by Ashley » Mon Apr 14, 2014 5:32:59 pm
Jesus christ I was an angry bitch yesterday. Calm down, Ashley.
Anyway, here's my final vote:
FOR THE WINNER
Stephanie
This vote was very confusing. My vote has flipped back between David and yourself for the last two days. After reading everything from that final tribal multiple times (as it was happening, and again a few hours later after my emotional attachment had faded), although it was very close, I cam to the decision that Stephanie deserved it, and here is my rationale:
Mike: I appreciate the irony in me saying you were too arrogant, but you were. Where Steph and David were willing to give note to circumstances like luck and whatnot, your answers came off like you were some sort of power-player mastermind. It's all well and good to say that, but most of your grand scheming was pre-merge and I told you I didn't care about your pre-merge work. In addition, I specifically asked why you deserved to be in F3 over me or Sophie, and you totally failed to answer that. Overall, I think you're giving yourself too much credit.
David: Before FTC I loved you. As you know, my speech to you was very swiftly rewritten. The gang at Ponderosa can attest I was focusing the rage of a thousand suns onto you. But your concise answer to my question gave me pause. I knew I had to re-read all of your answers again, and you know what? They show a strategy that is quietly brilliant. However, my major concern is that this strategy is so UTR and so under-documented in the actual game that you could just as easily have made it all up in prep for FTC to provide some method to your madness. Do I believe that is the case? Not necessarily, but this is exactly the situation a scooby-doo reveal backfires. There is no way to know if what you are saying is true or not, and I don't want to take the risk of taking the game away from someone who can document her hard work if you are actually just an awful goat with a clever story. You are a wonderful person, but I don't know if you were really a wonderful player.
Stephanie: I'll be honest, I don't really respect using other players to shield you from votes. I believe in playing balls to the wall - which I did - but in this season, clearly that approach didn't work with the three of you up there. However, though Sophie's experience differs, you always seemed very straightforward with me. It's possible that's just because we only spoke in any real capacity after the lines were drawn in the sand. You never tried to string me along, as David did (we know why you did it, David, but it's despicable lying to someone when you know for certain they're going home). You outplayed us in challenges, you outwitted us with your idol finding. And as much as it crushes me, you in particular outlasted me on your own merits.
:) xo Ash
