Post by Fabio on Apr 16, 2015 16:10:50 GMT
Pictured (from left to right): RC Saint-Amour, Jud "Fabio" Birza, Peih-Gee Law
Hi! Before I start, I’d like to thank everyone involved with this game. Our lovely host, the great PWs, and of course my fellow players. Without all of you, this game wouldn’t have been as fun as it was.
Everyone knows the three basic tenants of Survivor. “Outwit, Outplay, Outlast.” A deserving winner will be best in all three of these things, and he doesn’t necessarily have to be a strategic powerhouse to do that.
Outwit – I was doing this from the very beginning. Coming into this game, I didn’t want to be perceived as a threat, either strategically nor physically. I underperformed in the tribal challenges/early merge challenges, and I made sure I didn't take a leading strategic role so that people wouldn't look at me as a threat. While doing this, I was making strong social connections that I would use to propel me into the endgame. My strategy paid off at the F7, when my close ally Brandon was blindsided. I felt like I was the easy target, but I was able to portray other players as bigger targets than me, and initially kept most eyes off of me.
Outplay – I played my ass off in the immunity challenges, and won at the F7, F5, and F4. At each of these boots, I could see myself going home if I didn’t have immunity. I might have been the easy target at the F7 after the Brandon vote. I definitely would’ve been idoled out at F5 instead of Todd had I not won immunity. And I think I was the obvious target at F4, if RC and PG both saying that I had "just won the game" is any indication.
Outlast – I think, despite having the hardest road, I "outlasted" in the cleanest way. I was loyal to those that were loyal to me, and I think I gave them respect that my fellow finalists did not. An example of this would be the Tyson vote. I respected Tyson enough to tell him that he was going home even though he thought Sierra would be going. He didn't even ask me to, but I thought he deserved to know. With almost every vote following that, I was sure to tell my allies what I was going to do, and I most importantly didn't break any deals I had made with my allies. This is where my fellow finalists falter. They made multiple deals within the game, due to their paranoia, that they had to break once they reached the endgame.
So, while my fellow finalists may have (so far) lasted as long as I have, they did it in a very Russell Hantz style way. I for one played like…well, the actual Fabio (hence the picture above). I may not have been a part of every vote, but I think I played a strong social and physical game that allowed me to sneak deep into the game before everyone else realized I was the #1 threat that needed to go. And by then, it was too late.
I have a lot more to say, but I will save that for the questions. Thank you everyone, and good luck to my fellow finalists!