The deadline is in two hours Dylan's working us to the bone
Well...if you could add my questions it would be nice. If not, just do them at the very end and post them yourselves. They're pretty insightful questions IMO, unless someone already asked them. So imma PM you guys . YAY MORE QUESTIONS!!
Welcome everyone to the Final Interview stage of this season's finale! Below you will find the interviews from each finalist along with various stats that detail their journey from a statistical point of view.
After I post the interviews that some of you will read word for word, skim, or simply ignore, it will be time to vote for this season's Sole Survivor. Whatever method you go by, the goal of the next couple days will be for the jury make up their mind and send in a vote for who they feel has truly won this season.
More information will be available after I post the interviews. Stay tuned.
Hello T-Swizz. It's been a long journey, but here you stand with Guero & Element only one jury vote away from winning this game. But before you can get crowned the fifth winner of Survvior: ATRL Edition, there are a series of questions for you to answer giving you one last shot to prove why you deserve this title.
Hi Dylan
Did you have a strategy coming in here or no? What were your initial thoughts?
No, I initially thought this was a Destiny's Child reenactment game but I soon realized that wasn't the case. Although I never watched the television show before, I skimmed through the OP & it seemed like an interesting tournament that could incorporate a plethora of different personalities, & that it had a lot of potential for heavy social game-play, not to mention the challenges seemed like they would be really interesting so I signed up! Your swift recommendation to join after Les ATRLer didn't hurt either
After you got the whole gist of the game, where did you see yourself placing?
Well, shortly after the onset of the tournament I saw that I was consistently placing in the top 2 overall scores, so I felt pretty confident about myself, shortly thereafter I started to research the game a bit more thoroughly and read through some earlier seasons. To my dismay I realized that most of the high-scorers were eliminated earlier on in their respective seasons. I then thought since I had a rather large target on my back I probably wouldn't make it so far, luckily I was able to downplay my overall average just in time. However, even after making it past the merge, I never really thought I would make it to this point, I tried playing this game in stages & focused on making it to the semi-merge, then to the merge etc. etc. In fact, even in the semi-final, I thought I would be going home if I didn't win the immunity idol. I feel as though the moment you think you're safe, that's when you start to fumble & eventually go home; you need to be on your toes at all times & ensure you do everything you can to achieve the results you want.
Who did you expect to see in The Top 3 in your honest opinion? Why?
Again, this answer changed through every stage of the game, in the early pre-merge rounds, Capital B, dwuw, & Xed would often tie or overtake me for #1 in overall average scores so I thought they could easily make the top 3 if they continue the path that they were on. However, after learning a bit more about this game, I thought prezli, rl231, & Rider could potentially make the finals as they had the perfect amount of social gameplay and tried just enough on the challenges for them to fly through. I heard a lot about prezli last season & his ingenious tactic of throwing comps to make it look like he was a weak competitor when in reality he could beat out his competition whenever he decided to put in the time & effort. I started to incorporate that aspect of his gameplay into my own shortly after the merge and clearly it worked! After a grand total of 17 tribal councils, my name was written down ONE time. However that didn't come at an easy cost as I had to constantly communicate with the other castaways to ensure they felt safe enough to stick with whatever plan I orchestrated that week.
How have you enjoyed being part of this Tournament? Anything special?
Absolutely, for a while now I naturally started to gravitate towards the game section and halfway into Survivor I realized that almost 90% of the time I spent on ATRL was in this thread! I came into this tournament knowing two people & I'm leaving with countless invaluable friendships, this tournament helped me realize how crucial relationships can be in almost any environment. Even now, I'm still reaching out & trying to create stronger bonds with former castaways like Prezli & Sebas, who I admire dearly, and I expect will grow long after this tournament has ended. Even castaways that were not in my alliance said they thought I was doing a good job & complimented my honest but brutal gameplay. With experiences like this, I try to put forth 110% of myself into as there is definitely more to the game than meets the eye, I regularly converse with players that haven't even reached the merge, & we still talk about survivor & non-survivor related subjects weeks after their elimination. This tournament occupied essentially all of my free time over the past couple of months & I loved every second of it!
Based on your actions alone, why should you win this game?
There is always the obvious answer, that I excelled in the social aspect of this game & properly executed one of the strategies that an overwhelming majority of castaways try to utilize themselves (on the show itself & on the ATRL version). However I feel as though there is a lot more to my gameplay than simply a strategy. Like I mentioned earlier, when I first started Survivor, my gameplay was simply to slay the challenges thrown at me every week, hence why I was top 2 in the overall ranks for the first 3 rounds & eventually became #1 in Round 4. The reason I felt so safe in the pre-merge rounds was because I initiated our tribe's alliance & was the one who orchestrated the tribal vote every single week. When I realized that all tribes would merge shortly thereafter I knew having an overall rank of #1 would paint a rather large target on my back so I decided to subtly fall back, remaining in the top 3 all the way until Round 10, then dropping out once the merge started.
Knowing that I would need a majority vote once we reached the merge, I thought it would be a smart tactic to initiate an alliance with a couple members from Mawimba early on in the pre-merge rounds so that I could solidify a bond between us & pacify any worries I had of them back-stabbbing me given the amount of time & effort I invested in that particular chat. All the alliances I initiated, ended up taking over the game & the entire top 6 was members of my alliance. I controlled the vote throughout an overwhelming majority of the game & made it so that I was never the target every single time. I was able to snatch immunity idols in the beginning of this game to help show that I was worthy of the leadership position and in the final two challenges, which is probably why I'm still here today. BUT the attribute I felt that best encapsulates my overall gameplay would be the brutal honesty. Which, believe it or not ended up becoming a double edged sword. The one time I told someone a white lie was when there was an idol play in the works & I knew it would be unfair of me to spill the beans since it technically wasn't my idol. However, the 16 other times someone asked me who I voted for, I told them nothing but the truth, over time people started to take advantage of that towards the end of the tournament as they would either lie to me about who they were voting for or simply ignore the question.
Why shouldn't your two opponents win this game?
Yay, time to talk sh*t about the other two! My favorite part
Lol I kid, I kid. Both did an amazing job in the game, clearly, or else they wouldn't be here! I can't say I completely respect some of their gameplay as one of my fellow finalist's gameplay consisted of lying to me throughout the majority of our alliance but I won't name names I feel as though, they both excelled in particular aspects of this game but fell short in the rest, hence why they were being targeted in multiple tribals & one even ended up being eliminated. I don't want to start a smear campaign so I'll stop here!
Who do you think you will have the hardest time competing with in the vote?
This is a hard one considering we have similar groups of friends but I think either one could essentially put up a strong fight.
If you do not win this competition, who should & why?
This is a bit hard because they played completely different strategies and put in time & effort to get where they are now, but Element in my opinion played this game a bit better than Guero (sorry!).
Is there anyone in the Top 3 who you feel should not be here? If so, who should be in their place?
Not at all, my fellow 2 finalists were able to outplay & outwit the rest of the castaways & rightfully earned their spots here in the finale. Whether it was by being social or strategic, both of them managed to find their own path to the end and who am I to say they don't deserve what they worked for.
This Tournament is called Survivor for a reason. What is your definition of a true Survivor?
Someone who can turn their greatest weakness into their greatest strength, one who is able to tackle challenges & hardships thrown at them when they least expect it and still remain sane! Someone who can go through all of this without losing their identity and ensuring their friends and allies rise to the top with them.
Take us through your alliances this season. From day one to now who have you been aligned with and how has it changed throughout the course of this game?
When I first joined, I had no idea how alliances worked so I was in an alliance with pretty much everyone in my tribe However after realizing the nature of the game, I obviously had to cut back and became a lot more selective with my alliance. After the merge, I stayed aligned with everyone in the Dalgani tribe but like I mentioned earlier, the Mawimba alliance I formed earlier on also finally came to life. So when the merge came around, the alliance consisted of Sebas, Mariah4Life, Ivory, Element, Guero, Golden, & dwuw. Dwuw & Sebas were special adds as they were not part of the former 2 tribes I mentioned, I initially asked dwuw to join the alliance because he was one of the two members I actually talked to before this game & we worked really well together in Les ATRLer so it was kind of a no-brainer. Sebas on the other hand I have never really spoken to before but the way he conducted himself in the thread and throughout the game made it seem like he would be a great asset to the team so I asked if he wanted to join our alliance. My Dalgani alliance was self-explanatory as I simply aligned with everyone I could in that tribe and took them as far as I could game-wise, the Mawimba alliance was a bit tricky as I wanted to create a group full of trustworthy people that would help my game and it ended up being Element, Guero, & Golden. All of whom made it to the top 5.
Did you betray any allies you had during the season? If so who & why?
Nope, I told both alliances who I was aligned with and kept no secrets between the two, everytime one would try to vote a member from another alliance out I would argue against it and try to create a new target. It was only in the top 5 where it got a bit tricky since everyone left was essentially aligned with me, but I explained myself to whoever I voted out and gave them my reasons. As far as I know, there is no bad blood between any of us!
Do you have any regrets in the competition that you feel could hurt you in the vote?
I was pretty active in the thread and tried to interact with everyone, even if they weren't part of my alliance, however I wish I interacted with more people outside of this game. The only reason I didn't do that in the beginning is because I didn't want to make it seem like I wanted to align myself with them only to vote them out the next tribal. It was kind of a lose-lose situation in my opinion so I tried waiting until after one of us got eliminated.
There's two general types of players in this game; those who play a social game & those who get here by their scores throughout the game. Do you think you fall in either category more than the other or was your game fairly split?
Well like I said earlier, I consistently placed in the top towards the beginning and it was only after I realized that I might come out as a target post-merge that I tried to subtly throw my entries ( like "forget" to add my name to an entry or make it seem like I was unsure of what was being asked of me) & swiftly took the social game up a couple notches. Towards the ending I realized that performing well on challenges was crucial and pulled out two immunity wins in the final challenges.
