Joey's Opening + Closing Statement

[Sandy]

This is where Joey will address the Jury with an opening and closing statement.

[Joey]

Opening Statement. Sorry its so long!...lol

Hello everyone!

Before I begin let me first just thank Sandy, Corey, Lorii, the jurors, and the pre jurors for an amazing experience. I've LOVED getting to know all(okay, most) of you throughout this game. I was flattered to be asked to play, and even more flattered to make it this far into the game.

I'll start about by saying I think of all the favorites I had the hardest entrance into the game. I was very much an "unknown" to most of you and I felt like that was already a strike against me. I felt like it would be something I would have to overcome. I did this by using Robbie as my "bridge" to the rest of you.

Early on in the game, even in that first challenge I felt like I was on the outs. It was Erik who took me under his wing and both helped me and cheered me on so I would get a torch. I was and still am so incredibly thankful for that. At the time I felt like I owed him the world, and while I very much may have, as you will read later I knew he was just too much of a threat to me.

Once I received my torch I started to try and build relationships. On the first day I talked to Lorii and KNEW I wanted to work with her. I completely adored her and knew we could work together well. Robbie had informed me that He, Erik, Alex, and Britti had an alliance. I felt like if I could latch myself into that alliance and somehow convince Robbie to bring Lorii in as well I would be golden.

The first few rounds were fairly simple. Of course there was the danger of getting traded, and I'm not sure how I would have handled it if I was but I remained on the favorites tribe for hte first few rounds. We won immunity and that is what kept me safe and in the game for the time being.

When the tribes were switched and Robbie was voted out I felt like my head was finally on teh chopping block. Robbie had been my final two, and somewhat of a safe haven for me. When he got voted out I knew I was at risk, and thus I decided to send out that letter letting everyone know where I stood. That was not strategic, but in fact personal because I was upset by how the situation was handled. I did not and still don't agree with the things Robbie did and he knows that, but I did not want his actions to affect my standing in the game.

I kind of felt on the outs and before my tribe even lost immunity I won't lie I did have the idea of switching to the fans. Lorii and I before this had solidified a final two alliance regardless of what happened. I told her I was considering possibly teaming up with the fans since she was my final two partner, and she completely supported and agreed that is what we should do.

Once Alex sent out the email saying that I was to not be trusted I figured I found my excuse to turn on the favorites. In all honesty I did feel like I was on the lower level of the totem pole in regards to the favorites. In hindsight I don't know how it would have went down but I didn't think it would have been good for me.

Anyway Alex sent out that e-mail and I found my reason to jump ship. I was ONLY going to do it with Evan, Tucker, and RB by the way. If any of those boys were traded I was going to stick with the favorites because I did not trust Olyvia or Caitlin and felt like Jason was more of a favorite than a fan anyway.

So the boys ended up staying. Alex volunteered to be switched with Erik. The boys and I knew Alyssa had her tribal pass power so we convinced her that she was the target so she would use the pass and get rid of it. Alex WAS the target at that tribal council. I figured it made the most sense beause he wrote the e-mail and I felt like he was very supportive of Erik(who at this point I felt was my biggest threat). Alex won immunity, and therefore it was Kirin who was the only choice to leave.

Kirin left during a double tribal so Caitlin left as well. At Final 12, when we won immunity it was between Jason and Lorii who would be kidnapped. At this point the boys and I were rock solid, and Lorii was obviously brought into the mix since she was close with me and she proved her loyalty to the fans by showing us Alex's e-mail. It was obvious we would kidnap Lorii and keep her safe from the vote. Alyssa was then sent over to the other tribe because she had her immunity that she won in the tribal immunity so she was safe regardless.

FINALLY we get to merge.

We knew going into it us five were solid but we needed to convince one more to vote with us. Jason and Alyssa seemed like the obvious choice. Along with the others I talked to them and told them how they were low on the totem pole as well and would be booted 5th and 6th if they remained alligned with Britti, Jeffrey, Alex, and Jeffrey. Jason stated he would vote with us as long as it WASN'T Britti. That left the three boys. We all threw out the three names and tried to decide who would be best. I do believe I was the one who finally stated "lets just go for Erik." I did not want to be TOO pushy about it because I knew Alyssa was friends with Erik and if she was playing us she would quickly go back to him and say it was me who brought up his name. However, I knew he was my biggest threat so I knew he had to be targeted. Everyone else agreed/supported/brought up the fact that he was a threat as well and so Erik it was.

