Hey Jury, it's good to see all of you again after being locked up in that house. I've missed a lot of you because as the game went on, it only got quieter and quieter in the house chat. It was actually quite sad to see. Anyways, a lot of us here are no strangers to how this all works, so I think it may be best to jump straight to the point. Why do I deserve to win BB2?
This game was a little different for me. Usually in ORGs, I like to just see if I can run the table with a single alliance. Whether it is as the alliance leader, or a devoted member, it is usually clear that is where my focus is and to get that group to the end. I have never played a "in the middle" game until this season. At this point there is probably no uncertainty surrounding what groups I was a part of. Of course there was Team Jess, The Mystics, the best team to stick together for a big portion of the game. Then there was the other group, mixed up of members from different teams, the Smash 4. Now I did not make either of these alliances. Obviously it was fate that brought Team Jess together and the Smash 4 was born from Calvin's hangout calls where we ended up playing Smash Bros together and naturally just started talking about this game. Both groups had great members in it so I could not choose which one to put my full force in as I usually do. This brings me to the next bit.
The quote, "Words are wind" are not only applicable in Game of Thrones, but also in ORGs. It is very easy to just say things to make both sides happy. It is very different to actually have your actions make the groups you are a part of happy. Words mean nothing while actions mean everything. My goal was to take actions that would "show" I was with a side while simultaniously having that same action shed in a different light to show I was with another side. To show an example, allow me to explaing what is my best move this game in my mind.
The setting is this, three people are available to be voted for HoH. Jaylen, Chris, and Christian. This decision would paint it pretty clear which side I was on, The Smash 4, the underdogs Chris and Patrick, or my original Team Jess. My aim though was to make all sides happy with what I did, because all sides expected me to vote with them. My action was to vote Jaylen, giving him HoH, and then volunteer to be put up as a nom. This accomplished three things. First it showed the Smash 4 that I am commited. I voted their way and I showed I would do anything for the group by volunteering to be nommed for our Felix backdoor plan and even used my challenge advantage to show I meant it 100%. This locked me up firmly with them. Meanwhile I told Chris and Pat I had voted Chris with them. At first they did not believe me as there was no reason to. In reality Mackie and Felix had voted Chris so they thought I was lying. However, once they saw I was nommed and that I even had to use my advantage to come down, they were much more unsure of how things broke down. If I HAD voted Jaylen, then why would he ever put me up if I had done it some sort of deal. This made it easier to work with the two of them and where I really think the relationship between me and Pat became much more solid. Finally I had to convince Team Jess that my action was for the good of that team. It was the hardest and I never actually said who I voted with them which was probably the epitome of sketch, but with Jaylen nomming me and Ty, that quickly became our focus of how we could survive and the matter of who I voted was swept under the rug. This one move solidified my position in three different alliances which became the foundation of my game moving forward.
Last but certainly not least, my alliance with Patrick throughout this game. Patrick is an awesome dude. I know a lot of people just see his main chat antics in the VL, but he is a lot more than that. He can be fiercly loyal and will do whatever he can to help someone out even to his own detriment. Many times throughout the game, the entire house wanted him gone. Every single time I would let members of my alliances know, "Hey, if we save him this one time, he will pay it back 10 fold." This is what I did for him early in the game. When I was HoH, there was pressure from every single person in this house to nom him and have him go. It would have been the easiest and cleanest vote for me to do that. However, I still wanted my three points of safety and it paid off in the end. By saving Patrick there, he did repay me later in the game with some PoV wins just as I had hoped. We are both the reason for why we are both here.
All in all, I believe my game was one of playing the middle the best this season. It gave me the options and flexibility to be covered on many different fronts. I did not have to win most challenges throughout the season. I had enough people I knew I could count on had I stayed on the block any week. I also had a hand in each pot so no outcome over the course of the season was a shock to me. I knew where every vote was going and usually who was going to end up winning either HoH or PoV. This let me put myself in the best position each week.
I look forward to any and all questions you guys have. I know some of you may ask where my true loyalties lay throughout this game and honestly it was a little complicated. I look forward to explaining more if you so ask. Thank you guys.