There are three types of Top 3 players. There's the threat. There's the underdog. And there's the third wheel. Do you think that's the case here or do we have a special type of Top 3 this season?
Well that's essentially what it was. Pre-merge I would say I was more of the threat and Element the underdog, & Guero would be the third wheel (considering he was eliminated at the time ) But post-merge Element & I switched roles and I slowly started to take on many qualities that an underdog would have.
Anything else you would like to say before we move on to my personal questions for you?
I loved this entire experience and worked hard to get where I am today. I hope the jury appreciates my efforts
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Dylan asks:
Which Tribal Council had you shook most? In other words, during which Tribal Council were you worried most about you or your alliance's safety in the game?
The first tribal after the merge was undoubtedly the craziest & most stressful, I was blowing everyone's kiks up 24/7 ensuring that we all voted on the same person. I knew the outcome of this tribal would essentially determine the outcome of this entire game so I was definitely shook the most by this round.
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Yvess asks:
Hi Top Three! Once again, congratulations to the 3 of you. I know you all deserve to be in the elusive Top 3 slots. I'm genuinely happy to have judged your entries since Day 1 and see how much you all have grown in this tournament.
I'll be asking you questions that I find essential in finding my next successor. I hope you answer with all sincerity and avoid the "safe" answers, ok?
To the Top 3:
1. Use Pop Girls to describe the yourself, the other 2 finalists, the host and the judges. Explain your choices.
2. Are you Top or Bottom? I mean, scores and alliances combined, do you think you are on Top or Bottom of this game? Why?
3. Use a song from the legendary artist, Avril Lavigne to describe your Survivor Season 5 Journey.
To T-Swizz:
Congratulations for proving to us that it is possible that frontrunners in the game can still close the game with a bang! I'm blown away by that thought tbh. My question for you is, in the middle of the game, your star kinda faded a bit in terms of entry submissions imo, Did you really planned on doing it? Is it a strategy to keep yourself out from the radar or it is just plain coincidence that your entries got overshadowed by emerging castaways of the game? Did you really enjoy playing this game? Please enlighten me.
1. T-Swizz: I was definitely the Beyoncé of the group. not only did I lead my team to success but I'm a huge perfectionist and everyone loves me!
2. Element: Madonna - One of the few castaways that was able to stay on top & achieve longevity
3. Guero: Ciara - Has a lot of potential and definitely has the talent but for some odd reason just couldn't figure out how to crack the top tier.
4. Dylan: Christina- Playful and fun at times but shady and ruthless when you get on his bad side.
5. Yvess: Charice- Adorable and cute but super underrated because of the slight language barrier
6. Ethan: Lady Gaga- Constantly delays & unable to complete a task on time even if his life depended on it, however he still ended up being the most iconic judgé.
7. Superiore: Britney Spears- The SWEETEST judge I've ever met, he's genuinely a nice person and his energy and excitement he had was pretty front-loaded
2. Definitely a top, on all fronts.
3.
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dwuw asks:
General question: If you were a part of the jury, and you had to vote for one of your two opponents, who would you have liked to win?
General question: Have you bought Wildest Dreams?
General question: Who was your favorite contestant this season?
1. Probably Element, he was more active than Guero and he seemed like he cared more about the game than Guero did.
2. Of Course
3. You ofc
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prezli asks:
T-Swizz:
Hello T-Swizz, congrats for being in the Top 3. You're totally new in the Games section, and making it to the finale is incredible. From the beginning, you seemed a strong contestant. Weren't you afraid of being a target because of that? Who was/is your biggest threat?
Tell us about your favorite and less favorite rounds, your favorite songs you submitted and explain why!
Hey prez! Yes, the games section is still pretty new to me and this was by far one of the best experiences I've had on ATRL. Lol coincidentally I used the strategy you utilized in S4 to make myself seem like less of a threat, and because of that you were at the top of my threat list! I knew that if you thought of something like that in Season 4, you would probably think of something even better for Season 5 and I didn't want to let that happen!
One of the personal favorite rounds was the feminist rounds because I knew it was going to be filled with timeless Beyoncé anthems, the album review was also one of my favorites as it was something I've never really done before and helped me discover the musical genius that is Melanie Martinez! My favorite song that I submitted would probably be Come Clean, it was such a huge part of my childhood and released the flood gate in my memory folder after I started listening to it again. My least favorite round would definitely be the Emoji round, the definitions behind emoticons and emojis are so subjective and I knew that catering to the judges' taste would be nearly impossible since I didn't really know them on a personal basis.
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Ivory. asks:
First off, congrats to all three of you. I know how hard it is to make it that far, so you all deserve a pat on the back imo.
What I want to know is what you did to ensure your alliance members were not voted off. If you were apart of multiple alliances you were serious about, I'd like to know how you helped save/take the target off of someone from each alliance.
Thanks and I wish all three of you luck.
Well, I was the leader of all my alliances so the pressure of keeping all my fellow alliance members safe fell naturally on my shoulders. Again, like I mentioned earlier if there was ever a round where everyone in one alliance was seriously considering voting off someone from another alliance, I would pitch a new target & 9 times out of 10 that would work. It sounds simple now that I summarize it for you, however it was anything but when I was doing it a couple weeks ago!
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rl231 asks:
Congrats to you guys! You all made it to the finale, and it's well deserved for each of you . Now, onto the questions:
ALL:
1. Go through each vote after the merge: who you voted for, why you voted for them, and what your position was in the game
2. What move was your greatest move in the game, and why? (Element can't say using the idol and Guero can't say getting back from Redemption Island)
And that's it! Everyone else's questions will be sufficient for me, so I wish you all the best of luck!!
1.
Round 11: I orchestrated the vote against prezli, I knew he was a huge threat and deduced he was the leader of the other side of the house so it would be smart to take him out asap.
Round 12: Again I orchestrated the vote against rl231, I heard through different mediums that he was targeting me at the time and since he was on the other side of the house I figured it was a win-win
Round 13: I was trying to convince everyone to vote for Ares but I found out later on that Golden was trying to convince everyone to evict Element, and it was only after Element found out that he convinced the rest to vote for Mariah4Life.
Round 14: Another time I tried orchestrating the vote against Ares, he was one of the few people left that were no longer part of my alliance and I'm 80% sure he was the one that wrote down my name in the first tribal council.
Round 15: Bloomers was the final castaway left that was not part of my alliance & it made sense that he would be voted out before any of my fellow alliance members, I could tell certain people threw their votes and this is when it all came to me.
Round 16: I noticed someone was throwing their votes every time we were voting against the other side of the house and I knew it was one of my alliance members as it lasted all the way until the Bloomers vote, I then received some information that Element was working with the other side of the house pretty closely int he final stages of the pre-merge round and it all came together. Element was playing both sides of the house but convenient forgot to tell me! I was so pissed, I had a feeling for a while but I assumed he would never do such a thing considering how open I was with him about both of my alliances. I then decided to give him a taste of his own medicine & told him I was voting Ivory when in reality I was voting him. Like I mentioned earlier, this was the one time I lied to an alliance member, but at this point I didn't even consider him an alliance member anymore.
Round 17: Again, I voted for Element, Ivory & Guero were never dishonest with me throughout the entirety of this game so I had no reason to vote them out, where as with Element, the reasons seemed to keep piling on.
2. My best move would probably be taking control of the vote on the first tribal council after the merge, I knew taking leadership would paint a huge target on my back, and if you watch the actual show, you'll realize very few "leaders" make it to the end, but I was careful and tried to make it seem like this was a unanimous decision. I knew for a fact if I didn't win the first tribal against the other side of the house, we would have the disadvantage for the rest of the game & potentially determined the future of how this game would end up. This vote alone is the reason my alliance occupied the top 5 and I am proud to say that I was the brain behind that operation.
With that said, the interview is complete. Good luck to you at the Final Tribal Council. Thanks for sitting down with us to give us a little more insight into your Survivor journey. The next time we're all together, a winner will be revealed.
Thank you for this lovely batch of questions, I love you all xoxo
Hello Guero. It's been a long journey, but here you stand with T-Swizz & Element only one jury vote away from winning this game. But before you can get crowned the fifth winner of Survvior: ATRL Edition, there are a series of questions for you to answer giving you one last shot to prove why you deserve this title.
- Thank you Dilldo. I appreciate you being able to make it here even though your Grindr date broke your back last night.
Did you have a strategy coming in here or no? What were your initial thoughts?
- Having never played this game before, I didn't have an initial strategy. I kind of wanted to get a feel for how it was going to play out before making any strategies.
After you got the whole gist of the game, where did you see yourself placing?
- I honestly saw myself making it into the final. Who signs up for a game if they're not even thinking of having a shot of taking the whole thing?
Who did you expect to see in The Top 3 in your honest opinion? Why?
- Funny enough, the top 3 who is in it now is who I envisioned to be here from the start. If one of us hadn't made it, though, I expected to see Rider or dwuw up here instead because they were both really strong competitors as well.
How have you enjoyed being part of this Tournament? Anything special?
- It's been a really great experience. It's helped me dissect music and think of all the parts going into a song. It's also helped me really think of the lyrics and what they mean.
Based on your actions alone, why should you win this game?
- I felt like I played an honest game throughout the competition. I didn't have to backstab or lie to anyone in order to get here. That in itself is a great accomplishment because that usually gets most competitors kicked out for being too loyal and too kind. I also feel like I deserve to win because I'm the first, from what I've heard, to make it here after fighting to get myself out of Redemption Island. Going on to win the final would make this season even more memorable.
Why shouldn't your two opponents win this game?
