GinaMarie Zimmerman [1st]
Jade Pietrantonio [2nd]
Ed Lower [3rd]
Rhian Sugden [4th]
Helen Kim [5th]
Peter Brown [6th]
Judd Daugherty [7th]
Amanda Zuckerman [8th]
Deana Uppal [9th]
Faye Palmer [10th]
Sam Wallace [11th]
Eric Stein [12th]
Bart Spring in 't Veld [13th]
Steven Daigle [14th]
Dan Gheesling [15th]
Jen Johnson [16th]
So Dan is gone, next HOH is semi-live which worries me. I can only hope that the time that gets selected is convenient for everyone -- the less people I compete against, the better.
Okay so I've been talking a lot with GinaMarie lately, and I feel like I can definitely trust her ... but at the same time I'm so cautious of her as a player because I know she just about gets along with everyone, and she can be playing me for all I know. We traded numbers with each other for this HOH, I don't think I want to trade much with anyone else. I want to see if someone goes after her numbers, if they're actually correct. This is the perfect opportunity for me to see where GinaMarie lies as a potential ally, but then again I do feel like if she does win that she WON'T nominate me.
Okay so in the end I realized how stupid it was sharing my numbers with just ONE person because what if I randomly broke someone's boxes that I actually like? Or someone that I think might actually keep me safe if they were HOH?
In addition to GinaMarie, I traded numbers with: Peter, Jade, Sam and Amanda.
After the first round one of my boxes was hit by Faye, but when I confronted her -- she told me that Eric has been going around telling people that 13 is his number, what the hell? And not only that, but earlier today GinaMarie told me that Eric was going around telling people that me, Jade and Amanda have an alliance -- which bothers me even more, UGH! I will definitely nominate him if I win HOH this round, I don't need someone throwing my name around like that.
Oh my god, this HOH is way too intense! It's a lot about having a lot of blind trust in people, because you definitely can't win this game on your own, and your biggest ally can't be yourself! I've gotten a fair share of numbers now, so I really have to protect the people who gave them to me because I definitely feel like they'd be the ones who would keep me safe. Earlier Jade asked me to find Faye's number, which I knew -- but I had to tell Jade I didn't know because if she gets Faye out, Faye would keep me safe! It's a tough one, but I also need to prove that I can be faithful for the most part to. There's no need to disclose any information that, if jeopardized and can get traced back to me, won't be good for my game. Plus, this game is also a lot about figuring out who I can and can't trust.
Steven: Can I just ask you something, who told you and Peter what my numbers were? Me: I was trying to get Eric out and I thought he was in the top 10. Mine was just a blind guess. [false] Steven: Lol right.
Okay so the only people still left that I think could potentially put me up are Eric and Bart -- well, Bart FOR SURE. It's very important that both of them stay OFFLINE and don't break my last box. As of now, the only boxes I'm unsure of are: 8, 14, 27, 34, 37 and 38. If Eric and Bart get out this round then I SHOULD be safe for the most part!
And just when I thought things in the game couldn't get anymore interesting, it just upped the ante!
So in addition to that god awful conversation with Steven, he ended our note by calling me a "fake ass shady cunt" -- seriously? I can't begin to explain how offended this made me! I mean for starters, I've been trying to have a legitimate friendship with Steven, and all it's ever done was lead me to feeling alone and naked after because he just never cared! I always im'ed him first, I always made the first move, and he would just give me one word answers if even chose to respond. And then the one time he decides to talk to me first is to accuse me of conspiring with Peter to get him out? (and wrong! Jade was going to get you out first, Peter just randomly chose 19!) I may be a liar but I'm definitely not a fake! What, I'm fake because I didn't tell you who it was that told me your numbers? Oh yeah, because I'd totally expose him right there and then! And then to end that note by calling me a fake ass shady cunt? Peter was also talking to me post-challenge and he had a confrontation with Steven too! I guess I'm just shocked because I expected more from him since he's a veteran and whatnot, and since I'm like a returning veteran, if that, I just thought we'd have something in common. Oh well, he was never my target anyways and if I didn't know any better I probably would have nominated Eric and Bart thinking Eric was the one throwing me under the bus, so -- whatever. Can't say I'll miss him!
