[Nate Gonzalez]

Congratulations! It’s weird to say this with so many people – but congrats on making the final week (again)! We’re only a few days away from crowning the Stranded ultimate winner.

1. So what went down at that live tribal council? Anything interesting occur in the lead up to tribal? Did the challenge reveal anything about where you all stand within this game? Any whispers of particular note?

2. With ten players left, there’s still lots of ground to cover for you to make it to another Final Tribal Council. Who is standing out as a particular threat? Who here is particularly coasting?

3. What do you think you will need to get done for you to win this season? Do you have a clear idea on how the upcoming rounds will progress? Do you have an idea on what you want to happen at the end?

4. How has playing with Nathaniel "Nate" Gonzalez in the past affected your run on this season? How much credit can he take for your success?

5. Why do you think you will win Stranded for Victory?

[Cassandra]

Congratulations! It’s weird to say this with so many people – but congrats on making the final week (again)! We’re only a few days away from crowning the Stranded ultimate winner.

I’m tweaking out man, this season is fucking insane.

1. So what went down at that live tribal council? Anything interesting occur in the lead up to tribal? Did the challenge reveal anything about where you all stand within this game? Any whispers of particular note?

So I still don’t even know if Melinda’s whole gesture to invite all the votes her way was some kind of double idol fake-out or a genuine realization that she had fucked up and she gave up. Leading into tribal, Penner told me he “confirmed” she had the NuMunin idol (which I’m sure she told him in some act of desperation as she was flailing about wildly toward the end there), so I was inclined to believe Melinda was going to play one. And it’s not like I thought her “busy weekend” excuse was “slick,” I just had no reason to believe at that point to believe that she could have sold a real fake-out any better if she did have the idol. So I went along with the “original” plan to vote Steph, but apparently no one else was worried about any funny business. Makes me think Penner or Kim has the NuMunin idol. Back on that tribe Penner was really bad at playing along with the hunting, while Kim was really quick to shove it onto Melinda. Either way, I don’t really think one of them will use it against me, so I don’t care. But of course I had to do damage control on Steph.

Now, I don’t know if I was left out of the whispering because everyone forgot about me, because they assumed someone else had filled me in, because they wanted to downplay their relationship with me, or what--I don’t even know if anyone else got any more assurance than I did that everyone was switching their vote to Melinda. But I figure I can work all these angles and more, and by gum if I didn’t make the tastiest damn lemonade out of all the lemons thrown at me this round. For one, I made sure my voting confessional was “contingency :(“ rather than the typical sass I’ve spewed in the past vote-offs, because I knew there was a bigger chance than before of Steph sticking around after tribal. I didn’t expect to be the only vote for Steph, but now if anyone asks at Final Tribal Council, I’ll be able to point to that voting confessional and frame my vote as a uniquely strategic move: “contingency” in case Melinda and Joaq both had an idol. I set this in motion a bit in my apology to Steph immediately after tribal. I was forward with her, told her I voted for her, was worried about idols, and planted a wee bit of a seed by justifying it with “no one would ever think to play an idol on you.” Meanwhile I told Kim, Penner, and Tammy how I felt bad about being the solo vote for Steph (so they would feel guilty about not tipping me off more) and that I had apologized to her. I didn’t tell them that I was already in the process of explaining everything to Steph--how I expected more votes, how “Someone Who Was Not Me” threw her name out, how we were keeping Mel/Love out of the plan--to relieve myself from culpability, while playing up the “little ol’ me was left out of the whispering” thing. Penner went straight to bed like a cunt, but Kim and Tammy both so graciously offered to keep it all under wraps. To which I replied, “oh yes, oh yes! a thousand times yes, that would be ever so swell! we’ll blame it all upon melinda! the whole shabang! and never will miss stephanie get a whiff of this dreadful malodorous plan!” And I guess they followed suit, because later on Steph told me about how Kim and Tammy were more than content with letting me take the flack for my vote and denying any involvement whatsoever! The nerve!

