Boring Zach's Boring Questions

[zach]

So i don't really want to waste anyone's time with these given jury questioning can drag on so if I'm the first to post, might as well give you guys a bit of a easy pitch to start the game off. 



I had actually liked you OS a bunch and I do think you were right in taking me out so not like I can be mad about that. However, one of my questions for you is what exactly was your end game? Was it your plan all along to end up at the end next to one of Porsche/Kelsey? Did you maybe have intentions to make it to the end with people who would be easier to beat? I just want to know your mindset because my perception for a lot of the game was that Kels/Porsche were always in front of you threat wise and you had them as shields; but if you ended up at the end with them they would have the argument that they were good enough to BE the shield which would be enough to beat you. if I'm offbase, why is being a shield less impressive than being the one hiding behind it? I'm the last person who is going to argue that having someone as a shield is bad for someone's game. Hell, I do it all the time and that's how I won my season. I just always thought that the problem with that strategy is that if you're at the end with someone who is visible and not super polarizing, then the chances of winning aren't very high.

But then again maybe you didn't see Porsche or Kelsey as your shield. If not, you're more than welcome to just say that and shut me up and then just stick to explaining the end game thing. Congrats on making it here.




Chances are that I'll probably vote for you given my lack of relationship with Corey along with the fact that I feel like we had a pretty GOOD relationship. I thought you were playing a really great game down the stretch rivaled maybe only by Natalie and Kelsey. Had you been next to Kelsey here, this probably would have been a different story on my end as far as this vote is concerned, but instead you pulled the trigger on something that a large portion of the game couldn't do and took out Kelsey when the chance was there. AND that was while you were able to use her as a shield until then for as long as you were physically able to without being riskier than someone saying they're a Paul fan. However, I'm still here to ask at least one question and for you that's gonna be how much did you think being a winner affected your game? I know you talked about it a bit in your OS and specifically about how you had to change your game going into this, but tbh apart from you getting nominated a few more times and you winning a few more comps, your game was pretty similar both times? Laying low with a good circle of allies and avoiding being the target; and there's nothing wrong with that!! However, Corey did enact a similar strategy, so how did you pull it off better?

That's it for me! Good luck to the two of you. 

[corey]

Thanks for the lob Zach! I appreciate the commitment to the schtick. I would give you a good job pat on the butt.

what exactly was your end game?

Well I would be lying if I said that going to the end with Porsche was my first choice. Going through the game you are correct that I trusted Porsche and Kelsey quite a bit, and also tried my best to make sure that they would be targeted before me by securing relationships with the other people in the final eight. I think most, with the exception of maybe Kelsey, would have chosen to keep me around over Porsche if we were the two on the block which is something that I wanted.

As for who I wanted with me at the end of the game there were a few people I wanted in the end with me. In the round you left I tried to keep Arlie in the loop as best as I can to continue building the trust that we had started. Unfortunately I did not do enough to make him secure on me and he had told other people that I was not someone he trusted much so I did not see him as a viable option. The second one was Cody. Cody and had talked final two shortly after jury started but then really secured it at final 6, which is why I switched my vote from him to Howard. I felt like Cody and I had played similar games and thought I had a reasonable argument over him. Unfortunately I was not most clutch in the challenges at the end, so while that did not effect my ability to make the finals, that did not give me the edge on who I got to go up against in the finals.

The third person that I had considered wanting to go to the end with was Natalie. Now by the time final three came around I was torn who I would have chosen to take to the end had I won. I was very close with both girls, and thought both had their strengths and weaknesses. While I think Natalie, had more friends on the jury, I would not run into this "shield" problem that comes before me now. Of course as you all know I flopped in the challenge and had the decision made for me but I am happy with how it turned out.

I definitely came into the final stretch hoping for a better performance in the challenge department. There were a few that I was so close to winning which could have boosted my resume up (shout out to 20 minutes and 1 seconds). But overall I knew that none of them were must wins in terms of getting to the finals, it would just change the way I approached this finale. I knew regardless of who I went up against, I would need to be able to communicate the intricacies of my not as visible game.

why is being a shield less impressive than being the one hiding behind it

This is a good one to answer. And I will say that I don't think a shield would be a perfect way to describe it. As I mentioned in my previous post, I wasn't 100% loyal to Porsche or anyone in this game. I think the characteristic that makes my game more impressive is if you think about it in the sense that there were multiple shields, and I was bouncing around and making people feel that I was always using them as a shield and not anyone else. It just happens that I ended up behind one of the people that I started the game with. An example of this is the round that Arlie left and Howard made his grand lie. Howard had actually told me that he was lying to Kelsey about Cody, and used some of the information that I had told him about Kelsey, and our Dark Side alliance to get him on the block. I kept this to myself and watched as the plan moved forward. I think at that time Howard viewed me as someone who would go deep if not to the end with him. Had some of the challenges gone differently, he or Natalie may be the one I am here with. Hopefully this answers your question. The impressive part of my game is that I was able to use multiple shields. Had I just stayed behind Kelsey and Porsche all game then I would agree with you, but I don't think I did that. That was just how it ended up.



