[Sophie]

- Mon Dec 14, 2015 6:17:48 am #8391

Wow. Throwback to when I gave a scathing review of everyone's game in Namibia that made it to the Final 3. Let's hope none of you were as harsh as I was! Seriously, I'm downright honored and shocked to have made it this far. I think anyone who says that they knew they would make it to the end in a season of 24 players that have already done this jig at least one other time is a bit of a liar. I know that I thought the farthest I would make it would be the early merge, and it turns out, I likely would've been there had it not been for a lot of factors leading me here. I know tonight that you jurors likely have a lot of beef with me, and have a lot to say to me as well. And I am 100% fine with that, and I knew that if I ever made it here, I wasn't going to have fans all across the board. I know I've done questionable things in this game and lied to many of you, but I'm hoping tonight that I clear that up. Ultimately, what it boils down to is the name of the type of game we're playing. Survivor. I know that I encompass everything that comes with the title of being the winner, and I hope to prove that to you tonight.



Obviously my game did not start at WaiWai. I was one of the lucky six people that ended up going to Pirai during the initial stage of four tribes existing. I think out of all the tribes to land on, I think everyone (sans Carl RIP) was happy to have landed on Pirai. During this stage of the game, my goal was to lay low while still forming connections and getting myself in to a majority alliance. I was able to do that right away with Rupert, Flicka, and Kimpy. Although Artis wasn't initially in the alliance, I think I had just as close of a relationship with him as I did with anyone else on the tribe (besides Flicka). But obviously the land of sunshine and rose petals didn't last forever, and the literal sandstorm of chaos was the tribe I went to (Aka WaiWai). WaiWai had 5 people originally on it from Pirai, which instantly made me a huge target, combined with the fact that I could perform well in challenges. After we made it clear that we were sticking together, the target strengthened. I think one of the things people may critique about my game is that I didn't seem open to other options besides my original tribe. The truth is, I was DEFINITELY open to doing something, but the time to make a move against someone from original Pirai was not during those first two votes. Diane and Sean were two people who weren't going to be with me more than the people I had spent time with, and Gabe was someone I definitely trusted already and so his name wasn't going to be the one we ever wrote down over there if my say mattered (which obviously it did). After the Sean vote, I think that's when the Sophie that you see now emerged. I was the PRIME target by a lot of people, and it was more so from people on the other tribe than it even was on my own. After Rupert, one of my closest allies, left the game, I really knew that I had to make it to the merge and get a "fresh start." I think my sociability and allies as well as my venting partner in the form of Kimmi really were the key factors in keeping me going through this stage and keeping me alive. I was never one to dismiss a connection or potential ally, so even when I voted differently from people, I made sure to make it clear that the possibility of us working together down the line was not that unlikely. But the chaos at WaiWai only got crazier once the merge started to appear on the horizon, and everything seemed to be completely questionable besides one thing: I was going to be a huge target.



SO I know that a backstory on my season really isn't wanted or anything, but I thought for sure that the Namibian merge was the craziest stage that would ever happen to me during my time of playing these games. I was so so so wrong. I'm not going to go through every vote, but I'll say this. Going in to the merge, I knew people were going for my head, and so that's why I immediately decided to go for the public idol. After finding it, I made sure to make people think I would play it by either saying I wouldn't play it, or by just telling them what they thought were "clues" during tribal councils. I was able to bluff my way through two of the votes, but during the Final 11 vote where one of my closest allies left, I handed my idol to Kimmi even though she voted for Marissa (whom I definitely did not want to go home). I knew that Kimmi was more concerned with me than I was with her, and doing that kind of reinforced the fact that I was never going to go against her in the game, even if we were to ever win the partnership talismans. My reason for voting for Flicka, who definitely was my ally, during the Final 11 round was simple: she was going to be the hardest person to vote out in the game. I knew Flicka was going to be a big threat way back in WaiWai. She had the sociability and genuineness in her character, and also was really good at laying low and making people want to work with her. I instantly came to her afterwards and told her how sorry I was (completely genuine), and we were able to continue working together even if she may have hated my guts The Artis vote is probably one I'll get some slack on, and that's deserved. Artis, all I can say is that I did not want the vote going to a tie. I knew as we were sitting in tribal that the vote tying could only lead to you likely still going home, but if it didn't, I definitely didn't want rocks to end up sending one of my allies that was in a better position than you or I home.

