Hi Sheila,
Love the question. I will explain how I viewed you as fitting into my game and also...Let's get the lies out in the open!
So the first night of the game, I really bonded with Sezer and then Glyn/Jennie and then saved Amanda. So at least initially my alliances with Sezer and the 4-person Cardashian Alliance (me, Glyn, Jennie, and Amanda) were my top priorities. A big reason you were not in those was just that you were late on night one, which seems dumb but it’s basically how it played out for me. But, you were the person I bonded with most outside of those groups, and then we formed up the Light Bulb alliance that was just Cardashians with you instead of Jennie. So at that point I would say you were firmly my 5th closest ally (lol). But I did think our relationship was great and it kept the door open for working together more strongly as time went on. I even contemplated multiple times creating a final 2 with you like I did with Sezer or Jennie, or even trying to do a non-Amanda/Glyn Group A alliance of you, me, Jennie, and Sezer. But I was worried that you were too close to Amanda to really make that move (I already was uneasy with Jennie’s ties to amanda), so I didn’t lock that down. But I tried to keep our relationship close and good because I felt like if Amanda were to go out, I could jump in and make the move to pull you into something that I wanted.
Up until Spiral’s HOH, I didn’t tell you anything false. But I withheld lots of information from you, about my alliances with Sezer and the Cardashians alliance especially. And I acted like the Light Bulb alliance was my top thing going. (Glyn's answer glosses over this but obviously he withheld mountains of information from you and didn’t fully disclose his other bonds in the game, even if he wasn't outright "lying"). At that point you were up against Adam on the block, and Adam and I had grown a little closer with him proposing a final 2. But he was also super skeptical of me after the Chelsia thing. So as part of a plan to make Adam trust me and also grow my bond with Jen, I worked with Jen and created the Obama group chat thing with the password “saveadamtonight” (ostensibly as a voting block to keep Adam). I tried to avoid having anyone see me as the mastermind behind that, and allowed Jen to decide/invite the group members to distance myself from it. But it was a risk I took that you would find out and get a bit pissed.
But when Adam won veto, it allowed me to vote to keep you, and Richard voting against you was a huge win for me, because it allowed me to bond with you over our joint skepticism of Richard and then to deliver on that by getting him out. After the Richard vote, I’d say I was feeling a lot better about our long term prospects together. But simultaneously, my bond with Adam was probably paying off more, so I invested in that more. Adam was growing more honest with me and included me in a new alliance that paid immediate dividends in keeping me safe on Susie’s HOH instead of you.
I think that round was the time you also questioned me about if I was in an alliance with Jen, Adam, and others. I honestly wasn’t sure if you were referring to the Obama chat or the “Five Finger Discount” Alliance that had Adam, Jennie, Jen, Susie, and me. But either way I lied to you there and denied having an alliance. That is the one direct lie to you that I remember. But again, anytime I said something like “yeah I love our Light Bulb alliance” that was partially a lie since it was never my top priority (nor was it Amanda or Glyn’s, let’s be real). I felt that Adam and Jen were both seen as wild cards enough in the game that I could play off the alliance as just them adding me to some random chat, which is what I believe I told you. But I was more involved with them than I let on.
I think that answers your question, but if not hit me up Sunday night and I’ll answer more from the bathroom at this wedding.
James