Opening Statements

[Tom Westman]

Lex, Michael and Peter. Please post your opening statements here.

[Lex van den Berghe]

Well, I guess this is it guys, the beginning of the Final Tribal Council. Thanks to the host for a fun and challenging game, and thanks to the jury and other finalists for putting up with me.

I really genuinely feel like I deserve your votes to win this game. Not that the others don't, but I feel like I was the most well-rounded player. I competed with 110% effort in every immunity challenge. I played just as hard in the team challenges, and I think I had a major role in winning several of those for my tribes.

The second big aspect of the game is the social game. I didn't talk to everyone every round but I did my best to keep up with you all and I tried to build relationships that were outside of the game as well as in. It's been a long time since I played in a game so I really came into this game as a stranger to everyone and I tried to build some friendships that would carry on past this game and I think/hope I did that.

The third big aspect of the game is the strategic element. I formed an alliance with Mike and Peter in the first round, and we all stayed loyal to each other. With all the tribal shake-ups in the game, we often had to live without our original allies and we each found a way to make it through to the merge when we could get back together. I had some moments of temptation and I'm sure they did too, but I stayed true to my word to them. I wasn't completely honest and forthcoming to the rest of you about who my alliances were with, but I also didn't go out of my way to make up any unnecessary lies and I didn't go out and make any other final 2s or 3s that I knew I couldn't follow through on. I also played the game without winning any special powers. I think some of the powers had a great deal of impact on the game, especially the power that took away Eliza's vote for a few rounds.

I loved working with my alliance mates Mike and Peter, and I think they completely deserve to be here, but I do feel like I was more well-rounded. I think I played the social game better and got to know more of you, I gave a more complete effort in the challenges, and I gave at least an equal amount - if not a little more - to the strategic element of this game. I won't keep going any longer because I'm sure I have plenty of talking and explaining to do the rest of the week. I look forward to the questions, and maybe they will open up some new perspectives on what happened in the game and how it turned out this way.

[Julie Berry]

[Peter Harkey]

First lets congratulate the host on yet another great game in this series. As you all probably know there are a lot of games out there & this is definetly one of the best series out there.

The easiest thing for me to do would be to try & take credit for myself, Lex & Mike being here. But I'm not going to do that, we are here because like Lex said we worked together.We aligned in the first round & stayed true to each other through-out the game. Like Lex there were times that i was tempted to get another alliance going or was asked to join another alliance. I couldnt just come out & say " sorry I'm already aligned with Lex & Mike."
So I expressed interest in other alliances for the sole purpose of keepimg myself safe from the people in that alliance. Obviously this tactic worked because I did not recieve one vote against me until Final 5.



Socially I tried to talk to everyone throughout the game at some point. Julie & Eliza were the only ones that I didn't talk more than once or twice. My sole reason for doing that was simply that in the "Color Challenge " I asked them their color & they lied to me. I'm a firm believer in first impressions & my impression was that they were liars. If they would lie to me about a color of a flag then certainly would have no problem lieing to me about where I stood with them in the game. Eliza did try to contact me & When I replied to her " What color did you say you had ?" Her reply was... " Lol" , I'm hoping that she meant that as I understand why you don't want to trust me.

Coming into this game I needed to prove to myself & the host that I could do better than I had in previous games. I changed my way of playing & by all indications it has worked because here I sit in the F3. Having Lex & Mike with me is like the cherry on the ice cream & just makes it better than I could have imagined. The three of us stayed in constant communication & with 190 P.m.s in my P.M. box & over half of them going to Mike & Lex you can see just how much we planned & discussed things.

I to feel that I played a more complete game,

Socially - I must have been talking to the right people to avoid getting any votes up to F5. Along with Lex we were both picked to win the game in the " Majority Rules Challenge ". But yet here we both sit in the F3, the difference being that after that challenge Lex recieved 3 votes, I recieved none.

Strategically - I'm not going to say I was better than Mike or Lex, we got here as a team.

Challenge-wise I was a major factor in my tribe winning in challenges that my tribe won. The Individual challenges were more luck based excluding the color & quotes challenge. There were many opportunities for me to be voted out & once again I say " I did not recieve one vote before F5. "


I'm looking forward to answering your questions & whatever tasks jurors sometimes have the finalists do. I'd also like to thank all of you for making this a great game. Like I said in the beginning of my statement there are a lot of games out there. A lot of the time you end up with in-actives, this game has been active since Day 1. No matter who you pick to win I have the benefit of knowing that I made F3 in a great series with an active cast & very good players.

[Julie Berry]

*yawns* Sorry I think I fell asleep when your mouth opened

[Marcus Lehman]

Apr 5, 2010 20:39:17 GMT -5 Julie Berry said:

*yawns* Sorry I think I fell asleep when your mouth opened

LMFAO <3333

[Michael Skupin]

I'm sooo late, and I apologize. I've got a busy day, but I wanted to stop and at least address the jury, which seems to be a little bitter lol

Hi guys! What a game! I bet you're wondering how I got here. It was simple really. I alligned with the right people and stayed loyal. In the game of Survivor, there can be much to say about deceit. I made sure that I was always on the winning side. Many of you will likely think that playing UTR is easy. It is not, in fact. It's hard to shy yourself away from the vote without appearing as inactive. However, I was far from inactive. Every round, I made sure to strategize to get myself, Lex and Peter to the end.

Short and sweet, it's the way I like it. Bring on the questions!