Posted by Arfy on 1/3/2013 12:59:00 AM (view original):
I though Denise should have won over Skupin. Denise was at EVERY single tribal.
AND I think the biggest robbery in all of survivor is not rewarding Russell with something. His gameplay was inspiring. Funny thing is that I though I was going to hate him when I saw him bury the shoes or whatever it was that he did on the very first episode. But the things that he did week in and week out just amazed me to the point to which I really respected.
Sure, it's easy from the outside to see someone burn a bunch of people and say what a great job they did, and maybe it is a great job to play that way and get everyone else out, but no one who see's the game that way, looks at the perspective of the people that got burned. If you have a deal with a bunch of people, then break all those deals and make it to the end, you might see that as great strategy, and people on the outside looking in might see that as great strategy, but the people that got burned are very likely to be bitter. People can talk all they want about who played the "best" game, but every season of Survivor, the jury are the ones who get to decide what criteria makes up the "best" game (admittedly, most juries vote for whoever screwed them less, but with that history, that should be part of your plan to win in the end).
Just because I don't directly lie to people, or break alliances, doesn't mean that I play a "clean" game. I look at "outwitting" to mean out-maneuvering, slight of hand, influencing and getting others to do your "dirty work" for you. I think you can play that way, without directly lying to someone and, with careful wording, without breaking any alliances. Lying seems like the easy way, and sure it works, but people have long memories and it will (well, should) only work once.
Then again, you CAN play that way as long as you bring someone with you to the end that played a similar style, if you can out-finesse them with the jury members on the way out, and the way you sell your speech/answer questions. You and awags both burned bridges down to the ground last season, but I thought awags broke way more deals than you did and that you'd be a lock to win because of it...yet somehow awags swayed enough of the jury to take it. Lots of different styles to play, and clearly lots of different styles win the game. Just because I don't respect straight out lying as a strategy doesn't mean that I don't respect the fact that it can win. Just as I don't get your assertion that playing a clean game "isn't playing the game".