Post by Mark "Papa Bear" Caruso on Feb 20, 2013 3:26:52 GMT -5
Well, first and foremost, what a game! I can honestly say that when I signed up for this game back in December that I never would've expected the highs and lows that this game produced.
I have to admit that all the way back on day one, I set some goals for myself on how I wanted to achieve my goal of making the finals. Some fell my way, while others did not.
In that very first confessional that we all had to fill out introducing some basic information about ourselves, I mentioned that I wanted to play a really strong, balanced game. And while that is ultimately for the jury to decide, I feel like I did just that. I can honestly say that I am proud of the game I played. It definitely was not without mistakes and involved making some really tough judgment calls, but I believe I played the game well altogether and look forward to the opportunity of proving that to you all as well.
I think one resounding theme of my game was always making the most of every situation I was placed in and never losing sight of my goals. I really valued first impressions, so I made it a goal of mine to seek out a few people at the very beginning of the game on Savaii to make meaningful connections with, a tactic that ended up paying dividends almost immediately. Because even though I felt like I had a lot to contibute to Savaii, those feelings apparently weren't shared throughout the tribe - I immediately received a vote in the first tribal council and was targetted as the one to get voted off at our second tribal council. Those social connections ended up paying off quite quickly, as Cochran, Elyse, Dawn, and I formed an alliance of sorts that would propel us throughout our time on Savaii. And while this may not seem very significant in the grand scheme of things, I think those first two rounds really set the tone for me to feel the need to prove myself and work for everything I got in the game.
That mentality persisted as Savaii continued to get beat by Upolu in challenges. It seemed like regardless of the amount of activity, luck, or skill, we were just coming up short every time. Once again, this really set a tone that would prove to be significant in the rest of my game. Not only did I have to step it up in challenges and work a little harder and dedicate a little more time to help insure our tribe's success (i.e. the puzzle piece challenge), but it also meant that we automatically had our backs up against the wall when the merge came.
Naturally, when that time came, I attempted to overcome our numbers disadvantage by playing things relatively smoothly and low-key on my personal behalf while still attempting to make those meaningful connections with people from the other tribe. I tried to establish relationships with Mikayla, Sophie, and Stacey, hoping to exploit any potential gaps that I could. However, my plan to just take things in stride ended up backfiring, and as we all know, I was the first person voted out at merge.
I have to be honest - that really was a low point for me in the game. At that point, I had already invested a lot of time in challenges, communication, and confessionals and hated to be the one leaving so quickly. A part of me wanted to sulk and feel sorry for myself and just take a position on the jury. But I decided to dig deep and put my best foot forward each and every round to guarantee my shot at accomplishing my goal of winning this game. And I think you can just look at how much effort I invested into Redemption Island duels to see just how badly I want this.
When the unthinkable for me happened and I found myself re-entering the game, I again attempted to capitalize off of fostering deep, meaningful relationships with people. I wanted to find someone that I could genuinely interact with and talk about the game with. Rick and I ended up hitting it off really well, and we made a series of agreements between one another to insure that both of us would have a chance at making the finals. And we did. While I recognize that the final tribal council is often considered a time to sling mud on your opponent to make yourself look better, I can honestly say that I'm glad I made it to the end here with Rick and value the friendship that we were able to establish in the closing days of the game.
So, again, I will be the first to tell you that my game was not perfect, but I think I played a great game characterized by an unwavering passion and relentless pursuit of my goals as well as a solid showing for myself in challenges and even socially.
I think I played a game worthy of winning it all, and I hope to convince each of you of that as well. I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone has to ask!
I have to admit that all the way back on day one, I set some goals for myself on how I wanted to achieve my goal of making the finals. Some fell my way, while others did not.
In that very first confessional that we all had to fill out introducing some basic information about ourselves, I mentioned that I wanted to play a really strong, balanced game. And while that is ultimately for the jury to decide, I feel like I did just that. I can honestly say that I am proud of the game I played. It definitely was not without mistakes and involved making some really tough judgment calls, but I believe I played the game well altogether and look forward to the opportunity of proving that to you all as well.
I think one resounding theme of my game was always making the most of every situation I was placed in and never losing sight of my goals. I really valued first impressions, so I made it a goal of mine to seek out a few people at the very beginning of the game on Savaii to make meaningful connections with, a tactic that ended up paying dividends almost immediately. Because even though I felt like I had a lot to contibute to Savaii, those feelings apparently weren't shared throughout the tribe - I immediately received a vote in the first tribal council and was targetted as the one to get voted off at our second tribal council. Those social connections ended up paying off quite quickly, as Cochran, Elyse, Dawn, and I formed an alliance of sorts that would propel us throughout our time on Savaii. And while this may not seem very significant in the grand scheme of things, I think those first two rounds really set the tone for me to feel the need to prove myself and work for everything I got in the game.
That mentality persisted as Savaii continued to get beat by Upolu in challenges. It seemed like regardless of the amount of activity, luck, or skill, we were just coming up short every time. Once again, this really set a tone that would prove to be significant in the rest of my game. Not only did I have to step it up in challenges and work a little harder and dedicate a little more time to help insure our tribe's success (i.e. the puzzle piece challenge), but it also meant that we automatically had our backs up against the wall when the merge came.
Naturally, when that time came, I attempted to overcome our numbers disadvantage by playing things relatively smoothly and low-key on my personal behalf while still attempting to make those meaningful connections with people from the other tribe. I tried to establish relationships with Mikayla, Sophie, and Stacey, hoping to exploit any potential gaps that I could. However, my plan to just take things in stride ended up backfiring, and as we all know, I was the first person voted out at merge.
I have to be honest - that really was a low point for me in the game. At that point, I had already invested a lot of time in challenges, communication, and confessionals and hated to be the one leaving so quickly. A part of me wanted to sulk and feel sorry for myself and just take a position on the jury. But I decided to dig deep and put my best foot forward each and every round to guarantee my shot at accomplishing my goal of winning this game. And I think you can just look at how much effort I invested into Redemption Island duels to see just how badly I want this.
When the unthinkable for me happened and I found myself re-entering the game, I again attempted to capitalize off of fostering deep, meaningful relationships with people. I wanted to find someone that I could genuinely interact with and talk about the game with. Rick and I ended up hitting it off really well, and we made a series of agreements between one another to insure that both of us would have a chance at making the finals. And we did. While I recognize that the final tribal council is often considered a time to sling mud on your opponent to make yourself look better, I can honestly say that I'm glad I made it to the end here with Rick and value the friendship that we were able to establish in the closing days of the game.
So, again, I will be the first to tell you that my game was not perfect, but I think I played a great game characterized by an unwavering passion and relentless pursuit of my goals as well as a solid showing for myself in challenges and even socially.
I think I played a game worthy of winning it all, and I hope to convince each of you of that as well. I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone has to ask!
