Episode 2

[michaelbrady]

Episode 2 has been in the full swing of things! We unfortunately lost Erin H last round, and tonight we will be losing another player from All Out 5. 

Momerath:

Momerath bounced back from the last place finish in the first challenge to come in FIRST PLACE this time! I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty shocked by this because when they were in the challenge there was a lot of technical difficulties; however they pulled through and earned their safety this round!

Alex - Alex has been the absolute star of this tribe this round. He is playing such a unique game that is absolutely fooling the rest of his tribe mates. He has been playing up the fact that he's a newbie and that he doesn't know what he's doing. All of this is a LIE. He's actually played a couple ORGs before, including WINNING one and he has Anders and Malcolm completely misted into believing he's a brainless sheep when in reality, Alex is already plotting their demise. Alex has been so entertaining, his strategy is so different than everyone else, and I find myself rooting for alex more and more, especially since his reads on the rest of his tribemates are spot on!!

Anders - Anders is the only one on this tribe who has really progressed much in the idol hunt, and he really did a good job last round turning people into fans of his and staying safe. He also managed to ditch his disadvantage without anyone knowing which was a great move for his game. Anders has found an advantage which allows him to avoid a tribal council so it'll be interesting to see how that goes, and he's become close to Malcolm. However, I could see his blind trusting in Alex being his downfall. As a side note, one thing that has bothered me about Anders thus far is that he hasn't been very positive in his production chat, and has frequently questioned rules we have in the game and been a bit disrespectful about it. I hope that changes because Anders is a dynamic veteran player. 

Gerda - Gerda is such a different player than everyone else here, and I feel she has been battling a bad start to the game for her. She has struggled heavily in both of the first two challenges, and if it wasn't for her relationship with Malcolm I don't believe she'd still be in the game. It also isn't easy always having to do challenges/calls/tribals at 4 in the morning. I can't imagine that, I wouldn't be able to do it, so props to her there! I think Gerda has potential in this game but I think it's a mistake for her to only want to work with men and target the women because that's essentially cutting off half her potential allies. I will say though, Gerda is so unique in her gameplay than everyone else that it makes her a person you have to follow!

Malcolm - Malcolm had one of the strongest opening rounds to the game and it hasn't really stopped. He's still super close with Gerda and has become close to Anders. On top of it, he's somehow managed to make Anders look like the leader/person who wanted Erin H out when in reality it was Malcolm.....so if Alex does end up targeting them I could see it being Anders instead of him. Malcolm has a lot of potential in this game, he just has to be careful to not be too hot too fast, and make sure he doesn't overplay his hand. It's a marathon not a sprint, but Malcolm has easily been one of the most entertaining and strategic players thus far.

MVP of Round 2 - Alex

Liddell: 

Liddell coming into this season was probably my favorite tribe based on preseason interviews and how we thought they'd fare. They've managed to avoid tribal twice, however I must say they haven't been the most fun group to follow. There hasn't been a ton of dynamic strategy talks and a lot of that just comes from the activity level of the tribe. There's a few members who've been busy and just haven't been around  a ton.

Brenton - I am so so happy that Brenton is making the swap. He would've likely been the boot if this tribe lost and I'm just happy he gets another chance. The issue Brenton is having is realizing how much socializing needs to be done on a 1 on 1 basis. He just isn't there. He hasn't had a 1 on 1 call to my knowledge and the sentiment around the tribe is no one really feels they have idea of what he's thinking. Brenton would be an amazing ally for someone because he's loyal and trustworthy, but he has to express that to people and talk to them more. I'm just happy for him that he wasn't one of the first voted out because he's having a blast and he's fun to watch.

Hugo - This tribe might not be that active overall but that certainly isn't Hugo's fault. Hugo has been going hard in the beginning and I gave him a hard time for being paranoid right out the gate but I think he's turning it around. He's become very close with Sarah and Leanna and Hugo's determination and effort in the idol hunt has been inspiring. Unfortunately he has just got unlucky with the cookies he's chosen. I really have high hopes for Hugo and he's made it clear the time zone has not and will not be an issue for him.