- Honestly, I feel like they didn't have to put up as much of a battle as I have. I got voted off of my tribe due to some sneaky behind the scenes **** and I had to fight to survive in order to stay in the game. I clawed my way out of Redemption Island in order to get here. Both had won multiple immunity challenges and both had found a hidden immunity idol each, making their jobs a little easier than mine. I had to fight to get here.
Who do you think you will have the hardest time competing with in the vote?
- Element for sure. Not only was he a strong competitor throughout the competition, but he also had a very strong social game.
If you do not win this competition, who should & why?
- Element. We have grown pretty close in this game, so I'd be happy if he ended up winning instead of me.
Is there anyone in the Top 3 who you feel should not be here? If so, who should be in their place?
- No, I feel like we all played a different game to get here and have earned our spots.
This Tournament is called Survivor for a reason. What is your definition of a true Survivor?
- Making it through and surviving even when faced against many difficult situations and challenges, much like I have in this game.
Take us through your alliances this season. From day one to now who have you been aligned with and how has it changed throughout the course of this game?
- Initially, I was in an alliance with T-Swizz, Element and Golden. At first it worked well until we got into the merge. Things started to change during episode 13 where we either got: aids, nothing or penalties for that round. Element ended up having 1 automatic vote as a result of that, and was almost voted out. We knew someone in our alliance had betrayed us since the votes didn't add up. Element later received some screenshots from contestants who received PM's from Golden campaigning for people to vote for Element, saying that he was a threat and this was the perfect opportunity to get him out. So Golden could not be trusted after that. Things were never the same after that point as I began to suspect that T-Swizz was also turning his back on Element and I as well. Swizz would NEVER agree to vote with us, which was casting doubt on him with me. In the end, my suspicions were confirmed in episode 16 when Element and Golden were tied for that tribal council. Element had told me that Golden informed him that I was the target for that round. But, later on in that day, Golden informed Element that the vote was changed to Ivory, which I thought was really odd. At the time, I thought Golden was bull******** us into voting for Ivory so that Ivory could use the immunity idol, thus negating our votes and having one of us be voted off instead. So I told Element that they were up to something and we should vote for Golden since I believed he was in on this plan. And it turns out I was somewhat right as Ivory used an immunity idol... but he had received it from Swizz - not Golden. Swizz later confessed to the plan to Element himself, meaning he had only used Golden as a pawn. It's safe to say that the alliance was done after that point.
As for other alliances, wesley and I had a thing in the beginning but then he was the one who got me voted out so I couldn't trust him. It honestly made him a target after that as my alliance had connections and those connections were informed of what he was capable off.
I also tried to work with rl, who I was in an alliance with in Big Brother 10, but it didn't really take off, though, as I later found out that he was working with Rider and his crew, who Swizz was really campaigning to go after at the time.
Did you betray any allies you had during the season? If so who & why?
- I never betrayed anyone who I gave my word to, and I'm glad I didn't have to get to that point.
Do you have any regrets in the competition that you feel could hurt you in the vote?
- I kind of wish I would have reached out to more people in the game and had more connections with some of the contestants.
There's two general types of players in this game; those who play a social game & those who get here by their scores throughout the game. Do you think you fall in either category more than the other or was your game fairly split?
- To be honest, I didn't do all that well in the competition with scores. So I would definitely say that I fall more into the social game category, which helped me out in difficult times.
There are three types of Top 3 players. There's the threat. There's the underdog. And there's the third wheel. Do you think that's the case here or do we have a special type of Top 3 this season?
- I feel like it's a special type of top 3 this season. Like I said before, we all played the game differently but we all deserve to be here in the end.
Anything else you would like to say before we move on to my personal questions for you?
- I would like to say thank you to you Dillon for hosting an incredible season of Survivor, and to the amazing judges who gave me great advice. To the beautiful and amazing jury, I hope you guys really do consider voting for me!
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Dylan asks:
From the real Survivor tv show to my first Redemption Island winner Kitt, most are targets immediately upon re-entry into the game. What did you do to make sure you weren't a target upon re-arrival despite being gone for more than a couple rounds?
- Honestly, I'm not sure why nobody targeted me upon my re-arrival to the island. I had a pretty good social game with a pretty strong alliance, so that ultimately helped me in the end. I also feel like my personality is well liked on here. I also tried to keep myself a little low-key after my arrival by not bragging or swearing revenge on those who did me wrong pre-merge, so I didn't put a bigger target on my back.
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Yvess asks:
Hi Top Three! Once again, congratulations to the 3 of you. I know you all deserve to be in the elusive Top 3 slots. I'm genuinely happy to have judged your entries since Day 1 and see how much you all have grown in this tournament.
I'll be asking you questions that I find essential in finding my next successor. I hope you answer with all sincerity and avoid the "safe" answers, ok?
To the Top 3:
1. Use Pop Girls to describe yourself, the other 2 finalists, the host and the judges. Explain your choices.
2. Are you Top or Bottom? I mean, scores and alliances combined, do you think you are on Top or Bottom of this game? Why?
3. Use a song from the legendary artist, Avril Lavigne to describe your Survivor Season 5 Journey.
Congrats Guero! You have made one of the most admirable feats in this game as you defeated castaways on Redemption Island. My question for you is, Do you think it is only right that the jury will vote for you because of that reason? Why would they vote someone who can be considered as "wildcard" like yourself?
- Me: P!nk. A true underdog just like myself.
Swizz: He's going to hate me for this but Rihanna. Did pretty well in the competition overall and wasn't afraid to speak his mind or attempt to get his way much like bad gyal.
Element: Taylor Swift. Great stats throughout the whole competition and made vast amounts of friends throughout the season.
Dillon: Khia - "my neck, my back" is pretty much his motto tbh.
Yvess: Britney - sweet and fun loving but with a hint of sass every now and again.
Ethan: Ciara - always delays the release of an album/video/etc.
Superiore: Christina - his critiques reminded me of Christina's on The Voice; very professional.
- I would say Top but more towards the bottom of the top category. My scores weren't that great but my alliances definitely helped me get to where I am.
- "Fly" I feel, would describe my journey here the best. There definitely was a light inside of me that told me to fly and to never give up. It's what helped me get out of Redemption Island and what helped me through the rest of the merge.
- I feel like I was an underdog more than a wildcard. And I think making it to the final after being sent off to Redemption Island is a good reason to vote for me, but obviously that isn't the sole reason on what I did to make it here. I mean, I could have been targeted as soon as I came back and been voted off for good as has already been stated. But I wasn't, and I think that has to do with my social game which also helped me get to the final.
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dwuw asks:
General question: If you were a part of the jury, and you had to vote for one of your two opponents, who would you have liked to win?
General question: Have you bought Wildest Dreams?
General question: Who was your favorite contestant this season?
- Element for sure. He's played a really great game in this competition.
- Yes, I even used it as an entry for this competition.
- Element, as I've stated before, we have grown really close because of this game and he has always had my back.
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prezli asks:
Hello Guero, congrats for being in the Top 3. You're truly the biggest survivor in this season because you rose up like a phoenix and you're now here. How do you feel about that? My main question is: Could you trust your tribemates after your comeback? Did you know who voted you out? Tell us about your strategy.
All:
Tell us about your favorite and less favorite rounds, your favorite songs you submitted and explain why!
- It feels amazing! To have made it here after going into Redemption Island makes me feel really strong and like a great competitor. Tribemates, as in the ones I was in the tribe in? No, as I knew who had voted for me in my tribe and only one of them were in my alliance. I knew who got me voted out and made sure to tell everyone so that they wouldn't trust him. My strategy once I got into RI was to just survive. I knew I had to make it back for the merge so that I could help my alliance as I didn't want to let them down. After the merge, I tried to lay low and be as low-key as other people had made themselves targets in the game.
- Favorite: Episode 11. It was a simple round but it was also fun getting to pick the best/worst songs/fashion choices/album covers/ect. of the artist you chose.
Least favorite: Whew, there's a lot. But I would say Episode 12 with creating an EP. It was hard to pick apart an album and not only make it into an EP but to make it an EP that had some sort of theme and was cohesive. I had difficulty with it so much that I had stayed up late into the night to finish it.
Favorite song submitted: Beyonce - "Speechless" in Episode 3. I've always loved the song and I thought it had fit perfectly for the "Between the Sheets" theme. Alicia Keys - "Karma" as well in Episode 6 for "Now You Want Me" I like the song and I also managed to get 10's accross the board for it as well.
Quote:
Ivory. asks:
First off, congrats to all three of you. I know how hard it is to make it that far, so you all deserve a pat on the back imo.
What I want to know is what you did to ensure your alliance members were not voted off. If you were apart of multiple alliances you were serious about, I'd like to know how you helped save/take the target off of someone from each alliance.
Thanks and I wish all three of you luck.
- Every round, we had someone in mind that we wanted to vote off. We'd wait until the actual results, hoping that our target hadn't won the individual immunity. If all went to plan, then we'd tell our allies who weren't a part of our actual main alliance that we wanted this person gone for xyz reason. If they brought up one of our alliance members then we'd focus on another member and try to convince them on why they should be the ones going instead.
Quote:
rl231 asks:
Congrats to you guys! You all made it to the finale, and it's well deserved for each of you . Now, onto the questions:
ALL:
1. Go through each vote after the merge: who you voted for, why you voted for them, and what your position was in the game
2. What move was your greatest move in the game, and why? (Element can't say using the idol and Guero can't say getting back from Redemption Island)
And that's it! Everyone else's questions will be sufficient for me, so I wish you all the best of luck!!
- 1. Episode 11: prezli. My alliance wanted Rider out, actually, but he won Immunity this round. So we went with who was working with Rider instead.
Episode 12: rl321. Nothing personal, but my alliance felt it was best and he was also working with Rider.
Episode 13: Mariah4Life. Never really trusted him ever since we were in a tribe together and was part of the reason I got sent to Redemption Island.
