Ep. 5 Finale Diary - Surviving Barstool $10,000 Winner Crowned LIVE (Finale)
8:04 - Tommy shows his ticket to the final 3, a fake NA safety idol.
This mother f@#!er is impressive. Credit to him. Collecting the tree mail notes, creating a fake clue, and writing that it is good through the final 4 is genius. As hard as it is to admit, he is without question playing the best game by far. My prediction, this stunt will get him through to the final 3.
8:07 - Final Challenge Begins
Creative. Balancing New Amsterdam nips on a paint stirrer, challenging the players to bend down to retrieve the next while maintaining the ones already balancing is great. On brand. This challenge is spot on to an endurance Survivor final immunity challenge.
8:11 - Nick drops out of the challenge followed quickly by Kelly.
8:11:39 - Tommy’s first nip slips off the paint stirrer. He’s out. Bri wins the NA safety necklace! Congratulations to Bri Chickenfry!
Now, who will join Bri in the final 3? Tommy is going to play up his fake safety idol and give everyone all the reasons to NOT vote for him.
8:14 - Kelly’s Final Scrambling
Kelly is pleading her case to vote Nick out. She’s playing the card that she deserves to be there, she has outwitted, outplayed, and in the end should outlast Nick and Tommy.
8:16 - Kelly, Bri, and Nick are onto Tommy’s Bullshit.
Tommy’s idol is literally 2 nips of NA on a twine. It looks sketchy. It looks fake. Kelly has interrogated Tommy, investigated the scene of where it was found, went back to the location, analyzed the handwriting on the “clue” to handwriting on Tommy’s desk.
Uh-oh Tommy.
8:18 - Nick doesn’t think the idol is real.
Uh-oh Tommy!
8:20 - Back to the NA Bar, Final Time
Final “tribal” time. The game is getting to Bri despite having the safety necklace. Kelly is pleading to Bri about the original plans they had. Tommy sounds like the most polished player sitting at the final vote. Kelly is playing up the quality of the game she played. Nick is using his best tool, humor, comparing himself to a twinkie or cockroach.
8:22 - Bri and Kelly are putting Tommy’s idol on blast infront of the jury.
Kelly did her homework! Kelly isn’t a Survivor fan but she is also not on an island. She’s in a NYC office with a great WiFi connection. She looked up Survivor fake idols. Well played Kelly!
8:25 - Bri doesn’t know what to do
She is torn between voting for Tommy who she hates and Kelly, the other girl, who would probably beat her. I think Bri is coming to the realization that she doesn’t have a winning argument no matter who she sits next to at the end.
8:26 - Nick Knows Tommy wants this but the jury won’t give it to him
Nick is far and away the most clever and funny of the group. I think the jury knows that. Also, Nick knows that Tommy wants to win this more than anything
8:28 - Tommy pulls out the fake idol
Tommy thinks he is sooooo slick. He kind of was. He had to do something, but Nick may have soiled his plans by actually voting for Tommy.
8:29 - Kelly is voted out
Despite Tommy’s fake idol and Kelly’s best effort, Kelly is voted out and becomes the 5th member of the jury. 3 votes for Kelly and 1 vote for Nick. Zero votes for Tommy. In the end, Tommy gets away with the fake idol, thinks he is the craftiest player in Surviving Barstool history. Well, he is.
But, will it be enough?
8:32 - Feast at the bar
Not quite the day 39 breakfast over an open flame but a dinner at the office bar with some NA vodka is just as good. It’s a nice way to end the week spent in the office breaking ground on this new adventure and content that is Surviving Barstool.
8:35 - Players Face the Jury
The power now shifts from the players to the jury. Kelly, Donnie, Zah, Trysta, and Cowboy now have the chance to of the game shift to them.
8:37 - Nick States his case
“I’ll spend the $10,000 in one night but I’ll have you as friends forever”
8:37 - Bri Shares Her Notes
Bri has been keeping notes on her phone. Donnie was a threat. Trysta could win. It goes on and on.
8:39 - Tommy Case
“you could vote for who played the best game”. Tommy got hired at Barstool writing something out of the spirit of Survivor, blogged about exactly how he would win Survivor, and his most convincing point was that he pissed the most people off and that’s why he should win over Nick and Bri.
8:40 - Cowboy Gets His Chance
“You just got beat at your own game” - Cowboy pulls the Big Tom to Boston Rob Survivor: All Stars handshake fake out. Tommy wronged Cowboy 2 years ago and is seeking revenge.
8:42 - Zah tells everyone “F@#! You”
Gets an applause from KFC. Portnoy is right. Zah would have won. He’s so likeable.
8:43 - Donnie Feels Betrayed
Donnie goes after Bri and her betrayal of the Massachusetts alliance.
8:44 - Kelly is going to vote for Tommy
Kelly respects Tommy’s game and will vote for him. Kelly is VERY SALTY and confronts Bri about “riding her coattails” and then Bri comes back at her that she is not sitting with the chance to win. Great moment of the show and even the jury reacted that way.
