Stranded in Tanzania

Should have posted this last week, but it's better late than never.

Almost every day in the merge, I posted in my confessional that I was expecting to be targeted and sent home. Then, almost every night I convinced myself I'd be okay despite all the warning signs being there. The same exact thing happened when I was eliminated, and they got me good. I was surprised to see my name pop up 5 times despite knowing I was in a ton of danger. While I don't know if the timing made sense from everyone's perspective, the final 3 all made it to the end while deciding to get rid of me at that point, so I really can't be mad at them for their decisions. I actually wish I was more bitter about it, but yeah I'm not mad at all. More surprised I made it as far as I did with how many people had been throwing my name around even before we made it to the merge. So yeah, while I tried to do literally everything I could have to make it further and potentially win this game, I'm extremely proud of how I played to get to the final week of this thing. At least I can't name a single move I made that I personally regret.

Thanks again for allowing me to play. I know I was recruited a long time ago to no avail, and I've always wanted to sign up for this series. Extremely happy the timing finally worked out for me to be able to join the cast during a month which allowed me to put my all into this game.....especially because I doubt I will ever have as much time to invest in another one of these due to my normal work schedule. Honestly, this was the one good perk during this garbage year of being antisocial due to the virus. Definitely was a great distraction from the rest of the world.

I also got way more into this game than I was expecting. The cast, the people, the hosts, the structure, everything as a whole made you want to come back every day and hang out around here as much as you possibly could. I feel like this was the closest simulation to the actual show that I will ever get in terms of real people from different parts of the country (or world I guess) from different age brackets having to work together and interact with each other. I usually take on the role of another character and get invested in the creativity of trying to be someone else to keep things interesting, but everyone here played as themselves which made it much more real. People held their emotions on their sleeves, and players built real connections with others probably due to the instant message function. Coming into this game, I never would have expected to be comfortable trusting some people as much as I did and telling them some of the info I did in order to maintain that trust. Then again, I also would have never thought of myself as a leader of any type of group, much prefer the mindset of playing the middle and flipping between two groups, but you work with the people you think you can rely on. Have to play with the cards you are dealt, and it somehow almost worked out.

I mean I think we're all aware that the highs were high and the lows were low. While there were definitely twists that played a factor and some people definitely were impacted by the swap/idols/ect, those didn't dominate the game. The people playing it did which is how a good season should turn out. It wasn't luck or arbitrary BS as to who comes out on top or made it to the finals, it was based solely on the effort you put in and how you successful you were at building connections and strategizing with other strangers. The only downside was the Angelina and Missy drama, but even then, those two were a huge and necessary part of this game from the beginning to the end. Couldn't imagine this game without them.

I have no idea how this compares to other Stranded games. I also have no idea how this compares to other games I have played since it felt like a completely different experience. Either way, I had a blast. And that's really all that counts when you're trying to find something to pass the time these days. Thanks to everybody who was involved, and I hope I at least partially delivered on the ridiculous expectations poody gave to me before this started.

Extremely quick last minute Fallen Comrades before the final votes are due:



Elaine – Never met. Heard you weren’t around much.

Lyrsa – You need to learn how to type more than 2 words when you’re responding to anything. You were not a dead man walking when you showed up as a replacement.

Vince – Surprised you left over Karishma after seeing how infrequent she was here. Never met so nothing much to say, but heard you had some supporters at the very least.

Davie – Your vote still irks me, and it shockingly enough changed a ton about the rest of the game. Carl and Dan stopped trusting me even though I really wanted you to stay. Really thought the two of us got along when we spoke, but it seemed like you were left out of some of the competing alliances on this tribe and got hit by the crossfire. Always wonder if you would have been voted out had we expected to stay on the tribes longer.

Karishma – When you were around, you were absolutely hilarious. Think we had two conversations and really enjoyed you both, but we couldn’t keep you in over the others who were putting in their all.

Jessica – You know you were my favorite person in this game. Your elimination was easily the most shocking for me, especially after I sent you the idol. I really, really, really wish we could’ve have played longer together since I think we could have made things work to get the two of us to the end. I don’t really know how, but I would’ve done everything possible to make that happen. Still annoyed by the way you were blindsided, but you had a huge impact in the game despite leaving before you should have.

Elizabeth – Never met, but I heard you were a huge player and a massive influence within your original tribe. The way you went out was definitely brutal.

Christian – I did like talking to you Christian. That said, I felt like I had a better social connection with Alison, Kara, and Jack than I did with you. The game certainty would have turned out differently had we kept you in the game. I don’t regret my decision, but I hope you’re aware that you almost convinced Alison and Kara to keep you in the game. You went out giving it your all which I really respected.

Chelsea – I felt awful voting for someone I had never spoken to. That was a brutal twist at the final 14 looking back. Wish we could have gotten a chance to meet.

