Episode 01

[Mia Galeotalanza]

Hello, I'm Mia Galeotalanza from Stranded in Costa Rica!

You'll be seeing a lot of me here, but you'll also see some of the other hosts, Jeff, Brenda, Carl, Penny, Kim, and Holly around as well! My main focus here will be on the Tamanaco Tribe, so talk to me! Most of us are all-stars of the series who have been through it all, so if you have any questions about how the game is played, feel free to PM us and we'll do our best to answer - that's why we are here. Other than that, our duties will basically be to interview you in your confessional here, trying to get into your head and get some insight as to why you may be making certain moves. We will also be handling challenges, tribal council, and tribal council questioning.

Each round, we'll start by asking some introductory questions, and I just want to ask that you answer in complete statements. Oftentimes, we'll turn the seasons into fanfics using these stories, and we will be actively blogging on each episode, and it's easier to do so if we have real quotes and complete thoughts as opposed to simple yes or no answers. We hope you keep up with your confessionals daily during the week as a way to vent and discuss the events of that day. Just try your best to give us insight into what you're thinking or planning as the game progresses, and right now, as we're about to embark. You'll appreciate being able to go back after the show and really see where your head was at certain points in the game, and so will your fellow cast mates!

So here we go......

How confident are you going into this game that you will win?

What are your opinions of your fellow tribemates?

What is your strategy and approach to the game?

How do you feel the rep of Kim J fits you? Will you adjust your game to fit the rep, or just play as you would regardless?

What are your thoughts on the upcoming "leader" vote? Is this position something you find yourself interested in, or is leadership not for you? What do you make of who will eventually become leader?

[Kim J]

To be quite honest, my confidence is pretty low. Everyone one of my tribe members all seem smart and strong, so they will be both difficult and fun to play with/against. However, I have a 1/18 chance of winning. It'll be a while before I think I can make it all the way.

My tribe, as a whole, all seem very smart and capable. I'm a little worried if being the leader will put a target on my back. Hopefully not. My goal is to be the ultimate ally, and making my name come out in the open by offering to be leader can hopefully give me that edge, and make people approach me for an alliance.

My strategy is letting them come to me. I was worried that I would just be a purple contestant, so becoming tribe leader will put my name out in the open and hopefully make people see me as a potential ally.

I'm nothing like MamaKim, but I loved her as a charecter. It doesn't affect my gameplay.

Oh I'm deffinately gunning for leader. I don't want to seem too desperate though. Leadership will bring me out in the open, an make me a more viable option for an alliance (hopefully) seeing as I'm immune. I hope I'm eventually leader.

[Jeff Probst]

Did you notice any change in how people spoke to you after you received the title of Cacique? Does the twist make you apprehensive about being the leader? Is the "guarantee" of making the merge enough incentive to perform the tasks?

[Brenda Lowe]

I'm quite curious as to how this immunity affects your planning. I mean like, it's not really just a numbers game for you any more is it? Now you are guaranteed not to receive a single vote until merge, what do you focus on instead? Are you still rounding up numbers and trying to stay in the majority regardless, or will you use this freedom to approach anything differently?

[Kim J]

To answer Jeff: yes, people talked to me in a different Way. I'm immune, so it's kind of a " like me or not, I'm staying" attitude, although everyone is still very nice to me. Probably because they have to. My new incentive is to prepare for merge not for tribal votes. I still have the goal to keep my allies safe.

To answer Brenda, I still have allies, but they are a guarenteed merge alliance. Frank,Linda, Lindsey, and Kim P are all my close allies and I need them to merge with me if I want to go the distance. It's not as pertinent for me because I see no immediate danger, but I am still playing to win this game.

[Jeff Probst]

So, you completed your first Cacique mission, and I know that had to be a doozy to complete. Thoughts on the missions going forward and what that might mean for your game? Is it just a game and it's just a bit of fun, or is it really hard to do?

[Brenda Lowe]

What he said^

I want to know if you feel any kinship with your fellow Cacique. You managed to take it in your stride & still win, but she took the hit and her tribe lost, possibly because of the twist.. your thoughts on Sarah right now?

[Kim J]

To answer Jeff: Going forward, these Cacique missions (so far) have perfectly been made to get me to lie to my tribe mates and try to sabotage them for personal immunity. My main worry is that the missions will cause me to detach from my alliance. These missions are a tad stressful, as I have to play "ground control" to clear my name afterwards. I created a lie about the last challenge, and I'm unsure if I can keep on crafting lies to protect my Cacique title. It's still very fun, I just had a few moments of worry. Especially minutes before I submitted my post. I was scared that the other tribe would submit their post and I would just look like I lost the game. I can't imagine what Sarah is going through.

To answer Brenda: I'm willing to bet that the tribe is unhappy with Sarah. She masked it to her disadvantage, where she made it look like she simply wasn't there for the challenge. Sarah might pull and Erik, where she gives up immunity in order to coincide with her tribe better, and instead gets voted out. If she manages to merge, then I think she'd be a great ally. She won't be liked by the jury, and she'll be as desperate as I to stay safe after merge. Then again, I don't know what her personal stance is on the tribe she's on.

May I ask: Was she unanimously voted, or was it a battle for Cacique?