Back to the challenge, I must say that as stressful as it was, I loved it! It definitely felt like homework! Although I'm bummed I came so close to winning (4th place man!) and ultimately lost, I must say that I do feel safe with Sam being HOH because the current word is that Bart is his target. Fine by me -- Bart is someone I rarely talk to and would probably come after me if he were in control, so his departure is great news for me. More importantly though, this challenge definitely gave me insight as to who was working with whom, confirmed who I could trust in the game and nullified many theories I had running through my head. Let's run through them:
1.) I thought there was an all male alliance between Judd, Steven, Eric, Bart, and Peter -- wrong [kind of].
My paranoia about this alliance came from the other day when I was talking with Amanda and she brought up the possibility of an all male alliance, and then further kicked into gear when Rhian told me "people" were telling her to nominate me as the replacement when Amanda came off the block. Also, Bart had picked Steven to play in the Veto, so naturally I just assumed something. If there is a male alliance, Steven is out and Peter was never a part of it. And -- sorry Dan -- I totally accused you of throwing me under the bus and then asking for my vote to keep you, but I learned from Judd that Steven was the one telling Rhian to nominate me. So quite frankly, bye!
2.) I thought Rhian was two-timing me -- wrong.
Rhian didn't nominate me in spite of Steven pressuring her to -- that's good. And then Rhian came forth and told me. I was still on the fence because at the time I thought Dan was the one throwing me under the bus and thought she might have had ties to Steven, but knowing that Steven told Judd "obviously she's working with Helen because I pressured her to nominate Helen and she didn't." lets me know that she has my back.
3.) Steven was a shoe-in to win this game -- wrong.
I was threatened and intimidated by Steven because he was a good competitor and thought he had a big hold on the house, so it's very relieving to know that he had very few fans.
4.) People might actually ... trust me? -- right.
So by the first hour, I knew almost everyone's numbers besides Bart's, and that's because he was offline. I definitely knew more everyone that was playing that it actually became quite difficult, before the hour where everyone could post we would all try to coordinate which box we'd all hit, and whenever someone would tell me their number, I'd just be thinking "No don't do that, #11 is peter!" or "How about #34 since we don't know who that is yet!" It's definitely a great feeling to know that I had disclosed my numbers to many people but still managed to place fourth before getting eliminated, and that other players trusted me with their numbers as well. The fact that I was not caught off guard when I got eliminated (Ed told me he was going to break my box and at that point I was comfortable with the remaining people to win), and still managed to pick off numbers and not piss off anyone who I did trade numbers is great for my social game, I think -- it makes me feel that people do trust me and that having a little blind trust in others isn't so much a bad thing.
Overall, it was a good challenge that definitely opened my eyes a lot more and helped me figure out how I want to handle the game moving forward.
After having a lot more insight to the houseguests following the HOH, I thought I'd run through them again and what I think of them now/how they pertain to my game:
Amanda: Amanda is an interesting character, sometimes she's my best friend and other times I feel like being affiliated with her is going to KILL my chances at winning! Once I figured out which boxes the houseguests had, I shared my findings with Amanda, which proved to be stupid. She wanted me to go after people like Ed or GinaMarie -- someone who probably would've nominated her if she won. Obviously I couldn't -- I had their numbers for a reason, and at the time she wanted me to strike it just wouldn't have felt right getting them out of the challenge -- Ed, especially, who was so kind enough to not break my box after he expressed interest in going after box #2. Amanda then started leaking my information to Jade because Jade was telling me, "Well Amanda said Peter is #11 so I'm going to get him." and I'd be like "Doh! Amanda, Peter isn't our target, he's our friend! Or, mine at least! Luckily I don't think anyone was able to make the association since by then the numbers were shorter so it was just easy to assume a coincidence if someone's numbers did get picked, but still. It's bothersome, but at the same time Amanda is disclosing some real great information with me (Steven telling Judd that the whole house is against him, Bart and Eric, etc.) so I know she has good intentions, but she wants me to make moves that benefit for her when clearly I have to look out for myself first. Also, Amanda got Jade and Sam to get GinaMarie and Ed out, respectively. She's clearly influential, just like the real Amanda! Jade wouldn't listen to me when I was trying to get her to go after some of the unknown numbers instead of going after GinaMarie, nor would I even think of asking Sam to take out Ed.
