Week 5 - Let the Fun Begin

[Dominic Briones]

So I've decided that I really have nothing to lose in this game. Last round ended up being a dud, and if I manage to get HoH this round, I am gonna make some people squirm.

Pictures/Picture editing is kind of up my alley, so I have high hopes for this HoH. Not having a clear idea of what criteria we will be judged on is hard. I do know 3 of the 4 judges fairly well, and that MIGHT help me out, but even then, I can't say I know what you guys are going to love and/or hate. I don't want to say too much about my submission though, as not to give away which ones are mine. Granted, you guys know my photo-editing ability, so you might be able to recognize them anyways. Oops. However, I trust that you will all be impartial, and, if not, I trust that any bias will be in my favor.

Kiddddding....

Anyways, Braden sucks balls for not voting. That was one person I figured I'd be safe with if he won HoH. On a positive note though, I want to win, so the less contenders, the better. I have no clue what my competition will be like though.

With Adria sitting out as well, I really only feel safe if Dick or I win. And even with Dick in charge, I DID nominate him last week, so he could easily nominate me back. I don't think he would, but you never know.

Pretty sure I'll see some block time if any of the other 3 win HoH, but whatevs. I will just have to rock me some PoV. *shrug*

Hoping this week goes faster than last week. I feel like last week drug on forever. Oh, and whatever happened to the potential of last week;s evictee possibly returning? Wonder if that won't be happening or if we should still be thinking about that? Idk, but either way, this HoH had better be mine. If I lose, I might as well just wear a sign around my neck that says "Challenge Bore" instead of Challenge Whore. I miss the days where I was winning a comp every other round, like in Warzone. Lol.

[Chenbot]

.....oh and it's week 5.

[Dominic Briones]

Hmmm... well I could complain and rant about how I deserved to win HoH, but will that change anything? No.

However, I will point a few things out...

1. From what I could tell, each round was based on the judges ranking our pictures from 1-4, where 4 was their favorite and 1 was their least favorite. Now, I don't know if they ranked ALL pictures (even if we were eliminated in round 1), but if they did, that means that I had a perfect score of all 4's on my beach picture. And, for the black and white final round, Dick and Lori would have actually had the lowest 2 photos. So, if this scoring theory is correct, I probably had a decent chance to win if I had just made it past the first round.

2. I liked all my pictures, and, if I would have judged all the submissions overall, I definitely think mine were a contender to win.

3. Scott didn't compete, which threw the whole rotation off, and had he competed, I might have slipped through round 1, my weakest photo, and made it a lot farther.

4. With all that said, I'm happy with my effort. I knew that the first round was my weakest photo, but I was trying to think outside the box. James and Enzo appreciated my thinking, but Paul and Jen didn't. *Sigh* You win some, you lose some.


Now onto other news. Since I, ONCE AGAIN, cannot do what I want this week and rule the house, I have to look for a different approach. And, lo and behold, Dick decides to go off the deep end. That just might be my key to staying this week. Either way, I am going to talk to Lori, see what deals I can strike, play the pity card and pretend to be a horrible player with no allies, and see where that gets me. If none of that works, I have veto to fall back on, and finally a vote in which I will do my best to rally people to help me stay. A lot of work to do, but I'm up for the challenge...

[Dominic Briones]

Had an interesting conversation with Lori in which she promised me safety this week for her returned safety next week. If I win HoH, I can't nom her, and if she's on the block, I can't vote for her.

