Round 5 - SWAP

[Charity]

Post thoughts below!

[jordan]

Aparri 2.0

1.) When they were first posting I thought we were in for an entire women's tribe and I was excited and terrified. But it's just four.

2.)Nikki and Kyle in that dreaded 2 of a 3-2-1 breakdown. Eek

3.)Both Angelica and Rocky talked separately of the benefits of holding onto a player like Willow and now there she is with them.

4.) Olivia off on her own. I'm sure she will do fine, this girl can play.

5.)I would love to see the four women form an alliance, but I just don't see it happening with this tribe breakdown. Prove me wrong, please!

6.)No chance that Kyle stays loyal to Nikki here.

Koror 2.0

1.)Another 3-2-1 split! This time Sam and Jordan in the dreaded 2 spot.

2.)The only two idols are on this tribe with Niki and Robbie! Dynamite!

3.)Chris, Robbie, and Molly are going to run this tribe...unless...

4.)Hoping that the original Koror 3 bring in the 1 of Niki for a vote. Niki learns who of Sam or Jordan the vote is going to and idols out one of the original Koror instead. But would Robbie play his idol ahfhghg!

5.)Really hope people like Sam more than Jordan.

6.)I would love a Sam and Molly duo.

Maraamu 2.0

1.)This tribe has 2 from each original tribe!!! What's going to happen?!?

2.)Good thing M. Brady put in good work with Kaitlyn.

3.)I know Robbie talked about not trusting Brady to his alliance, but did he plant that seed with Trey and Bridget?

4.)Robert would have likely let Genki go if they lost last round, but now he's the only member from his tribe. Genki seems loyal to Robert.

5.)I want to see Genki and Bridget work together...mainly because I drafted both

6.)I feel like Trey is going to gravitate towards Kaitlyn and possibly Brady

[sid]

Quick thought - I'm hoping Trey and Kaitlyn become a duo and bond over both going to UMD

[sid]

Maraamu 2.0

Robert - King Robert. The more I watch him play the more I'm in love with him. I'm a Robert stan. He has a charisma that makes you want to trust him, if people don't take him out he's winning this game hands down. He already has a good working relationship with everybody in the tribe particularly with Trey and Kaitlyn. I really like his plan of pulling in Trey for a third and voting out Bridget first vote. Sorry not sorry Bridget stans.

Genki - He took point on this first challenge so I don't think he's in any danger of first boot. From what I've seen Genki is playing fine, he's not rubbing anybody the wrong way. He has a weird sleep schedule that makes it difficult for people to call him? I don't see him being in any danger for the first vote unless Robert thinks he doesn't need him anymore.

Michael - Michael is in a much worse position than top dog he was at in his previous tribe. Both Bridget and Trey are sketched out by him and he's been quiet on group calls which makes him disconnected. Knowing Brady he's going to put in work though and quickly climb the power rankings.

Kaitlyn - Kaitlyn is a queen. Everybody wants to work with Kaitlyn. What is it about this girl? She's sweet, smart, charismatic, and appears trustworthy. Has everything she need to cut your throat. This is Charity 2.0 if it were me I'd vote her out on the basis that I'm scared.

Trey - Trey's been playing well. I don't know what it is when I watch his calls he comes off... ingenuine? I don't know he just behaves differently in real life vs. online. People unconsciously pick up on it and makes them distrust him idk. That being said he's closes to Robert at the moment which is great for his game. Robert is a power player and if he can align with him I think he'll be cruising till merge.

Bridget - Poor Bridget already in hot water again. She's rubbing people the wrong way being drunk at the challenge and being generally abrasive. I love her but she's probably going to be first boot again unless they win this challenge. Trey is already distancing himself from her which is the smart move by calling her the "Willow" of Koror to Robert.

[currently reigning kilby]

King Robert and Queen Kaitlyn will be your final 2

Others might as well forfeit

[currently reigning kilby]

mad respect to rocky for really giving this rounds tribal his all. it can be scary as fuck and terrifying to go out there and really puff out your chest and do the brutal honesty/game info dump that hes doing, and I really think it could work. If I saw this interaction I work with rocky 10/10 times over Angelica who clearly leaks info like crazy and flips her mind based on emotion. If you're kyle or olivia or nikki, you probably want to keep controlled chaos in Rocky over messy Angelica. If Rocky survives, which I actually think is possible, deserves a ton of respect here!