Thank you for your questions Zach. Good luck with your decision.

[porsche]

Hey Zach! Thank you for the compliment! I hope you don't change your mind  

how much did you think being a winner affected your game?

This question is a little difficult to answer. Most people aren't going to tell me to my face that they're scared of me being a winner. But I think it affected me a lot early on. In the beginning of these games, people are looking for any reason to make someone else a target and me being a winner, especially winning while never being nominated, puts a target on my back. It did give me a way to bond with you and the other winners, but with our Winners Alliance flopping, it probably did more harm than good.

The one person who did mention it early on was Jen, who told me that she thought I had multiple alliances because of the way I played in Season 13. And if someone with as little of a filter as Jen told me that, I can only imagine how my win made others think of me.

Once we got out of the beginning stages though, I don't think it played as big of a part. Too much was going on and the lines had already been drawn. I don't think it ever totally died down though. Even as late as the final 5, Cody was still bringing up that I was a previous winner.

but tbh apart from you getting nominated a few more times and you winning a few more comps, your game was pretty similar both times?

I guess the postjury parts of my games were similar, but I actually think the first halves of my games were pretty different. In season 13, I was very active during the first part. I was everyone's friend, and had a ton of alliances and control. In this game, I started off with much less control and had less people who I was officially allied with. Not to say it's a bad thing, it was just different, and I had to fight to get into a good position.

However, Corey did enact a similar strategy, so how did you pull it off better?

Good question. I think there are a couple reasons why I played better than Corey.

I got rid of my shields

I agree with what you said to Corey. It's fine to have shields but eventually, you have to get rid of them or you'll run into the same problem I think Corey is going to face. After I won final 4 veto, Kelsey was telling me that I had a chance in the end against her. And while I saw merit in what she was saying (there were a few rounds where I had more control than her), Kelsey had played a really strong game and in my experience, whenever someone like her gets to the end, they win. 

I cut Kelsey at the right time and it was my sole vote that did it, but Corey was never able to get rid of me.

I had more control

There were several rounds where me and Corey were the swing votes or had the option to flip the votes: Arlie's eviction, Howard's eviction and Cody's eviction. What do all of these rounds have in common? Whatever I wanted to happen was what happened.

I told Corey I thought we should evict Arlie. He was conflicted but agreed. At the final 6, Corey told me he was leaning towards evicting Cody, but I pushed for Howard and Howard left. At the final 5, Corey told me he wanted me to target Kelsey but I refused. Then he said that he thought we should evict Natalie over Cody, but I thought about it, decided Cody going was better for me and Cody left.

That's not to say Corey had no agency or that I was the only reason these evictions happen. Cody deserves credit for saving himself over Howard, for example. All I'm saying is that when it came down to what I wanted vs what Corey wanted, what I wanted usually happened.

I was sometimes more safe than Corey

Corey should have been more safe since people saw him as a little bit of a goat and me as a threat. Sometimes he was more safe but not always. At the final 4 for example, there were very few scenarios where I left. And once Natalie won HOH, either Kelsey or Corey was going to be evicted.

I forced Corey to be loyal to me

I saw Corey as someone who was always going to get far but needed to sit next to someone at the end who he could beat. Maybe it's just me being cocky, but I don't think I'm that person. Therefore, I needed to make sure Corey felt it was in my interests to keep me.

One of the reasons I wanted Cody out over Natalie was for this reason. I actually knew about Corey's final 2 with Cody, and when Corey didn't tell me, this sketched me out. Whenever people called Cody a threat, they always mentioned his competition ability but whether he could win a jury vote was never mentioned. If Corey had to choose to take either me or Cody to the end, I couldn't guarantee that he would choose me.

Once Cody left, Corey's options for the final 2 were down to three people. There was Kelsey, who was seen as playing the best game. There was Natalie, who had played a solid game and had several jury votes locked up. And then there was little old me.

[zach]

Thank you both!

Again, good luck with the rest of the questions.