[17:45] domdomdom99: heya lori
[17:45] domdomdom99: how's it going?
[17:49] Lori Valenti: heyyy!! good
[17:50] Lori Valenti: i just got off my break at work lol
[17:51] domdomdom99: oh nice
[17:51] domdomdom99: so you are back to work now?
[17:53] Lori Valenti: yeah lol but i work alone at sunglass hut so it doesnt matter lol
[17:53] domdomdom99: oh nice, haha
[17:53] domdomdom99: well since you're at work, and I am not the type to beat around the bush, I was just wondering where your head was for nominations
[17:53] domdomdom99: trust me, i wouldn't be at all surprised if i go up
[17:53] domdomdom99: i know we haven't connected much at all
[17:54] Lori Valenti: yeah okay
[17:54] Lori Valenti: here's the thing
[17:54] domdomdom99: mmhmm?
[17:54] Lori Valenti: i have a feeling everyone is gonna start fighting on the proboards
[17:55] domdomdom99: you mean everyone fighting with dick? lol
[17:55] Lori Valenti: once they see the results and how everyone is
[17:55] domdomdom99: right
[17:56] Lori Valenti: hold on i have a customer
[17:56] domdomdom99: ok no prob
[18:00] Lori Valenti: sorry
[18:00] Lori Valenti: k
[18:00] Lori Valenti: any who
[18:00] domdomdom99: no prob
[18:00] Lori Valenti: here's what im thinking .
[18:01] Lori Valenti: after all that crazyiness happens i will make noms
[18:01] Lori Valenti: it should be after the food comp
[18:01] domdomdom99: oh ok, so you don't have any ppl in mind then?
[18:01] Lori Valenti: i may put two people up that i dont talk to
[18:01] Lori Valenti: or i will put the two people who are fighting the most
[18:02] domdomdom99: lol
[18:02] Lori Valenti: and have them battle it out
[18:02] domdomdom99: gotcha
[18:02] Lori Valenti: i have nothing against anyone
[18:02] Lori Valenti: i also want to talk to everyone and see where their head is
[18:03] Lori Valenti: there is only 4 votes this week
[18:03] domdomdom99: yeah, i have nothing against ppl either, but that can go both ways, like i don't really have any enemies or friends.... everyone who offered me an alliance seems to get voted out or drop out
[18:03] Lori Valenti: so it will most likely be a tie
[18:03] Lori Valenti: hahahhaha
[18:03] Lori Valenti: that's funny
[18:03] domdomdom99: i am a curse
[18:03] domdomdom99: so, i won't offer you an alliance
[18:03] Lori Valenti: dick is crazy to think who is with who
[18:04] Lori Valenti: lol yea i'd probably go next week
[18:04] domdomdom99: i'll be honest with you
[18:04] domdomdom99: i thought you were with cassi
[18:04] domdomdom99: and i thought dick was with braden
[18:04] Lori Valenti: okay that is obvious and im not gonna deny that
[18:04] Lori Valenti: me and he probably wouldnt put each other up
[18:04] Lori Valenti: but i am not with carol
[18:05] domdomdom99: gotcha
[18:05] Lori Valenti: if that veto would have got used last week
[18:05] Lori Valenti: i would have been the replacement
[18:05] Lori Valenti: ask anyone
[18:05] domdomdom99: well i would have had a say
[18:05] Lori Valenti: ttue
[18:05] domdomdom99: and its funny, bc when we went into noms
[18:05] domdomdom99: i just assumed carol wouldnt nom you bc of the veto you gave her
[18:05] Lori Valenti: but she is in an alliace with braden
[18:05] Lori Valenti: it's so obvious!!
[18:05] domdomdom99: and so i was like "well i dont wanna nom adria bc she gave me dual pov, and you dont wanna nom lori bc she gave you twister pov"
[18:06] Lori Valenti: i didnt give her a veto
[18:06] Lori Valenti: i think she was just trying to be fair
[18:06] domdomdom99: oh she gave YOU a veto?
[18:06] Lori Valenti: yes because i got second
[18:06] domdomdom99: thats why i figured she wouldnt nom you
[18:06] Lori Valenti: but i would have been the replacement
[18:06] domdomdom99: gotcha
[18:06] domdomdom99: honestly, she didnt even indicate that
[18:06] domdomdom99: i think braden or cassi would have
[18:07] domdomdom99: according to our plan to go after ppl with most chenbucks
[18:07] Lori Valenti: no dom
[18:07] Lori Valenti: hahaha
[18:07] domdomdom99: bc we thought they might come back
[18:07] Lori Valenti: she was trying to play it off
[18:07] domdomdom99: well i am not saying that she wouldnt have suggested you
[18:07] domdomdom99: but she never did
[18:07] Lori Valenti: she's with them
[18:07] domdomdom99: so she might have been waiting till veto was used
[18:07] Lori Valenti: right
[18:07] domdomdom99: if she's with braden and braden is with dick
[18:08] domdomdom99: i dont think dick and carol get along though
[18:08] domdomdom99: but also
[18:08] Lori Valenti: i wanted to vote her out week 3 but didnt have the votes
[18:08] domdomdom99: i was pretty sure carol was gonna nom me
[18:08] domdomdom99: which is why i used my dual pov in the first place
[18:08] domdomdom99: bc she put me and dick against each other in the hoh first round!
[18:08] Lori Valenti: i dont think dick and braden are together
[18:08] Lori Valenti: unless they are plkaying it off?
[18:08] domdomdom99: well idk
[18:08] domdomdom99: i thought they were earlier
[18:08] domdomdom99: but now
[18:08] domdomdom99: maybe not
[18:08] domdomdom99: but i also suspected it was just a ruse to get ppl to think they were not together
