LAST EDITED ON 05-19-16 AT 11:08 AM (EST)To me, that was as if Neleh had not only beaten Vecepia but also Kathy if they had a Final 3 back then. Like Neleh, Michele didn't start playing until well after the merger. She may have won a few challenges at the end but since when is that really a criteria for the million dollars? Neleh also won the last IC and what about Amanda who won the last 2 ICs twice? Planning the votes is what really matters and Michele barely knew what was going on at times even after she finally started to play.
Aubry on the other hand, was a lot like Kathy. She started off slowly and had problems containing her emotions but when she finally found her footing she played a great game. Cydney had to trust Aubry to make that big move against Nick. Tai doesn't flip on Scot and Jason if Aubry doesn't find the right words to convince him. And while Aubry didn't win as many individual challenges as Kathy, she played a big role in a few Tribal challenges that should have counted when performance in challenges became the main criteria.
It's funy to hear you talk about the Beauty's women's alliance because Nick told me they would have voted out Michele if they had lost that first IC and Julia confirmed it in her final question. That changed when Anna started doubting Nick but Michele was always the 3rd wheel in that women's alliance.
No, Michele won because of Scot's presence on the jury. The jock mentality prevailed and that's why challenge wins became so important this time around. Like Neal said, we have a puppy as Sole Survivor. Crowning Mark would have been funnier at least.