Bart: Eh. He'll probably go this round.
Deana: I haven't spoken to Deana much, but she did call out Steven after he quit which made me super happy. She's nice, maybe I'll connect with her later on.
Ed: I owe a lot of my success in this HOH to Ed. I saw that he was going to break my box but he had posted too soon so he needed to delete his post, then I approached him and begged him to leave #2 alone if he could -- and he did! Kept me alive until the final round when he couldn't anymore, and that means a LOT to me. I'd love to repay the favor, but since he also broke my box and ruined my chances of winning my first HOH, I need to remember that means he probably favors Jade and Sam over myself I look WAY too much into things, I know, but it's the little things that count!
Eric: There was so much drama in the beginning of this game because of Eric lol! First there was that bit GinaMarie told me about him saying I was in an alliance with all these people (Deana included, who I talked to like once?) and THEN after Faye broke my first box, she told me: "Oh, someone told me that 13 was Eric's box!" and it made me FURIOUS! Either he got wind of my numbers and was telling people they were his, or he was just lying and guessed 13 randomly to protect his own (didn't work though, still got you out lol!), I don't know, the whole thing was very annoying and dramatic. I'll still probably go after him just for the hell of it. It was my mission this HOH to get him out, and that I did -- I broke two of his boxes!
Faye: So apparently, I have a Final 3 with Amanda and Faye, on the count that we're all in California and it turns out Faye is only about 2 hours away from me! It's' not like being neighbors really gives us an advantage over being allied with someone else, but it's just nice sharing that bond, and having a common understanding that California girls, we're unforgettable! Plus, the fact that I think all three of us get along super well with each other -- that helps too. I really like Faye, she was one of the few people I connected with instantly. I also doubted her loyalty and thought she was working with Steven in the beginning LOL -- well actually, I wasn't completely off, Faye did tell me that she got along well with Steven and was sad that he quit, but then once I dropped that he called me a cunt and whatnot she was taken aback. Good, lol.
GinaMarie: As I mentioned earlier, GinaMarie was the first person I traded numbers with. I really feel like I connected with her on a personal level the past couple of days and wouldn't have felt threatened if she did win HOH. She also told me that Eric was going around telling people about the alliance drama, so I liked that she confided in me. She never went after my numbers, and since I was never compromised -- I have no reason to believe she revealed my numbers to anyone.
Jade: I have a very simple relationship with Jade. We swapped numbers instantly, and maybe by the first hour or two she found out Steven's numbers and gave them to me, which was HUGE! And then after that she got Eric's numbers! Go you little snake, lol! We coordinated a lot on this challenge and didn't go after each other. I don't talk to her enough to feel 100% secure like I do with Amanda, Faye, GinaMarie, Peter and Rhian, but the conversations we do have are often legit, and I can't think of any reason for her to come after me -- yet.
Judd: I have a very neutral relationship with Judd. I don't have any reason to go after him, I don't think he has any reason to go after me? It's very hard to see where his head is at all the time because he's quiet and doesn't say much, but he did tell Amanda that Steven told him "sam gm deana peter helen amanda are all together / ed is with at least some of them obviously / idk where faye and rhian stand / rhian is at least with helen, cuz i pressured her to nom helen / so it's really just you, bart, and eric against the rest" which was good for me because it definitely let me know Steven behind all of those rumors and not Dan or Eric.