[currently reigning kilby]

niki ily girl but why are you telling people about your idol again!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Charity]

Posting these in parts throughout the day (: 

Swapped Maraamu

Robert - Absolutely in charge. Everybody wants to work with him, he is masterfully employing the “bff strategy” to make everyone on the tribe his allies. I’m shocked people havent clocked how deceptive Robert is… though it’s being mentioned on the other tribes how he ran the original Maraamu. I believe he is going to do the same here and make it to the second swap. He seems to see Genki as his second in command, he thinks Trey is cute, is annoyed by Bridget, LOVES Kaitlyn, and is still getting to know Michael. He will likely follow Genki’s lead in terms of who to align with so he doesn’t look large and in charge, also he wants to create a false sense of security with Genki.

Genki - He was literally the vote on OG Maraamu, being on the very bottom of the totem pole. But he has ascended in power and is now in one of the top positions on this swapped tribe. He seems to have formed a very quick bond with Kaitlyn, and Kaitlyn wants to work with him as well. He also has a working relationship with literally everybody on this tribe, though he has a clearer idea of who he wants to work (Michael/Kaitlyn/Robert). The best part about Genki’s game right now is that if this blows up in their face, Robert gets 1000% of the blame. Also… Genki carried them in this creative challenge. Win or lose, everyone now sees him as an asset for the tribe as a whole.

Kaitlyn - This is the rebirth of Kaitlyn, and nobody can convince me otherwise!!!!!! She had such a rough time on OG Aparri, and I believe people’s perceptions of her were tainted due to Logan. On this tribe, however, she is literally a star. She is quirky and extroverted, but unlike that usual archetype she is game savvy and knows when to lead a conversation vs listen. She has already made good impressions with Genki and Robert, and Michael/her have patched things up for the sake of the swap. Bridget and Trey have already decided they are working with OG Maraamu, but even with this as the case I think Robert/Genki would vote Michael/Bridget (and probably even Trey) out before they ever vote her out. Solid position overall. 

Trey - His footing on this tribe is circled around the fact that Robert sees him as useful, which is not the worst since Robert is in charge. I think Trey is not doing the best job keeping his options open, and he seems to be fixated on the fact that his 4 with Robert/Genki/Bridget is the best path. While this has the potential to work out, he’s basically putting his fate on other people’s hands. Overall, he’s being proactive which we love to see but definitely needs some work!!

Michael - Similar to Trey, his footing on this tribe is going to center around how much Genki wants to work with him. He went from the mastermind of OG Aparri to trying to survive on swapped Maraamu. Michael needs to work and make sure Robert/Genki don’t pick the Trey/Bridget side, because they are already dead set against him and likely will attempt to put the vote on him first. Michael is a good player but I don’t know if he understands how close things are to flipping on him.

Bridget - Her only hope at this point is if Robert/Genki choose to work with Trey. LOVE her so much and she’s been such an amazing character, but it seems she hasn’t made a great first impression with Kaitlyn/Genki/Michael. She also seemed to rub Robert the wrong way not only during their 1 on 1 call but during the challenge, Robert thinks that Bridget talks too much but is not really the one to listen. Trey acknowledges that she has these tendencies but is still wanting to keep her around for the sake of a loyal number. Long story short, Bridget’s only hope revolves around if another motive gets pursued with their tribal council. Poor girl might not get a chance at a rebirth after all.

Overall narrative - Kaitlyn/Michael vs Trey/Bridget - Genki has a strong preference in working with Kaitlyn/Michael, Robert doesn’t care but seems to see the value in working with either alliance. Both have decided to “discuss it later.” I believe Trey/Bridget end up on the bottom unless Robert sees the value in working with them and pushes Genki into another decision, but I don’t think this will be the case.

[Charity]

Swapped Koror

Chris/Molly - I am combining Chris/Molly at this point for the sake of the write up, because these two are playing the exact same game and nothing has distinguished them at this time. They are both part of the majority 3 - Not much to say on them other than they continue to be in a solid position. Neither Chris or Molly has done much in terms of building bonds with the other individuals on the tribe. They’ve small talked, but I feel like that’s just a formality of the swap. Chris and Molly probably feel like they’re on cloud 9 due to their powerful position on this tribe, but I suspect this will hurt them long term due to them not being able to make more connections - This is why someone like Olivia is going to crush them later on. Also Niki's idol could hurt them, but that hinges on Niki catching on to the dynamic.

Robbie - The only thing that distinguishes Robbie from Chris/Molly at this point is A. His idol and B. His relationship with Niki. I think Robbie had a great opportunity to capitalize and build on his relationship with Niki, but because Chris/Molly think Niki is a safe vote Robbie is just falling in line and is going to go along with it for the sake of the numbers. I think Robbie is a great player, but like Chris/Molly this swap is going to harm his long term game if he’s willing to let his only extra connection go - because he will be going into a second swap/merge with nothing new and minimum options.

