Liz's Love

[liz]

Everyone always does the alliteration thing, right?

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Anyway, congrats you two! You were two of my closest allies throughout the game, and I couldn't be happier that you're both sitting here at the end. But now, I have to choose between the two of you, and while I'm leaning a certain direction, my vote could be changed.

Shelli

It's no secret that we were close this game. I think everyone knew it, and that's okay. You were absolutely my closest ally from start to finish, bar none. (Sorry Howard.) I loved working with you, and I think you played a bomb game, but I'd like to know a little more about what happened after I left. Here are my questions:


1. What was the thirsty threesome?
2. Did you talk to Steve about the F4 eviction? If so, what was the conversation like? Did you want him to evict Kelsey or Arlie? Why?

Steve

Steve, I loved you in this game. I had a blast talking to you every time we talked, and I really trusted you as an ally. I think you were very classy when we were nominated together, and I appreciate that. You fought to stay in a way that wasn't negative toward me, just positive for you <3.

However, your jury management was pretty terrible otherwise. I do understand that you didn't set out to be a dick as a strategy to make the end, but as that path unfolded you started take it (your response to Becky clarified that for me.) It's not my favorite strategy, because I feel that jury management is one of the toughest parts of the game, so saying "fuck you" to it and claiming it as strategy feels like a cop out. I don't have a question regarding that specifically, but feel free to respond to that if you'd like. If you don't it won't harm you in my eyes. Here are my questions for you:

1. Whyyyyy did you evict Arlie over Kelsey? I don't ask because I am bitter toward Kelsey; it became increasingly tough to deny the fact that Kelsey was playing a bomb ass game as the game progressed. I ask because it felt like you were securing yourself as second place. It feels to me, and probably most of the jury, that when you evicted Arlie, you made sure that both girls would take you to the end, but that you'd probably lose to either. What was your thought process here? Explain it in full, because I need a good argument to believe this was best for your game (to WIN, not make the end,) and not Kelsey manipulating the shit out of you.
2. Who would you have taken to the end, and why, if you won the final HOH? Try not to answer knowing what you know now, but rather, what you would've done then.

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Good luck to both of you! <3

[Shelli Poole]

Aug 8, 2016 16:52:17 GMT liz said:

Everyone always does the alliteration thing, right?

---

Anyway, congrats you two! You were two of my closest allies throughout the game, and I couldn't be happier that you're both sitting here at the end. But now, I have to choose between the two of you, and while I'm leaning a certain direction, my vote could be changed.

Shelli

It's no secret that we were close this game. I think everyone knew it, and that's okay. You were absolutely my closest ally from start to finish, bar none. (Sorry Howard.) I loved working with you, and I think you played a bomb game, but I'd like to know a little more about what happened after I left. Here are my questions:


1. What was the thirsty threesome?
2. Did you talk to Steve about the F4 eviction? If so, what was the conversation like? Did you want him to evict Kelsey or Arlie? Why?

Hey girl! I missed you sooo much!! I had such a great time playing the game with you before you left and you were my #1 too. <3


1. The Thirsty Threesome was the F3 formed with Steve, Kelsey and I during her Week 11 HOH. After Kelsey won HOH, Howard told her he would not have put her up if he had won, but would have put up Cass and Steve. Of course Kelsey was showing me this and showing Steve. So, I told Kelsey we should make a F3 with Steve right then, and she agreed. I approached him and he said yes. The next day we finalized it and Steve even named it - but I liked this name lol. Much better than Steve's Angels. <3

Anyway, that was kind of a crazy night. Howard added Kelsey to our SLASH chat, lol. It was pretty funny, actually. 


2. I did talk to Steve about the F4 eviction. At that time we had our F3 and I had a feeling Steve was sticking to it. He asked me what I thought he should do and I kind of danced around it a little because, honestly, I thought it was a trap lol. I thought he was trying to get me to say he should evict Kelsey - WHICH HE SHOULD HAVE LOL - but I also thought he doesn't need to ask me this. I found it really fake and maybe I was wrong, but I told him to keep Kelsey when he kept pressing me. I thought he was going to use it as ammo and show Kelsey and was intending to keep her all along, and I still think that. 

[Steve]

My jury management has been horrible. Straight up horrible. I’m having conversations and giving answers in these questions that I should have given the week of. Jury management is a part of the game, yes. I’m under the assumption that it shouldn’t be the sole reason for a vote, if it is, not for you, but for anyone who reads this. I understand. I get it, I’m just hoping that at least my game gets seen in a slightly better light, even if I’m not.




1. It all came to three different factors. The first one was simple, we made a final three. I wanted to stick to it. I understand Shelli all of the sudden didn’t want me to, but that was the plan. I think her saying oh it was a trap is kind of disingenuous. If there hadn’t been multiple times where she made a point to say I need to communicate with her about everything and talk to her about it (after my first hoh and how i went awol during it), then I would understand that. There’s only so many weeks she can say “Oh i can’t actually talk to you, i don’t trust to” to “oh i trust you now” by the end of the conversation before trust isn’t as valid as an excuse as it could be. Shelli knew Kelsey would take her out if Kelsey won the final hoh. Why would I need to verify that? You know?

