Round 07

[Ethan]

Shii Ann went with every vote. Not surprising. She then called me an evil backstabber (which I feel will be taken with a grain of salt because it's Shii Ann who said it) and said her final words before giving her gem to Tracy. That was not completely unexpected, but it's also a tad inconvenient. Oh well; it happens.

I still want Silas to win this Cop Challenge, take both gems, and protect me. And then I want Marcus to win the Robber Competition and steal from Rocky, giving himself a 5th gem and either Brett or Russell a 4th gem. That should, in theory, help my position. Steph can be auto-eliminated and then we're at final 8.

I feel fairly comfortable at final 9 round. I'm not completely safe, but it would take a lot for me to go. I keep looking at final 7 and final 8 rounds, though, and they're huge danger zones. If I can make it into the final 6, I'm as confident as anyone that I can make it to the finals. There's so much unpredictability at that point... But the final 7 and final 8 rounds, possibly even the final 9 round, scare me so much. Ideally, the 3 I'd like gone after Steph would be Ace, Rocky, and Tracy. There is a concerning possibility of an alliance with Ace, Marcus, and Russell. They might even pull Brett in. The others would surely vote with them. It's completely possible that Silas and I could actually just be 2 against however many other people are left at some point. That's why it is important for me to keep shaping these events to fall in ways that no one has the opportunity to turn on anyone else. Silas will probably freak Marcus out if he doesn't protect him after winning the Cop Challenge, but I can hopefully do more damage control.

I've decided that I want to go to the finals with Silas over Marcus for now. Marcus has these hidden connections who knew him before the game, who would probably distribute most of their gems to him. Silas seems to just be meeting these people, and most of them dislike him. If I can pull through these final rounds, I should have a chance of beating him. Although...I'd much rather go to the finals with someone like Brett, but I doubt I'd be able to shape that.

[Ethan]

So, um, I don't even know what just happened. But I'm not going to complain.

I was going to help Silas get the challenge win, but he ended up not being around. So I just helped Marcus. Although, really, I think that Marcus would have won it with or without my help. Ultimately, I was basing my prediction of Silas protecting me based on a conversation that we had a few days ago, and now I'm not completely sure that he would have even protected me, so it may have turned out better since Marcus won. Marcus protected me and Silas and gave himself and Silas a gem. I didn't want to win because then I'd have to choose between Marcus and Silas and would probably upset someone. I didn't ever feel like Marcus was in danger of losing the challenge, although Rocky gave a slight scare, so I didn't try very hard to win it for myself.

Silas and I initially discussed Marcus giving someone both gems and then protecting the two people of our "5" with 3 gems along with Marcus. That would assure that we'd all end the round with 3 gems. But Marcus didn't seem to like that idea. He made Silas and I promise to steal from Rocky and give Brett and Russell 4th gems if we win tomorrow's competition. Ooookkkaaayyy. The Ethan-Marcus-Silas final three appears to be obvious, but it's not nearly as strong as it appears. Silas is irritated at Marcus and wants him gone. Marcus may not be getting the hint or maybe just wanted to show his loyalty to Silas here by protecting him. Oh well. I foresee some ugly conflicts breaking out within the next few rounds.

But, for now, I am safe and will rejoice. The longer that I can keep all 5 of my gems and both Marcus and Silas in the game, the better. I still want to be with Silas in the end over Marcus. He probably has less support because Marcus is strangely and concerningly close to Brett, Russell, and maybe even more people I don't know about.

I should grow close to Stephenie. Maybe tomorrow before she's auto-eliminated so that she'll distribute her gems to me if I make finals.

[Ethan]

This is the now cancer-free Ethan Zohn giving you the latest news on Cops & Robbers! We bring you this update live from the sixth Robber Competition. So far, the challenge powerhouses Ethan, Marcus, and Silas have controlled the challenge as usual. Ace, Brett, Russell, Stephenie, and Tracy were all eliminated without a fight. The only obstacle preventing these three from once again claiming a challenge win? That's right --- Rocky!

With 5 gems and no protection, Rocky certainly realizes that he's in danger. What he may not know is that Ethan, Marcus, and Silas have a plan in place to eliminate him and give his gems to Brett and Russell that the 3 of them have already agreed to do. Rocky's already been hit, so will he keep fighting to keep his 5 gems? Or will he give in and put himself in a much more vulnerable position? Only time will tell, and we'll be sure to keep you up to date with the latest updates as they occur.

Also, I was just thinking, we could win this challenge tonight. The Robber makes his decision; Steph is auto-eliminated. We're done with this game for like 9-10 days. Wild.

[Ethan]

So, Silas and I fell asleep and were eliminated, and Marcus beat Rocky. He's doing the crazy thing that he promised of giving Brett and Russell 4th gems. Stealing from Rocky makes sense. Giving to Brett and Russell? Not really. Oh, and Stephenie was auto-eliminated.

I mean, it's good for "the group" but assuming that Stephenie gives her gem to Tracy, anyone...even Marcus or I...could be auto-eliminated next round and finish 8th. So even though Marcus is talking about letting Brett, Russell, or Silas win, I want to win. I want to keep my security, and I DO NOT want to be auto-eliminated next round. So while we'll keep the story or whatever to Brett, Marcus, and Russell, Silas and I will protect each other if we win Cop Competition.

Next round's competitions, nine days away, will be the MOST important in the game. I don't want to finish 8th, but I need to do well in these competitions to stay.