[18:10] domdomdom99: well either way, if you decide to nom me, i obv wont take it personal since we haven't connected much and i know i haven't done a whole lot in this game (though not for lack of trying - i've tried to win every hoh and just cant seem to come out on top)
[18:10] domdomdom99: but i appreciate your willingness to talk things over
[18:11] domdomdom99: i'm def here to play, and while talkig to the hoh only after they get hoh can come off as kiss-ass, i at least want them to know where i stand
[18:11] domdomdom99: so that i don't get nommed for a reason that's bogus, haha
[18:11] Lori Valenti: yeah for sure let you know whats up before noms
[18:12] domdomdom99: i appreciate it
[18:12] Lori Valenti: im not trying to play dirty
[18:12] domdomdom99: i can tell
[18:12] Lori Valenti: even if the comes across as boring
[18:12] domdomdom99: lol, i dont think you're boring
[18:12] domdomdom99: i appreciate it when i can talk game with someone, and you don't have to wade through hours of bs before you actually get to the point
[18:12] Lori Valenti: lol thank you
[18:13] domdomdom99: hey, do me a favor
[18:13] domdomdom99: add my normal sn bc honestly, i am on it a lot more
[18:13] Lori Valenti: right. well if you win the next hoh whould you put up?
[18:13] domdomdom99: maybe that way we can stay in contact more
[18:13] Lori Valenti: i cant add it now
[18:13] Lori Valenti: send it to me in a pm
[18:13] domdomdom99: i will pm it to you
[18:14] domdomdom99: to be 100% honest with you, you, cassi, braden, and dick were the top ppl on my radar simply bc i viewed you guys as strong players and potential couples
[18:14] Lori Valenti: cool
[18:14] domdomdom99: but if you kept me safe this week
[18:14] domdomdom99: i would honor that back and keep you safe, and cassi if you wanted
[18:14] domdomdom99: and we could go from there, possibly making the deal long term if you wanted
[18:14] Lori Valenti: no
[18:14] Lori Valenti: not cassi
[18:14] Lori Valenti: if you want to put her up thats fine
[18:14] Lori Valenti: she needs to earn it herself
[18:15] domdomdom99: and i wouldnt have told you that if i didn't trust you
[18:15] Lori Valenti: right
[18:15] Lori Valenti: okay well if you help me this week
[18:15] domdomdom99: like, i hope you see that, by me flat out telling you that i view you as one of the stronger players, that you can count on me if i give you my word
[18:15] Lori Valenti: i will help you
[18:15] Lori Valenti: oh god
[18:15] Lori Valenti: i really do think im weak
[18:15] Lori Valenti:
[18:15] domdomdom99: lol, well 2 hohs
[18:16] domdomdom99: either you're strong or lucky
[18:16] domdomdom99: haha
[18:16] domdomdom99: but i'd take either one right now
[18:16] Lori Valenti: true
[18:16] Lori Valenti: i say lucky
[18:16] domdomdom99: bc i can't win a comp to save my life
[18:16] Lori Valenti: haha
[18:16] Lori Valenti: adria won two and braden won two
[18:16] domdomdom99: yeah
[18:16] Lori Valenti: so it's even
[18:16] domdomdom99: well adria is safe this week
[18:17] domdomdom99: and i didn't think she had a partner in crime
[18:17] domdomdom99: she seemed more like a strong floater to me
[18:17] domdomdom99: which, i guess could be dangerous
[18:17] domdomdom99: but i do like her
[18:17] Lori Valenti: honeslty i know who is gonna win the game
[18:17] domdomdom99: scott?
[18:18] domdomdom99: lol
[18:18] Lori Valenti: no!
[18:18] Lori Valenti: eww
[18:18] domdomdom99: who?
[18:18] Lori Valenti: adria
[18:18] Lori Valenti: i would be higly surprised if she didnt
[18:19] domdomdom99: i could see her definitely being a strong contender
[18:19] domdomdom99: i mean, i like her
[18:19] Lori Valenti: and i think braden right her
[18:19] Lori Valenti: i know i would want her out
[18:19] domdomdom99: braden right here?
[18:20] Lori Valenti: i am going to be the next girl out
[18:20] Lori Valenti: braden is right behind her
[18:20] domdomdom99: oh gotcha
[18:20] Lori Valenti: he would get second
[18:20] domdomdom99: yeah, braden is def strong
[18:20] domdomdom99: i think he's maybe stronger than adria
[18:20] domdomdom99: but that's just the vibe i get
[18:22] Lori Valenti: yeah
[18:22] Lori Valenti: yeah they are the front runners of winning
[18:23] domdomdom99: well, we can see what goes down, and i will def be willing to help you achieve your hoh goal this week
[18:24] domdomdom99: i feel like i have been the most useless player, so it's time to step up and starting making things happen
[18:24] domdomdom99: i'd love to win pov just to get my momentum going, haha
[18:24] Lori Valenti: yes!! you need to win pov this week
[18:24] Lori Valenti: you are not my target
[18:25] domdomdom99: i appreciate it
[18:25] domdomdom99: and i will try my best!
[18:25] Lori Valenti: if i can get you NOT evicted, i want you to keep me safe
[18:25] Lori Valenti: even if its just one week
[18:25] Lori Valenti: like if i go on the block
[18:25] Lori Valenti: vote the other way
[18:25] domdomdom99: sounds good to me, and for real, we can go from there
[18:26] domdomdom99: like we can make it more than just these 2 weeks if you want
[18:26] domdomdom99: idk what deals you have with cassi
[18:26] Lori Valenti: or if your hoh you can get anyone out
[18:26] Lori Valenti: just not me
[18:26] domdomdom99: but i am open to whatever
[18:26] domdomdom99: deal
[18:26] Lori Valenti: cool