For the record Erik, I did lie to you. I did have you on my target list, and you WILL see that in my journal I am sure..lol.

I should mention that in order to get Alyssa and Jason on our side, Lorii and I promised them we would take them to the Final Four, and honestly we considered it. Lorii and I were afraid the three boys would boot us during the Final 5, so we considered booting them instead at Final 7.

Fortunately for us, but unfortunately for them Jason and Alyssa had some rule issues and left the game. Therefore Lorii and I kept our hands clean by never betraying them.

So we get to the Final 8. This was a very tricky round and worked out to my benefit. At this point I had a Final Two with Lorii, A F2 with Evan, a F3 with RB and Evan, a F4 with Lorii, Evan, and Tucker F4 with RB, Lorii, and Evan AND NOW Lorii and Tucker decided to bring in Britti. Lorii's reasoning was the fact that she wanted to keep another favorite in the mix so we would not get picked off.

The teams were divided and Lorii and I DID tell Jeffrey we were gonna vote out Evan if he threw the challenge. That was mostly just to keep us in Jeffrey's good graces because we weren't going to vote Evan out. RB had started targeting Tucker and thus was very vulnerable. I did actually trust RB especially after some convincing from Evan but I was not going to put my butt on the line for him. I did not trust Britti though. I knew she was strong, and she scared the fuck out of me. To me she seemed like someone who held Alex/Jeffrey together (at the time I wasnt completely positive the argument was fake). I knew she had to go but the other two included her in our alliance. So instead, I knew RB and Britti had beef. I played it up by telling Britti that RB kept smiting her, and telling RB how Britti and I never spoke or anything. I figured if I kept the tension between those two it would be off me. RB ended up getting voted out, and I was very disappointed, because I felt I did have his support, but there was nothing I could do to save him without looking obvious.

Now it is time for Final Seven. It was here that I KNEW Britti had to go. She scared me and made me nervous. It was also at this time that Lorii and I decided we would definitely stick with Tucker & Evan. Before then we had been undecided even though both boys thought we had been solid for a long time. We were actually weighing our options and only decided at Final 7 to stick with this alliance. Anyway Jeffrey won immunity, and I was VERY excited for this. Of the three I felt closest to Jeffrey, and I knew people did not view Alex as a threat. This left Britti open for voting. I thought it would be hard to convince Lorii and Tucker, but it wasn't at all. The three of us were on the same wavelength and knew Britti was a threat and had to go. Evan of course wasn't aligned with her so it was an easy vote for him. Voting Britti out was hard because I did feel bad, but I knew it was the right decision, especially after seeing Alex and Jeffrey concocted a plan to get me out.

Alright Jeffrey's turn. Before Jeffrey's little harsh message to all of us I ACTUALLY wanted him in the Final 5. I felt closest to Jeffrey of anyone in my alliance, and I knew if he lasted he may be more apt to work with me in the Final 5. Unfortunately that e-mail rubbed people the wrong way including myself. I was indeed hurt by some of the words said but I understand it was part of his strategy. Regardless, Jeffrey had to go and I had no problem getting rid of him.

I will say after Jeffrey was voted out he did send me a letter explaining his actions. I will say it here since Jeffrey asked me not to reply immediately to his letter since he needed time to unwind from the game. Jeffrey that letter meant alot to me. I truly did and still do consider you a friend from this game and I loved talking to you. I did NOT want to send that letter to Tucker, Evan, or even Lorii. I did it strictly for strategy. I was afraid they would be suspicious if I did not send it to them and target me at Final 5 or Final 4. Possibly even Final 6. Therefore, I did show them for strategy purposes so they believed I was on the same page, but if it were up to me I would have kept that letter to myself.

Final Five. Alex was a pretty easy vote. There was a small temptation to keep Alex in the game to vote out Tucker or Evan, but to be honest I felt like Alex did not like me very much and if I agreed to work with him, he'd just go back and tell the others and I would be the one to go. Therefore I felt it was best to just cut Alex and stick with my alliance.