Episode 14: dwuw. I felt like he was a threat as he was one of the stronger competitors in the game.
Episode 15: Ivory. Throw away vote as I knew the other side wanted Bloomers out and they had the numbers to do so. By this point, I knew my alliance was crumbling and I decided to possibly cause some confusion on the other side by throwing a vote this way.
Episode 16: Golden. I hadn't trusted him in a long time, and I felt like he was up to something.
Episode 17: Ivory. Swizz was immune, and I was never going to vote against Element. We had never really spoken before this point either.
2. Knowing that something was up during Episode 16 with the votes for tribal. Element and I could have just fallen into the plan for voting for Ivory. but I knew in my gut that something was wrong. I probably wouldn't have made it to the final had I not spotted that.
With that said, the interview is complete. Good luck to you at the Final Tribal Council. Thanks for sitting down with us to give us a little more insight into your Survivor journey. The next time we're all together, a winner will be revealed.
- Bye! Thanks again for hosting such an amazing season! I hope the jury takes me into consideration!
Hello Element. It's been a long journey, but here you stand with T-Swizz & Guero only one jury vote away from winning this game. But before you can get crowned the fifth winner of Survvior: ATRL Edition, there are a series of questions for you to answer giving you one last shot to prove why you deserve this title.
Hi Dillon! Thank you for hosting yet another fantastic season of ATRL Survivor. I so appreciate the dedication and enthusiasm with which you run this game. I can't wait to answer all of the questions, and recap this rollercoaster ride of a season.
Did you have a strategy coming in here or no? What were your initial thoughts?
Well, as some of you might know, the third season of Survivor: ATRL Edition was actually the very first game that I participated in on this forum. This was back in the spring of 2014, and it definitely had a huge impact on my experience on ATRL, as it was the gateway to my being a games section regular. In that season, I did not have much of a strategy, per se. The extent of my strategy in season three was to get into a solid majority alliance, and then ride that out as long as I could. However, this strategy resulted in a brutal blindside at the final nine, which definitely taught me that this game is not easy, and people really will betray you.
Between my blindside last May, and this current season, I competed in a bunch of off-ATRL "ORGs" (online reality games) that were based on Survivor. So, over the past year, I have gotten some opportunities to see what strategies and maneuvers work in this game. One of the techniques that I like to use is a more passive strategy, where I let other people make the bigger moves early on, all while making more calculated decisions that eventually get me far without too much blood on my hands. Going into this current game, I knew that I also wanted to play a more social game. I learned through these off-ATRL games that the social game is really critical in Survivor, because if people don't like you, they will not work with you. You need to be open to everyone, even if they are not in your main alliance. One of my problems in season three was that I rejected any offers to work with people who were not in my alliance. I was blindly loyal, and that's what got me eliminated prematurely. This season, I wanted to talk to everyone, and keep my options open throughout the game.
After you got the whole gist of the game, where did you see yourself placing?
My major goal in this game was to get past my season three placement of #9. I honestly expected myself to get blindsided in ninth place again, just for irony's sake. The other possibility was fourth place/final juror, as I actually had never made it past fourth place in any Survivor game I've ever played -- until now, that is!
Who did you expect to see in The Top 3 in your honest opinion? Why?
If you asked me this at the beginning of this game, I would honestly have expected T-Swizz, Golden, and Guero to make it to the end. I could tell that the alliance I had with them was full of strong, strategic players, and what do you know -- 2/3 of them are here with me now. I also would not have been surprised to see a combination of Sebas, rl231, and prezli in the finale, as they are all strong, smart, and likable returning players who likely had something to prove in this game this time around.
How have you enjoyed being part of this Tournament? Anything special?
I have had an AMAZING experience in this game. Being part of such an organized, fun game is an honor. I met some amazing new ATRLers through this season, and strengthened bonds with people that I was already friends with. Being able to compete in an online version of my favorite TV show is pretty special. I have so many memories and moments in this game that I am immensely proud of. Thinking back over the last three months, I'm actually really excited looking at the accomplishments I had. I really grew as a player in this game, when contrasted with my season three experience. This time, I came into the game with a much more focused and determined manner. I knew exactly what the judges would be looking for this time around, and round after round, I was able to send in songs that hit the nail on the head for the theme almost every round, yet my social game kept me safe even if I was a physical threat.
Another top memory of mine from this season was discovering the hidden immunity idol. I was in the car on my way home from a vacation, and we left later than I expected. I had thought that I would have been on a computer at the idol hunt time, but I was stuck in traffic on an iPad instead. I remember my fingers flying across the touch screen in order to find the scavenger hunt codes, and piece together the puzzle. It was a stressful but fun challenge, and I literally felt on top of the world when I found that idol. A few rounds later, when I had to play the idol, and saw that I narrowly escaped an early merge blindside like in season three (almost the exact same thing happened), I was so, so ecstatic. If this season were televised, I think that idol play could have gone down in Survivor history.
Getting to express my creativity and love of music in all of the post-merge challenges was also a highlight for me. I constantly scored in the top tier, and my overall average ended up above 9.0, which was pretty cool. I had to fight through a tiebreaker as well, showing how much I wanted to get to the end. All of these experiences contributed to an awesome summer for me in this game, and I really had a special time in this game. I am proud of how I played, and all that I accomplished.
Based on your actions alone, why should you win this game?
In addition to the accomplishments discussed above, I should win this game because I had to fight tooth and nail to get to this finale. I have poured my heart, soul, blood, sweat, and tears into this game, because I was constantly targeted. I never once felt safe in this game, and I had to work every angle possible to ensure that I would get to the next round. I was a very visible player, and making it to the end with such a visible resume like I have is nothing less than a miracle, and I hope the jury will recognize my gameplay and vote for me to win. It would honestly mean SO much to me to be the winner of this season, after I worked insanely hard to get to this point.
Why shouldn't your two opponents win this game?
I honestly believe that Guero and T-Swizz have played pretty strong, unique games. I love both of them regardless of what the past few months have held. However, from my perspective, I think they both did have some lapses in their gameplay, as I'm sure I did too.
T-Swizz, I believe, lacked a positive social game with enough people in the tournament. I think that his aggressive gameplay does not at all account for jury management, and I wouldn't be surprised if some of them are annoyed with him right now. T-Swizz was telling me a few weeks ago about how much he loved Russell and Parvati in Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, and how he was not a fan of Sandra, who played the most genuine, personal game of the finalists,
ultimately winning the season.
She was genuine with the people she played with, and treated them like actual people, not "pawns" in the game, as T-Swizz so often called players (who are now on the jury) in my conversations with him. T-Swizz's gameplay was incredibly risky, but he did not realize that this game cannot only be won on strategic prowess. You have to make connections with those playing. Additionally, T-Swizz, in my experience, was not a good listener. He was strong with his decisions and opinions, and from my discussions with him, I was turned off at times with how he seemingly ignored my suggestions. He had an insatiable desire to control every alliance and vote, and your opinion would not matter if it did not fit his game plan.
I believe that Guero did not have a strong social game with people beyond his core alliance. Guero and I had wonderful conversations, but I get the sense that many people on the jury did not really talk to him that often during the game. He reminds me of myself in season three, where he latched onto other alliances/people and worked as a strong partner in crime. There's nothing inherently wrong with that strategy to get to the end, but I don't think a Survivor jury is ever too excited by that. Furthermore, in a tournament where the physical game (challenges) are extremely in-depth and critical to the game's outcome, Guero's scores were not the strongest. These lower scores and lack of social game led to his upsetting pre-merge elimination, as people unfortunately did not trust him.
Who do you think you will have the hardest time competing with in the vote?
I think that both of my fellow finalists have strong cases for very different reasons, and they both could be decent competition for the title. Guero has an amazing story arc that chronicles his rise from Redemption Island to the Final Tribal Council, in addition to being a kind person and great friend. And T-Swizz ultimately played a strong strategic game, and really fought hard to win the final two challenges. I could see jury members voting for either of these two, depending on what aspect of gameplay appeals more to them.
If you do not win this competition, who should & why?
Again, I do admit that both Guero and T-Swizz have strong arguments for winning. I think that T-Swizz probably played the stronger game of the two, at least on paper. If I were on the jury, I would probably end up voting for Guero, due to the friendship we have now because of this game, and because I personally think he played a good social game with me. I also love his story in the tournament.
Is there anyone in the Top 3 who you feel should not be here? If so, who should be in their place?
I think all three of us do ultimately deserve these spots. It's a very dynamic final three, and we all fought hard to get here in different ways.
This Tournament is called Survivor for a reason. What is your definition of a true Survivor?
A "survivor" to me is someone who doesn't give up, regardless of the situations they must face. Someone who fights to achieve the goal that they set for himself or herself. Someone who tries their hardest. The Destiny's child song sums it up perfectly, and I think that my gameplay is the most true to this description, of the three finalists.
I'm a survivor (What?)
I'm not gon give up (What?)
I'm not gon stop (What?)
I'm gon work harder (What?)
I'm a survivor (What?)
I'm gonna make it (What?)
I will survive (What?)
Keep on survivin' (What?)
Take us through your alliances this season. From day one to now who have you been aligned with and how has it changed throughout the course of this game?
On day one, I was approached by T-Swizz to join an alliance with Guero and Golden. I accepted because this was literally an alliance being offered to me out of the blue, and I would have been foolish not to take it. This alliance ended up being my core group throughout the game. This alliance had a bumpy road, with the lowpoint being Guero's elimination in the pre-merge. At that point, we thought the alliance was basically dead in the water. However, Guero's return at the merge allowed that foursome to regain its footing. This alliance controlled a lot of the game -- for example, in the reward challenge in which we had to vote off other people, we were some of the last standing. This alliance fell apart at the final ten, when I was almost eliminated save for my idol play. However, the connections I made in this alliance definitely shaped the rest of the game, and ultimately, four of the final five came from this group.
