I outwitted the competition by making sure that the four fan votes would always go in a direction most beneficial to myself. If I was approached with a plan, I made sure that it would have the votes needed to go off without a hitch. By doing this, I managed to keep a tight voting bloc in the game to protect myself and get rid of those who I believe would target me. I knew when to make moves and when to not make moves, and these combinations allowed me to stay a step ahead of the competition. I almost ALWAYS knew where the votes were going and how to best make them work to my advantage, (The exception being the idol play that took out Josh, as well as Mike's elimination, which I was unable to be there for.)
I outplayed the competition by being one of the most active competitors. I wasn't always able to be there for challenges, though I did end up winning one of the most crucial immunities at the Final Five. But I feel like outplaying is more than just challenges. It's how involved you are strategically in the game. i had a steady and constant flow of information, and I was CONSTANTLY re-evaluating and changing my self-perception in regards to my gameplay. A day didn't go by without me at least thinking about this game, and that was the kind of dedication which gave me the drive to constantly be talking strategy, to constantly be thinking of finals plans, and to consider EVERY SINGLE possibility that could happen in this game. Being that dedicated and active is what allowed me to outplay the competition by flipping the votes I had in whichever way benefitted myself.
I outlasted the competition in every sense of the word. Not only did I make it to the final day, but I PERSEVERED through improbable odds. Going into the merge down in numbers, we shouldn't have had a chance. But by a healthy mixture of luck, (Yes, survivor requires luck. Any person who tells you otherwise is an idiot. If Josh hadn't wanted to flip so early, we'd be done for), and skill, three fans ended up making finals. And I had the most deliberate hand in that happening. I was the one who talked the most strategy with people outside the core fan alliance, and I was the one who got a strong voting block to the final seven. (It would have been the final four had I been able to be there for the Mike boot round). Again, I don't take absolute and total credit, every fan's vote mattered. But without me, we wouldn't have stuck together or worked nearly as well.
(Okay, I'm going to bed. I'll let Ryan/Alex answer Maddy's and Corey's questions before I answer anymore, just so there isn't a backlog.)