I think I’ve had a few missteps, but I do consider myself a loyal person, and I wanted to show that. That doesn’t explain how I could win with my decision, so let’s get to that. The second factor was that Arlie was already showing grievances with me, and while he made it absolutely clear by telling me over and over that he had no chance of winning, his (justified) increasingly annoyance he’s had with me through the past three or so weeks, was enough to make me doubt that. When there’s three parts to an hoh, and there’s one comp that’s GOING to be gameplay based, you know shelli was gonna win. She dominated any know the game competition without fail. And when it came to a read on the jury members, like I said before, I didn’t talk everything out with them the week they left, I didn’t know all their grievances, and while I didn’t think I would lose part three, I also knew I wasn’t going to blow it out of the water. I wasn’t sure Shelli would win the last hoh, and Arlie could’ve won too, absolutely, but there were enough uncertainties that it made me question Arlie. Also, I think it’s fair to say I’ve pissed off most of the jury, and maybe a mild mannered, had good relationships with a lot of people, and played a really respectable social game, along with allying with the right people, which would mean I’d need votes. That brings me to part three.

While how i handled Arlie was poor, I do felt it was important how I handled Kelsey. I wouldn’t have taken her. I promised her I would, but the one thing she had said to me over and over was that she wasn’t bitter about the game as long as it’s upfront, and I knew if I cut her at the final three (if i won the last hoh), she would understand. Just like how she understood with Shelli. If I had taken her out though at the final four. I do believe it would’ve came across very badly in her eyes. After saying over and over that I was done with my SLASH alliance, and spending night after night talking to her, had I cut her so it’d be a slash final three, I don’t think she would’ve been bitter, per se, but I know it would’ve influenced her vote in some capacity. And while I never really felt like I had Arlie’s vote, I figured if I could explain everything and show that I wasn’t taken to the final three, I worked for it. I did everything in my power to get me there, and I did get there, on my own merit and on my own gameplay, however flawed it was. I will never utter the phrase “my game this season was perfect”, but I did adapt to every situation, I kept an open door policy of telling people my business so nothing could be really said to damage me. Even when our alliance was exposed. I just shrugged and said yeah.

I went into the game and took blow after blow. I deserved the hits, absolutely, but I kept getting up, figured out what new direction i could go in, strategize a new path, and ask if I could have another. I believe my game is just as strong as Shelli’s, even more, in my honest opinion, because of the unconventional route I took. I do agree, and comprehend the fact that the jury would probably be able to see it better if it wasn’t lumped in with my god awful jury management, which I understand will be a factor. While it was an in house strategy, I am trying to make up for lost time now, that I could’ve solved in a few minutes of talking earlier in the game. This is another situation where I could try to bullshit you and name off how each and every week I devised a plan to be hated and unliked, and while there is a grain of truth in that, it’s not accurate. My management of the jury came down to making myself look like less of a target, especially in the later weeks when I started to do more in the house. It also came down to me being unreliable and posting eviction votes early, and me not handling being upset in the correct way. I do believe I could beat Shelli though, it would be a lot easier if I had been more conclusive with the jury, but I do rank myself right up there with you, Howard, Kelsey and Shelli.










2. As for your second question. I kind of already answered it when I ranted just then, but in case you got bored and skipped over it. I’ll say it again. I would’ve taken Shelli. I’ve said to Kelsey many times she was the underdog of the game, and the best player of the game. She tried to convince me she wasn’t, and that she wouldn’t steamroll jury but I think we both knew that she would. I have the best shot against Shelli. Granted, I probably had a better shot against Arlie, but at the end of the day. I consider me and Shelli’s game to be pretty equal. You might not, and that’s fine, but I would rather go against someone who’s close to where my game was at (once I won part two of the final hoh, I knew Kelsey was going home regardless.), then to risk getting sent home in third in favor of Arlie, who while I do feel bad about our altercation and I think I went a bit too far, he hadn’t done as much in the game as Shelli, or Kelsey, or even me. So I had to take that into account and how the final hoh would’ve came down to me and shelli. (although tbh i thought i would’ve won part one, and she would win part two.)

[Shelli Poole]

I love you Steve (truly) but I wasn't being disingenuous - that's really what I thought you were doing because I just didn't even understand why you would ask such an obvious question. And you only came to talk when you needed something from me - never to share what you were doing so...that was just our pattern.

Also, why would you tell me how I could win over you when I was talking to you about keeping our deal if you were just going to cut Kelsey if you won? You would've just said - hell yes, I'll take you! Done.

[Steve]

And you didn't do the same thing? I mean, I'm not bitter or upset or anything, but of the girls alliance I had, you kinda treated me the worst of them lol. I mean, I love you and you're great, but in comparison, I was pretty much your annoying step brother who you dealt with lol. You only divulged information if you felt it was necessary, and then you got upset when I did the same thing. And then I would keep info from you, and you would do the same thing, and we'd be all up in arms upset again. We've had multiple fights about this, it is a pattern, I agree

And I mean, I've already answered this for you on AIM back on the night of the eviction, but I wanted to talk to both of you. You were the better shot at beating than her, 100%, but after everything, you should talk to everyone, and at the very least give some in the final three one chance to somehow convince you, even if your mind is made up. I mean, even you wanted to talk to Kelsey first before making your decision. It's not because you were considering taking her. You had your mind made up and you were willing to tell her, while letting her do a last minute campaign. That's not a bad thing, that's a good thing.