Did anyone know what to make of JT trying to make Candice look bad by telling Cirie Candice had said she didn't completely trust her. Is he trying to split the two of them apart, or simply trying to get rid of Candice? And why? Thought he would try to ally with them.

Thinking maybe he just does not feel that secure of his place with James/Amanda/Rupert. Given Tom and Colby's physical abilities JT might be worried that he will be placed before them on the vote out list and decided to try to move Candice ahead of him. Anyone but me. Can't believe he's that afraid of Candice's ability as a player.

• RE: JT's strategy,KuwabaraTheMan, 10:58 PM, 02-26-10
• RE: JT's strategy,iltarion, 01:22 AM, 02-27-10
• RE: JT's strategy,michel, 02:58 AM, 02-27-10
  • RE: JT's strategy,garcor, 08:44 AM, 02-27-10
    • RE: JT's strategy,michel, 10:41 AM, 02-27-10
• RE: JT's strategy,television, 12:32 PM, 02-27-10

I don't necessarily see it as JT feeling threatened, as it is him trying to get rid of potential threats. He recognized that Candice is a stronger strategic threat than anyone knows, which could be a recipe for going far in a season with so many obvious threats, so he decided to try and get her out.

JT is playing hard, and using the fact that no one suspects him to his advantage. He appeared to make Candice scramble, which might have labeled her as unstable in some people's minds. It also at least momentarily weakened the Cirie-Candice alliance, though Cirie might have quickly countered that by talking to Candice directly.

Smart move by JT, though we will see if it accomplishes anything. It may have served no purpose in the editing other than to build on JT's edit as the-hero-playing-like-a-villian that they are so clearly trying to make part of the story.

>

LAST EDITED ON 02-27-10 AT 02:59 AM (EST)

The problem with this question is we don't know what else JT did. We see so little of what actually went on that we can't judge a player's strategy this early. Votes and interviews are much more reliable than 20 second clips.

JT may be up to many different things. Here are just 2 examples:

From the previous episode we saw the Heroes were divided into 3 groups of 3. Two groups were tight and at odds with each other: Colby/Tom/Steph vs James/Rupert/Amanda. The other trio wasn't as solid: JT/Cirie/Candice. Having voted Steph out, JT may want to target one of J/R/A next. The problem with that would be opening the door for Cirie and Candice to rejoin Tom and Colby and hold a 4-3 majority. By splitting Cirie and Candice, he could vote out one of J/R/A and not worry about Cirie and Candice teaming up. He'd be the one to take Candice over to Tom and Colby and gain the advantage that way. Divide and conquer while keeping them guessing; not a bad way to play the game.

A simpler plan would be to rattle Candice and see what she does. Maybe JT did the same with others but it wasn't shown. A rattled player will go to those they trust to get answers. By observing Candice, JT gets valuable information on the tribe's dynamics. If she feels she's getting the run-around it also makes Candice depend on JT a little more for information. Mind games: There are tons of ways to play them.

But if Candice and JT vote with Tom and Cirie votes with Amanda doesn't that leave you with a tie now Stephanie is gone. Think JT would want to wait until one of the Amanda bloc is gone before splitting Candice/Cirie but maybe he's working on gradually splitting them up.

Interesting idea that it might make Candice depend more on JT for information or misinformation provided she doesn't figure out he's the one spreading lies about her.

LAST EDITED ON 02-27-10 AT 10:44 AM (EST)

There will never be a tie with the rock in play. Cirie could be forced to vote against Amanda to prove she isn't with "Micronesia". If she's presented with a fait accompli that 4 votes are solid on Amanda, she could vote with Candice even if she doesn't trust her. Self-preservation.

But again, those two examples are only speculation: We cannot know what's in JT's head by going with what was shown.

Like Michel said, who knows what he's trying to do specifically. But generally, doing something like he did just makes Candice more vulnerable. It's such an easy and perfect lie - of course if you were Cirie you might suspect Candice of saying she doesn't trust you, and what could she ever do to convince you otherwise? Objectively speaking, if it's JT's word that Candice said that vs. hers that she didn't, he has way less impetus to lie about that, or so you would think. So first of all, there's sowing suspicion between two tribemates to move any target that might be on your back. Then there's Candice's position - it's lose-lose. Either she doesn't deny it very vehemently and people suspect her, or she denies it too vehemently (which she did) and people who didn't even have anything against her (like James) are now suspicious of her. For JT, this can serve to make Candice more vulnerable, which makes her either easier to get rid of or easier to depend on for a vote, since desperate people tend to take whatever lifeline is thrown.