Welcome to the Campground

I think this shows Rooney/Vlad’s control but I can see the other opinions. I just think BB has been helpless all game and this is another example. She got played by the people who she gave her game to

There’s also an awareness of knowing they are safe despite that. I don’t think they ever felt like they were in actual danger and their actions showed that. I think it’s more punishing to Velma/BB who had access to the other side (us) and misted us into thinking we had a chance, yet chose to go with them.

I know you never saw Rooney/Vlad as a threat but I certainly did, and both of them in the Final 4 shows that

If they are clowns what does it say about us in the jury :/

Clowns in training

I'm not really following how BB looks bad here unless she voted for herself

I think she should have but BB was committed to our final 3 more than she should have been. I wanted it because I thought I could win...so that couldn't be true for all three of us. Her best F3 was always with Vlad and Rooney.

I'm going to make an excuse but she's a newer player and probably thought her loyalty to Velma was more important. Honestly, as someone who tends to play that way I resonate with that even though I recognize it wasn't the best decision. As long as she didn't vote out Rooney it's not a disaster, I suspect Vlad played a great under the radar game he was going to reveal at FTC.

Damn.

Ok I’ll say this publicly but this is obviously amendable and easy to change based off speeches. Right now this is my personal order of vote to win:

Rooney - I know I know. I have heard the complaints about him being dragged here, I think Vlad can fill us in on the game Rooney played. I just think it’s mighty impressive of his social game to not burn anyone on the way out and have a pretty ideal end game set up without much danger.

Velma - Not her fault, but I don’t see her game as strong because she didn’t have much control over anything? Her social game (at least with me) was contingent on her just having power vs. making strategic moves for her game. The only example of this was voting Freya out at 5. Everything else was just to either make others look bad (voting me out at 7 in that weird vote, tying the vote at 4), or being bamboozled otherwise. She did however make some good relationships that got her to the end, and didn’t make promises she couldn’t keep.

Bluebear - This last vote really secured it for me, I don’t see how Bluebear had any true control of the game that wasn’t guided by others OR *any* move that wasn’t emotionally charged. I think claiming someone as a “new player” when this is an anonymous format is a disservice to what we’re doing here. I do think she burned more people than just me (I’ve explained this in other parts of the thread). She got here despite all of these stances so of course I give them credit. For context obviously I am bitter towards them, so I am looking for reasons NOT to vote for them to win. They burned me and said I was emotionally manipulating them. Take that for what it is!

I don't think BB played a flawless game by any means. But I think her decisions had the most consequences during the merge. She was the one who broke up Saltwater, because had you 4 stuck together I would have voted with you to give you majority that round. I know Hip made that chat and that was the original plan. She also was crucial to our Ray blindside, didn't spill the beans on that and she sent Vlad away as part of a strategy to gain favor from Vlad and to flip back to us for the numbers. She voted correctly in the Genji round, and I fault the bumbling of Vlad and Rooney for what happened at F4. I don't think her benefitting from the clownery around her is an indictment of her game. No one else took advantage of the clownery either. And when her back was against the wall she won.

I've said where I think Rooney went wrong previously. I don't know what Velma did this game. According to Vlad, Velma benefitted from his decisions more often than not. She did not have to play the pre-merge at all, and we know how complex it ended up being for the set of tribes that did go to TC pre-merge. I don't give any credit to the Ankha vote at 7 because Genji got voted out and they knew Ankha had the wand and would play the watering can. Vlad can confirm, we had that conversation and they took an ill informed shot anyway. Vlad told me he knew either Ankha or I had the wand and I confirmed it was not me. Velma took me out at 5...great move...but she went after the wrong person at 4. 17 TCs this game, she was on the right side of the vote four times, and three of those times were unanimous boots. Every complex TC she was either not present for, or on the wrong side of the vote. I know being on the right side of the vote isn't everything but BB was on the right side of the vote for all post-merge votes...and someone will have to fact check me, but on the pre-merge TCs she attended too right?

I give Velma credit for playing me, I know I made certain decisions because I thought we were going to the end together where I felt like I could have won.

Those with my thoughts about Rooney earlier, are where I am at heading into jury questions. I'm definitely between BB or Velma but leaning BB. Rooney would have to pull off a crazy FTC and BB and Velma bomb it for me to vote him. I think I know everything about his game.

Things I'm gonna want answers from each person.

BB - What was her read on the rest of the tribe and why was she willing to go to the end with people she probably wouldn't beat?

Velma - I need to learn more about her moves (or lack thereof) and more importantly, her read on the game. Why did she think she could beat Vlad but not Rooney? Why did she think they wouldn't vote her out at 4?

Rooney - I really need to understand his read on the game. Why could he not get on the same page with his allies, why he didn't take advantage of having so many idols, and why did he want to go to the end with Vlad when Vlad obviously takes any votes he could have had?

Also I love all three of them and I'm going to ask them hard questions and tear down their gameplay out of love I swear.

I don't think I've ever said this so fwiw, if you all had responded to my BB push with "no, we will only help you if it's Velma" I would have done it.