Final Four. Alex awarded Evan immunity. The other three of us competed for a SECOND immunity. I had convinced Evan before the challenge I would vote out Lorii.

I should note here that Lorii and I played the boys against each other all game. Lorii had Tucker believe Evan and I had a final two. I had Evan believe that Lorii and Tucker had a final two, so the boys wouldn't work together and target Lorii and I.

ANYWAY, I convinced Evan I was going to vote Lorii, and he tried to get Tucker on the boat as well. No offense to you goddess Lorii, but I felt very safe because I figured Tucker would go, and if it WAS a tie, I would not receive any votes regardless. Lorii and Tucker were the targets. It remained that way when I won Immunity and could not be voted for. The vote was tied, Tucker lost and Tucker left.

After this Evan was a bit upset that I voted Tucker. I told him it was only fair because had Tucker made Final 3 he would take Evan, and if Lorii made Final 3 she would take me. He seemed to understand though he could have been blowing smoke up my ass.

Final immunity. I convinced Evan he was my number one and I was going to take him to the final two. I felt like for better or worse regardless of who won I was going to be in the final two. HOWEVER, I was not going to "pussy out" as some of you have said and just throw it to Lorii. I fought my ass off. Immunity was seven mini games, and I won the first four so there was no need to continue. I made the big decision to get rid of Evan. I loved getting to know Evan and I knew he was loyal to me the whole time. He fed me information others told him and he always had my back. Unfortunately my loyalty was stronger with Lorii and I could not betray her and vote her out, so I took her with me to the Final two.

This was my goal since Robbie got voted out. Lorii and I made a final two pact and we managed to make it. I will not say luck brought us here, because I can only speak for myself but I worked my ASS off to get here. It was VERY stressful and many times I thought you guys were all going to banned together and figure it out to get rid of me.

I kept surviving and here I am. I did not pussy my way through this game. I made big decisions on numerous occassions that put HUGE targets on my back. I all did it to get farther in the game.

I hope you can respect the way I played after giving you more insight. I did not do so during the game because I had too many alliances and if I didnt keep quiet and play victim I would have been figured out. I made big moves that did make me a target, and I felt like I did play a really good game.

I loved getting to know you guys on a personal level, and that was not strategic. I genuinely enjoyed talking to you guys. However in terms of the game I NEVER got personal. I won't say never. I did get personal ONCE and that was in an argument with Alyssa and it is something I regret. Other than that I believe I remained calm and collected throughout the remainder of the game.

I am so excited for your questions, concerns, and critiques. I've truly enjoyed getting to know you guys. I will answer and respond to anything you throw at me. Like I said I know this is long. I don't blame you for not wanting to read it, but I hope it does give you some insight as to how I played the game and exactly what moves I did make.

And for the record I WAS nervous at every tribal council...lol. I had alliances with ALL of you at some point, so I knew it was possible for you guys to have alliances behind my back. So yes, I did not play victim I was very much nervous everytime I was not immune. You can't be cocky or confident in this game. That is when you lose your stepping or come off as an asshole and I didn't want to do that.

Finally let me just say this. I took no enjoyment out of blindsiding or voting you guys out. Some votes were easier than others but I did not get some excitement out of blindsiding or betraying someone. What I DID get excited about was lasting another round and making it farther into the game.

For someone coming into this game as a "Who?" and lasting this long I have to say I am very proud of myself, and my game and I hope you can respect that. Thanks guys and I can't wait to hear from you.

[downycanadian]

first of all, loveeeee that theres an entire paragraph about being afraid of me, joey you're too awesome. it makes me feel like i was an actual threat. lol second of all as you will see that the plan to get you out was actually my plan, but it was an epic fail.

[erik]

Aug 3, 2009 16:58:49 GMT -5 downycanadian said:

it makes me feel like i was an actual threat.

Now now, let's not get ahead of ourselves Britt .

[downycanadian]

die erik

[Joey]

It's hard to write a closing statement right after a death wish (THANKS BRITTI...lolz).

Alright here it goes...

