Post by Monica Padilla on Jan 5, 2012 16:51:26 GMT -5
-~= Monica's Opening Statement =~-
Hello, all of you wonderful folks!
Before anything else, I just want to say a huge thank you to everybody in the cast for making this season a lot of fun. This has definitely been one of the craziest, intense, most unpredictable games that I've ever played. Everybody really brought their A game this time, and this season definitely made my original one seem like a cakewalk. I also would like to thank Carlos for all of the time and effort he's put into this whole series, and this game in particular.
Now, I don't really want to get into a huge spiel about my gameplay here, because that's what your guys' questions are for, but I'd like to address something that I think is pretty important. I've had one or two people express suspicion about my strategy and what I was doing throughout the game, and it's been mentioned that some people feel like I pulled the "I'm going to quit" card as a way to survive. I see how it looks, and, given the opportunity, I'd do a few things differently to change that perception, because I hate that strategy. It's a stupid, whiny way to go, and I have never respected anybody who's ever used it.
So, as much as this might hurt my chances, I would rather be honest. Fact of the matter is that I was going to leave as soon as Phillip was gone. At the final eight, I did actually PM Carlos to tell him that I was planning on walking out as soon as Phil was gone - the only reason I didn't is because of a combination of rules and bad luck. Because of how the TC rules work, I wasn't allowed to lay down my torch unless I was in a tie. I would have been in a tie, if Gillian had received the news that the vote had been changed from Brett to me. (Which, incidentally, is why Gillian's move actually wasn't actually a bad one, imo. If I had left like both she and I were expecting, she would have been in a great position to make at least the final four, and demonstrate to the jury that she wasn't just Athena's pawn.) So I wound up staying.
Then, for reasons I don't feel it appropriate to get into just now, I wound up deciding that I would rather fight to stay, and to win.
So, here we are. This statement is already way more ginormous than I wanted it to be, so I'll sum up. My game wasn't perfect, but I think that I played well at the social and strategic aspects, and that I did my best to play with integrity and honor.
Thanks again, guys! It's been wonderful.