[Sophie]

- Mon Dec 14, 2015 6:42:42 am #8403

Wow. Throwback to when I gave a scathing review of everyone's game in Namibia that made it to the Final 3. Let's hope none of you were as harsh as I was! Seriously, I'm downright honored and shocked to have made it this far. I think anyone who says that they knew they would make it to the end in a season of 24 players that have already done this jig at least one other time is a bit of a liar. I know that I thought the farthest I would make it would be the early merge, and it turns out, I likely would've been there had it not been for a lot of factors leading me here. I know tonight that you jurors likely have a lot of beef with me, and have a lot to say to me as well. And I am 100% fine with that, and I knew that if I ever made it here, I wasn't going to have fans all across the board. I know I've done questionable things in this game and lied to many of you, but I'm hoping tonight that I clear that up. Ultimately, what it boils down to is the name of the type of game we're playing. Survivor. I know that I encompass everything that comes with the title of being the winner, and I hope to prove that to you tonight.



Obviously my game did not start at WaiWai. I was one of the lucky six people that ended up going to Pirai during the initial stage of four tribes existing. I think out of all the tribes to land on, I think everyone (sans Carl RIP) was happy to have landed on Pirai. During this stage of the game, my goal was to lay low while still forming connections and getting myself in to a majority alliance. I was able to do that right away with Rupert, Flicka, and Kimpy. Although Artis wasn't initially in the alliance, I think I had just as close of a relationship with him as I did with anyone else on the tribe (besides Flicka). But obviously the land of sunshine and rose petals didn't last forever, and the literal sandstorm of chaos was the tribe I went to (Aka WaiWai). WaiWai had 5 people originally on it from Pirai, which instantly made me a huge target, combined with the fact that I could perform well in challenges. After we made it clear that we were sticking together, the target strengthened. I think one of the things people may critique about my game is that I didn't seem open to other options besides my original tribe. The truth is, I was DEFINITELY open to doing something, but the time to make a move against someone from original Pirai was not during those first two votes. Diane and Sean were two people who weren't going to be with me more than the people I had spent time with, and Gabe was someone I definitely trusted already and so his name wasn't going to be the one we ever wrote down over there if my say mattered (which obviously it did). After the Sean vote, I think that's when the Sophie that you see now emerged. I was the PRIME target by a lot of people, and it was more so from people on the other tribe than it even was on my own. After Rupert, one of my closest allies, left the game, I really knew that I had to make it to the merge and get a "fresh start." I think my sociability and allies as well as my venting partner in the form of Kimmi really were the key factors in keeping me going through this stage and keeping me alive. I was never one to dismiss a connection or potential ally, so even when I voted differently from people, I made sure to make it clear that the possibility of us working together down the line was not that unlikely. But the chaos at WaiWai only got crazier once the merge started to appear on the horizon, and everything seemed to be completely questionable besides one thing: I was going to be a huge target.