Lance - Lance was essentially inactive the first few days of the game and it was frustrating to see. However, these past 2 days he has really stepped it up a level and socially is doing a lot better with his tribe. Lance has so much star potential as someone to watch play the game, he just has to be willing to commit the time. That's 100% his biggest obstacle. I hope he's able to because just watching him interact with Sarah for a while talking about making dinner was still so fun, and Lance's personality is unmatched. Also he deserves credit for being a big part in helping his tribe get safety this round, he stopped them from getting 0 points and losing which was really impressive.

Leanna - Leanna is doing better than she gives herself credit for but at the same time, she's also been super busy and not as social as she wants to be. However, she has a final 2 with Sarah which is going to be super fun to watch in this game and she's close to Hugo as well. I think Leanna didn't realize how crazy busy her life was gonna be at the start but she just has to keep going and play despite it because she's actually doing better than she gives herself credit for. She has a potential to go far but she just has to have the time, similar to other members of this tribe.

Sarah - Sarah is without a doubt the star of this tribe. She has been the best socially, strategically, everything. Nothing has changed since round 1 and Sarah couldn't of had a better start to the game. She's close with Lance, close with Hugo, and has a final 2 with Leanna. Even Brenton likes her!  I believe Sarah has everything that it takes to go far, and I'm glad to see my winner pick putting in that work early on!

MVP of Round 2 - Sarah

[michaelbrady]

Tulgey:

Tulgey has been the most strategic tribe thus far and everyone is really putting in that work, especially with the idol hunt! 

Aleem - Aleem hasn't stepped his foot off the gas one bit, and he is now the holder of the hidden immunity idol!!! He absolutely beasted through that hunt and deserves it. He's got a great alliance with Felix, and these 2 really are controlling things on this tribe. His dislike of Carly is a little strange because Carly seems to really like him, but I think it's just personalities not meshing. Overall, Aleem has great relationships with everyone on the tribe and has been a huge surprise early on with how great of a game he is playing!

Alicia - Alicia sat out of the challenge this round and in all honesty I haven't heard a lot about her this round so far. However, she's close with Aleem and Carly so I do feel she would've been safe if they lost. She's been in a middle position on this tribe in the sense that she's not on the bottom but not on the top either. I don't think this is a bad thing either. I really am excited to see where Alicia swaps to because I think there's a lot of people in this game I can see her working really well with!

Carly - Carly also beasted out the idol hunt and received an advantage - she got an immunity necklace she has to use an hour after results! Carly deserves it, she put in the work and I'm so happy she got something good especially after getting the disadvantage of losing a vote. I've been a huge carly fan from the beginning and that hasn't changed at all. Her attitude is so positive, she's such a happy person to be around on the tribe calls and in the production chat and I really feel she's going deep into this game. She's a power player and if they underestimate her she might be the winner.

Erin N - Erin N would've likely been the vote out if they lost last challenge, but this round she has really put in the work! Out of everyone on this tribe, she has talked the least amount of strategy/game with other players but the good thing is that she realizes it and she's working on it! She's one of those under the radar players that if people forget about her could end up being a very dangerous player in the late game. Erin has successfully convinced Aleem and Felix it's in their best interest to keep her around/work with her, and they both trust her completely. Erin did a fantastic job this round and deserves some credit for building those relationships! 

Felix - Felix, similar to Aleem, *slow claps* has been KILLING this game. His reads even about the other tribes (who might be working with who) have been on point and he's just showing why he's referred to as a great strategic player and he's probably one of the most dangerous players in this game. The problem Felix will run into is his reputation and people realizing how good he is. However, Felix I believe in his abilities and I can not wait to see him start going to tribals and making moves. I almost in a sick way hope to see Felix in the minority at some point just because I know how scrappy he is and it'd be great entertainment.

