Hey Danni!
I was actually just starting a write-up, but I'll expand a bit more on your questions. :)
So day 2 was a fucking rollercoaster of emotions.
I first reached out to Jed, as I wanted to know what people were thinking in terms of targets, and who they liked more/less in the tribe. What I got from him was just the expected "it's Shii Ann, and if she's replaced then it's between Clay and Tanya". I was kinda hoping to subtly bring up Stephanie and my concerns about her, but I was scared that they're a closer duo that it seems.
I talked to Stephanie as well. She told me she studies in NYC, which... raised my suspisions a bit further. She wouldn't say the university, which has me guessing if she's way smarter than she lets on. After I asked, she immediately changed the topic to targets. Again, she threw out Clay's name, so she's willing to drag Shii Ann along, which doesn't make much sense to me. She was very short in all her answers yet again, and I'm definitely not getting good vibes from her. I'm keeping my eyes on her, and as soon as I get a chance to cut her without seeming too shady, I will.
I've been bonding with Ghandia, she's really funny, and I think our strong connection is mutual. She kept reassuring me that I wasn't going anywhere after some events with Tanya took place... which I'll get into.
Once the Tuareg twist came out, Stephanie immediately suggested to me, Jed and Ghandia that the 4 of us should all go for it to keep the clue and any potential information the other Tuaregs would share away from Clay and Tanya. Again, here's Stephanie playing hard and being a lead decision-maker.
And now for the juiciest bit. Tanya, the dumb old cat that bit the hand feeding her. So I already said how she was this sweet, older woman that didn't seem too smart or too strategic. Well, I approached her asking what she thought of the tribe, and the takeaway was that she liked everyone, and appreciated Jed and I messaging her - in her words, taking the initiative. So I went ahead and gave her my rundown of the tribe, said how I didn't dislike anyone either, but mentioned not being a fan of Steph.
She promised not to snitch.
I even told her that Steph was targetting Clay, in hopes that Tanya, Clay and I could start a movement against Steph.
And then boom, next thing I know, she's proposing a girls' alliance to Ghandia and Stephanie, and throwing my name out as her target. Like what the fuck.
Yeah, us working together is over before it began, Tanya. You can start packing right about now.
The fact that Stephanie messaged our group chat with Jed and Ghandia about Tanya pulling this shit was weirdly so bittersweet. It was amazing in that now I know I cannot trust Tanya, and that the girls still seem to be on my and Jed's side, but damn, this means I'll be working with Stephanie a bit longer than I expected. Of course, I panicked thinking the girls were told I don't like Steph and all that, but both of them said there doesn't seem to be a reason for targetting me. The good thing about this is that now Jed is drawn to my side more - he knows it's easier to work with me now that us guys are supposedly being targeted.
But did I tell you how fucking stupid Tanya is? She didn't understand that there would be a Tuareg on each tribe. She asked multiple tribemates how to rotate the practice puzzle when 2 ways to do that were described. And then the challenge......
I mean, I knew I was good at these puzzles, I've done lots of them before. Clay seemed to be pretty great as well, and Tanya shared a really good time. So we went with us 3 doing the puzzles.
Tanya almost cost us the challenge. First of all, she was looking for a way to rotate the pieces in the first puzzle. CAN YOU NOT READ?
So I message her, tell her to chill the fuck out and just hurry up, while Clay & I complete our puzzles. I finished the hardest puzzle before anyone completed medium or hard ones on either tribe (humble brag, sorry), and Fenassa did all their puzzles before Tanya could figure out how to post her screenshot of the easy puzzle. Are you kidding me? Yes, she sucks, and yes, she was 100% gone if we went to tribal. She's a really great person, but please, don't play Survivor again.
Tuaregs.... My initial plan was to tell everyone I didn't want it and then go for it. I misinterpreted the rules though, I thought I'd have a choice of whether to accept the idol clue at the cost of a punishment, but turns out there was no choice, so in a way I'm glad I didn't catch any more heat. I really wanted the opportunity to talk to 2 people from other tribes, though. But back to Tanya. How unnecessarily lucky is this woman? She got Tuareg over our alliance of 4, who all volunteered, and potentially over Clay, too. I'm really not scared of her finding an idol, or using it properly even if she does find it, but I'm afraid she might share the clue with Ghandia & Steph - hopefully they'd relay that information to me, but I'm not sure.
Honestly, moving forward we'll just try to give Tanya the tiniest role possible in challenges. Everyone agreed her performance was pathetic and frustrating. I'm still confident we have a strong tribe, because Clay & I killed our puzzles compared to other tribes.
I think that's all? Let me know if my litanies are too long, lol. Otherwise I'll probably continue these thorough daily recaps.