So I know that a backstory on my season really isn't wanted or anything, but I thought for sure that the Namibian merge was the craziest stage that would ever happen to me during my time of playing these games. I was so so so wrong. I'm not going to go through every vote, but I'll say this. Going in to the merge, I knew people were going for my head, and so that's why I immediately decided to go for the public idol. After finding it, I made sure to make people think I would play it by either saying I wouldn't play it, or by just telling them what they thought were "clues" during tribal councils. I was able to bluff my way through two of the votes, but during the Final 11 vote where one of my closest allies left, I handed my idol to Kimmi even though she voted for Marissa (whom I definitely did not want to go home). I knew that Kimmi was more concerned with me than I was with her, and doing that kind of reinforced the fact that I was never going to go against her in the game, even if we were to ever win the partnership talismans. My reason for voting for Flicka, who definitely was my ally, during the Final 11 round was simple: she was going to be the hardest person to vote out in the game. I knew Flicka was going to be a big threat way back in WaiWai. She had the sociability and genuineness in her character, and also was really good at laying low and making people want to work with her. I instantly came to her afterwards and told her how sorry I was (completely genuine), and we were able to continue working together even if she may have hated my guts The Artis vote is probably one I'll get some slack on, and that's deserved. Artis, all I can say is that I did not want the vote going to a tie. I knew as we were sitting in tribal that the vote tying could only lead to you likely still going home, but if it didn't, I definitely didn't want rocks to end up sending one of my allies that was in a better position than you or I home. And then after that, I think the game started to work in my favor while simultaneously working against me. I mean in my favor since my commitment to beating the odds and winning literally spiked through the roof, and each challenge win made me more motivated to win the next, since I knew I was in trouble if I didn't. Kelly leaving meant that one more person who would for sure have a better case against me in the Finale left, and then my partner leaving right after that left me with mixed feelings on my state in the game. The Final 7 round was probably one of the most bittersweet experiences I've ever had in Stranded, since Gabriel was probably the person I had the most in depth conversations with and had built a lot of trust with even after I lied to him back at WaiWai. I was able to play my idol (which ugh I sadly found just seconds before Gabe) to keep myself safe, but losing an ally was tough, even if they were going to write my name down. And then the Final 6 and Final 5 both made me think that I actually had a chance at winning the game. Sugar was far and away the biggest social threat left, because she was amazing as fuck even when we hated each other, and so her leaving made the only person I knew I would for sure lose against that was left in the game Flicka. Flicka was everything to look for in a winner, and that's why her leaving was a decision that I think everybody was in agreement with (even Shane, who said so afterwards). I think a lot of questions may come up about why Mookie is still here when I could've had a better chance at beating Jenna, but I just don't think I could argue as well against Jenna's game as I could against Mookie. Mookie's was very clear cut: Lay low and make people think you're the strategic mastermind that's slightly less threatening than the current threat. Jenna on the other had a huge hand in many votes. Ultimately, I'm more than pleased about how this merge went down. I've lost many allies and seen many people go that were huge threats to me having a chance at winning.



"Sophie, You Suck. You only got here because of challenge wins." - To be honest, that had a huge hand in getting me here. Let's look at the math. Of the ten tribal councils that we attended in the merge, I was immune or with an idol for 8 of them. That means only two I was actually vulnerable for, but I still took risks and still had a huge chance of going home every single round. My first priority was always to make sure that I won over people in to thinking that I wasn't a threat, since that was the only way I was going to avoid being voted for by the people against me strategically (such as Sugar, Kelly, and Mookie). This didn't work, and that's why immunities were always a necessary fallback that ended up becoming my main source of protection. Although i won immunity, none of you can say I had a poor social game. I sent messages of quality to everyone, and always was eager to get back to people. The immunities and idols hands down had a huge role in getting me here, but my sociability was crucial in the pre-merge phases as well as the early merge in keeping me through to my immunity-run era.

"Sophie, you suck. You were rude and brash and we hate you." - To say that I'm a lovable duckling of a human being is definitely false, and I think I was definitely more brash in this than I was outright friendly. I always play with my guard up in Stranded, since I become so invested and so eager to win, but I know that being friendly has always just earned me the title of being "fake" in previous games. Because of that, I was always responsibe when people said something that I didn't agree with, and I think that can be seen at my tirade against the hosts during the Final 10 tribal. I've apologizes to the hosts since then, and I do apologize if I rubbed anyone the wrong way. I was always committed to this game, and sometimes that ended up making me very brazen and harsh. I think a good example of this can be found in the way I immediately went to Kelly after the Marissa vote and basically explained how hurt I was by her. I definitely should've been more compassionate and not so cynical, but it's part of me, and although I'm not sorry for not being who you wanted me to be, I do apologize for offending anyone if I did.