MVP of Round 2 - Felix (b/c him and Aleem are equally killing it and Aleem got it last round)

Dinah: 

Moment of silence for the standout tribe of this first 2 rounds. I can't believe they are going to tribal. They have easily been the best socially/most united/most fun to watch. They just all really had no clue on how to embed pictures and it was a mess from the moment they started practicing. This is a really unfortunate round because there's truly no one here who deserves to be voted out this early, they're all stars in their own ways and have all been very active and playing hard. This sucks, and I feel awful for whoever goes this round.

Anna Lynn - Anna Lynn from the very beginning was someone who I felt had the social skills to go very far in this game and make anyone like her. This has proven true, as it looks like everyone on this tribe feels really good about her and wants to work with her this round and moving forward. She initially tried to push the vote on Monte because she felt closer to Tushara but it doesn't look like it's gonna work....however I don't think this is a big deal for her because Monte also wants to work with her. Anna Lynn is very close with Rizo, they have probably my favorite alliance in the game currently and they're both so smart in how they talk to people and play....both very savvy. I think Anna Lynn will go far!

Dayle - Dayle really saved Montes butt this round and she impressed in how good some of her reads have been this early. Dayle is a very entertaining player and I'm happy it appears she's going to be safe this round. She's close with Anna Lynn and Monte, however I think she should be careful on how much she tells Monte because it looks like Monte trusts Rizo more than her at the moment (which is a bit strange) but I think that's just because Dayle came off strong with strategy talks this round to him. Dayle is a powerful player and I can't wait to see her progress in the game!

Monte - Monte has been a very pleasant surprise this season. My initial gut reaction to Monte was that he would be a bit inactive and essentially flop early on but this couldn't be farther from the truth! I don't know if Monte will survive this vote but either way he should be very proud of how he's played. He's been very active, very social, so fun to watch in confessionals, and is actually more strategic than people are giving him credit for. Monte did a great job getting Rizo to trust him and he deserves a lot of credit if Tushara goes here because it was likely between those 2 for the boot and he just put in more work.

Rizo - Rizgod has been my favorite player this season to watch so far. Not only is he killing it in every aspect of the game (except the idol hunt LOL), but his confessionals are my favorite. They're all full of life, fun, humor, and his personality is just showing. I thought he might be a cocky guy who gets booted/blindsided early in the game but the more I watch him, the more impressed I am. I really think he has what it takes to win this game because of how smart he is and how likable he is socially. Rizgod has been a legend this season and I need more of him!

Tushara - Tushara doesn't deserve to be voted out this early. I know we say that a lot but this is really true here. She's been a lot more social, active and strategic than many players on the other tribes. This tribe is just STACKED and sometimes there's no where to hide and you just have to take a leap of faith. I think she got off to a slow start with alliances on this tribe and now it's coming back to bite her potentially just because there's so many relationships set in stone already and no one is going out of there way to refuse a Tushara vote. She has time to turn it around and it's definitely possible she's able to! She's obviously been one of the VL favorites from the preseason and on; so this will really be sad to see if it lands on her.

MVP of Round 2 - Monte

[austintexasholdem]

Personal Rankings heading into the swap & score out of 10 of how well I think they're playing:

1. Monte (9)
2. Aleem (10)
3. Rizo (9)
4. Anna Lynn (8)
5. Anders (7)
6. Sarah (10)
7. Leanna (6)
8. Malcom (9)
9. Dayle (8)
10. Felix (9)
11. Carly (8)
12. Hugo (6)
13. Erin N (5)
14. Alicia (4)
15. Alex (3)
16. Lance (2)
17. Brenton (1)
18. Gerda (-1)

[robbie]

Michael pretty much summed up episode two perfectly. I wanted to share some of my thoughts on this round. 

