[Jeff Probst]

- Fri Oct 07, 2016 4:24:43 am #3291 First of all, Congratulations for making the merge on this All-stars season! It's a big accomplishment, you've outlasted 11 players, nearly half of the players in this game.

Here's where the real fun begins. Where legends are made and the real season is defined. I want to wish you the best of luck and I know I don't have to tell you this because you already know... Leave it all in the game, don't waste any opportunities because you may not get another chance to redo them.

So I have a lot of questions but I'll start with a few:

1. Now that the Merge is here and it has gone to an Individual game, how will your strategy change?

2. Are you worried about any alliances or groups in particular? Do you think that the previous tribal breakdowns will factor into this merge at all?

3. Are you concerned with any threats in the game, and if you are a threat... are you concerned with being targetted for being a threat?

4. Now that the merge is upon us, players begin to look towards the finals and WINNING the game. How do you plan on proving to your other players that you deserve to win amongst all of these all-stars?

5. Who would you ideally like to team up with and who do you want to see gone ASAP? Are you planning on stepping outside of your comfort zone and making new allies/friends in this merge?

[Ozzy]

- Fri Oct 07, 2016 7:41:22 am #3334 So I have a lot of questions but I'll start with a few:

1. Now that the Merge is here and it has gone to an Individual game, how will your strategy change?
I think I'm going to be like Suriname Ozzy, cause he was fun and took control of his game. I've sat back and watched from the sidelines, pitching in here and there. But after talking to Nate about his little alliance with Dan/Hayden/Sierra on day 2... yea my view changed. I need to fucking play hard now. Start calling the shots while I can (I ahve at least two tribals with immunity) and get in a good position.

I'm also hoping I'll be somewhat decent at the individual challenges, but let's not hope for everything.

2. Are you worried about any alliances or groups in particular? Do you think that the previous tribal breakdowns will factor into this merge at all?
Not so much worried about other alliances, but cautious of ones that are starting to be more apparent. Like playing nice with Sugar even though I know she's in Drew's pocket. Or making Sierra feel like I'm still on her team, even though I'm not. I have to play nice with them while puling strings on the other side. A good balance game.

We have what... 3 Nauru, 5 Pohnpei, 5 Saipan. Nauru people should be the swing here...


Seems like Pohnpei fractured and Saipan will be the swingers. Lucky for them.

3. Are you concerned with any threats in the game, and if you are a threat... are you concerned with being targeted for being a threat?
Different kind of threats to be worried about. Sugar or Rocky are in prime float positions, no real allegiances and move where the majority is. So that could be a threat. Heidi and Dan seem to be kingpin types that are playing hard. So that could be a threat. Val and Penner both won previously, that could be a threat. IDK, lots of different type of threats but I don't have a prioritized order of them.

I'm only a threat because of my idol. I think people saw my in the pre-merge as a person to vote with them. I thought it was sort of UTR or MOR, sometimes INV. Nothing fancy. But I want to play harder now, go CPP or OTT if need be. I'm tired of being in the background cause it's not as fun. Then I'll be a threat, and that's okay.

4. Now that the merge is upon us, players begin to look towards the finals and WINNING the game. How do you plan on proving to your other players that you deserve to win amongst all of these all-stars?
Great question with no solid answer besides I'm going to fucking balls to the wall play. I'll probably be on the jury and not in the final 3, but I would hate myself if i continued this lame ass UTR strategy. It's not fun. And I firmly believe it's harder to defend a UTR strategy in the finals, so no I'm done with that. I just need to start putting together my people and how it all looks.

5. Who would you ideally like to team up with and who do you want to see gone ASAP? Are you planning on stepping outside of your comfort zone and making new allies/friends in this merge?
From the crazy shitstorm that was PMs when we merged, a few things happened:

Nate came to me and told me about his alliance with Hayden/Dan/Sierra and how it's gone to shit because Dan voted out Mookie. I was uneasy because it felt disingenuous, but the more we talked the more real it felt. So I'm willing to trust him for that and am now firmly against those three (while still playing nice to them, especially Hayden that little shithead).

Rich came to me with Nate's story and we just started plotting. We decently got along on nunuSaipan, but I was all ready to vote his ass out had we lost the challenge. Glad I didn't, because I think it's a good thing we have.

Val, I feel much more confident in. I'm still a LITTLE worried about her working undercover with Dan, but if I stay worried I'll never get anywhere with her. So she becomes a solid ally of mine. And I know she'll want to work with Heidi and Tammy (that's what her gut call was earlier today before I changed it). So good to go.

Heidi/Tammy are great, nice people, and I'll work with them for the time being. I can't do it long term though, they're both massively dangerous (especially Tammy I'm learning). But a trust for now.

Penner wasn't on during the merge (c'mon bud, get here) but I trust him. I can't decide where he places in a numerical list of allies, but he's always straight up with me so high up there.

Rocky I'm hoping can be useful for me. I don't really know his ties with Drew, and that's the one hold up on him, otherwise I could work with him pretty long term.

And then Dan/Sierra/Hayden/Sugar/Drew can all GTFO. I've lost all faith in Hayden, Dan, and Sierra based on Nate's story, Drew has always been on my watchlist, and Sugar is just guilty by association.

I need to go to bed, long day ahead. BUT HOLY FUCK I MADE THE MERGE AND I'M SO HAPPY.

[Jeff Varner]

- Fri Oct 07, 2016 6:57:13 pm #3351 Hi Ozzy. Congrats on making the merge.

Now that we've reached the merge, how do you feel about your position in the game?

Also, could you please break the tribe down for me from your perspective. How would you rank your tribemates in terms of trust? maybe add on a rating of 1-10 as well if you don't mind.