In conclusion, I just know that this is my season to win. That may sound arrogant, which is another thing I've been accused of being, but I just don't see how my game was inferior to Shane's or Mookie's. Yes, Mookie was definitely under the radar, but did he have this HUGE MASTERMIND HAND in each vote? I think everyone can agree that he didn't, so I think strategically, I was just as much undervalued as he was. And as far as Shane goes, I will never undervalue his game, since he was always providing some drama. But I think around the angry and vindictive shell that was Shane-The-Bane-Of-Sophies-Existence, there wasn't that much of a social or strategic game. But this isn't about why they shouldn't win, it's about why I should win. Every connection I've formed with you jurors was real, and I never took this game for granted. I fought harder than probably nayone this season to make it here, and had the biggest uphill battle. Coming in to the merge and "laying low" was not an option for me, and fighting seemed to be the only one that could end up getting me here. So ultimately, in a game where so much was unpredictable, let's make tonight another one of those times, and somehow make Sophie the winner of Stranded in Suriname. Thank you, and I can't wait to see what you all have to say.

[Mia Galeotalanza]

- Mon Dec 14, 2015 10:16:54 pm #8430 I came in here anticipating a "Hello, it's me" adele gif and I was completely let down.

[Sophie]

- Tue Dec 15, 2015 3:51:44 am #8485

Wow. Throwback to when I gave a scathing review of everyone's game in Namibia that made it to the Final 3. Let's hope none of you were as harsh as I was! Seriously, I'm downright honored and shocked to have made it this far. I think anyone who says that they knew they would make it to the end in a season of 24 players that have already done this jig at least one other time is a bit of a liar. I know that I thought the farthest I would make it would be the early merge, and it turns out, I likely would've been there had it not been for a lot of factors leading me here. I know tonight that you jurors likely have a lot of beef with me, and have a lot to say to me as well. And I am 100% fine with that, and I knew that if I ever made it here, I wasn't going to have fans all across the board. I know I've done questionable things in this game and lied to many of you, but I'm hoping tonight that I clear that up. Ultimately, what it boils down to is the name of the type of game we're playing. Survivor. I know that I encompass everything that comes with the title of being the winner, and I hope to prove that to you tonight.



Obviously my game did not start at WaiWai. I was one of the lucky six people that ended up going to Pirai during the initial stage of four tribes existing. I think out of all the tribes to land on, I think everyone (sans Carl RIP) was happy to have landed on Pirai. During this stage of the game, my goal was to lay low while still forming connections and getting myself in to a majority alliance. I was able to do that right away with Rupert, Flicka, and Kimpy. Although Artis wasn't initially in the alliance, I think I had just as close of a relationship with him as I did with anyone else on the tribe (besides Flicka). But obviously the land of sunshine and rose petals didn't last forever, and the literal sandstorm of chaos was the tribe I went to (Aka WaiWai). WaiWai had 5 people originally on it from Pirai, which instantly made me a huge target, combined with the fact that I could perform well in challenges. After we made it clear that we were sticking together, the target strengthened. I think one of the things people may critique about my game is that I didn't seem open to other options besides my original tribe. The truth is, I was DEFINITELY open to doing something, but the time to make a move against someone from original Pirai was not during those first two votes. Diane and Sean were two people who weren't going to be with me more than the people I had spent time with, and Gabe was someone I definitely trusted already and so his name wasn't going to be the one we ever wrote down over there if my say mattered (which obviously it did). After the Sean vote, I think that's when the Sophie that you see now emerged. I was the PRIME target by a lot of people, and it was more so from people on the other tribe than it even was on my own. After Rupert, one of my closest allies, left the game, I really knew that I had to make it to the merge and get a "fresh start." I think my sociability and allies as well as my venting partner in the form of Kimmi really were the key factors in keeping me going through this stage and keeping me alive. I was never one to dismiss a connection or potential ally, so even when I voted differently from people, I made sure to make it clear that the possibility of us working together down the line was not that unlikely. But the chaos at WaiWai only got crazier once the merge started to appear on the horizon, and everything seemed to be completely questionable besides one thing: I was going to be a huge target.