Missy – So many rumors have been spread about you BEFORE the cheating allegation. I don’t know what to think of you at all, but I think we could have had a working relationship. I didn’t want you to leave when you did because I knew a lot of people were going after you, but you also were fairly unpredictable in this game.

Lauren – I honestly don’t even know what to say about you, lot of mixed opinions. For starters, I fully believe you were the best character in this game. I also believe that you spread my name around to try to put a target on my back. If that was not your intention, that is fine, but I heard from a lot of people that you were bringing up my name. I don’t regret voting for you either time, but I also am of the opinion that you were playing a really good game. Had the idol not been a thing (or your group split the vote like they should have), I think you could have made a run for it. You were playing this game hard which I think is what everyone should be doing and deserves respect.

Carl – Fun fact: my first confessional in Episode 00 is calling you a madman. You came out of the gate strong, and you never took your foot off the gas. While I completely disagree with some of the decisions you made post swap and after the merge, I think you were extremely influential in terms of how this game ended up being played. Definitely left your mark, and it’s a shame we were unable to link back up after the merge.

Dan – I was a big fan of yours before the swap happened, and I really appreciated you giving me your coins. That said, there was a period of time where you chose your path, and it was clear it had nothing to do with me. I tried to work with you after the merge, and you thought you had a better plan. That’s cool, it was your decision, but it definitely wasn’t something that involved me. I think I was the hardest on you in my confessional.

Dean – Another person that I was never able to get on the same page with in this game. I felt like you were my biggest competition at the merge, and I still feel that way. You had an aura surrounding you that people were drawn to, and I didn’t like that. Had the Carl vote never happened at the final 11, I think you win this game.

Angelina – Really want to know what happened from your side. If Missy added you on facebook after she was eliminated, and you never received any additional information? Well, I think you got screwed. If you were collecting information and working with her outside the game all the way back during the swap, I really can’t respect you. On a personal level, I thought you were the funniest person in this game, and I really enjoyed talking with you. Wish we ended on a better note, and I hope you are allowed at the reunion and able to read the board when this is all over.

John – Overrated bum. Should’ve been voted out way earlier.

Alison – It was amazing to have someone like you as a partner in this game. Any thought either of us had, we could bounce it off the other without a worry in the world because we knew we could trust each other to not mention it to a soul. Happy I was able to find an ally as honest and loyal as you were, and I hope you know that there was never any circumstance where I would have ever voted against you in this game. Really wish we could have gotten to the end together, and you know that I was cheering heavily for you to win after I was voted out.

Nick – I think you were playing this game even harder than Carl from the get go. From day 1, you were trying to make money off idol clues, and it was clear that you would do anything to win. While that is an awesome quality to have as a player, it really is only beneficial if other people aren’t picking up on that. I do think you played this game really well, and I even voted for you as the person that I thought would win during the final 9 challenge. That said, there were some things you did that I thought could’ve been handled a little better to make yourself seem more trustworthy.

Tommy – Similar to Nick, it was obvious you were playing this game hard from the moment I met you. Also, similar to Nick, I think it made people trust you less to a certain degree, but you still almost made it to the end and were one vote away from potentially winning this game. If it was between you, Aaron, and Jack, I would’ve gone into tribal council leaning to vote for you honestly, but that could have changed after hearing some of your answers. Think you played really well, but you also did a couple things that I thought could have been improved on.

Jack – You got so much unnecessary crap for absolutely no reason. Still don’t really understand why anyone considered you a goat. You played this game hard and 100% deserved your spot in the final 3, your answers this weekend proved that. Really liked talking with you, especially on Poroto. You’re a really good dude. I wish our working relationship didn’t end so hastily and you had fought for me at least a little bit, but I’m fully aware this is a game. You have to pick your battles in order to move further in the game.

Aaron – Very similar to Dean from a gameplay perspective as far as being a great player, although completely different to Dean from a personality perspective. We were never got on the same page, and it’s funny how that war you kept talking about waging with loyal soldiers was always going to be against me. Really enjoyed talking to you throughout this game, despite neither of us ever successfully working together. I told everyone you would win if we didn’t knock you out sooner. So yeah, if you win, you definitely deserve it.

Kara – You were awesome throughout this game. Really wish it didn’t have to end on the sour note it did, but I get that you had to do what you had to do. Besides that one vote, I think we were able to work together extremely well for the entire game. You had an incredible strategic mind and you never backed down from what you wanted to happen (which is why it is so laughable to me that anyone thinks you’re under the radar). We didn’t always agree on what the best path was for us to take, but we were always willing to talk it out and make it happen for the betterment of our future in this game. If only I didn’t inadvertently make myself such a big thread, we could’ve made the final 3 together. Hope you win.

I am predicting a 4-3-1 vote. No idea who comes out on top, but I can't wait to find out.