When you guys started posting your questions I remember IMing Erik and saying "These questions, esp. yours are insane," or something along those lines. He responded with something like "omg I feel so bad you are in the final two." Obvious sarcasm, and it did make me laugh and it honestly did make me feel better about the whole situation.

I did make the final two and in the process, I did betray and back stab most(maybe all?, well technically I never betrayed RB) so I should be willing to answer all of your questions regardless of how harsh, difficult, or LONG (I'm looking at you Alex, lol) they may be.

Due to that mindset I figured it was only fair that I would have to get my ass in gear and answer your questions in hopes of receiving your vote.

Firstly let me clear one thing up. I had the idea to join up with the fans long before Lorii ever came to me with that idea. I'm not saying she didn't come up with it FIRST. She very well could have. But I've said it before even before the game even started that if I ever thought my butt was on the line I was going to jump ship, and Robbie can even vouge for that since I said it to him.

I give Lorii credit for this, because she was the first one to verbalize it. Before that point I did not trust her 100% and I only truly knew she was on my side when she showed me the PM that Alex sent. It was then she mentioned to me something that I already had in mind which was teaming up with the fans. Once I knew the two of us could be rock solid together, that was when I made the move and jumped ship.

I think that was the biggest misconception in this final tribal council, so I wanted to clear that up. Other than that you all know the moves I made in this game so I won't list them again. You can scroll up and just read my opening statement for that...lol.

I also want to say that all my answers throughout the process of this final tribal council have been 100 percent HONEST. If you don't like my answer than don't reward me with your vote, but every answer was with complete honesty. They were all consistent and upfront. I'm sorry if they weren't mean enough for you, or too mean for you. I cannot gage how people will react so I just needed to go with my gut and answer as honestly as I could. If you don't like my answers than don't give me your vote, but don't sit here and tell me I was LYING because you don't like what I have to say.

I said to a very good friend of mine in this game that in actuality you really can only play this game to get to the Final two. Of course there is the viewpoint that you can "play" and "sway" the jury but in all honesty I'm not sure that is completely possible. I think you can make an effort but people control their own minds and will vote how they want.

So with that said, I am VERY proud of the way I played this game. I played it from start to finish. I played it as far as I could go. I played it as HARD as I could, and I've never been more proud of an ORG performance of mine in my life.

I want to close up by saying this. I do not regret ONE decision I've made in this game. The moves I made, when I made them. Who I betrayed and who I was loyal too. I would not change any of it because look where it got me? To the Final two with someone who is also very deserving of a win.

I will NEVER apologize for the moves I made in this game. What I will apologize for is how those moves made some of you feel. I came into this to play a game, and that is what I did. Like Lorii mentioned, I can seperate the game from friendships, but I totally understand that some people cannot and felt hurt or betrayed by my actions. I don't apologize for my actions, but I do apologize for how the repercussions of those actions may have made you feel. It was obviously never my intention to hurt anyones feelings, I just wanted to play the game..lol.

I just want to say to Lorii that whichever one of us wins I'm so incredibly happy that we got as far as we did together. I adore you as a person and I've loved getting to know you throughout this process.

To the rest of you, regardless of your vote, I've built sincere and genuine friendships and relationships with you guys and I hope they are things we can continue once the game is over.

I KNOW that I played a great game. None of you can take that away from me..lol. I've played the best game I ever have and I'm so incredibly proud of myself. I'd love to have your vote but if you feel Lorii deserves it better than by all means.

Lastly, I just want to say that I came into this game as an unknown. Some of the faves knew the fans and vice versa. Most of the faves new each other to begin with. But NO ONE besides Robbie knew me..lmao. I think it was a huge burden to overcome and I did that.

I was going to try to wrap this up with something witty, but I mean honestly, I'm not that funny..lmao. Thank you guys for the experience, thank you to Sandy and Corey for choosing me, and I hope you feel confident in whichever of the two of us you decide to vote for.

<3

[Alex]

Something witty = Mean Girls quote.

[Joey]

Ugh, I swear I was gonna do it Alex, but I didn't want it to come off as not being "genuine" SINCE IM SUCH A JURY PANDERBEAR.

[robbieriot]

LMFAO YOURE MY FAVORITE JURY PANDERBEAR ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!