Do I trust her? 80% She admitted that she's with Cassi, and while I was very up front with her about some things (such as the fact that I would have considered nominating her), I still hid the fact that I am working with Dick, Braden, and Adria.

She makes very good points that Adria and Braden are some of the stronger players (as I have said since like round 1), but I am still hesitant to just jump ship like that. If Dick leaves this week, which could be a very big possibility, I have a very tough decision to make. Do I stick with Braden/Adria or trust Lori. Knowing that Carol might just be with Braden instead of Cassi/Lori like I thought makes this a tough decision to make.

I still don't know how much of this convo is true, so I need to be super careful with my decisions. For now, not winning might be a good thing. I don't have to fully show my cards. Obviously, I will try to win every comp that I can, but since that hasn't been working for me, I need to float as best I can until the challenge whore in me finds a way out.

*crossing my fingers that I'm not a total idiot for wanting to believe Lori and see where it goes from there*

[Dominic Briones]

Prediction: I'm going to be nominated despite my deal with Lori. And if I am, I blame Scott. We'll see.... Ugh

[Dominic Briones]

*Lori pulls the final key, and it's Carol's*
Dominic and Dick are nominated.

Dom's thoughts: Ok, that isn't a surprise. I could tell yesterday when I had a convo with Lori that she seemed different and was definitely considering nominating me when she asked me if I would use the PoV if I stayed off the block. As well, Scott's little comment about Dick being aligned with me (deducted from the fact that Dick was an idiot with his "blow up" on the house by excluding me... grrr, Dick, you should have went ape shit on me too!), I knew that I would probably be going up...

But then this happened...

"Dom, We never talk nor have we ever connected in any way."

*Dom's ears perk up*

What? We never connected in any way? Hmmm, I guess that whole conversation about proposing safety deals was part of my imagination. Or no, maybe I dreamed it?

In the end, I find this laughable. Did I 100% expect Lori to keep me safe? HELLZ no. Obviously I predicted yesterday that she's fall through on her deal. Was I planning on keeping my end of the deal? Possibly. I wasn't 100%, but I really considered it.

