Ben's Opening Statement
Well here we are, the final 2 of an amazing and epic game. And here we are at the beginning of an amazing and probably long opening statement, so it's time to get into it.
Tthis has been an amazing game. It has been amazing in every aspect and something i have enjoyed playing so much and will be sad to see it come to an end. But can I just point out the word I just used in that sentence: GAME. It’s a four letter word that means so many different things to people clearly in playing a game such as Survivor. It can mean playing a tough as nails game and doing anything to get to the end. It can mean playing a nice as pie game and doing anything to stay true and loyal to the people you build relationships with. Or it can mean playing a game that seemingly falls right in the middle. In the end though there is no real right way of playing so it’s up to people to work out their own path and how they will play a game. And looking back at this season, there are very few individuals who came to play this game to get to the end to win. Sure, everyone who played WANTED to win, but the difference between wanting and actually going out to get it is completely different. And in sitting here in this final 2, I can easily stand by my entire game and say that I played to win, and went out to achieve it. Which, looking at who is sitting next to me, is something that can’t be said for him. The sad fact of this though, is that in judging from the views of this jury, that will amount to squat diddly. And that’s the dissappointing part of this game. The fact that the winner can be decided by people who vote on nothing more than their feelings and who hurt them the least.
When Tom Hanks wins an Oscar, he doesn’t win it because the Academy votes based on him hurting them the least, he wins because he is the BEST at what he does. People like Michael Jordan aren’t considered the best Basketballer of all time because more people like him due to his relationships and personality more than people like Magic Johnson or Larry Bird. He is considered the BEST due to his ability and skill. And that’s what a game like this should be decided on. Ability and skill, and the fact that a person played the best game and did the best job in getting here. And between Bryan and I, it’s a no brainer who played the better game.
I was in it from day one, I positioned myself into an alliance early with Drew & Andii and made darn sure I kept in communication with everyone in this game, whether or not they were on my tribe or not. This worked and it didn’t, and soon I managed to bond with KJ, Donna and Jamie as well whilst working on others in the meantime. It was essential for me to position myself so that I would have numbers to help along the way. And come merge time, this was essential in cementing our place in the game. Jamie coming to me with Rain was obviously a massive help, as was KJ placing me in Sayan with Drew. But as soon as it was obvious that the Bryan/Nick/Maggie/Nicolle alliance was in place, it was essential to get them out of the way, and to which was 75% completed. The only dampener in all of this was Bryan’s lucky streak to the end, a lucky streak that seemingly will hand him a win that ultimately he in no way deserves. Which brings me to the elephant in the room:
The bitterness of certain members of this jury, ok I get it. I get why you are angry and I get why you are upset. I have been there. Let’s not forget that I’m the same person dubbed ‘Benfail’ due to my infamous reaction of being stabbed in the back in SLJ13. My speech in that final TC got me a lot of scorn and stuck with me for a long time. So I understand how this game can make you pissed off and angry at people you think are your friends. Let us not forget however that a key player in that backstabbing was the one and only Drew, and this is a guy who in this game I had a strong alliance with to go to the end. So it shows that forgivnesss is something that can be had and things can be overlooked. Whether or not though that’s something that you can achieve in this vote, who knows. That’s for you to decide. But really, look at this game as a whole. This GAME is about Outwitting, Outplaying and Outlasting, and that’s something that I have done to the strongest point in making it till the final two. I can with a safe assurance say that Bryan can only lay claim to one of those, so ask yourself, is that really a fair judgement on who should win this game? A person who has been playing his ass off since day one, been behind all the key moves in this game and essentially wrote the path on who would be going home at certain points and how this game would play out versus a guy who seemingly woke up at the final 8 as soon as he realised that a game was being played and his assumed final 4sum wasn’t as safe as he thought.
So in closing, I think it’s important to look at this game and vote for the person who played the best and deserves the title of sole survivor. Put your feelings aside and treat this as an even playing field where you decide based on gameplay, not on feelings. I’m happy to answer any questions you have for me and I’m happy to defend my gameplay. Hell I’m even happy for you to explain to me how you can honestly think that Bryan is a better player of this game than I am. Ultimately the decision is yours though for the win, and despite the more likely outcome of this game, I ask you to at least consider voting for the WINNER of this game, not the person who has pissed you off the least.