|
|
Post by jay on Aug 7, 2010 10:52:03 GMT -5
First of all, congratulations guys on making the final two. I can’t say that I’m all that surprised, I predicted when I left the game that Ryan would make the final, I don’t know what it was but I kind of thought he’d do enough to make it. Mich, if I may still call you that, I assumed would only make the final IF he won the final HOH, which he did. I thought he’d fall at the final hurdle though but he didn’t and I’ve said for a while that I kind of wanted Mich to get to the final. As far as this game goes though, you both did very well to get to the position that you are at, it does take a lot to get there and you should feel proud for having beaten the rest of us in solidifying yourselves in this game. Having been out of the game for sometime now and being the first juror I feel a little bit out of the loop. Loads happen after I had left and it kind of eliminates me from judging anyone’s motives or intentions and it automatically excludes me from being personal or emotional in this kind of situation. Some of what I say is just what my lasting impressions were of you two and how I felt throughout my stay, despite me knowing a fair bit about it all after I left. As I study Journalism I like writing a lot, therefore detail will bode well for both of use, in terms of trying to sway by vote. I liked your opening statements and they seemed rather lengthy so your both already winning points in that respect. Mich – Michael – Without having to repeat myself continuously I’ll keep it as brief as I can haha. If someone had said to me at the beginning of the game that you would be in the final 2 I would have laughed in their face. You were this dull guy that didn’t have much to say, nothing of any importance. In fact the first few days of the game I couldn’t tell the difference between you, Chad, Eric and Steven. I virtually thought all four of you were just the one person. The one thing I always said about you was that I thought you were a nice guy. For some reason I have doubted that for the past couple of rounds and speaking to the other jurors I figured that maybe I was wrong. I’d like to think that someone nice is actually there and that all our conversations were not all an act. Before I left I was willing for you to have this super awesome game plan and that you were actually a smart player and not a floater. I think it is safe to say that you are all of the latter, you are deserving of this position and I am glad to see you there. I’d like to mostly commend you for putting the wool over my eyes so to speak in my eviction week because you were able to convince me that you were keeping me and that is a commendable task. I never got the impression that I couldn’t trust you and you lured me into a false sense of security whilst all the while being close with Travis and Eric, two people that weren’t always my favourite people in the game. For those reasons I consider you as one of the most worthy players in the game and I wish you the best of luck. P.S It was always fun talking to you like you were literally on the fence  Ryan - On the surface Ryan you are indeed the underdog heading into the jury questioning but your opening statement was very powerful and your insight was impressive. If you can keep up that kind of detail I can see my vote decision being extremely hard. In the beginning of the game Ryan, you were just like Mich, much loved by everyone. I think your classes and exams didn’t allow you to carry that through and you suffered for that reason. One of the few things that I think I said about you was that I thought you were almost ‘too nice’ to play this game as ruthlessly as other people. In fact I think that ‘not telling people the 100% truth’ or hiding some of your intentions was not necessarily a game plan but more your inability to be a ‘ruthless’ person. I had probably the most interesting ‘out of game’ chats with you the most. We had a lot in common and you always spoke as much as you got and for me that was a big thing. A couple of houseguests would always say that you ‘didn’t say much’ but that always confused me because we used to speak a lot. I considered you one of my very close friends until I realised that you were actually closer to Travis and then something for me clicked and I never saw you in the same light again. Unlike Mich you were not able to convince me that you liked me or anything like that. Perhaps that was a good thing though, I reckon being as straight up as you were (which was not that straight up but enough for me to work you out) may have been a good thing because it shows that you have morals and lying, cheating and backstabbing doesn’t come as a second nature to you and that can ONLY be a good thing. I don’t know much about your gameplay but I’d like to find out, best of luck Ryan. My Questions – As I left reasonably early I kind of don’t need any answers like some of the other jury members might want. By that I mean I don’t have specific questions or any desires to have some of ‘brain racking’ questions answered. So I’m going to keep it conventional and ask some less important questions and just get a general feel of you both. I’d like you both to be honest because that is important at this stage in the game and it would be nice to see the ‘real’ yous. 1) To