[Ozzy]

- Sat Oct 08, 2016 7:44:17 am #3387 Hi Ozzy. Congrats on making the merge.

Now that we've reached the merge, how do you feel about your position in the game?
I actually feel pretty good about it! I think I've found myself within two different sides of the tribe and then even within those sides I have core units I could go with down the road. I still think I'm viewed more as an extra vote for a group, so I need to change that perception in order to get votes if I'm at FTC. But that's more long term and something I'll work on.

On one end there's Hayden/Dan/Sierra/Drew/Sugar/Rocky(?)...
On the other there's Heidi/Tammy/Val/Penner/Rich/Nate/Ozzy.

I'm much more in the saipan camp than I am in the nauru camp. I've never trusted Drew and finding out about the Dan-Hayden-Sierra-Nate thing through Nate yesterday was shitty, so that whole side is off my trust list. Rocky still up in the air but I know he's with Drew, so... eh.

Also, could you please break the tribe down for me from your perspective. How would you rank your tribemates in terms of trust? maybe add on a rating of 1-10 as well if you don't mind.
Sure, okay so 1 being no trust and 10 being lots of trust...

Dan - 1 - he's always been a little shady but now he's extra shady because I know he's just using me for his own gain.
Sierra - 2 - little higher than Dan because we got along so well, but still super low because of that early alliance.
Drew - 1 - never fully trusted him and still don't. I see him as a good shield for later on though. Maybe.
Hayden - 3 - I dislike Hayden a lot for being a shithead like dan and sierra, but we've bonded and I feel like once Dan and/or Sierra leave, he'll want to work with me. So he gets some points.
Sugar - 4 - I think once Drew leave she'll need more allies and I do think she trusts me a little bit. Unless she's still mad about the stupid battleship challenge... get over it.
Rocky - 3 - little bit of trust and another one that, once Drew leaves, he frees up a bit. I wonder if him and Sugar would be a package deal?

Rich - 6 - he's probably the lowest of that larger alliance just because I think he's shady and wouldn't hesitate to throw me to the wolves (if he hasn't already). Plus he's a good target so I don't want to give him a ton of trust. I've been very open and honest with him though so maybe he's a little higher. I wonder if he'd be goat material? Who would vote for the asshole friend of Dale?
Nate - 6.1 - Just a notch above Rich, glad he came to me about the early alliance, but it also made me feel like I can't trust him. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice... He wants to play hard though so I'll let him play and get voted out.
Tammy - 7 - I trust her for sure, but her and Heidi are probably scheming behind my back. It's a lucky break that I have minimum two immune tribal councils though, so they have to work with me. As long as I keep their focus elsewhere, I'll be alright.
Heidi - 7 - just see above honestly.

Val - 9 - I didn't trust her, then I trusted her. I'll always be cautious of her relationship to Dan, but I actually think she's being honest with me. A few PMs have shown me that she is, so I'll go with her.
Penner - 9 - Always been straight up with me, no reason not to trust the guy honestly. Other people are low because they've broken my trust, Penner is high because he hasn't yet. If he does, he'll bump down.

I think ideally Dan would leave on Sunday. But I'm open to Sierra and Drew as well. Heidi wants Sugar, which is just a waste of a vote honestly. But it does weaken the "other side" so maybe it's a good idea? Things are going to be sticky once the first vote goes down. I should see if Dan/Sierra would consider Sugar or if Heidi/Tammy would consider Rich.

[Kelly Wigles]

- Sat Oct 08, 2016 6:48:11 pm #3396 What makes more sense to you personally? taking out a cog in the other alliance like Sugar, or taking out the one that's keeping it together? Which judging from your confessionals appears to be Dan.

[Ozzy]

- Sun Oct 09, 2016 7:49:13 am #3450

What makes more sense to you personally? taking out a cog in the other alliance like Sugar, or taking out the one that's keeping it together? Which judging from your confessionals appears to be Dan.

Gotta be Dan. If we waste a fucking vote on sugar I'm gonna be PISSED. I know I said I wanted to possibly focus on the people that aren't those main targets, but that's dumb. Sugar is not a threat right now and Dan for sure fucking is. Do I think he's the head of the snake? No. I'm pretty sure that's Sierra. But Sierra will start to crack once fans gone and she'll need people to latch on to. I don't think drew sugar or rocky stick with her, so she'll have Hayden. And at that point just let her slide a round or two and then take her out. She'll become a non threat without Dan so we gotta focus on taking our Dan. Right? I think that's right.

[Kelly Wigles]

- Sun Oct 09, 2016 8:42:43 am #3455 Ozzy, how's your weekend going? doing anything fun?

[Ozzy]

- Sun Oct 09, 2016 5:07:17 pm #3464

Ozzy, how's your weekend going? doing anything fun?

Busy! I'm out in Portland doing interviews this weekend with high school seniors. Lots of energy. And I went out with some friends in downtown so this morning is a little foggy. But enjoying he cold weather for sure! I'm driving up to Seattle tomorrow actually. That'll be fun.

[Kelly Wigles]

- Sun Oct 09, 2016 6:32:50 pm #3469 How are the interviews going? Any kids you see a lot of potential with?

[Ozzy]

- Sun Oct 09, 2016 9:01:30 pm #3479

How are the interviews going? Any kids you see a lot of potential with?

Actually a few! I'm a pretty harsh interviewer (on the write up side, not during the interview) but a couple impressed the hell out of me. It's amazing to see students at 17/18 years old be so in tune with themselves and the world around them. Talking about politics or issues in education... it's cool! Exhausting for sure but cool.