Board Thread:Survivor 43: San Andrés/@comment-26161875-20200523041718/@comment-26156957-20200523192042

Heyo Jack!! This season definitely had the missed potential for us to connect so I look forward to getting to know you better after this!

“As an old school player, how do you adapt your gameplay to make sure you will survive the season.

Having last played long enough to be considered old-school means three things in my opinion. I’m already familiar with the game from having played before. I’ve gained more life experience with enough time to reflect upon my past game. Finally, I was required to adapt to the next era of 703 Survivor gameplay which is much more fast-paced and filled with such capable and competitive players. My original season featured a handful of players that could be considered duds, but almost everyone in this cast had that passion to play and win.

I was 15 when I first played and now I’m 19. Four years is more than enough time for someone to change when it’s still early for them in life. This could range from better understanding yourself, building a sense of maturity, or even learning new skills. I know for me since then, after high school graduation, I stepped out of my usual comfort zone to experience a greater world and opened myself up to new walks of life. A lot of this played a significant role in how I approached this season and how I conducted myself throughout. I did a much better job at socializing more casually with people, learned to not repeat the same mistakes, and fully adjusted my game to meet the harsh demands of this season and it’s monumental caliber of gameplay.

“Do you think the AAA alliance had helped you to reach the Final 3?

Aaron and Abi absolutely played pivotal roles in helping me reach the Final 3. Although the AAA alliance wasn’t official, once we merged is when I considered them my closest allies in this game. I was always looking out for them and did my best to ensure they didn’t get voted off when I had influence to change the vote. Abi was on the chopping block at our first tribal but I put a good word in for her to wipe the target off her back. At our first merge tribal, everyone used the excuse that you voted early Jack to eliminate you instead. But it was also in my best interest to vote you off since you were targeting Aaron and I couldn’t have that moving forward.

While the Rob tribal forced me to collaborate with Aaron as my #1, I think it was for the best since it allowed us to become truly close and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. Aaron and I were the victims of multiple split votes, but we were able to overcome that together until the entire tribe finally turned against us. We all now know that Aaron was the reason I secured the Soacha idol. I wouldn’t have been able to form the proper setup for me and Abi to reach Final 4 without it once Aaron got blindsided and I was forced to turn on him. The perception was that Aaron and I were equivalent to Jim and Mackie as an inseparable pair. But I also had Abi without that perception being so obvious until the late-merge.

I knew Abi was an exceptionally loyal player from her past ORGs so I wanted to always reciprocate that mutual attribute so I could have her back knowing she had mine. People were more willing to work with Abi than they were with me, but we managed to capitalize on that which allowed for both of us to navigate through the endgame. We were able to go as far as we could together until the Final 4 became a matter of who won immunity between me and Mackie, allowing the other to defeat the winner’s closest ally in the tiebreaker.

The burden with AAA is that it was such an obvious threesome and there was no hiding it, unlike the real secret Final 3. It’s upsetting to me that we all couldn’t get here together but their influence in this game never went in vain. They undoubtedly helped me survive all 39 days in their own ways and I’m grateful I can consider them the best allies I've met in this game.

I hope I offered enough insight for your questions. I’ll be seeing you real soon!