both of you, list each houseguest from 1-13 (excluding yourself obviously), in terms of most deserving of being in the final based on their contribution to the game. 1 being most deserving and 13 being least deserving. - I would like it if you were both a bit original and didn’t opt for the current line up but obviously if that is how you feel then fair enough. State the name and a small reason as to why you think they are rated so low or high or whatever the case maybe. Contribution includes competition wins, gameplans, conversational and social skills, laughter ... whatever you can think of 2) Lets get a bit of campaigning going on, give me two reasons why your opposition should NOT win the game? Best of luck guys and remember I would like ‘detail’ not just in my answers but in the answers you give to the other jurors too. Other than that I hope the best person wins the game.  |
|
|
|
Post by michael on Aug 8, 2010 21:36:41 GMT -5
Hi Jay! Long time no talk, neighbour. I am sure you have heard by now that I was planning to evict you all along (no doubts whatsoever because it was against Mike) from finding out that you had been pulling me along and lying to me. Surprisingly, most of it was because Mike had been filling in the details for me. I wasn't out of the loop as much as I let on. Sorry, but deception can be a two-way street  I played nice with you--despite knowing that you may have been feeding me stories-- because it was in my best interest to keep on good terms with you for my relationship with Mike. I might have found a way to keep you if you HADN'T been on the block against Mike, but Jake made a smart move in veto-ing Stacey to resist any temptations. MOST DESERVING 1 Jake - Oh my god you were the favorite to win and you could talk your way out of anything with your humor. If you hadn't gone off on me, I think things might have turned out better for you. Just MAYBE. Nonetheless, being upfront with me is commendable and would have earned you my jury vote- if I had one. The reason why I put you on top is because you know the ins-and-outs of this game better than anyone and if you hadn't shared your knowledge, I really would not be in the position I am. 2 Mike - For personal reasons, as well as GREAT game play on your part I think that you would have made a great F2. Everyone loved you. I was surprised at all the alliances you had in the game. You were in a good position the whole time you were on the block--you didn't really need all my help 3 Eric - Best strategical ally out of everyone in the game. To this day I am amazed by your ability to consider every possible scenario and stay 2 steps ahead. Perhaps you shouldn't have revealed your "Ryan isn't actually my ally" card to me, but at the very least that helped me understand where you stood. You certainly knew what you were doing, planning things out. All I did was sit back and push you in the direction I wanted to go. Yet I was the one who ended up getting all the blame, but that was okay for me. It wasn't hard to agree because we saw eye to eye on a lot of different issues. If there was an award for strategizing--you would be hands down favorite for that. 4 Robbie - On a personal level, you were the most honest in my eyes and for that, you deserve a winning position in the game. Strategically, we didn't do much together and that is something that I regret. You also saved me after you nominated me--without my asking-- and for that I am still grateful. 5 Jay - Wow, you played the game hard and I don't think I gave you as much credit as I should have early on. I think emotionally, I got tied up with the fact that you were feeding me lies and from there, it was all bad news. Nonetheless, you knew EXACTLY what was supposed to happen each week while I sat on the fence like an idiot. Thanks for pulling out all the splinters and landing me on the right side of everything . If I hadn't listened to you, I might not be here at all. 6 Jordan - You played a strong beginning but then you disappeared. Perhaps that was your strategy, but I don’t really know. Of all the jurors, I think I talked to you the least, but seriously working with you was pretty damn fun. I also admired your ability to be--for lack of a better term-- politically correct. You are masterful with words and that would have taken you REALLY far. It is something that I obviously have not mastered yet. With time, I will get better at that 7 Ryan - In the middle of the pack because that's where you always ended up perceptually to everyone else. You were Robbie's number one, but that is the only number one despite your other alliances with everyone. You didn't go out on a limb for Robbie as I had for Mike and that is the difference between us. You might have been his number 1 but I don't think that you showed that he was YOUR number 1. Actions speak louder than words, my friend. I played to help Mike even though I knew a target was on my back for doing so. I was never scared to do whatever it took to stick up for a friend in need. 8 Stacey - What happened? Why did you give up? I pegged you as one of the STRONGEST competitors in the game and you proved me wrong by just letting everything go. I think I would have placed you higher, had you not given up on us! 9 Ray - GREAT competitor who went out to win it by showing his dominance in competitions. Ultimately, too hard too fast Because everybody saw you as a threat. I did want to keep you around. 