Round 13

[Stephanie Valencia]

ROB

I owe my life in this game to Rob. I knew that votes were coming my way in the last Tribal Council but I felt secure that we'd slant the vote by using our crystals, thus ensuring that Brenda would be voted off. But Rob completely took me by surprise and used a hidden Immunity Idol to keep me safe from the vote, so every vote cast against me was rendered void. You know what that means…bye bye, Brenda.

We're down to eight and it's basically four on four. Pete, Rob, Boo, and me versus Natalie, Gina, Morgan, and Kat. It's absolutely essential that someone on our side wins Immunity this round, that we keep it (and the Recharge that comes with it) out of the hands of the other side. When we all told each other our cards, we realized we were one card short of a royal flush...and who had the missing Queen of Hearts? Natalie, of course, the Queen of Bullshit. Rob managed to convince her to trade him the Queen in exchange for keeping her safe this week. Despite the fact that Natalie and I made peace last round, she voted against me anyway. I shook it off. With Brenda gone and the girls fundamentally incapable of organizing properly, Natalie and Morgan are basically free agents. Brenda was the glue that held them together, so the day following Brenda's departure is the time to strike; we need to draw them further apart before they have a chance to align.

I talked to Natalie and told her I didn't take it personally at all and that it was in the past; I was willing to start fresh with her. She agreed. We talked for a long time, clearing the air and making sure everything was okay. Did I trust her 100% after our conversation? Well, no. But I felt much more optimistic this time than I had after our conversation last round. I assured her that I wasn't going to vote against her and that I wanted to work with her in the future.

Then, Morgan messaged me. She told me that she was completely alone in the game and that she didn't want to work with Natalie; she was only forced into it because of her allegiance to Brenda. Perfect. Morgan and I talked everything out, made up, and decided that we were going to work together again, especially since we were tribemates on every single tribe up until the merge. We agreed to vote together and I assured her that I would do everything I could to direct attention away from her if her name ever came up with the boys.

The target this round is Kat, because Rob wants to stick to his word and not vote against Natalie. (If it were up to me, I'd keep my word this time the same way she did last time, but it's not my decision.) I trust that Morgan will do the same. I'm not 100% confident that Natalie will follow through, but even if she doesn't, Kat will be voted out 5-3 and that's good enough for me. And then Natalie…you're next.

[Stephanie Valencia]

Wow. Tribal Council…un-fucking-believable.

Natalie? Dead to me in this game. I don't even care how she intends to rationalize it. I forgave her for voting against me last round and she promised up, down, left, and right that she wanted to work together and that she'd vote with me this round…and that low-down nasty fucking bitch votes against me? Well, guess what: when you vote against me, you better make sure you have the votes to send me out, not put me in a tiebreaker challenge against the weakest player in the game. Because, bitch, I'm coming for you like you don't even know. It is so on. It is beyond on. Natalie. Done. Gone. In this game…finished.

And Boo? I was suspicious about him for the past two rounds in a row (as were Pete and Rob) but we needed the numbers and had to trust him. But the inevitable happened; he turned on me because I called Final 2 with Rob. I never told anyone I had a Final 2 deal with Rob; I explained that I promised him early in the game that I wouldn't vote against him and I don't want to break my promise. Obviously, Rob using an Idol on me last round was probably a pretty big hint but really, Boo? Strategically, wouldn't it be smarter to wait until later in the game for your dramatic betrayal (especially since it didn't exactly pan out)? Because Rob is now gunning for your ass like nobody's business, you turncoat piece of crap.

And Morgan…well, that's another story. Morgan voted against me and then sent me a flurry of messages promising to vote against Kat in the tiebreaker and keep me safe. Why the hell would I possibly believe that? And why would I work with you after that?! It's fine. I told Morgan everything she wanted to hear so that she'll vote to keep me safe in the revote.

But if this thing goes to a second tie and I have to face off against Kat, let's be real: Kat's done like dinner. And I'm going to come back into this game angrier and more fired up than ever before. They don't even know the shit they just got themselves into.

[Stephanie Valencia]

For the first time all season, Gina and I actually had a full conversation. I thanked her for not voting against me and told her that I hoped she would vote against Kat again in the re-vote. She told me that doesn't think there will be another tie; Morgan reassured her that she will flipping her vote. If Morgan is telling the truth and the re-vote comes in at 4-2, Kat will be voted off and that means Natalie and Boo are basically alone in the game. This was supposed to be their moment, the turning point in the game for them, and all they did was shoot themselves in the foot. They're going to outnumbered five to two if I stay in the game. So, Natalie, did voting against me help you better your game like your parchment said?

I'm talking to Gina now about a final four deal with the two of us, Rob, and Pete. I don't know if I like that final four, to be honest—I'd rather Morgan was there instead of Gina—but I have to do what's necessary to protect myself at this point. Survivor is about longevity and I've come really close, two rounds in a row, to being voted out. I need to play for the long term, even if it means a rough short term. I'm making it to the end; there's no question about that. I'm making it to the end. It'll just be a bumpy road getting there.

[Amanda Kimmel]

Loving the sass! <3

Who do you want to go after first? The liar, the turncoat, or the Morgan? Er... I think I meant "moron" xD

Do you think there is even a chance that someone will change their vote?

And have you and Rob been... "having fun" at all lately?

[Stephanie Valencia]

Thanks! I got a little bit too comfortable in the middle of the game; it took a few close shaves to revive my inner Queen Bitch and now it's on.

I do think there's a chance that Morgan will change her vote and keep me safe. I wouldn't exactly bet money on it, but I think she realizes what's going on. If there's another tie, she knows she'll have lost me as an ally and she'll be stuck working with Natalie and Boo, who are far closer to each other than they are to her. More importantly, she told me that they "hurted" her recently (I'm not sure how) and she refuses to work with them. So I'm optimistic that the re-vote will be 4-2 to vote out Kat. But we'll have to wait and see.

And next round, as badly as I want to go after Natalie the Liar first, I may have to direct my attention to Boo the Turncoat as a way of appeasing Gina. To be honest, as long as they go one after the other, I'm happy. But Gina seems to really want Boo gone, so hopefully targetting him first will build her trust in me and we can work towards this new final four deal.

Rob and I are still in our showmance, of course. But we've been much more focused on business than pleasure. I probably should have "thanked" him for using the Idol on me but…at the end of the day, I'm here to play the game. Rob is just a bonus.