Peter: Peter and I got along great today -- he was either the first or second person I connected instantly with, but because we had spoken very little to each other during the first two weeks (we always caught each other right before the HOH), I was worried about where his head was at but today definitely sealed the deal that I could trust him. We worked a lot to keep each other in the loop; we ran theories on how the arrangement of the boxes were (thinking every 13 boxes had to be each houseguest), calculated how many people were still playing and how many boxes were left and tried identifying who had what and so forth. Even when I went offline and had to operate via mobile device, he was still keeping in touch and updating me through Aim, so I really liked that. I would love to bring him as far as I can, I'm just unsure as to who he is working with, if any.
Rhian: If Peter was the first person I connected with, then Rhian is my second -- she's great! Plus just when I began to doubt her, she exposed someone was after me and didn't nominate me in spite of how much she was being pressured. She's a great competitor, and we have fun conversations outside the game, which is always nice because talking strategy can run its fun pretty quickly! Even though I have this WEST COAST alliance with Faye and Amanda, I wish I could have a separate one with Rhian and Peter, lol. Who knows, maybe it'll come to that!
Sam: Sam is an interesting one -- up until the other day I haven't spoken much to him, I always felt like he'd be a nominee for me if I ever won HOH but we connected recently over old Disney shows LOL and then today during HOH he just told me his numbers right off the back! So that meant a lot so I obviously traded numbers with him too, and he ALSO told me Steven's numbers! So in terms of current targets, I think we see eye to eye. Plus, Sam and I both love Pitch Perfect -- that movie is great! I'm very happy that if I didn't get HOH, that he did.
Steven: Bye bitch lol.
So I'm content with where I stand with these people right now, but I need to be VERY careful from here on out. As with most games, I'm playing with my heart too much and am getting way too attached to these people. It's hard to see it now, but I need to remember that we're all here to play a game. And we want to win. And if I make some friends along the way -- great, and if they'll be my friends after I have to vote to evict them, even better. I may think I'm safe with everyone but it's just the Final 13! That still leaves a little over 10 rounds of opportunities to be blindsided or backdoored! I may think of most of these guys as friends and people I would do anything for, but I need to remember:
Sometimes the person you'd take a bullet for is the one pulling the trigger.
With Sam as HOH, I feel surprisingly safe -- which is AMAZING. I don't have to stalk the boards or check Aim every so often and initiate conversations that leave me feeling awkward in the end. From what I've been told, Bart is the target and Faye is the pawn. I'm not sure who the replacement nominee would be if either Bart or Fay did win, but given how heavily Sam and I connected recently, I'd be very surprised if it were me. Of course anyone would be a fool to get comfortable in the game, but at this point I think I can actually enjoy myself for the time being! This is a big 360 compared to last week, where I felt I was running around with a target sign on my back in spite of Rhian being HOH.
So for now, things are going pretty slow. I did have a partial conversation with Bart, who told me he lives in the Netherlands which is why it's always hard for him to catch people online. Part of me wishes I put in more effort to get to know him, on the off chance he wins Veto and then HOH next round -- hmm, actually I should have done that, just in case no one else has -- crap, I'll work on that soon. But anyways, he's from the Netherlands so the time difference is a huge factor for him, but at the same time Bart needs to understand that the minute you fall of the radar in the social sphere you're an immediate target. He can't catch us online, yet he was able to send me an offline message to read asking me to vote for him to stay, so clearly the resources were there. Whenever HOH was around the corner and there were houseguests I had yet to speak to but wanted to get some stream of communication going on, I pm'ed them! If I ever get nominated, I don't want to be told it's because "I haven't really spoken to you that much." because that's the one thing that can be easily fixed. Well, except for Eric -- I don't plan on becoming his best friend anytime soon.
And I just realized, I don't know why Steven was acting like such a bitch to me for getting him out of the challenge when he was telling Rhian to put me up! Okay hopefully I'm done talking about him now lol.
-- right.
