[Susie Smith]

A comp beast is gone, a public idol is in play, just a few rounds left to go, let's see what's on your mind.

1. I hope that this weekend's non-live challenge helped y'all get a little rest as we enter the end game. Now that you've seen the The In Crowd challenge results, did anything strike you as surprising, weird or unjust? Any results you were happy to see?

2. How will Bret's winning the Public Immunity Idol affect your game? Did you suspect that's what you were voting for with that question?

3. Some friendships made in this game you hope will last a long time and others you're not that invested in, because you're just going through the motions to advance your game. Who are you close to in game for purely strategic reasons? Who do you actually feel close to? Who would hurt the most to find out was faking a friendship with you?

4. How badly did Rachel's winning most of the last several challenges affect your ego? Who will fill the challenge beast spot now that Rachel is out?

5. Some of you are playing loyal, alliance-based games, others are switching things up. Is how you're playing now typical of your game style? If not, why did you change your go-to style of play this time?

[Lindsey]

I won individual immunity after the merge!!!! That's the headline rn.

A comp beast is gone, a public idol is in play, just a few rounds left to go, let's see what's on your mind.

1. I hope that this weekend's non-live challenge helped y'all get a little rest as we enter the end game. Now that you've seen the The In Crowd challenge results, did anything strike you as surprising, weird or unjust? Any results you were happy to see?

Not in the slightest! I know I'm popular with this crowd, lol. I know everyone thinks I'm likely to go next, that I'd backstab them, and I know the people that I can't stand also can't stand me and/or my gameplay. So that's totally fine. I am super flattered to be most likely to return for an All Star season. None of the other results mattered to me, imo. Can I request if we do some duo version #halsey comes back tho. I think we have a lot more to prove. Our time was cut too short this season.

2. How will Bret's winning the Public Immunity Idol affect your game? Did you suspect that's what you were voting for with that question?

I've been trying to talk to Bret all weekend, even tried at the vote before to get him to flip and vote out Shirin. I voted for him to have it, so I hope that's good. I'm trying to get in better with him. I think based on what he said, he is looking for alliance mates that are open-minded, want to talk, and let him have his say. So I am going to try and make that a priority right now.

Yes, haha. So I picked the person that I see would make the most obvious and predictable move with the idol.

3. Some friendships made in this game you hope will last a long time and others you're not that invested in, because you're just going through the motions to advance your game. Who are you close to in game for purely strategic reasons? Who do you actually feel close to? Who would hurt the most to find out was faking a friendship with you?

Strategically, I feel ostracized by half the tribe. I feel like I am trying to get in strategically with Bret and Jay now. Erika I have always never trusted, but we need each other right now in the game and I think we are starting to build something out of necessity. Idk maybe in the game - Jay? He opened up so much to me last night about some personal things, and I'd hope it's because he trusts me just on a personal level. But tbh, all of the people I felt closest to or liked have already been voted out. Erika right now is my sounding board for complaining about all the goats and everyone on the tribe, lol.

4. How badly did Rachel's winning most of the last several challenges affect your ego? Who will fill the challenge beast spot now that Rachel is out?

I think she just made it harder to win, but I wouldn't say it affected my ego. I will try my best to win as much as I can now, considering my position in the tribe.

5. Some of you are playing loyal, alliance-based games, others are switching things up. Is how you're playing now typical of your game style? If not, why did you change your go-to style of play this time?

My game plan has changed constantly in this game. I felt on top for one vote, then on the bottom for a stretch of time, met back up after the Kam 4 vote off with Tiffany and at fake merge with Hali and OG Maus and started gaining more confidence. At that point and up until the Tyler vote I would say I was strategically dominating (maybe actually at Final 12 before Ricard played idol for me), but when I played the idol on Rachel that definitely put a massive target on back. I am back now at the bottom in a position I'm used to. I needed to adapt constantly in this game.

---

After thoughts:

Nobody asked how losing Rachel would affect my game. I think that is kinda what I wanted to talk about. Sure Rachel was a challenge beast, but she I would say since the tribe with Dom and up until this point now, was my closest ally. We voted together consistently since that tribe with Dom. I felt like I could openly talk to her about strategy, and she didn't see me as threatening because she was equally as threatening. Honestly, she was also super fun to talk to. Personally and just game-wise. 

This hurts now, because we agreed on a 5-4 vote, but Bret actually ended up flipping. This is bad for Jay right now, bad for me, bad for Erika. The three of us are fucked. 

Wendell messaged me today to apologize about being arrogant? And we had a weird chat. Long story short, he tells me (again, not surprisingly), that I'll be the next vote and he says he's open to talking about things. So I just start planting seeds like how about basically that I'm an easy vote off, and he has a lot more to worry about after me and Erika are gone, like the 6 will eat him before finals. I told him that Will could flip on him and get the numbers and so he's like do you think getting rid of Will is better for my positioning? (Seeds baby!) of course I took the opportunity to tell him my feelings and immediately I go to Erika and I tell her to start talking to Wendell in her very Erika way about Will and how he needs to go. We need :inlove: out next, he is driving me and Erika insane, and he doesn't talk to me, and he's annoying and rude and condescending as all fuck.

I need to talk to Jay about something tomorrow too... like we need to figure something out cause the three of us are now fucked.

Umm... so yeah, super stoked I won individual immunity (in the merge), I got that crossed off my bucket list finally. I keep saying I will be happy if I just left here, now that I've done everything I want but that's not true. I still want to win. 

-Lindsey
#halsey