Steph has meanwhile taken advantage of this opportunity to try and “flip” me or some shit. Saying that no one would ever see it coming because I voted for her and Cat voted for me. Cat had already approached me with the idea directly, saying she wanted to team up with me and Penner. Only thing is Cat is dead-set on bringing Joaq into this--implied that it was non-negotiable in fact. And from the way she’s talking I think it’s clear that she wants Kim out. Hopefully they can be forthright with me about it soon, since I’ve basically narrowed down the options of who could have thrown Steph’s name out to that--while also virtue signaling my trustworthiness by refusing to say it outright. I’m not sure if it’s come across in my confessionals or gameplay yet, but Kim is easily my favorite person to work with in the game at this point. She gives me serious Candice vibes actually, and you know which way I’ve historically leaned when it’s come to Candice vs. Penner. So I don’t want her to go. More importantly I’ve been sending out feelers on the Tammy/Joaq/Russ rumor--in such a way where it can’t be traced back to me even though at this point I think I’m feeding that fire more than anyone--and the results are pretty telling. Love (who I talked to in depth after tribal to make sure she wouldn’t fly back to Munin now that the numbers were tied up) was tacit as always but gave me a little more of a wiggle than she had in past rounds; impressionable Yve immediately swallowed it as the biggest threat in the game right now; and Kim, who I spoke with like I was her consigliere even though I was just pulling shit out of my ass, acknowledged the dangers in keeping that trio around for too long, lest people try to weaken Tammy by taking her (Kim) out. Steph, meanwhile, as in the last round, simply said we “didn’t have the numbers to deal with that right now.” So this bitch is talking about joining me and Penner, who clearly have a line on Love (who hates Joaq), Yve, and Kim, yet straight-up rejects the idea of splitting the votes between the seven of us? If you ask me, it doesn’t concern her because she’s looking to take control at nine with Cat, Joaq, Russ, and Tammy. Or even replacing Tammy with Love, Yve, whoever else she thinks she can pick up as a fifth. Long story short, I’m not down. I just hope Penner feels the same way.

2. With ten players left, there’s still lots of ground to cover for you to make it to another Final Tribal Council. Who is standing out as a particular threat? Who here is particularly coasting?

I was just telling Cat how the biggest threat still in the game was probably Tammy. She’s playing the “idk what’s going on!” card every single tribal to get both sides of the story, and then going with whatever benefits her game more. As soon as Cristina left she was the only person left who’d voted correctly every round--including premerge. I’d say she’s the only one who’s an outright bigger threat than me (or anyone else) right now, with Cat and Joaq about tied. Steph, Penner, and Kim are just a scooch lower. I don’t want to keep Tammy in much longer because she’s good at challenges, will run away with the whole thing, and Cat and Joaq are all the shields I need. But of course it’s tough because I doubt Tammy would vote for me any time soon, whereas Cat and Joaq would.

On the other end, I think it’s clear Yve is the biggest goat and that’s going to be the easiest question on this upcoming challenge to answer correctly. Cat told me it was clear Russ was not going to win, which I was more unsure of, especially with Munin filling up the jury, but I guess his best case scenario at this point is going to FTC with Yve and Someone Else, and Someone Else would probably win there.

3. What do you think you will need to get done for you to win this season? Do you have a clear idea on how the upcoming rounds will progress? Do you have an idea on what you want to happen at the end?

I honestly think I may have built up enough of a reputation in the merge round that I kind of just have to get to the end at all. I already drove the Val vote, and whether the other Fenrir know it or not I drove the Cristina and, indirectly as it was, the Melinda vote as well. At least I can claim responsibility more than anyone else. Like I said, Tammy, Joaq, and Cat (in that order) are who I’d most want to get rid of before the end to ensure a win. I also have this idol, which I think if I play correctly could clinch the win for me. I’m actually hoping no one plays an idol through F6 because I can possibly get away with protecting myself at F5, seeing as no one else has publicized the image of the HII. Oh yeah, there’s also that NuMunin idol, which supposedly expires this round. Obviously I don’t have it, but I’m gonna bring it up when I can and most likely everyone will be too spooked to vote me, Love, Penner, or Kim tomorrow.

4. How has playing with Nathaniel "Nate" Gonzalez in the past affected your run on this season? How much credit can he take for your success?

Thanks to Nathaniel [sic] “Nate” Gonzalez, I know exactly what not to do to win. I also have an unspoken bond with Steph because she smells the lingering scent of Vegemite on me.

5. Why do you think you will win Stranded for Victory?

Because if I don’t I’ll kill myself.

[Cassandra]

For the record (my record), I'm just going to say that I tried to get Penner to switch it to Tammy --> Joaq, and I think he fucked up hard not listening to me.

[Cassandra]

For the record (my record), I'm just going to say that I tried to get Penner to switch it to Tammy --> Joaq, and I think he fucked up hard not listening to me.

get a load of this cope