Lori mentioned things like wanting to play fair and honest and all that jazz. Which, is nice. Yay for wanting to play a fair, fun, honest game. But, umm... *stares blankly* What was that then?

So here are a few of my conclusions....

A) She OBVIOUSLY lied about us never connecting, so she's going to come to me in private and explain how Dick or someone else is her true target and that she'll do her best to keep me safe this week, blah blah blah. But, I doubt this is the case.

B) She's a flat out liar, and as much smoke as I was blowing up her ass to stay safe, she was blowing up mine. However, I don't see where she benefits in this. I was the one with something to lose, not her. She could have been up front with me about the noms and I wouldn't have cared.

C) There are other powers that be who are pulling the shots here. Maybe Cassi? Idk. But I think this is the most likely option. There are some alliances that I obviously don't know about, and, whether I'm the target or the evictee this week, one thing is for certain: I cannot trust Lori. Will I target her if I stay? Maybe. But not for revenge. I really don't care that she nominated me, but I care about the shady way in which it went down. She lost a lot of respect in my book, but honestly, I don't think she's a threat to win this game. So targeting her would not really benefit me. That's why, if she comes to me with some new deal, I will smile, accept, and go from there and see what happens.

That's all for now. Just goes to show that people are shitty. I value people who play the game, but from my stance, I don't see how Lori benefitted from proposing all that we talked about, only to nominate me wit no warning. Just seems weak to me. But such is life...

PoV, I need you more than I've needed any comp so far.... please bring me something I can win.

[Dominic Briones]

Not sure I agree with part of our PoV score being determined on our previous HoH challenge performance. Though, I am not sure exactly how this will work so I can't really complain just yet. However, a few notes:

Chenbuck Giveaway - My strategy was to get 0 bc we knew there was a twist and I thought that having 0 might be good. Fair to penalize me for that?

Top Shot - I was eliminated Round 1, yes, but I am pretty sure my other photos kicked some ass. Will we be scored on our overall attempts on that? I hope so.

Majority Rules - Another elimination challenge. Kinda lame if we're being scored on whether or not we were in the majority.


Overall, I just wish that scores for our performance history were based on SKILL comps if that's the case. Basically, all I'm saying is that, if I lose bc of getting 0 Chenbucks in week 1 or being eliminated 1st round of a majority rules challenge, I won't be happy. I understand the concept of using our history as part of the score, but if it's done certain ways (like if it's based solely on the place we finished in each comp), I will def be pissed. js


On that note, I will def try my hardest to win this PoV. The Runway part, I am not worried about. I can best that, I'm sure. The photoshoot part (the biggest percentage) should be interesting, and I'm hoping it's skill related. As for the luck. Well, you gotta have a little bit of luck involved. Let's just hope it's on my side!

Sorry if I seem like a whiney bitch, but I wanted to add my two-cents about the performance history counting for this PoV, especially when this is a PoV I feel that I need to win.

We'll see what happens!

[Dominic Briones]

So I did the "Photoshoot" portion of the challenge, and it was a jigsaw puzzle race. I finished the puzzle and uploaded it in 2 minutes. I think that's pretty decent, but I am trying to not let myself get too excited. There is still the history affecting us, and a luck portion which could change anything. I will do the runway part later, which is another big chunk. I am hoping that, between the runway and the photoshoot, that I have a strong enough score to not have to rely on the history or luck. Because, quite frankly, those are out of my control. And to lose because of one of those will be frustrating to say the least. *crosses fingers*

That said, I'm hoping that I can survive the eviciton vote even if PoV isn't used. Dick said he'd use it on me if he won it, to which I told him I'd chop off his balls. I don't want a pity PoV. And he should feel like a shitty player for offering. That's right Dick, I called you a shitty player.

But no, in all honesty, if I am PoVed, I want it to come from myself. Not from a friend who is self-destructing in this game. And so, I will just do what I can, and sit and wait, and hope that I'm the one with PoV on their neck at the end of this week.

[Dominic Briones]

Yay I won PoV.

Honestly though, this game is getting kinda boring. Lol. I don't blame you either, Julie. I blame myself and also my competition for not being very active. Hopefully next round will be more interesting.

Can I get the elusive HoH that I've wanted since week 2? I hope.