[Brenda Lowe]

You may ask, but all I can say is

[Brenda Lowe]

Oh and just so you know, there's no need to wait in here for host questions. You post as much or as little as you want. In fact the best insights are usually what you come up with yourself, because we are a little limited in not being able to lead you into anything you might not know already

So post away! Some players like to do one essay post per round as a wrap-up, and some people just jot down all their little snippets of ideas as they come. This is your space, do with it as you see fit.

Plus one of the best parts of these games is reading back over the board post-game when everything is opened - you can even surprise yourself to see how your thought process or opinions changed by the round.

I guess what I'm saying is don't be shy!

[Mia Galeotalanza]

Yeah, what Brenda said! Don't be shy!

Anyways, it seems like you've covered a lot already, but if you have time, I'd love to see your thoughts on all of your individual tribemates? Maybe a ranking of some sort?

[Kim J]

I guess I'll just give a general speech about the game I've played so far, and then answer Mia's question.

Immediately, Frank and I set up a deal to go to the end. At first, with Kim P. Kim P then brought in Lindsey and Linda almost immediately, which I am slightly worried about. I'm thinking the three of them possibly have a deal going. I've talked to Frank about it, but he seems comfortable with it till merge. Understandable I guess - he's preparing himself for merge. I've been promised merge. Then Diane set up a deal with me, and we're chatting up and such. As time progresses, Diane seems to have talked to EVERYONE, and is rubbing people the wrong way. Me? Not so much. I actually kind of like her. But the enemy of my friend is my enemy, so I'm going to jump on the bandwagon against her. She and I have set up two final three's - one with Big T, the other with Clarence.

Diane thinks that Kim P, Linda, and Frank are in an alliance. This is odd to me, how she came up with those names. I don't know how that happened. Anyways - she seems comfortable with getting Lindsey on our side and voting against the 3 of them. She doesn't know Lindsey is with them. Same as me I guess. I'm sticking to my five, and it's getting to the point where I just relay information to the others about what she's planning. I'm an involved Cacique strategically. I'm playing strategically so that no one tells me, in the finals, that I sat on my ass just cause I was immune.

I like Clarence. Both as a person, as a challenge doer, and as a alliance member. I haven't approached him strategically yet, mostly because I feel he might be too close to Diane. Big Tom is also really close to Diane. The only reason I would even consider Clarence, is because i'm not certain our deal with Lindsey/Linda/Kim P is in my best interest, and I need to keep my options open. Also - I would dislike having flippers late into the game - like at merge, or tribe swap.

To give a general opinion of everyone:

Diane - I like, but others don't. She would easily be my first-pick ally if she wasn't on the bottom of the totem pole. It's painful talking to her sometimes, because she doesn't even know that she's so disliked by certain people - namely, Kim P, Frank, and Lindsey. Still, Survivor is a group-dynamic kind of game. And if the group dislikes her, who am I to disagree?

Linda - I am slightly weary of her. She seems to be surveying this game heavily. I try to talk to her often, but she sometimes brushes me off. Maybe its the paranoia, but it kinda adds to my assumption that she, Lindsey, and Kim P are together before Frank and I. I hope I'm wrong, because I like her otherwise. The game did just start, maybe more options will open up down the road.

Lindsey - She acts like she doesn't know whats going on, when she's very smart and obviously knows whats going on. Out of everyone in our alliance, I probably trust her the least. At the same time, she's probably the least threatening. She may know what she's doing, but when she acts like she doesn't, it won't help her out in the finals. Also - I instantly assume she has bad taste because she watches Bad Girls XP. I probably shouldn't assume that though.

Frank - I like him. He's the perfect combination of social and strategic. Some people, namely Diane, dislike him. I can't really understand why. He's my true final 2, and I hope he feels the same way about me. I feel safe, putting all of my eggs into his basket. I wish he didn't want to align with Kim P though. The one thing I dislike is the fact that he strategizes a lot, and could be a big threat. However, I still feel like he'd be my best ally. My strategy at the beginning of the game was to align with a strategic powerhouse, and let him take all the blows when merge-time comes. Still, i'm with him 100% of the way.

Big Tom - We haven't spoken much to each other, but I think he's got my back... at least until we vote out Diane. He doesn't talk much, and when he does, it's not really anything important or intelligent. He's just a vote-goat, really.

Lex - First Lex never spoke to me, and I'm anxious to see what new Lex will think. If Frank and I could just get him to side with us, then we could have a spare vote to get rid of the Lindsey/Linda/Kim P alliance. Lex has a chance to make a powerful contribution to this game.

Kim P - I don't trust her. I like her as a person, but she's the biggest threat and I don't trust her. Did I mention I don't trust her? I dislike the fact that she already had Lindsey and Linda packed in her pocket (this was within the first hour of the game, mind you). I dislike the fact that she's the 3rd wheel of two final 3's, and that's all I know about. I dislike the fact that I like her as a person. I dislike the fact that I don't trust her. Did I mention that I don't trust her? The one thing I do like? She has a nice first name.

Clarence - It's hard to tell whether or not he's clueless, or smart. He masks it well with the way he types. I like him though, I think I would like a chance to get to know him better, and winning this first challenge was a big plus for me to do that.