I also had made assumed deals with people that I have known in the Games section for awhile, such as Sebas, rl231, Bloomers, and prezli. I genuinely wanted to look out for all of them as well, and get them as far as possible. The problem was that my other alliance decided against working with them, which really killed me personally. It honestly sucked to watch my friends get picked off one by one by other people I thought I could trust, while I was mostly powerless in the decision making.
Here is a rundown of the people I had alliances with, and how they changed throughout the game:
Bey_Rihstan - I made a deal with Bey_Rih on the swapped tribe, because she was being targeted by M4L and wesleywalrus. I knew that she was kind of a floater at the time, and I wanted to have another ally going into the merge. So, I forced a tie, but she lost the tiebreaker.
prezli - We ended up on a tribe together before the merge, and I had already been working with rl231, so I assumed that prezli would be a part of that deal as well. I love prezli, and I did want to work with her. When we got to the merge, it initially sounded like the prezli/rl231 alliance was going to control the vote, but some people flipped, such as Ivory. The vote was already locked up at that point, and I did not want to make any waves with the Golden/Guero/T-Swizz alliance, so I sadly had to vote prezli out.
rl231 - We have quite a history together from season three, where we were against each other basically throughout the game. I really wanted this season to be different and go to the end WITH each other as allies, not enemies. Throughout the pre-merge, I would check in with rl231, and when we were put on a tribe together finally, I was excited to get to strategize with him, as he is a great player. Once we got to the merge, his side had already lost the numbers, but I was desperately trying to figure out a way to keep him safe. I remember having a chat with him where I had a plan in mind that involved flipping a few people to vote off Ivory or M4L at the final twelve. I tried my best to convince people to go for Ivory/M4L, but they decided that rl231 was a threat and had to go. That round, I decided not to vote for rl231 out of respect for all we had been through over two seasons of this game, and so I threw my vote at M4L.
Bloomers - Bloomers and I were in this together from the very beginning. I was SO glad to see that we ended up on Tribe Mawimba together, and he was definitely a great ally to have because he is so kindhearted and trustworthy. He worked with me on decisions in the pre-merge, and it was always really great to have him as someone reliant. When we got down to the final eight, I had formed an alliance with Guero/Ares/Bloomers, and we tried to pull T-Swizz in to get the majority, but sadly, we could only force a tie. This led to Ares' departure, and then in the next round, I was essentially told that Bloomers leaving would be the only way for me to stay.
Guero - Guero and I have also been tight since day one. Starting out on Tribe Mawimba, the two of us made a great connection, and that carried all the way through to the final four vote, where he decided to keep me in the game, over Ivory. We made so many decisions together, and I think our strategies complemented each other well. We would come to conclusions collaboratively, and share pertinent information. Following the final ten blindside attempt, Guero and I definitely got closer, as we realized that we had to trust each other 100% in order to stay safe from all the tumult.
wesleywalrus - I also had an alliance with wesley at the beginning of the game, but unfortunately this fell apart when we swapped tribes. He targeted Guero, who was another close ally, and that definitely made me uncomfortable. He also had a bond with Mariah4Life that made me nervous due to how close they got so quickly. I assumed that he was no longer interested in working with me, so I ultimately forced the tie that resulted in his elimination.
Sebas - Another one of my closest allies in the game. We would share information often, and I really wanted him to make it far with me. I really wish he didn't quit the game, because I know how awesome he is and that he would have slayed the rest of the competition.
Golden - Golden was a part of my alliance with T-Swizz/Guero, but I was definitely wary of him from the beginning, due to his gameplay in Big Brother AS3, which I competed in with him. When he attempted to blindside me at final 10, he was honest about it with me afterwards, which I did appreciate. From that point, I definitely formed a stronger friendship with him, although I was obviously not sure I could trust him again. In the end, we became pretty good friends, even though we did not work strategically together that much after final 10.
Ares - Information from Ares was one of the major reasons I played my idol at final 10, and I am so glad I made that connection with him. Not only is he a genuine, kind person, he was definitely trustworthy, and I am very glad to have met him in this game. Following that round, I tried to reform an alliance with him, Bloomers, and Guero, but it didn't end up working out following the tie at top 8.
T-Swizz - Also someone I have been with since the beginning, I commend T-Swizz for playing the game in such a manipulative manner. He definitely made himself seem loyal to me until he tried to take me out in the final few rounds. I felt that the alliance I had with him was strong, but he always seemed to have other plans that conflicted with mine, and that was sometimes a frustrating alliance for me to be in. Ultimately, though, I definitely do appreciate his invitation to work together on day one, and I think we did work together successfully for some time.
Did you betray any allies you had during the season? If so who & why?
Most of the explanation to this question can be found above. I did, unfortunately, have to betray a few people on my journey throughout this game. The ones that stand out to me are:
Flame Beat Z000 - I wanted to work with him, but he was just not performing well in challenges, and the tribe wanted him to leave, so I voted for him.
wesleywalrus - We were aligned together, but I didn't trust him for multiple reasons after the tribes swapped. This resulted in my tying the vote, and sending him home, even though he thought we were still supposed to be allies.
prezli - I only voted for prezli after I knew there was no way to flip the vote back in her favor. I wanted to work with her so badly, but people kept flipping and after an insanely long tribal, I had to vote for her in order to not jeopardize my position.
Bloomers - I definitely had Bloomers' best interests at heart throughout the entire game. When it got to the final seven, it was a you or me situation, and it sounded like the majority was already voting for Bloomers, so I followed suit.
Golden - Golden and I had mended our relationship in the late part of the game, and at the final five, we discussed the vote and planned to go for Ivory. Guero and I suspected something was up, and we ultimately voted for Golden in fears of the hidden immunity idol coming to disrupt things.
Do you have any regrets in the competition that you feel could hurt you in the vote?
I definitely don't think I played a perfect game, by any means. A perfect game is impossible for anyone to achieve. What matters is that you are trying your hardest, and leaving it all out there. Hindsight, of course, is 20/20, and there are some regrets I have. I wish that I did fight a bit harder to keep some players around, such as rl231 and prezli. I think I was too passive in those decisions, and I didn't want to rock the boat too much. I felt a bit helpless, and I think I should have had more confidence to change things up a bit. I also wish that I had made better connections with members of the jury, such as Ivory or M4L... I had tried to start conversations with them, but from my perspective, they did not seem interested in being involved with me. Maybe I should have been more pushy with certain parts of the strategic game.
There's two general types of players in this game; those who play a social game & those who get here by their scores throughout the game. Do you think you fall in either category more than the other or was your game fairly split?
I think that I split my game evenly enough. I had a very social game with people who wanted to work with me. There were players who never reached out to me, and unfortunately I was unable to create that social connection with them. However, there are some players that I chatted with for hours in this game, and I am really glad that I got to know them better. Ultimately, my scores were probably my biggest safety net in the game. I worked extremely hard in challenges to make sure I had impeccable song selections, and top notch writing and presentation post-merge. I was put into situations where I felt the need to win immunity for myself in order to survive another round. So challenges were extremely important for me. I think the nature of this specific Survivor game allows the challenges to be a critical part of one's gameplay and final resume to win. In another Survivor game, challenges might be more trivial, such as solving a jigsaw puzzle as fast as possible. The challenges in ATRL Survivor allow for the development and sharing of ideas, creativity, analysis, and interpretation. You are literally putting a piece of yourself out there in every challenge (especially post-merge), and it is very hard work in order to score high in this game. Thus, I believe challenges and scores should have a heavy weight for the outcome of this tournament. My season average broke 9.0, which was a goal of mine as well. I am currently the second highest average scorer in ATRL Survivor history from the records I could find, behind only season three winner, -brian. Starting at the top twelve, I came in either first or second in every challenge. I was also forced to save myself with my challenge prowess in a tiebreaker situation, once again proving how my gameplay exemplifies the quality of surviving. I think all of this is a huge testament to the effort, dedication, and passion I put into this entire game, and hopefully it has shown the jury how much I want to win, and how strong a champion I would be for this series.
There are three types of Top 3 players. There's the threat. There's the underdog. And there's the third wheel. Do you think that's the case here or do we have a special type of Top 3 this season?
I think this top three is classified a bit differently. I think that multiple characteristics could apply to each of us. For example, I could see myself as both a threat and underdog. I was a very visible player throughout this season, and was targeted numerous times due to being a "threat" to win. However, I could definitely also be considered an underdog, because I was targeted so many times, and because many of my allies were eliminated in the early merge. It probably depends on your point of view of my gameplay, but I would label myself as both.
T-Swizz was more of a strategic, manipulative type, who was a good leader. He was definitely a strong player, and people didn't seem to think of him as a threat until maybe the final seven or so. He was never really an underdog though, and he never had to sit on the edge of his seat at a tribal council, like I did multiple times.
Guero could be considered an underdog, due to his rebound from elimination in the pre-merge. He could also be considered a "third wheel" type of player, just because his gameplay was very under-the-radar, which some juries might not understand or appreciate. I think Guero played a game that was true to himself, showing loyalty and tenacity.
Anything else you would like to say before we move on to my personal questions for you?
Thanks again to you and the judges for all of your amazing work this season! I am so happy to be sitting here right now. I hope that the jury votes for me to win, as I have truly fought my way through so many obstacles in order to get to this point. I believe that I fit the definition of "survivor" extremely well -- the best of the finalists -- and I would be so very honored to be the Sole Survivor of this season.
There's no doubt people wanted you out of the game. After all, you were almost eliminated three times during the Merge. What kept you going?
I have an incredible passion for this game. I love Survivor, and have been a huge fan of the series over the last few years. When the show is on, I watch religiously, and waiting until the next episode always makes me impatient. It has so many interesting layers and aspects to it, and it's amazing to watch these exciting strategies unfold each season. I would love to actually go on the show one day, and see how I would do. However, until then, I will stick to trying out Survivor on the Internet.
