Round 07: I Can Only Play the Cards I'm Dealt

[michael]

I don't have the energy to type up bullet points now. Sorry, y'all. But, here's a video confessional!


Edited for a new round title!

[michael]

:feeder:
:filterfeeder:

[michael]

Taylor told me on call she hoped there was a TikTok about her. Ask and you shall receive:

[michael]

Mike G tried to get me to name who else I'd want to get out:

[michael]

Okay, I haven’t done one of these in a while (since pre-swap? REALLY??) I guess being on vacation really does cut down on written confessional time.

This game is so different from any other one I’ve played. Nina threw me under the bus on her way out the door, and I’ve been playing catch-up since:

• I very narrowly survived a 4-3 vote against AJ;
• Every single person voted for me at the F12 Tribal Council, forcing me to play my idol; and
• Leah took my vote with her because I apparently made it a Michael vs. Leah game when she wrote my name twice.

Then I got to merge and reunited with everyone. But then this challenge resulted in almost half the tribe being immune.  Here’s a quick rundown of my feelings on these people, in alphabetical order:

• Allie – had one very superficial call where she apologized for & owned up to voting me, but then said she’d do it again because it was the right move for her. She also told me that she knows she’s eventually going to have to make a move on Kyle, Taylor, and Mike, because she thinks they’re gonna cut her eventually.
• Amber – had a quick call yesterday & a longer one today. We worked pretty closely together trying to figure out the second round of the poker challenge. My first instinct is that we would work well together, if we got on the same page. She says we’re in similar positions in the game, and I believe her.
• Ben – he is part of a potential plan to save me. I think it does make sense for him to keep me around for now, so yes, let’s do that.
• Carlos – WTF is up with this dude? He said let’s work together bc we both had to idol, but then he barely even talked to me once during this whole poker challenge. He’s looking out for number one, plain and simple (as are we all). The trick here is going to be for Jenn (or someone) to convince him that keeping me benefits his game. I can only do so much, because he knows my back is against the wall. But if that happens, I should be set (barring any powers coming into play).
• Jenn – love love love. I know she’s a super dangerous player, but right now, she thinks I’m going to be a loyal foot soldier (which I will be, for a time). She’s going to be one of the hardest to cut, both from an interconnectedness standpoint and from that of my personal feelings.
• Kyle – had one call that was just get-to-know-you type stuff. I see why Nina was scared of him, and why people are comparing him to Jake. I don’t think he’s Jake 2.0 though – after all, Rocky cut him in a prior game. That’s going to be good to know for later (assuming I make it far enough).
• Lamont – my rock in this game. He’s the only person I told about my missing vote (granted that was because he told me he has an extra one, but still). He’s really earnest about wanting to keep me around. I feel like he might have a case of Loose Lips Sink Ships in the future (based on a warning from Ben & knowing what happened in 12), but for now, I’m in it with him for the long haul.
• Mike G – oh Mike, Mike, Mike. WHY WOULD YOU TELL ME TO NAME A NAME, BECAUSE YOU COULD JUST MAKE UP THAT I NAMED ONE ANYWAY? I’m trying to be friendly with him to make him think that bridge is mended, and on a personal level, yes we’ll be completely fine once the winner is crowned. That doesn’t mean I’m not going to do everything in my power to make sure it’s not him, though. He’s the biggest snake here, and he’s going to be the most satisfying to beat (assuming I can outlast him). He tried to get me to name someone I’d want to go after, and I told him absolutely not, but I’m happy to be a number for him if he needs it. I’m not, but he doesn’t need to know that. How sweet would it be if his buddy Leah stealing my vote ended up costing him control of the game this round? Brady was right: there can only be one Michael in an XTC game.
• Rocky – told me my name was out there. Point in his favor. Jenn told me he was one of the ones with my name in his mouth. Point against him. This guy can’t seem to actually want to work with me, which is a shame. I don’t trust him as far as I can throw him in this game.
• Taylor – We had a call to patch things up after the challenge. I want to believe her, but I know how dangerous she is in these games. She told me she’d try to make sure it wasn’t me this round, which I’m not sure how much she’s actually going to try. We did agree that even if we don’t vote together this round, we’d like to keep the door open for the future. Once again, we’re going to be totally cool in real life, and I don’t feel as burned by her as I do by Mike because I get that she had to distance herself from me for her own game. I’m happy to work with her but won’t lose any sleep over her going in these next few rounds, either.

So.

With everyone & their mother immune, that leaves very few options for the vote. I’ve heard whispers of a plan for Jenn, Ben, Lamont (x2), and Amber to keep me. We would just need Carlos to solidify that. The target would likely land on Allie, but I’ve heard that Kyle is a Plan B if we need one. The one regret I’d have if this happened is that I wouldn’t get the chance to leak Allie’s plan to turn on Kyle, Taylor, and Mike, but I’ll get over that. And as much as it would suck to be back-to-back F11 boot and Mayor of Ponderosa, better her than me.

Oh, and I'm still looking for the shell idol even though Lamont said he heard Mike got it (because I have to know for myself), but no luck, and I can't stay up until 3 am looking for an idol again.

Video confessional that’s a few hours old so I don’t even remember exactly what I said: