Post by Luca on Apr 3, 2013 20:50:01 GMT -5
~Luca's Opening~
Hey everyone! It’s great to see you guys again! I will try to keep this as brief as possible. Before I get on with this I’d like to thank Justin for a great game and all of you for making it what it was. This season has truly been the epitome of what a Survivor ORG should be and I know I had a lot of fun here win or lose. I hope the rest of you did as well. It will be a game that will resonate with me for a long time.
Coming into the game, I set out to play a lot differently than I have in the past. One of my greatest downfalls is that I am oftentimes seen as way too big of a threat to be sitting at the end, so naturally I get cut. This time I wanted to play with the mindset that this game isn’t about making big moves but about making correct moves. There were many instances where I found myself in a position where I could make a power move just for the sake of making a move, but I always knew in doing so that it would put a giant target on my back, and that I couldn’t make a play recklessly but that it needed to be done in a calculated manner. This required me to be somewhat under the radar and very observant as I kind of worked behind the scenes while acting as a social butterfly during the early stages of the game.
During the pre-merge phase, I allowed myself to get close to Gloria. Early on I could tell Gloria would be a very polarizing figure, but also someone who would have my back unconditionally, serving as the perfect shield (and ally) for myself, so she was in essence the perfect person to work with. As my connection with Gloria grew stronger, my connection with Quincy grew in the same sense. This was a group that I felt comfortable with, but also gave myself wiggle room to work with the other Napas and keep my options open if need be since I knew the general consensus by everyone was that I was the third in the alliance, when really I had myself wedged in between the two for most of the game. During the swap, I allowed myself to get tight with Steph and kept an open line of communication with Yvette which would help me down the road.
When the merge hit the very first round I was a swing vote, which gave me a lot of power but was also detrimental to me, since it limited my options. I helped orchestrate getting Hannah out by telling Jessica and the Cascade crew that Gloria wanted her out when in reality she wanted Beau out, a move I knew needed to be made since Hannah was a lot more threatening than Beau. The next round things went my way as Stephenie left which was someone I definitely saw as a dark horse to win the whole game, however in the following round I knew I would need to go under the radar for a little bit if I wanted to have a good chance to make it to the end. Utilizing my exile prize and being on spring break allowed me to do this. When Gamma won the immunity challenge at the F9, I solidified end game deals with Yvette/Vincent as well as kept my close bond with Jessica that would help me survive the F7 vote. When Wyatt left, I took the reigns of the game by helping orchestrate Tess’s exit and then having Jessica leave the following round which was the ideal scenario in my head. At the F4, I won the immunity challenge and even though I don’t think I needed it, it secured my place here.
Overall, I think I played a solid all around game. I won the most individual immunity challenges of anyone in series history at four, I played a strategic game where I always tried to strike at the right moment, and I played a social game where I feel I at least had some sort of social connection with each and every single one of you sitting on the jury that went beyond the scope of the game, a recipe that set me up for success and not failure.
I will open this up to questions now. Sorry for this being a little bit lengthy, but hey! That’s what opening statements are for, am I right?
I do want to apologize if I hurt anybody in the game at any point. I know I didn’t necessarily play a ruthless or excessively cutthroat game, but people always want to say it’s more than just a game and they are right. Everyone comes into this and some people really do put a lot into it, so I feel bad if anybody has been hurt or felt I really did them dirty. It’s been an awesome journey! Vincent and Perry I want to wish you guys luck, and to the jury, I look forward to your questions! ~Luca