So I know that a backstory on my season really isn't wanted or anything, but I thought for sure that the Namibian merge was the craziest stage that would ever happen to me during my time of playing these games. I was so so so wrong. I'm not going to go through every vote, but I'll say this. Going in to the merge, I knew people were going for my head, and so that's why I immediately decided to go for the public idol. After finding it, I made sure to make people think I would play it by either saying I wouldn't play it, or by just telling them what they thought were "clues" during tribal councils. I was able to bluff my way through two of the votes, but during the Final 11 vote where one of my closest allies left, I handed my idol to Kimmi even though she voted for Marissa (whom I definitely did not want to go home). I knew that Kimmi was more concerned with me than I was with her, and doing that kind of reinforced the fact that I was never going to go against her in the game, even if we were to ever win the partnership talismans. My reason for voting for Flicka, who definitely was my ally, during the Final 11 round was simple: she was going to be the hardest person to vote out in the game. I knew Flicka was going to be a big threat way back in WaiWai. She had the sociability and genuineness in her character, and also was really good at laying low and making people want to work with her. I instantly came to her afterwards and told her how sorry I was (completely genuine), and we were able to continue working together even if she may have hated my guts The Artis vote is probably one I'll get some slack on, and that's deserved. Artis, all I can say is that I did not want the vote going to a tie. I knew as we were sitting in tribal that the vote tying could only lead to you likely still going home, but if it didn't, I definitely didn't want rocks to end up sending one of my allies that was in a better position than you or I home. And then after that, I think the game started to work in my favor while simultaneously working against me. I mean in my favor since my commitment to beating the odds and winning literally spiked through the roof, and each challenge win made me more motivated to win the next, since I knew I was in trouble if I didn't. Kelly leaving meant that one more person who would for sure have a better case against me in the Finale left, and then my partner leaving right after that left me with mixed feelings on my state in the game. The Final 7 round was probably one of the most bittersweet experiences I've ever had in Stranded, since Gabriel was probably the person I had the most in depth conversations with and had built a lot of trust with even after I lied to him back at WaiWai. I was able to play my idol (which ugh I sadly found just seconds before Gabe) to keep myself safe, but losing an ally was tough, even if they were going to write my name down. And then the Final 6 and Final 5 both made me think that I actually had a chance at winning the game. Sugar was far and away the biggest social threat left, because she was amazing as fuck even when we hated each other, and so her leaving made the only person I knew I would for sure lose against that was left in the game Flicka. Flicka was everything to look for in a winner, and that's why her leaving was a decision that I think everybody was in agreement with (even Shane, who said so afterwards). I think a lot of questions may come up about why Mookie is still here when I could've had a better chance at beating Jenna, but I just don't think I could argue as well against Jenna's game as I could against Mookie. Mookie's was very clear cut: Lay low and make people think you're the strategic mastermind that's slightly less threatening than the current threat. Jenna on the other had a huge hand in many votes. Ultimately, I'm more than pleased about how this merge went down. I've lost many allies and seen many people go that were huge threats to me having a chance at winning.



"Sophie, You Suck. You only got here because of challenge wins." - To be honest, that had a huge hand in getting me here. Let's look at the math. Of the ten tribal councils that we attended in the merge, I was immune or with an idol for 8 of them. That means only two I was actually vulnerable for, but I still took risks and still had a huge chance of going home before every single round. My first priority was always to make sure that I won over people in to thinking that I wasn't a threat, since that was the only way I was going to avoid being voted for by the people against me strategically (such as Sugar, Kelly, and Mookie). This didn't work, and that's why immunities were always a necessary fallback that ended up becoming my main source of protection. Although i won immunity, none of you can say I had a poor social game. I sent messages of quality to everyone, and always was eager to get back to people. The immunities and idols hands down had a huge role in getting me here, but my sociability was crucial in the pre-merge phases as well as the early merge in keeping me through to my immunity-run era.