When I came into this season, I was motivated by an internal flame. I had unfinished business to attend to from season three. My time was cut short, and ninth place was just not enough. My goal, at the very least, was to make it past ninth. In playing off-ATRL Survivor games, I had never made it past fourth due to being a threat. So, my longer term goal was to finally make it into a Survivor finale. These two major goals both became reality; however, they did not come easily. I had to fight very hard in this game to get to the end. Time and time again, I was the target for the vote. So I had to win critical immunities. I had to glean information and read people the right way in order to play my idol correctly. I had to win tiebreakers. There was literally never a break for me in this game post-merge. It was one of the most adrenaline-pumping games I could have been a part of, because I had to SURVIVE. I could not let my guard down once in this game, because I was perceived as a threat. That primal instinct and drive to survive and succeed definitely took over, and I gave my all like I never have before, especially in challenges. Seeing the numbers dwindle with me still in the game was also a driving factor that reminded me that I could indeed make my goals. I just had to set my mind to it and work hard.
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Yvess asks:
Hi Top Three! Once again, congratulations to the 3 of you. I know you all deserve to be in the elusive Top 3 slots. I'm genuinely happy to have judged your entries since Day 1 and see how much you all have grown in this tournament.
I'll be asking you questions that I find essential in finding my next successor. I hope you answer with all sincerity and avoid the "safe" answers, ok?
To the Top 3:
1. Use Pop Girls to describe the yourself, the other 2 finalists, the host and the judges. Explain your choices.
2. Are you Top or Bottom? I mean, scores and alliances combined, do you think you are on Top or Bottom of this game? Why?
3. Use a song from the legendary artist, Avril Lavigne to describe your Survivor Season 5 Journey.
To Element:
Congratulations for making it on the finale, as you can see, this season was kinda ruthless to comebacking castaways, your immunity idol play is for the books. You should be happy for it Elliement. My question for you is, since it is your 2nd time to play Survivor, Is there a point in the game that you tried to fake your personality skills and act naive about the game to the castaways just to be safe? Why do you think the jury will vote for you knowing that it might be possible that you're one of the reasons that some of their alliances were destroyed?
1. Use Pop Girls to describe the yourself, the other 2 finalists, the host and the judges. Explain your choices.
- Element - Ellie Goulding - I know it might be a bit of a copout to choose my favorite musician. However, I honestly think my personality is a lot like Ellie's, and in this game, my social connections were a lot like hers as well. For example, I ended up in the middle of two alliances, similar to how Ellie is in the middle of the Katy Perry vs Taylor Swift feud. I honestly did not want to offend either side of the competition, because I genuinely liked them all and wanted to remain friends with them all.
- Guero - Britney Spears - I think of Guero's storyline in this game much like Britney's redemption in the mid 2000s. She went through a very difficult time in her life (just like Guero had to go through being eliminated), had to rehabilitate herself (as Guero had to fight on Redemption Island to earn his place in the game), and then return to the spotlight and have success again, with the Blackout/Circus/Femme Fatale eras (Guero solidified his position in the merge and got into the finale).
- T-Swizz - Beyoncé - I think that T-Swizz is much like his idol Beyoncé, in that he was a huge force in this game, and knew how to play situations to his advantage. He was a powerful player, similar to how Beyoncé is so great at business strategy. In addition, he surprise released his idol on me at the final five, like Beyoncé's self-titled album.
- DillonATRL - Madonna - The trendsetter, the creator, the person who inspired the rest. Dillon is the patriarch of this ATRL Survivor series, and without his creativity and amazing hosting, the rest of us players would not have had the game we just played, similar to how pop music would not be the same without Madonna's influence.
- Yvess - Taylor Swift - When I think of Taylor Swift, I think of someone who is always very enthusiastic for the success and well-being of those she is friends with. Yvess always felt like a great friend and mentor to everyone in the game, like Taylor is in real life with her group of celebrity BFFs. You are a truly kind-hearted person, Yvess, and you always brought a bright personality to the thread, beaming with interest and excitement as to the happenings in the game and the success of the castaways. You were truly a part of our journey!
- Superiore - Shakira - Superiore is a very smart and supportive person. As a judge, I always knew that he would have great commentary and insight for my entries. Shakira is also incredibly smart and encouraging. In addition, Superiore was always very responsible, and helped Dylan out when necessary.
- ethan - Katy Perry - There's really no one else to compare ethan with. He is an established member of this ATRL game series, like Katy is in the pop world. He definitely brings a fun and humorous aspect to the game, and his lightheartedness and support is very similar to how Katy expresses herself.
2. Are you Top or Bottom? I mean, scores and alliances combined, do you think you are on Top or Bottom of this game? Why?
The funny thing about Survivor is how quickly odds can change. One day, they can be in your favor. The next, you could somehow find yourself in danger. I think that I made strong alliances throughout the game that kept me safe through the pre-merge, and the first two rounds of the merge. I also had extremely strong scores in the first half of this game. For most of the pre-merge, I would say I was more on the "top" of the game. This success is what established me as a threat in the merge, and that is why, when I lost immunity at the final ten, and had an auto-vote against me, I was a HUGE target. After the idol play, I was exhilarated by my success, but I also felt like I had reached the "bottom" of this game. I had lost a lot of good friends and allies in the previous few rounds, and I knew that my time would be up VERY soon if I didn't win immunity and try to fight back even harder. I think that, after this attempted blindside, I spent the rest of the game more in the "bottom" of the pack, as an underdog who was always dodging elimination. I couldn't really trust many people anymore, and I had to survive, survive, survive.
3. Use a song from the legendary artist, Avril Lavigne to describe your Survivor Season 5 Journey.
This song is a perfect message for Survivor, stating, "Who knows what could happen?" There are so many crazy things that can occur in this game, and you must expect the unexpected. Anything could happen, as Ellie Goulding put it. In this song, Avril also sings... "One thing's true, there's always a brand new day...I'm gonna live today like it's my last day" This line reminds me that there is always the opportunity to save yourself each day in this game, and that you need to seize the moment every time you can in order to avoid elimination. I had to live each day like it was my last in the game post-merge, and I had to work hard to ensure my safety. I gave it my all, and had to compete to the fullest extent I could.
Congratulations for making it on the finale, as you can see, this season was kinda ruthless to comebacking castaways, your immunity idol play is for the books. You should be happy for it Elliement. My question for you is, since it is your 2nd time to play Survivor, Is there a point in the game that you tried to fake your personality skills and act naive about the game to the castaways just to be safe? Why do you think the jury will vote for you knowing that it might be possible that you're one of the reasons that some of their alliances were destroyed?
Thanks for your question, Yvess, and for your support all season long! I really appreciate it. I did want to make a note here that not too many castaways in ATRL Survivor who made the merge in their first season improve upon their position when they play an additional time. So, to make it so far past ninth is really awesome, given the historical pattern.
I absolutely tried to downplay my knowledge of this game as best I could. I knew that some of the returning players such as rl231 and Sebas would know that I understand Survivor, having played with me in season three, where I was also considered a "threat" and then voted off. I also knew that people who are huge fans of the show, like Ivory, would know that I post in the seasonal Survivor thread when the show is on. Ivory, for example, would then know that I know exactly how this show works, and what I needed to do in order to succeed in the game. So, I definitely tried to play dumb at times and let other people make decisions that I would co-sign later. I tend to prefer a passive strategy at first, and allow other people to make the big moves and decisions, and then I can agree with them and affirm our alliance. By doing this, I think I was able to minimize any worries of my previous Survivor knowledge and experience.
I think that the jury will understand that for most of them, I had a genuine social connection with them inside and outside of this game. I truly and honestly wanted to work with many of them, and I hope that they will recognize my valuing their friendship, despite the possibility that my decisions led to their being on the jury, instead of in the finale. I had to make hard decisions in this game. I think they will also recognize that I ultimately was an underdog who played his heart out, and that I fought incredibly hard in this game with them in mind. I was driven and impassioned by the eliminations of my close friends and allies, and I wanted to succeed in this game and ultimately win this game in their honor. I hope that they will realize this, and know that I was motivated by them. They kept me going.
Quote:
dwuw asks:
General question: If you were a part of the jury, and you had to vote for one of your two opponents, who would you have liked to win?
General question: Have you bought Wildest Dreams?
General question: Who was your favorite contestant this season?
Hey dwuw! Thank you for your questions.
If you were a part of the jury, and you had to vote for one of your two opponents, who would you have liked to win?
As I stated above, I probably would have voted for Guero due to the friendship that we had formed, and due to the redemption arc that he wrote in this game.
Have you bought Wildest Dreams?
Yes, months ago! I love that song. Here is the receipt:
Who was your favorite contestant this season?
This is a bit of a loaded question! Haha. I think this was an incredibly dynamic cast, so it's really hard to choose. I'm going to pretend I was watching this season was TV, and I'm thus actually going to go with Ares on this one, because he surprised me with his gameplay. He ended up being a great ally, and I hadn't expected to work with him early on in the game. I think he was playing a really cool underdog game, and from a viewers' perspective, I would have been rooting for his success.
Quote:
prezli asks:
Element:
Hello Element, congrats for being in the Top 3. You own the biggest surprise of this season. Personally, I totally loved it. My question is: What was the most difficult thing for you during this game? Who were close to you? Which contestants did you trust least?
All:
Tell us about your favorite and less favorite rounds, your favorite songs you submitted and explain why!
Hi prezli! Thanks so much for your question. And I'm glad you loved that surprise!
What was the most difficult thing for you during this game? Who were close to you? Which contestants did you trust least?