Sam/Jordan - Also getting combined, because there's nothing to distinguish between them since the swap. I know this is going to sound like shade, but they are not playing well at all. They are making small talk with the others, but they fail to see that the game is going to move on without them if they don’t start talking about the game soon. The only thing that distinguishes Sam/Jordan is that they have different strengths. Jordan seems to be stronger competitively and Sam is more likable. That’s it. Kind of bleh at this point… there’s realistically only hope for them if the challenge wins end up in their favor.

Niki - She is the only one with potential at this point to make this tribe interesting, but Robbie’s complacent nature and her trust for him might ruin that. Chris/Molly want Niki to be the vote, and if she catches on she might be able to idol and save herself. The problem with this is that even if she catches on and idols, she might make the mistake in idoling out Sam/Jordan because she fails to see the bigger picture in that original Koror intends on steamrolling with no mercy. I am scared she won’t catch on, but if she does I hope she goes big, votes Chris (sorry Chris ily), and forms a 3 with Sam/Jordan so Robbie/Molly get a taste of hardship in this game.


Overall - Kind of a boring tribe - Love them all personally though!! They need to bring some spice in order to reengage me.

[currently reigning kilby]

I would love if Niki idoled out Chris' omg

[Charity]

Last but not least the ever so messy...

Aparri Tribe!

Olivia: I think that so far, the swap has panned out the best for Olivia over anyone else. She gets to meet 5 new people, and she seems to be doing a great job connecting with them. She seems particularly close to Kyle, followed by Nikki. She seems to LOVE Willow. She is initially vibing with everyone, and I won't be shocked if this continues. She is probably going to have the most options coming into a swap/merge, but Olivia is going to struggle with making the end of this game because she doesn't do a great job managing her threat level.

Nikki/Kyle: Don't get me wrong, both are playing amazing games rn and deserve their own write up... I'm just beyond tired and don't feel like doing one for each of them today.. maybe next round On paper, these two should be in a lot of trouble; however, their success in forging relationships with both Olivia and Willow have put them in a solid spot on this tribe. Similar to Olivia, it's very clear both of them are threats, but I don't believe this will hurt their game now. Nikki does a great job being aggressive with game talk, and this makes people trust her. Kyle, on the other hand, is just so dang likable that people can't help but wanna work with him. Two somewhat different approaches but both seem to be playing well.

Willow: Literally too sweet for this game, I just wanna jump in and protect her at all cost. Watching the way OG Maraamu players talk about her makes me really sad/grateful she made the swap. She is not the most strategically savvy, and sometimes she makes silly comments, but she is beyond genuine and her attitude is unmached. While individuals like Kyle, Olivia, and Nikki appreciate Willow as a person, people like Angelica, Robert, and Rocky continue to bash her and put her down as a player. It actually makes me really sad and I hope she votes them all out for the sake of a fun story. I hope the relationships that Willow make this swap stick with her throughout this game, because OG Maraamu doesn't deserve her. I think she is going to make it very far in this game because she is the exact opposite of Olivia (though both are great and I love them both rn). She doesn't seem like she will be the boot over Angelica or Rocky on this tribe, likely would be the boot if they got down to 4 though? We'll see.

Angelica - Girl is a M E S S! I get her being upset at Rocky, but throwing him under the bus has cemented her spot as the second boot on this tribe. She has many great qualities, but not only is she giving up a number's advantage at this point but she is also showing everyone that she has a short fuze. I genuinely don't see a path she makes it past this swap because she is already left out of so much. GIRL'S ONLY HOPE WAS ROCKY! Hope she proves me wrong honestly.

Rocky - He messed up so bad. All Rocky needed to do in order to maybe be okay was inform his tribe an hour earlier that he messed up and couldn't finish the video!!! The reason people are mad at him right now is because he waited till last second to tell them, and honestly I don't blame them for being mad. Rocky's pride got in the way, and that's likely why he's going to be going home. That being said, I really hope he doesn't beat himself up too much for this mistake and I hope he knows I reallllly respect the hustle he's put in today to try to save himself. I am 90% sure this won't work, but watching Rocky has been a roller coaster. Definitely has had a huge impact on the season as a whole.

Overall - Watching everyone cry last night was one of the craziest things I've ever seen, I understand where they were coming from though. This tribe is emotional, and this round was a weird way to start things off. Honestly, Nikki/Olivia/Kyle are going to steamroll, keep Willow as the valuable ally that nobody else on OG Maraamu saw her as, and core Maraamu players are about to be picked off.