"Sophie, you suck. You were rude and brash and we hate you." - To say that I'm a lovable duckling of a human being is definitely false, and I think I was definitely more brash in this than I was outright friendly. I always play with my guard up in Stranded, since I become so invested and so eager to win, but I know that being friendly has always just earned me the title of being "fake" in previous games. Because of that, I was always responsibe when people said something that I didn't agree with, and I think that can be seen at my tirade against the hosts during the Final 10 tribal. I've apologizes to the hosts since then, and I do apologize if I rubbed anyone the wrong way. I was always committed to this game, and sometimes that ended up making me very brazen and harsh. I think a good example of this can be found in the way I immediately went to Kelly after the Marissa vote and basically explained how hurt I was by her. I definitely should've been more compassionate and not so cynical, but it's part of me, and although I'm not sorry for not being who you wanted me to be, I do apologize for offending anyone if I did.



In conclusion, I just know that this is my season to win. That may sound arrogant, which is another thing I've been accused of being, but I just don't see how my game was inferior to Shane's or Mookie's. Yes, Mookie was definitely under the radar, but did he have this HUGE MASTERMIND HAND in each vote? I think everyone can agree that he didn't, so I think strategically, I was just as much undervalued as he was. And as far as Shane goes, I will never undervalue his game, since he was always providing some drama. But I think around the angry and vindictive shell that was Shane-The-Bane-Of-Sophies-Existence, there wasn't that much of a social or strategic game. But this isn't about why they shouldn't win, it's about why I should win. Every connection I've formed with you jurors was real, and I never took this game for granted. I fought harder than probably anyone this season to make it here, and had the biggest uphill battle. Coming in to the merge and "laying low" was not an option for me, and fighting seemed to be the only one that could end up getting me here. So ultimately, in a game where so much was unpredictable, let's make tonight another one of those times, and somehow make Sophie the winner of Stranded in Suriname. Thank you, and I can't wait to see what you all have to say.

[Sophie]

- Tue Dec 15, 2015 3:56:00 am #8488

Wow. Throwback to when I gave a scathing review of everyone's game in Namibia that made it to the Final 3. Let's hope none of you were as harsh as I was! Seriously, I'm downright honored and shocked to have made it this far. I think anyone who says that they knew they would make it to the end in a season of 24 players that have already done this jig at least one other time is a bit of a liar. I know that I thought the farthest I would make it would be the early merge, and it turns out, I likely would've been there had it not been for a lot of factors leading me here. I know tonight that you jurors likely have a lot of beef with me, and have a lot to say to me as well. And I am 100% fine with that, and I knew that if I ever made it here, I wasn't going to have fans all across the board. I know I've done questionable things in this game and lied to many of you, but I'm hoping tonight that I clear that up. Ultimately, what it boils down to is the name of the type of game we're playing. Survivor. I know that I encompass everything that comes with the title of being the winner, and I hope to prove that to you tonight.



