Brains, and that division is what caused my game to progress even further.
Once the Merge hit I think I just went into overdrive mode and knew how to play aggressively but also passively, a perfect balance, and I think this is where my gameplay was at its best. I knew that TSN was going to be shady, and Emile and Erin were both saying they wanted to work with me. I brought up the idea that we'd tell Erin, Emile, and TSN to all vote for Mai, and the Brawn/Beauty alliance (which excluded TSN by the way) would vote for Aromal to go. Through I guess miscommunication or Yasmin wanting things to go her way (still dont know), Yasmin told Erin to vote for Aromal instead of Mai. Since that moment, I had my eyes on Yasmin and Jake for not going with my original plan. I wasn't willing to risk my game for Mai, despite wanting to work with her immensely. With that, we told TSN and Erin to vote for Aromal, and I was forced into voting Mai to keep up with my original plan, even if the end result wasn't what I favored. I used my Blossom of Enlightenment, which for a second time in this game created the division for the rest of the game. From that I created a bond with Erin, and people knew I was a powerful and dangerous player. Assuming TSN was going to flip, The vote was to be 6-5-0, and ultimately it was that before Priscilla played her advantage.
Priscilla going home was single-handedly my move. Everyone on The Zodiac Party alliance (the original Brawn/Beauty alliance with Erin) knows that Aromal was originally going to be targeted again. I saw Priscilla's potential competition wise and socially wise, and Priscilla I think you were ultimately a big threat in my game so I wanted to do everything I could to get you out. Despite everyone disagreeing at first, I convinced everyone to target Priscilla over Aromal. With that, the plan was created to tell Emile to vote Aromal, as well as two of our members to vote for him as well. It were to be 4-3-3 under my plans, and ultimately it was that, and people took a risk in my move even though Priscilla flashed an idol and advantage. Emile from that point proved he was going to listen to what I was to tell him, and I took advantage of it.
Yasmin going home was also apart of my plans since the Mai elimination. Alexa had told me that Jake wanted to flip, but he was nervous that I wasn't willing. That was the click for me to be open about my plans, and I immediately talked to Jake about flipping against Yasmin. Yasmin had been trying to dictate the plans in the Zodiac Party, and I did not want to vote the way she wanted, because ultimately I wanted things to go my way. With that, TSN and Aromal both asked me directly who they should vote for, and I told them Yasmin. I convinced Erin and Emile to flip with that as well. The vote was to be 7-2, and it turned out to be exactly that.
Jake going home was honestly not even my plan, but I had major influence in it. Through Alexa, I knew that Jake wanted to flip against me. Obviously I knew it was my time to strike, and with Jake's advantage I didn't know what to do. Jake tried to take advantage of Vanne's betrayal and get her to flip against me, but through my right bond with her a girls alliance was created. Vanne told the other girls that we need to get Jake out before he tried to come at me, and with that I didn't need anymore convincing. Vanne specifically targeted Jake for targeting me, and I think with that it shows how strong of a player I was, because I didnt even need to try to get people to target people I wanted out. Jake was going to vote his own way, and TSN and Aromal were going to vote another. The vote was to be 5-2-1, and it was that in the end.
Aromal was a move that I wanted to make ever since Mai's elimination. There wasn't really much to it to be quite honest, but I think Vanne still wanted to have extra votes incase an idol was played. In fact, the only people who had idols to my knowledge were Alexa's and Emile's which they both told me about. This comes to play later on during Erin's elimination.
At the Final 6, Emile left so I knew I didnt have his vote to rely on, and Alexa told me she made an alliance with Vanne and TSN. TSN was talking to me about flipping, so instantly I knew I could use him to my advantage even more, the same way I was using Emile since the Priscilla vote. Vanne was trying to target me, and I knew I wanted to strike even more now. With that, Alexa played her advantage to restrict Vanne's vote, and the plan was that it would be 4-0 Vanne. Another vote worked to my plan perfectly.
Erin was eliminated because she was lying to me. After Alexa played her idol, I pretended to be so hurt and betrayed, and I asked her if she knew anything about it. Alexa told me about the information she told Erin, so when Erin stated to me that she knew absolutely nothing about Alexa's idols, I knew she could possibly betray me down the line. With that, the blindside was formed to get rid of her. I told Emile to play his idol on TSN to gain his favoring in the F4, and thus he did. The plan with Emile's idol play was that it would be a 4-0 vote, and Erin was eliminated 4-0.
At the Final 4, I ultimately knew I needed to help Alexa out. She was going to be voted no matter what, and I tried to convince Emile to keep her. This didnt work out, but I brought up the idea of a tiebreaker to see if she could win. TSN was eliminated in a way nobody really expected, but Alexa was in the F3 with me which was a goal to start with.
Now recently, Alexa was ultimately probably going to lose against Emile. I convinced through emotional manipulation and "logical" explanation that I was the smarter choice to bring to the end with, and that Emile and I were the true duo in the end. It was awful because I wanted Alexa in the Final 2 originally, so I did everything I could to not slander her name. At the end, it worked out and once again my plan went flawlessly to making it to the Final 2. Obviously I would love to be here with Alexa, who was my Day 1 ride or die, but the fact we made it to the Final 3 was amazing enough as is.
Summary:
This entire game I willingly put myself in a vulnerable position, the leadership position. I think everyone knew it or had suspicions of it, and that was simply because I had an opinion of who I wanted gone each tribal and I wasn't going to stay quiet about that. I drew the line between Beauty/Brawn vs Brains, and that played a MAJOR influence in this game. I had the closest ally of mine Alexa that we dominated this game with, but I think in the moves whatever I truly wanted to happen, happened. Every vote went perfectly to my plan, and people actually listened to me. Again, I was a leader, and yet I made it to the Final 2 without ever getting a vote cast against me. It was talked around that people would say they wanted me out, but when I ever got the sense that somebody was, I tried to get rid of them (biggest two examples are Jake and Vanne). I had people like Emile (who relied only on competition wins) and TSN (who hoped and prayed every tribal he wasn't targeted as he was in the minority), they did everything I asked of them, which proved that I was a manipulative player and was able to play this game in a social and strategic standpoint.
This game is Outwit, Outplay, Outlast, and I believe I truly achieved all three of those. Not only was Sichuan about the typical Survivor phrase, but it was about Beauty, Brain, and Brawn as well. Through my social bonds and manipulation, I believe I proved myself to be a Beauty. Being tied with Priscilla for immunities, I proved to be one of the strongest female competitors in this season, proving myself to be a Brawn. And finally, through my strategic gameplay and surviving this game with 0 votes cast against me, I proved myself to be a Brain.
I believe I played the game to the best of my ability, I lied when I had to but I was not a fake person in this game. I had true intentions and only got dirty when I truly needed to, which was when I needed to advance my game even further. If you feel betrayed or hurt by the moves I did, it was never a personal move, only strategic. I did what I had to do to get myself to the end, and never wanted to jeopardize who I am as a person to get there. I hope you can all see my game for the way it was, and vote for me because I truly feel like I played Survivor to the best of my ability, and hopefully I get rewarded for that!
Again, great season to you all, and Sichuan is one to go down as one of the best!