The most difficult thing in this game, for me, would be having to vote off people who I am close to. I have struggled with this in other Survivor games I have played. I feel like I've made a genuine connection with someone, but then I have to vote them off in order to look out for myself. Wrestling with that emotional dilemma is really tough for me, and it causes a lot of moral conflict for me. Over the course of the season, I made great new friendships and strengthened old ones as well. I was close to a bunch of people, including yourself, rl231, Bloomers, Sebas, Guero, T-Swizz, Golden, Ares, wesleywalrus, and Bey_Rihstan. All of these people were awesome to work with and chat with throughout the game, and having to vote some of them out was tough.
As far as trust goes, I never really trusted Mariah4Life. Ever since we swapped onto NuDalgani, I got the sense that he did not want to work with me. Moo definitely made me nervous, and I was extremely wary of having him around, especially after he voted to get rid of Guero. By extension, I did not trust Ivory very much. Ivory flipped on you seemingly quickly, and he told me directly that he did not really want to work with me in the game. Thus, I could never really trust him in this game. He didn't intend to trust me, so I had to do the same to him. I'd say as a whole, that duo of Ivory and M4L was probably the duo I trusted the least. I was adamant about getting them out early on in the merge. I was also wary of trusting T-Swizz and Golden at times, especially following the final ten tribal with my idol play. I didn't really know who to trust fully anymore. I always had a hunch that T-Swizz and Golden were pulling a lot of strings.
Tell us about your favorite and less favorite rounds, your favorite songs you submitted and explain why!
I love this question, because the challenges are such a major part of this specific version of Survivor! Dylan puts so much effort and creativity into the challenges, so I am happy to recap my favorites and least favorites. I personally love the simple yet effective nature of the pre-merge rounds. Sending a song that fits a theme sounds rather vanilla, but you can actually end up with quite a scavenger hunt on your hands in order to find a song that can get you a 9 or 10. I think I was able to perfect my song selection skills from my previous time playing ATRL Survivor, and I am really proud of my entries.
Other challenges that I enjoyed were the Create an EP round, the Re-Create an Era round, and the Album Review challenge. All three of these challenges allowed me to hone different skills in an industry that I might want to take part in one day, and I really appreciate that. I was able to go in-depth with all of these challenges, and analyze music in a way that I hadn't before. I looked at Katy Perry's emotive states, Avril Lavigne's chart run metrics, and Tori Kelly's production and lyrics -- all of which I would not have expected three months ago. I thoroughly enjoyed writing for these challenges, and I think the effort I put into those entries speaks for itself.
My least favorite challenges were probably the Trinities challenge and the Picture Perfect challenge. I was extremely stressed while submitting for those rounds, knowing that my game was really on the line if I didn't win immunity. The Picture Perfect round in particular was the worst for me, as the lowest scorer was going home automatically. The stress of these challenges started to get to me, and I kept questioning my decisions, which is never fun.
Here are some of my favorite song selections from this season:
- Jordin Sparks - I Am Woman (R1: Girl Power) - A great feminist anthem that I think started me on a very strong path in this game.
- Jojo - Too Little, Too Late (R6: Now You Want Me) - Just an awesome throwback song that is super catchy. So glad Jojo is back making music!
- iamamiwhoami - Fountain (R7: The Symbol of Water) - This entry was probably my strongest song entry of the season, as it truly captured the concept of water in every manner possible. The instrumental especially does this. For an elemental fanatic, this was an amazing track to find, and the video is superb.
- Christina Milian - You Make Me Laugh (R8: Friends No More) - I had almost given up on this round, when I found this track by chance. I love the melody. It's up there in Milian's discography, alongside the Kim Possible theme song.
- Carrie Underwood - Cowboy Casanova (R13: The Person With Halo Emoji) - One of my favorite Carrie songs, I loved this song as an interpretation of this emoji's devilish smile.
- Sharpay Evans - Fabulous (R13: The Nail Painting Emoji) - I have always loved this song. It's catchy and a guilty pleasure track. When I saw the nail painting emoji, I knew immediately that this song was perfect for it, and the judges wholeheartedly agreed.
- Rascall Flatts - Life is a Highway (R16: The Highway/Vacation Picture) - I loved how different this picture was, and how it was a mashup of a photograph and a cartoon. This song brings back childhood memories as well, so it was a great selection that went beyond face value of the picture.
- Jennifer Lopez - Louboutins (Final 5 Tiebreaker: High Heel Emoji) - A totally underrated song that should have been a hit, Louboutins was the go-to song for this emoji, perfectly capturing the power and confidence the emoji depicts.
- Nelly Furtado - All Good Things (Come to an End) (Final 5 Tiebreaker: Contrast Tree Picture) - This picture and song really hit me emotionally, and made me think about a lot of things. During this competition, for example, I lost two elderly pets that I had for so long... all good things must come to an end. So the song really speaks to me, as does this entire game, on another level. There are so many lessons to learn from a game like this, honestly, and I learned a lot about myself and others along the way.
Thanks again, prezli, for this walk down memory lane! Best of luck with your decision.
Quote:
Ivory. asks:
First off, congrats to all three of you. I know how hard it is to make it that far, so you all deserve a pat on the back imo.
What I want to know is what you did to ensure your alliance members were not voted off. If you were apart of multiple alliances you were serious about, I'd like to know how you helped save/take the target off of someone from each alliance.
Thanks and I wish all three of you luck.
Hi Ivory! Thanks so much for your question.
I will definitely acknowledge that this was a weaker aspect of my game. I think that at times, I was a little too passive, and could have worked harder to ensure that certain people were not voted off. The two votes I definitely most regret not pushing harder were for prezli and rl231. I had run the numbers in my head, and sadly, the majority was already voting for them, so there wasn't too much I could do without putting a target on my back. I didn't want to rock the boat that much, because I didn't want to jeopardize my standing with people like T-Swizz, Golden, and Guero. Ironically, the round after rl231, I was the one who was betrayed by some who I tried to stand behind.
I definitely changed my tune during the top eight round, where I tried INCREDIBLY hard to save my ally, Ares. I spent a long time trying to put together an alliance of Ares, Bloomers, Guero, and myself. I tried to pull T-Swizz in to work with us, or to trick him into throwing his vote, so that I could save Ares (either 5-3, or 4-3-1). I spent HOURS messaging T-Swizz, and I gave him so many logical arguments for keeping Ares around. I expressed that we would have had a solid majority at that point, and that theoretically, T-Swizz/Guero/myself would have been the final three. Ironically, that is the final three that materialized. At that point in the game, I was so determined and I knew that the time for subtlety had passed. I threw my previous caution to the wind following that idol play. Unfortunately, however, T-Swizz did not budge, resulting in Ares' elimination.
Congrats to you guys! You all made it to the finale, and it's well deserved for each of you . Now, onto the questions:
ALL:
1. Go through each vote after the merge: who you voted for, why you voted for them, and what your position was in the game
2. What move was your greatest move in the game, and why? (Element can't say using the idol and Guero can't say getting back from Redemption Island)
And that's it! Everyone else's questions will be sufficient for me, so I wish you all the best of luck!!
Hello, hello! Thanks so much for your questions. It was an honor playing with you again this season.
1. Go through each vote after the merge: who you voted for, why you voted for them, and what your position was in the game?
Top 13
- Eliminated: prezli
- My vote: prezli
- My reasoning: When I spoke to prezli and rl231 in this round, they told me that the majority (including Ivory and Rider) was definitely voting for Golden, and so I got ready to do the same. I knew that the merge vote was the primary place where power struggles happen, and my gut told me to go with the rl231/prezli alliance for a better chance later on. However, I soon discovered from my other core alliance that some people, like Ivory, had flipped to vote off prezli because she was a huge threat in the merge. The vote was already 7 votes for prezli, which was an indisputable majority. This information came after the vote had already gone over 24 hours, so there was really no more discussion to be had. prezli was already leaving. I decided at this point that I sadly had to vote off prezli, because I did not want to risk my position in the alliance I had with Guero/T-Swizz/Golden, who had now taken control.
- Position in the game: At this point, I was a bit nervous, but still optimistic that I could get rl231/Sebas/Bloomers into a positive position with my alliance of Guero/T-Swizz/Golden, thus allowing me to be a swing vote at the final seven. I blindly thought my position in the game was still pretty solid.
Top 12
- Eliminated: rl231
- My vote: Mariah4Life
- My reasoning: I was honestly shocked that rl231 ended up as the target in this vote. I had just had a conversation with him two nights before where I said that he would be fine, and that we could easily hatch a plan to take out Ivory or M4L. I definitely made my opinion known that I wanted one of Ivory/M4L eliminated this round. Golden supported me, but T-Swizz was against it. He argued that rl231 was extremely logical and a huge threat. He said that Ivory/M4L were pawns that we could get rid of later. I disagreed, saying those two were not trustworthy, and could turn on us quickly. Sadly, the decision was already made, and the majority was already voting for rl231. However, I had my own agenda. I wanted to make a statement, so I sent my vote for Mariah4Life. I'm still not 100% sure who the other M4L vote was from that round. I also did not want to vote for rl231 out of the respect that I have for him as a strong and smart Survivor player. We've been involved in multiple Survivor games together, on and off of ATRL, and I refused to vote for him.
- Position in the game: Losing rl231 was tough. I definitely had wanted to go far with him, but I had overall felt powerless in this tribal council. My vote-throwing put me in a very precarious position. People had a (correct) feeling that I was one of the defectors who voted for M4L, and I believe this was one reason they felt willing to try and take me out at the final ten. This vote was where my multiple alliances and deals were put to the test, and I ended up in a very tangled situation because of it.
Top 11
- Withdrew: Sebas
- Position in the game: Sebas leaving the game was devastating. He was one of my most trusted allies, and I was really sad to see him leave. Sebas leaving definitely put me into a dangerous position, as there were many people looking to blindside me, and one less person on my side.