Obviously my game did not start at WaiWai. I was one of the lucky six people that ended up going to Pirai during the initial stage of four tribes existing. I think out of all the tribes to land on, I think everyone (sans Carl RIP) was happy to have landed on Pirai. During this stage of the game, my goal was to lay low while still forming connections and getting myself in to a majority alliance. I was able to do that right away with Rupert, Flicka, and Kimpy. Although Artis wasn't initially in the alliance, I think I had just as close of a relationship with him as I did with anyone else on the tribe (besides Flicka). But obviously the land of sunshine and rose petals didn't last forever, and the literal sandstorm of chaos was the tribe I went to (Aka WaiWai). WaiWai had 5 people originally on it from Pirai, which instantly made me a huge target, combined with the fact that I could perform well in challenges. After we made it clear that we were sticking together, the target strengthened. I think one of the things people may critique about my game is that I didn't seem open to other options besides my original tribe. The truth is, I was DEFINITELY open to doing something, but the time to make a move against someone from original Pirai was not during those first two votes. Diane and Sean were two people who weren't going to be with me more than the people I had spent time with, and Gabe was someone I definitely trusted already and so his name wasn't going to be the one we ever wrote down over there if my say mattered (which obviously it did). After the Sean vote, I think that's when the Sophie that you see now emerged. I was the PRIME target by a lot of people, and it was more so from people on the other tribe than it even was on my own. After Rupert, one of my closest allies, left the game, I really knew that I had to make it to the merge and get a "fresh start." I think my sociability and allies as well as my venting partner in the form of Kimmi really were the key factors in keeping me going through this stage and keeping me alive. I was never one to dismiss a connection or potential ally, so even when I voted differently from people, I made sure to make it clear that the possibility of us working together down the line was not that unlikely. But the chaos at WaiWai only got crazier once the merge started to appear on the horizon, and everything seemed to be completely questionable besides one thing: I was going to be a huge target.



So I know that a backstory on my season really isn't wanted or anything, but I thought for sure that the Namibian merge was the craziest stage that would ever happen to me during my time of playing these games. I was so so so wrong. I'm not going to go through every vote, but I'll say this. Going in to the merge, I knew people were going for my head, and so that's why I immediately decided to go for the public idol. After finding it, I made sure to make people think I would play it by either saying I wouldn't play it, or by just telling them what they thought were "clues" during tribal councils. I was able to bluff my way through two of the votes, but during the Final 11 vote where one of my closest allies left, I handed my idol to Kimmi even though she voted for Marissa (whom I definitely did not want to go home). I knew that Kimmi was more concerned with me than I was with her, and doing that kind of reinforced the fact that I was never going to go against her in the game, even if we were to ever win the partnership talismans. My reason for voting for Flicka, who definitely was my ally, during the Final 11 round was simple: she was going to be the hardest person to vote out in the game. I knew Flicka was going to be a big threat way back in WaiWai. She had the sociability and genuineness in her character, and also was really good at laying low and making people want to work with her. I instantly came to her afterwards and told her how sorry I was (completely genuine), and we were able to continue working together even if she may have hated my guts The Artis vote is probably one I'll get some slack on, and that's deserved. Artis, all I can say is that I did not want the vote going to a tie. I knew as we were sitting in tribal that the vote tying could only lead to you likely still going home, but if it didn't, I definitely didn't want rocks to end up sending one of my allies that was in a better position than you or I home. And then after that, I think the game started to work in my favor while simultaneously working against me. I mean in my favor since my commitment to beating the odds and winning literally spiked through the roof, and each challenge win made me more motivated to win the next, since I knew I was in trouble if I didn't. Kelly leaving meant that one more person who would for sure have a better case against me in the Finale left, and then my partner leaving right after that left me with mixed feelings on my state in the game. The Final 7 round was probably one of the most bittersweet experiences I've ever had in Stranded, since Gabriel was probably the person I had the most in depth conversations with and had built a lot of trust with even after I lied to him back at WaiWai. I was able to play my idol (which ugh I sadly found just seconds before Gabe) to keep myself safe, but losing an ally was tough, even if they were going to write my name down. And then the Final 6 and Final 5 both made me think that I actually had a chance at winning the game. Sugar was far and away the biggest social threat left, because she was amazing as fuck even when we hated each other, and so her leaving made the only person I knew I would for sure lose against that was left in the game Flicka. Flicka was everything to look for in a winner, and that's why her leaving was a decision that I think everybody was in agreement with (even Shane, who said so afterwards). I think a lot of questions may come up about why Mookie is still here when I could've had a better chance at beating Jenna, but I just don't think I could argue as well against Jenna's game as I could against Mookie. Mookie's was very clear cut: Lay low and make people think you're the strategic mastermind that's slightly less threatening than the current threat. Jenna on the other had a huge hand in many votes. Ultimately, I'm more than pleased about how this merge went down. I've lost many allies and seen many people go that were huge threats to me having a chance at winning.