Tribe Rankings: 
1. Dinah
2. Tulgey
3. Momerath
4. Lidell

At the end of the round it ended up being Dinah that went to tribal and it was unfortunate because nobody wanted to see anybody from this tribe go. The Dinah tribe was an interesting group to watch in episode two.  It seemed like the people who were "safe" on this tribe talked the most game (Anna Lynn, Rizo, and Dayle). When I say safe, I dont mean immune; just that nobody on this tribe was coming for them or even considering writing their names down (except Dayle wanting to write down Riz's name, but Rizo was too well connected for people to even consider it). Monte and Tushara were the only names out there with Anna Lynn and Tushara preferring Monte to go, but Dayle and Riz shut that down really quickly and pushing Tushara as an option. Unfortunately at the end of the day, Tushara ended up going. I dont think she did anything wrong. It's just tough in a tribe of 5 to navigate, so when we say, "we'll never do tribes of 5 again", it's because we have lost two absolutely great players for no reason. The one thing I feel like Tushara could have done more is, cut back on the small talk and pushed Monte's name a little harder. She was very pleasant and sweet all day with the casual talk, while others were discussing the vote. If you're hours before the vote and you still dont have a name, red flags should be going off. It was so unfortunate to see Tushara go this early. She had sooooo much potential, and after being ranked number 1 in the preseason rankings, losing her really is a big hit on this season. I hope to see Tushara play another game sooner than later and get the W. I think the lack of game talk at crucial times and also talking about how well she did in game of games is what sealed Tushara's fate. 

When you read this Tushara, just know that we loved having you on this cast. This does not define you as a player. You are a charismatic, charming, easy going queen. We're all devastated to see you go. 

The other stand out on the Dinah Tribe this round was Dayle. She practically saved Monte. Good on Monte for having the conversations with Rizo that needed to be had. I felt like Monte did a lot of personal talk as well, but the fact that he competed in the challenge helped save him. I think if Anna Lynn pushed Rizo a little harder, Monte could have been gone here. Dayle really put in work to save Monte though. I feel like she had the strategic conversations that put them both in a good spot and basically saved Monte from going home. Monte put in work to establish relationships, but Anna Lynn was his "worst" connection (although they liked each other. This whole tribe vibes well), and if Dayle didn't Push the Tushara vote and base it on reasonings that related to the challenge, Monte could have been gone. So props to you Dayle for being a dope ally here. 

I think Monte and Tushara being on the chopping block was due to their lack of game talk. Nobody fully knew where their heads were at, but Monte bonded more with Dayle and Rizo which saved him. Everybody else seemed to be playing chess, while they played checkers in terms of game talk. I think if they would have come together rather than target each other, and pulled in Dayle, they could have done something, but they didn't really bond well together. They both seemed cordial with each other, but they didn't hit it off like they did with the others on their tribe.  It's hard to find a reason to vote somebody out in such small tribes, and Tushara sitting out of the challenge was enough to have her voted out. Truly tragic because she would have been so fire in this game.

Another player that stuck out to me in episode two was Alex on Momerath. Alex realized his place on the tribe quickly, and went to work. He has his tribe mates completely fooled that he is a new player and they're eating right out of his hands. We love to see it. Overall I'm proud of this tribe for getting first in the competition. After that first challenge, I didn't know what to expect. 

The other standout player this round was Sarah. I dont think anybody in the game was as safe as Sarah was her tribe. Everybody wants to work with Sarah and it's clear why. She is a star. The reason why her tribe was ranked last is because there was little to no game talk this round. I understand it...you're safe. No need to talk game, but they swap after this round. I think this game is going to seem like a whole game for Sarah after this round. Whoever is on her tribe after this wont be nearly as inactive as her current tribe. I'm excited to see it play out. 

Tulgey...I cant rave anymore how great this tribe is overall. I think the player to watch in the next few rounds will be Erin N. I wonder how she will be in a swap situation. Overall I love this tribe. Their challenge performance wasn't the best, but they survived another vote. The winner of this game is on OG Tulgey. Mark my words.