This episode title is
Are the Spice Girls Norse gods? Baby Spice could at least pass.
Side note - I absolutely fucking beasted the challenge today. I think I got like four or five of the seven words. This is the one team challenge I'm actually pretty good at, and given that we're probably swapping soon, I thought it was pretty beneficial for us to win. I probably overthought the whole puzzle thing, Steph and Russ actually got a ton of props for having good challenge abilities. Can't believe the other tribe didn't even submit in time...five winners can't read the rules? I'll take it.
1-If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends. Where does the power on this tribe reside? Do you plan on working within that power structure or rebelling against it?
I'll keep kissing ass and perpetuating the power structures on this tribe as long as it continues to benefit me, which it is right now. I still think Loveita is probably the most powerful person on this tribe, Courtney's also up there. I'd guess I'm probably in the second tier right now behind them, but again, I'm not really forcing any issues. Unanimous Mookie and Kim (who would have been the vote tonight, had we lost) votes are fine for my game right now.
2-Make it last forever, friendship never ends! Who are you closest to on the tribe?
Val is still by far my #1. It's so nice having her here and being able to play with her. I basically tell her everything (except for the alliance of four I keep mentioning, how the fuck have I kept that a secret from her?) and she to me.
Russ has moved up to #2 for me. I do really get along with him well on a personal level, we're pretty similar (we live like ten minutes apart for fucks sake), yesterday he started the group PM with me and Val, and today he told us he has the idol. I mean, given that the only other "act of trust" I have to go by for this whole group so far is an unanimous Mookie boot...telling someone you have the idol is tops. So he really does want to play the game with us. It's only good for three rounds, so I probably won't see it used in my benefit ever, but whatever. Who knows if he told Loveita too or not, but for now, I feel comfortable talking to him pretty genuinely.
My #3 is a tie...between Courtney and Loveita. Kind of for opposite reasons - I know Loveita from before the game, and I feel like our connection is definitely more emotional than a true strategic partnership at this point. I think we both enjoy talking to each other and know we'll have to make a move on each other eventually, but for now are kind of just enjoying the flow. Again, Courtney is extremely upfront which I like, and I feel like her game is a bit more transparent. We don't really have the pre-game connection that Loveita and I do, but when I talk to her it does feel like a strategic partnership. I'm comfortable sharing quite a bit with both of them. Side note - Loveita is definitely giving different sides of stories to different people - she told Val that Cristina said I pushed Kim's name, and said the opposite to me. In any case, something to be monitored.
5-8 is kind of a total shitshow that's hard to rank. Melinda should be up top, but I have the feeling she's been getting comfortable and has been kind of mailing it in recently. Just been way lower energy since the beginning. Obviously we've been working together, but it doesn't inspire a ton of confidence. Catalie also mailed it in today and didn't really put in a ton of effort with me, after putting in a lot of effort yesterday, so who the fuck knows where her head is at. Cristina seemed to be great this morning again and is rising for me, and Stephanie's continued persistence with me has her rising in my eyes even though the conversation is like dry jerking it sometimes. Would rather have that than Melinda who feels on auto pilot.
#9 is Kim - not that I don't trust Kim, but that it just really feels like she's a step behind socially from the other players. She's not really in close to anyone. And we're at the stage of the game where putting in the effort to scoop her up isn't really worth it. If we lose this challenge, she's probably gone.
3-Taking is too easy, but that's the way it is... How active have you been in the strategy around camp? are you actively working to make things happen? Or are you letting others lead the charge so you can strike later?
I've mostly been playing the role of "being the person in relatively early conversations who agrees with what is being said".
RIP Ziggy. I didn't think you'd last long, and it's one less person now who people may be suspecting I'm working with, so I'm kinda fine with it. See you on the other side, I guess.