10 Travis- I was loyal to you, but we didn't win competitions early and that was probably the problem. I have no idea how the whole house seemed to turn on you because I thought you were great. 11 Steven- You never talked strategy with me ever and no competition wins. I didn't know you At all either. But apparently you were close to some of my strongest allies. I had no idea >.< 12 Chad- I didn't get to know you very well either. 13 Allan- I NEVER talked to you…….ever. TWO REASONS: 1. I played the game. I won the MOST competitions and was a huge threat challenge wise. Everyone knew that, yet I was able to convince people to veto me or keep me off the block COMPLETELY. Every week, I was more and more surprised that I had avoided the block despite winning so much, though it did help that Eric spent no time on the block while I had a couple of early nominations. I used this to my advantage. I secured my position for many weeks from winning, but I ALSO had to secure who I wanted to keep around. That's another thing I played for. I know it might sound bad/cutthroat, but I had a HUGE say in who was evicted every week. I picked the order and was involved in pretty much every decision, not Ryan, Eric, or Mike. Actions speak louder than words and sitting on the block is nothing compared to voting. By voting, I could not hide behind others--I was forced to defend my positions and choices because they were outwardly known to everyone. There is no turning back once you vote a certain way. The power of a single vote is amazing, let alone the threat of having an extra vote. I didn't even have to use the extra vote but just mentioning it got people to think about voting a different way. However, in order to use my double, I had to guarantee that I was off of the block every week. This was a key component of my strategy and I was highly successful in doing so. When I was HoH, I felt powerless because I didn't get to vote and direct the flow of traffic. This was also a week where everything was a train wreck for me. In the end, voting meant that I had to get my hands dirty and it was unbelievably hard for me to make these decisions, but I knew I had to do so in order to surround myself with my ideal F4. Throughout the game, I might have come across as wishy-washy because I had options and was open minded enough to consider everything. Instead of sitting on the block, I was forced to make MANY decisions that hurt everyone at some point or another (including myself). I took my own fate into my own hands as much as possible, and it worked. From what I could tell, the easy way out in F3 was to have thrown the F3 competition, but I didn't. Again, I was playing the game. I am truly sorry for evicting all of you guys, but it was all game play. I hope you all understand that everything I did was strategic, nothing personal. 2. Ryan didn't play the game. I figure that since the first paragraph was all about ME, I should shed some light on my thoughts of Ryan's game. After his opening statements, I was shocked. He used everyone in this game like a pawn to move forward in the game, ESPECIALLY me. I cannot believe I fell for it. Hook Line Sinker. For that, I am deeply saddened. But throwing challenges and hiding behind others is not a strategy that I can call playing the game. What's the point of the game if you are not here to compete? In that case, it's not even a game! I was not scared about having a target on my back. I went all out in challenges and people knew this-- all the while playing a social game where I formed fewer bonds, but the RIGHT bonds. I was able to do BOTH, whereas Ryan did not. Ryan decided that staying behind the scenes was more important to his strategy. I did not purposefully form a wall of allies to hide behind and watch them fall before my eyes, yet I was still able to get to the same position he finds himself in now. So if anything, I outplayed the game against Ryan challenge-wise and social-wise. |
|
|
|
Post by ryan on Aug 10, 2010 13:14:58 GMT -5
Hi Jay,
Thank you very much for the kind words. I’d like to believe that I’m a nice person, but believe me when I say that in this game, I used my ability to sincerely bond with people to my advantage. I was never overtly malicious or vindictive, and I never backstabbed for the sake of backstabbing, but I will say that I used my bonds with people to improve my position in this game. The foundation for a strong alliance is the interpersonal bonding that one has with others, and this came easy to me because I genuinely enjoy getting to know other people. So although I appreciate the compliments regarding my personality, I don’t want you to get the impression that I wasn’t willing to be ruthless. Nevertheless, I agree with the fact that you got to know me pretty well in this game. No one else knows where my mother was born, and no one else understands just how many cultural similarities we possess.
I hope through my answers to other people’s questions, as well as my Opening Statements, that you’ve learned a bit more about my game. Now, onto your questions:
QUESTION 1: List each houseguest from 1-13, in terms of most deserving of being in the final based on their contribution to the game.