Top 10
- Eliminated: Mariah4Life
- My vote: Mariah4Life
- My reasoning: Definitely the most memorable tribal of the season for me. To my knowledge, T-Swizz had set his target on Ares in this round. I really did not want Ares to leave, so I tried to get Mariah4Life as the target, because I did not trust him. In this vote, I had an autovote against me, and Golden had a double vote. It was a prime recipe for people to try and blindside me. I had confirmed with a few people, such as Bloomers and Ares, that Mariah4Life would be our vote recipient. This was compounded by a few PMs suggesting that I was the target. Apparently, Golden sent M4L a message telling him to vote for me. M4L then shared this with me. Ares later told me that M4L was targeting me, and painting me as a snake in the game. This made him dangerous to me, and I wanted M4L out even more at that point. I had gotten enough confirmation from people in the game that I was the target, and I decided that it was time to let the idol out of the bag. Ultimately, my sources had led me down the correct path of information, and it negated 7 votes against me. My target was successfully eliminated.
- Position in the game: This tribal left me in a very interesting position. On one hand, I felt empowered and excited that I had successfully saved myself. I was also happy that M4L had left, because I never once trusted him since I met him in the tribe swap. On the other hand, my alliance with Golden/Guero/T-Swizz, that I had put so much effort into, had fallen apart due to this vote, and I felt like I was definitely in the minority. From this point on, I was always considered a target, and this was the turning point in the game for me. This is when I knew I had to fight insanely hard to get through each round, and knew that I had to rely on myself to survive.
Top 9
- Withdrew: Rider
- Position in the game: After Rider's withdrawal, a potential 6-3 or 5-4 situation against me had turned into something that I could take advantage of. And I almost did successfully, as detailed in the next segment. I never had a game relationship with Rider, so his withdrawal ultimately only helped my standing in the competition.
Top 8
- Eliminated: Ares
- My vote: dwuw
- My reasoning: This vote was quite an interesting one. A few days before the vote, I had a realization. dwuw was playing a fantastic game. He NEVER came up in voting discussions, and was a very likable player who was strong in challenges. He hadn't gotten much blood on his hands, and had likely not angered any jury members. I also was 99% he did not have an idol, nor would he have an idol played on him, because he was an unlikely target. I formed my alliance with Bloomers, Ares, and Guero, and confirmed that they would vote for dwuw. They all agreed with the many reasons that I listed above. That day, I approached T-Swizz, who was still annoyed about the top ten tribal results. I tried, with Guero's backup support, to convince him to side with Ares and Bloomers, in order to improve his position in the game, and essentially guarantee himself a spot in the final three. I did not tell T-Swizz about my plan to vote for dwuw, and instead suggested someone else like Ivory/Golden. My ultimate goal was to get T-Swizz to vote for a random person, and result in a 4-3-1 vote, with dwuw blindsided and no idols played. Unfortunately, T-Swizz had other plans, much to my frustration, and Ares was eliminated following the tie-breaker.
- Position in the game: I was not thrilled after the tiebreaker results, as my plan did not end up working. I had theoretically ended up in the minority alliance, but I still had my connections with Golden and T-Swizz to back me up. There was still hope that I could get them to work with Bloomers and Guero and myself, but I was definitely worried at this point.
Top 7
- Eliminated: Bloomers
- My vote: Bloomers
- My reasoning: At this point, I knew that it was either me or Bloomers. Ultimately, the tribe's majority wanted Bloomers out because they were never really aligned with him. When I lost immunity this round, I genuinely thought I was leaving, and I was told that, yes, I was the initial target. But people changed their minds and voted for Bloomers. I had to do the same in order to preserve my spot in the game.
- Position in the game: I was really sad to lose Bloomers, as he was one of my closest allies and confidants. At this point, I didn't fully trust anyone left, except for Guero... so once again, I felt like I was on the bottom of the pack.
Top 6
- Eliminated in challenge: dwuw
- Position in the game: After dwuw's elimination, I definitely think my position improved a bit, because both Golden and Guero were still very interested in working with me, and discussing strategy with me. I had also just tried to blindside dwuw, so I knew he would likely not want to work with me.
Top 5
- Eliminated: Golden
- My vote: Golden
- My reasoning: There was A LOT of paranoia and confusion during this vote. Golden told me that he initially wanted to eliminate Guero, but then quickly backtracked and changed his vote to Ivory. Guero and I found this sudden vote change very fishy. We talked to T-Swizz, who also said he wanted to eliminate Ivory. However, T-Swizz was acting very strange throughout the day, telling me to not worry about idols, and reassuring me that making it this far was something to be proud of. This made me think that another plan was in place to eliminate me. I knew that the first immunity idol was still active, and I thought it would be played on either Ivory or Golden. After talking it out, Guero and I decided together to place our votes on the only other eligible player, Golden, because we thought that Ivory would have the idol played on him. Our hunch was correct, and it was discovered that T-Swizz had funneled all of our votes onto Ivory in order to play the idol on him and then blindside me. This vote required a ton of intuition.
- Position in the game: After this game, I knew that Guero had my back more than ever before, and I knew that T-Swizz/Ivory would want me gone. The line was firmly drawn in the sand at this point.
Top 4
- Eliminated: Ivory.
- My vote: Ivory.
- My reasoning: Following T-Swizz's immunity win, the strong duo of Guero and I had no other choice but to vote for Ivory. I knew that we would be loyal to each other. Ultimately, if the two of us stuck together, we would guarantee our spots in the finale, as Ivory had a lower overall average score than both Guero and myself. I knew this was the tiebreaker based on previous seasons, so we were able to secure our safety due to this rule.
- Position in the game: My day one ally and I made it to the finale!
2. What move was your greatest move in the game, and why? (Element can't say using the idol and Guero can't say getting back from Redemption Island)
There are two moves that stand out in my mind.
#1 - Creating a positive social connection and working alliance with as many people as I knew I could trust. Having played variations of Survivor over the past year, I know that you have to maintain a strong enough social game with people in order for them to want to keep you around. I think that creating these bonds kept me safe for quite a while in this game, and this allowed me to keep my options open when we got to the merge. A lot of people relied on me, and I tried my best to work with them and get them to work with my other main allies. I had sources of information on all different pre-merge tribes, and I had deals to share pertinent facts with people like Bloomers and Sebas, in order to keep them safe, and for them to keep me safe in return.
-- #1A - I think forming a great bond with Guero ended up working really well for both of us, as we were able to successfully share information and logically decide what move would be best for us. Ultimately, Guero decided to keep me in the final four vote, so my social game with him was definitely strong enough to warrant this. Thanks again, Guero! You are an awesome friend and I am glad to have met you.
#2 - Forming an alliance with Guero, Ares, and Bloomers, in order to save Ares from elimination, and blindside dwuw. Even though the end result did not work as planned for us, I think my formation of this alliance showed that I was truly here to play the game strategically and take charge at this point in the competition. It would have been an AMAZING alliance had it worked out, and I think the endgame could have been so much different had it worked out.
Thanks for your questions, rl231, and good luck with your decision!
Thank you all once more for your awesome questions, and for being a part of this amazing journey over the last three months. We had a truly iconic season, and I am so happy to be standing here. Good luck to both Guero and T-Swizz.
Overall, I have been a true survivor throughout this competition. I had to battle my way through so many obstacles. I had to constantly persevere to get to this point. Day after day, something new would come up that would practically guarantee that I would leave next. I never really caught a break in this game, and I had to power through so many low-points. Even when I was discouraged, and convinced I was going next, I fought to save myself, and it ultimately got me to the finale. I just had to remain focused and optimistic. It's not often that someone so commonly targeted can make it to the finale, and winning this tournament would truly mean the world to me. I hope that you will cast your vote for Element when you go to that voting booth! Love you all!
With that said, the interview is complete. Good luck to you at the Final Tribal Council. Thanks for sitting down with us to give us a little more insight into your Survivor journey. The next time we're all together, a winner will be revealed.
With all that said, it is now time for the Final Tribal Council Commencement. Jury, it is your turn to decide the winner of this season of Survivor. There are a total of 10 votes to be cast in this vote and they will each go towards this time, choosing a sole Survivor.
More information can be found in the section below.
To The Jury:
prezli
rl231
Sebas
Mariah4life
Rider
Ares
Bloomers
dwuw
Golden
Ivory.
For some of you, it's been quite awhile since you were a potential winner of Survivor: S5. For a few others, you're considerably fresh meat to the Jury cast. Either way, you are each to cast a vote in this season's finale.
Once you all either read, skim, or completely ignore the finalists' interviews, you are to all PM me a vote containing your choice for the winner's name. Whoever's name appears most in this vote will be deemed the Sole Survivor of ATRL on Tuesday, September 1st.
Votes are due on September 1st @ 4:00 PM PST. That gives everyone 36 hours to make up their mind. You may as always send me another PM with a new selected winner if you change your mind. The finale will be that same night your votes are due. The exact time of the finale is TBA.
Looks like everyone took this interview seriously which I'm happy to see! Thanks for everyone going into hyper-mode to finish their interviews on time.
You've done all you can do to ensure any votes this Final Tribal Council. All you can do at this point is wait. May the best castaway win.
I was thinking a finale around 9 PM PST on September 1st would be alright for each of you. I never notice either of you guys asleep by then so if that sounds good for everyone, I'll set that time for the finale?
Thanks for reading. Jurors, I'll be awaiting your votes. Finalists, sit tight.
Seriously, the castaways' answers to the interview questions makes me reminisce how I answered the past season's interview. remembered how long my answers were. the essays!
, but I was late 
Dylan's working us to the bone
. YAY MORE QUESTIONS!! 
I feel as though, they both excelled in particular aspects of this game but fell short in the rest, hence why they were being targeted in multiple tribals & one even ended up being eliminated. I don't want to start a smear campaign so I'll stop here!
remembered how long my answers were. the essays!