>I just thought that given his
>Amanda-class performance, the entire remainder
>of the F4 would have
>beaten Stephen.

As a Stephen fan all season I was disappointed in his FTC performance as well, but I couldn't come close to comparing it to Amanda.

Unlike "Doe-Eyes" whose performance snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, Stephen had NO shot at beating JT regardless of how he performed.

It's always been my belief that an overwhelming number of jury members know who they are voting for even BEFORE they walk into FTC. Many have already established majority voting blocs back at the Ponderosa which already seals the deal before any of the F2 players even open their mouths. And please spare me the "Debbies" of the world who claim they don't know who they are voting for when in reality they are full of doggie do-do.

In addition to JT, Stephen would not have beaten Taj in the Finals because of her likability even if Stephen gave a stellar performance at FTC.

The opposite was the case with Erinn. Too many jury members either did not like Erinn or appropriately felt she had no reason to be in the Finals so Stephen would have won by default even if he did deliver an "Amanda-like" performance.