1) Stacey: Hands down, you were the person I feared the most in this game. I was actively trying to get rid of you since the beginning stages of the game, but you were the cat with nine lives that just wouldn’t die. You were THAT good at removing yourself from the block, week after week, and I truly believe that if we hadn’t stopped you when we did, you definitely would have ended up winning the game. In the end, even when I thought your eviction was certain, if you hadn’t given up you very well could have sweet-talked your way off the block once again. You rallied back from being a target for the stupid reason of “winning a past game”, and still were able to reach the final 5. For that, congratulations, and I’m giving props where props are due.
2) Mike: Despite me being “the one with the alliances”, I really think that you were able to take everything that I did, and did it better. Although I had alliances with both Eric and Michael, so did you and the difference was that they BOTH considered you their number 1 ally. Even when I was HOH in the Final 4, both Michael and Eric were hesitant to evict you. In other words, you were GUARANTEED to get into the Final 3, regardless of the winner of the Final 4 HOH, and that deserves maaaad respect. You should have been guaranteed a seat in the Final 2, and although I am happy that I’m here, I’m still surprised that Michael didn’t take you all the way. For all his talk about being loyal to you since the beginning, I think he majorly let you down when it counted the most.
3) Jordan: On paper, you were the ideal candidate to reach the Final 2. You had the awesome social game, you were amazing at challenges, and then you flew under everyone’s radar... but not mine. I recognized, since Week 2, just how big of a threat you presented. Your placement in this game belies how far you actually deserved to go, and it’s because Michael had to FUBAR the plan. For that, I am sorry.
4) Robbie: Robbie, you were a constant source of laughter for me, and we genuinely connected on just so many levels. Same taste in music, same idols, and the list goes on. You were my one true ally who I confided in about EVERYTHING. Because I was so close to you, I had the opportunity to really see where your mind was at with respect to the game, and we just clicked. Even our disagreements were always amiable, with eventually one of us conceding to the other. The one thing I wish you hadn’t done is made yourself such a target... but then again, your philosophy of, “If I’m mad, they will KNOW I’m mad”, is another reason why I like you so much. I miss you lots.
5) Eric: You showed great strategic awareness of the game, and you did an exceptional job of keeping your alliance with Mike hidden – it probably would have remained hidden had I not nominated both of you on the block in the Final 4. However, I have ranked you lower than others because of the fact that so many people considered you to be dull and boring – when we had the “WHO SAID WHAT?” challenge, the vast majority of the confessionals were with respect to a “dull and boring” individual, and I assume that they were in regards to you. Unfortunately, you cannot “fabricate” boring, so I know it wasn’t a part of your strategy. Nevertheless, you were a smart player with a strong strategic sense.
6) Michael: Michael, I believe you have overall played a good game. But I have placed you here because of some faulty logic in the Final 4 and Final 3 evictions. At the final 4, you evicted Eric because of your emotional/personal ties with Mike. Then, at Final 3, you evicted Mike due to the fact that I would be the easier person to beat in the finals. If you had used that logic a week earlier (at Final 4), you would have ended up with a Final 3 of Eric and myself – both of whom would be easier to defeat in the finals, and both of whom would have taken you to the end. Yet, you strung Mike along for a little while longer, and disposed of him right before the Final 2. You voted with your heart in the Final 4, but when push came to shove, your desire to win took over. This dichotomy of heart versus mind was a bit confusing, but may be attributed to the fact that this is your first ORG ever.
7) Jay: Similar to Stacey, I respect your game immensely. You played hard and strong. However, unlike Stacey, I have ranked you lower because of the fact that she was able to stay in more people’s good graces. It seemed like everyone in the game mistrusted you to a certain degree! Nevertheless, kudos for the Travis eviction, you played that round extremely well. Of course, our personal talks were always fantastic. And I know when you stopped trusting me, we basically stopped talking strategy all together, and from that point forward, all of our talks were always strictly personal. Talking with you became a bit of a breather from the constant strategy talks that I was having with everyone else. Thank you for that, and I mean it.
8) Jake: Jake, I have ranked you here in the middle of the pack (which is close to where you actually ended up placed in the game) for several reasons. Although your challenge dominance is commendable, it also made you a large target. When you were nominated against Robbie, you were going to be the one that went home, but you won Veto. However, I cannot overlook the fact that you were in serious danger and were only saved based on challenge prowess rather than actual strategic positioning. Nevertheless, I think you’re a great guy... we just clearly have different personal tastes on what classifies someone as a good player or not.