"Sophie, You Suck. You only got here because of challenge wins." - To be honest, that had a huge hand in getting me here. Let's look at the math. Of the ten tribal councils that we attended in the merge, I was immune or with an idol for 8 of them. That means only two I was actually vulnerable for, but I still took risks and still had a huge chance of going home before every single round. My first priority was always to make sure that I won over people in to thinking that I wasn't a threat, since that was the only way I was going to avoid being voted for by the people against me strategically (such as Sugar, Kelly, and Mookie). This didn't work, and that's why immunities were always a necessary fallback that ended up becoming my main source of protection. Although i won immunity, none of you can say I had a poor social game. I sent messages of quality to everyone, and always was eager to get back to people. The immunities and idols hands down had a huge role in getting me here, but my sociability was crucial in the pre-merge phases as well as the early merge in keeping me through to my immunity-run era.

"Sophie, you suck. You were rude and brash and we hate you." - To say that I'm a lovable duckling of a human being is definitely false, and I think I was definitely more brash in this than I was outright friendly. I always play with my guard up in Stranded, since I become so invested and so eager to win, but I know that being friendly has always just earned me the title of being "fake" in previous games. Because of that, I was always responsibe when people said something that I didn't agree with, and I think that can be seen at my tirade against the hosts during the Final 10 tribal. I've apologizes to the hosts since then, and I do apologize if I rubbed anyone the wrong way. I was always committed to this game, and sometimes that ended up making me very brazen and harsh. I think a good example of this can be found in the way I immediately went to Kelly after the Marissa vote and basically explained how hurt I was by her. I definitely should've been more compassionate and not so cynical, but it's part of me, and although I'm not sorry for not being who you wanted me to be, I do apologize for offending anyone if I did.



In conclusion, I just know that this is my season to win. That may sound arrogant, which is another thing I've been accused of being, but I just don't see how my game was inferior to Shane's or Mookie's. Yes, Mookie was definitely under the radar, but did he have this HUGE MASTERMIND HAND in each vote? I think everyone can agree that he didn't, so I think strategically, I was just as much undervalued as he was. And as far as Shane goes, I will never undervalue his game, since he was always providing some drama. But I think around the angry and vindictive shell that was Shane-The-Bane-Of-Sophies-Existence, there wasn't that much of a social or strategic game. But this isn't about why they shouldn't win, it's about why I should win. Every connection I've formed with you jurors was real, and I never took this game for granted. I fought harder than probably anyone this season to make it here, and had the biggest uphill battle. Coming in to the merge and "laying low" was not an option for me, and fighting seemed to be the only one that could end up getting me here. So ultimately, in a game where so much was unpredictable, let's make tonight another one of those times, and somehow make Sophie the winner of Stranded in Suriname. Thank you, and I can't wait to see what you all have to say.

[Sophie]

- Tue Dec 15, 2015 4:06:26 am #8500 And here we go. I welcome you all to a special broadcast of: Sophie Fucks Everything Up For the Millionth Time

[Sophie]

- Tue Dec 15, 2015 4:27:27 am #8534 Oh my god. These two blubbering idiots are going to get more votes than me for sure.

[Sophie]

- Tue Dec 15, 2015 5:11:21 am #8609 Votes for Sophie: 1. Fuck this.

[Sophie]

- Tue Dec 15, 2015 5:11:38 am #8611 I can't wait for people to read this confessional after and be like "I KNEW SHE WAS A BITCH!"

[Sophie]

- Tue Dec 15, 2015 6:29:15 am #8740 Votes that for sure aren't for me:
-Jenna
-Kelly
-Liliana
-Sugar
-Fuck