Board Thread:Survivor: Wales (Season 1)/@comment-25231782-20141015141742

Firstly, I wanted to thank Gibson and Tyler for hosting this game. Considering the twists and turns of this game, ranging from the Final 2 set-up to Sanctuary, the Schoolyard Pick, and the Tribe Swap, Wales has been a tumultuous season, requiring constant adaptation and thinking. And the hosts deserve credit for organising this heck of a game. I also want to thank all the 17 other contestants in this season, both on the jury and off the jury. Without you all, I wouldn't be here. And overall, even though the unpredictability of this season made the game a lot of hard work, I did enjoy the experience and am grateful for it. So thank you.

When I came into this game, I had one goal: to win. My strategy was to be adaptable and "anybody but me". As long as my name was not on the voting parchment, I was willing to do and say what's necessary to get me through another three days. Quickly, I contacted Alexis on Day 1 and formed a majority alliance on Ddraig, with me bringing in Diego and Alexis bringing in Jeffy. And we brought Aaron to solidify the group, creating a majority which would safeguard my safety during the premerge. I think I'm self-aware and I knew that I could be chatty and sociable. People like talking to me, and I used that to extract information from them that they wouldn't otherwise reveal.

This information, such as Jeffy and Diego's disdain for each other, is currency in Survivor. Once we switched tribes, I knew that I had to lay low. That's when Aaron became useful. He was a huge lightningrod, able to attract attention away from me. Nobody would target me as long as Aaron is around. And I inflated people's opinions of Aaron, labelling him "King Aaron" like Tyson did with Aras, to exaggerate his threatening status so that he continued to be a pinata pulling all the votes.

The motto of Survivor is "Outwit, Outplay, Outlast". I outlasted by getting to Day 39, deflecting votes off me so that nobody would view me as a threat until it was too late. I stayed quiet and calm when I needed to be, playing the role of the nurturing mediator that people needed me to be so that I would stay longer. Milking my social game to extract information, I would become the girl who would assuage people and assure the boys that they were safe, before I cut their throats. My hands are drenched with blood, but I got to Day 39 using my social game, and that's how I outlasted.

For "Outwit", I was the person responsible for the majority of the deception in the merge phase. On Day 1, I formed a tight bond with Brittany, despite the Ddraig alliance. And when Aaron emerged as a ringleader and Reid, with his misogyny, dictated the Laure and Courtney boots, I knew that the girls were in danger. The main contenders for this season seemed to be men at first. Aaron, after all, is a strategic mastermind, Diego is fantastic at challenges, and Jeffy has a bit of both. And the girls were pawns in the men's endgames. Determined to play the game and to be nobody's pawn, I created the all-girl alliance after kidnapping Tine.

The reason why James got unanimous votes was because of me: I convinced Tine and Sarah to abandon their own tribemate with a Final Four deal. A secret all-girl alliance of me, Brittany, Tine, and Sarah, called the Hollaback Girls after the Gwen Stefani song. We would remain in secret, while the men focus on each other. And like the Black Widow Brigade, we would pick off the men one by one, blindsiding them to make idols obsolete. This is my idea, and that's why I'm drenched in blood. But yes, I was the creator of the alliance.

With the help of three other amazing girls, the alliance took control of the merge and achieved what we set out to do. And we blindsided the major threats that stood in our way, allowing us to start winning immunities and stand a chance in the Final Tribal Council. I didn't want to ride coattails, and the Hollaback Girls managed to reverse Reid's dream of an all-guy Finale. And for that, I thank Brittany, Sarah, and Tine for the amazing, efficient alliance that we run through our friendship and the information that we extracted from the boys. I had to outwit the boys and keep the all-girl alliance a secret, because if the truth got out, that alliance could easily be shutdown. Ultimately, the alliance was successful, deceiving and fooling.

For "Outplay", I provided a physical game to accompany my strategic game and social game. Earlier in the game, I tried to de-emphasise my challenge abilities. Aaron and Diego made it easy for me to slip back unnoticed in terms of my ability in challenges, considering how great they are in immunities. I'll admit that I'm not the best physical competitor. I couldn't rival Jeffy in endurance challenges, and as Sarah proved in the Final Immunity, I'm average at flash games and puzzles, beaten by others. However, once the boys were gone and no more lightningrods existed to detract attention away from me, I knew that I had to start winning immunities to stop Sarah, Tine, and Brittany from potentially getting me out in 4th or 3rd. I won immunities when I needed to win them, totalling 3 and including the all-important final immunity. Although I wouldn't be here without the help and trust of many people on the jury, including Sarah and Tine, my immunities did protect me and helped me outplay people in challenges.

I feel that my game was most similar to Parvati's, in terms of her strategic vision from Micronesia and her physical abilities in HvV. And Brittany, even though I love her to death, didn't have to do as much as I did and played a game more similar to Amanda's: she was a vital asset but she was second-in-charge. Anything that I did in this game, I didn't do out of malice. I didn't enjoy lying or hurting people's feelings. The friendships and relationships that we've established *are* genuine, and if I upset anybody, I apologise. After this game is over, I plan to stay in contact with you all, regardless of whether you vote for me or not. But I hope you all respect the great game that is Survivor and at least consider the strategic, social, and physical aspects of my game.

I worked hard, never stopped thinking about how to get through another three days, and never *ever* gave up. And that's why I think I deserve your vote. Thank you for reading! Sorry about the words. 