9) Travis: I respect your ability to escape eviction so many times. However, when the nominations are you against me, it will be you who goes before me.
10) Ray: You came into the game with guns blazing! Winning HOH and Veto in the same week, you set the precedent for other HOH’s to follow. I do believe you were evicted a little earlier than you should have – however, when you’re on the block against Stacey, she will find a way to save herself.
11) Allan: You never had a chance, but I did talk to you quite a bit during that first week. Loved your sense of humour and we had the Canadian connection going on as well. I wish we hadn’t been nominated together in the first week – we could’ve gone far.
12) Steven: I hardly ever spoke to you, so I don’t feel like I’m qualified to pass judgement on you.
13) Chad: You only really talked to me when you were in trouble, and by then it was too late.
QUESTION 2: Give me two reasons why your opposition should NOT win the game?
One reason that I deserve to win this game is because I’ve had a much more difficult path to the Final 2 than Michael, but I still got here my own way. I’ve been on the nomination block since the beginning of the game and had to fight my way through that eviction. I believe Michael’s late foray into the game is a significant mark against him. I was then nominated three more times in the middle and end stages of the game. I don’t care what anyone else says – it does take strategic positioning and well crafted alliances to be able to survive that many evictions. Michael can say that he takes the credit for “tossing me a life ring” week after week. I retort by saying that I made it in his best interests to keep me around. Despite what Michael says, it was I who initiated the alliance between the two of us, and I have the chat conversations to prove it. Every chat that I had with him up to Week 7 was initiated by me, including the one where I aggressively befriended him and aligned with him. Even in the late game, I had many convinced that I was an innocent ingénue; and despite the wariness of those who were not fooled (such as yourself and Stacey), I managed to escape unscathed. I consciously crafted a persona of being someone that others could use to further themselves, therefore ensuring my own survival. And I believe I had Michael fooled too – in his Opening Statements, his single biggest regret in this game was “choosing between two of [his] best friends in the house”. What I am trying to prove is that my actions in this game were not the emotional impulses of an embittered pawn. My actions in this game were well thought out, strategic decisions. Being nominated week after week, I believe I’ve played a far more reactive and difficult game than Michael, yet still I stand in the Final 2.
Secondly, every decision I’ve made in this game has been strategic and served the purpose of furthering my game. I believe Michael’s game has a severe emotional versus strategic dichotomy that is best explained by example. In the Final 4, after I won HOH, Michael’s smartest strategic move would have been to evict Mike. This is because in the resulting Final 3, he would have an opportunity to take either me OR Eric, both of who are much easier final opponents than Mike. In the end, he went with his heart, which would be commendable...
...except for the fact that the very next vote, he went against his heart and made the best move for his game, which was to bring ME to the Final 2. Why would he string Mike along to the Final 3, only to vote him out at the very next eviction? To me, he has made very contradictory decisions and they show that his emotional impulses got in the way. By all means, if you’re going to play emotional, play emotional all the way – I would understand THAT much more than the inconsistent, unbalanced gameplay that he has demonstrated.
|
|
|
|
Post by jay on Aug 10, 2010 16:46:57 GMT -5
Thank you to both Michael and Ryan for answering my questions. Thank you for the detail too, I enjoyed reading your opinions on the rankings the most etc.
I feel as if you are both doing a good job but there seems to be a hint of 'hesitation' in the answers you both provide. I can't help but think that there is an element of truth that your both finding it difficult to admit. Ryan, I don't think you were ruthless in any way shape or form, you may think you were, but from my experience of the game I'm doubting that. Michael, I'd like you to be a bit more honest in your decision to turf Mike in the final three, perhaps admit that ultimately you knew Mike was harder to beat.
Other than that, I think your both doing a really good job I wish you the best of luck and well done for getting as far as you did ... May the best man win
Jay is - Done - with questioning
|
|
I played nice with you--despite knowing that you may have been feeding me stories-- because it was in my best interest to keep on good terms with you for my relationship with Mike. I might have found a way to keep you if you HADN'T been on the block against Mike, but Jake made a smart move in veto-ing Stacey to resist any temptations.