8:45 - Nick’s Final Case
“He thinks he’s so much smarter than the rest of you and you’re going to reward him?” Nick makes the best argument that he could have to the jury. The decision for the jury comes down to who you like the most?, Who played the best game?, or in Barstool’s version, to spite or get the funniest reaction.
8:46 - Brianna’s Case
Bri calls out Nick’s flimsy “looks like you didn’t try game” and weakly calls out Tommy’s deceit. I think she could have given the Gettysburg Address and it wouldn’t have mattered. She isn’t going to win.
8:48 - Jury casts the votes
Intense. Cowboy was nervous. Zah honored the integrity of the game. Trysta isn’t sure her vote will put them over the top. I’m sweating. I’m nervous. God this is great!!!
8:49 - KFC Walks out Like Probst at the Finale
Tommy in a suit jacket. Bri looking great. Nick looking the same.
Votes
First vote - Tommy
Second Vote - Brianna
Third Vote - Nick
Wow! Three players all with one vote.
Fourth vote - Tommy
Final Vote - Nick
2 votes Nick, 2 votes Tommy - No majority!
8:51 - BIGGEST TWIST OF THE GAME!!!! BRIANNA WILL VOTE FOR TOMMY OR NICK FOR THE WINNER OF SURVIVING BARSTOOL!!!!! AMAZING, AMAZING!
8:54 - Jury Votes
While we wait on Brianna to break the tie, video of who voted for who. Kelly and Zah voted for Tommy to honor him playing the best game. Cowboy and Donnie voted for Nick. Trysta is the cause of the situation because she voted for Brianna. She voted for Brianna because of her non vote for Trysta.
8:56 - Brianna’s VOTE is in!!!
Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god….
8:57 - Tommy can barely look
Nerves must be on fire. Mine are for god’s sake….
8:58 - TOMMY WINS SURVIVING BARSTOOL!!!!
TOMMY! Brianna votes for Tommy giving him the win and a childhood dream come true. Wow! The most unlikeable guy in the game and maybe at Barstool, who undeniably played the best game and most deceitful game is rewarded with the win. Tommy lied the whole game, created fake idols, faked out players with the power of the real idol, and now he has won Surviving Barstool and $10,000. Unbelievable.
Brianna voted for Tommy because in true Survivor form Tommy was able to outwit, outplay, and outlast the rest and win the title of Sole Surblogger. She was the most unstable of anyone to have to cast a vote. Her brain was definitely like a Stretch Armstrong doll deciding between voting for Nick or Tommy. Either vote sucked for her to make, but it seems like Tommy was the more painful vote to cast. Yet, she did it. She gave her WINNING vote to Tommy because even though she hated him and the way he plays, she respected it more than Nick’s “shoulder shrug/not trying to win” strategy. I agree with her. Not sure other jury members would have done the same. The opportunity to crush Tommy’s dream would have been too appetizing for Donnie or Cowboy or Trysta to turn down.
9:01 - Kelly validates why she voted for Tommy
The gimmicks and stunts he played, MADE the game what it was. She respected the game and so did Zah and most importantly Brianna. Tommy won 0 challenges and it didn’t matter. His manipulation of Kelly and Bri with the actual idol was over the top good that it actually won over votes from Kelly, Zah, and fellow finalist Brianna.
9:05 - I was wrong Tommy.
Well done Tommy. I didn’t think you would win. Not because you wouldn’t play a great game, but because I thought the others would smarten up and snuff you out OR at least know you love Survivor and as a result target you. But, in the end you overcame the others, the obstacles, and truly did outwit, outplay, and outlast the rest. You laid a foundation for Surviving Barstool to continue to build on for many seasons to come a la Richard Hatch. Congrats to you sir. This was the only chance you would ever have to win and probably still shouldn’t have, BUT you did. I can’t believe that you did, but just as Sue Hawk taught us 21 years ago in Borneo, in the most iconic jury speech ever, that was the way mother nature intended it, for the SNAKE to eat the rat. Like Hatch, tonight you are that SNAKE Tommy.
9:09 - Will Tommy get on Survivor from this?
Should actual Survivor come back for a 41st, 42nd season, I wouldn’t be surprised if Tommy actually gets on the show. Obviously, that game will be a hell of a lot different than playing in the Barstool office, sleeping on couches, and playing Survivor with co-workers. But, like tonight’s vote, he may have done just enough to actually get on the real deal show.
9:21 - Nick Gets Venmoed
As KFC said, “in true Barstool fashion” Nick’s Venmo account starts getting flooded with people Venmoing him money. Nick is CLEARLY more likeable than Tommy and now will end up getting more money sent to him than the $10K that Tommy got for winning Surviving Barstool. Only in Surviving Barstool is the runner up going to get flooded with stoolie’s love in the form of cash to the tune of more money or an equal/comparable amount as the winner. Until season 2 when the winner will get $100,000 or something crazy.
9:30 - Thank you Barstool
I want to end this Surviving Barstool Finale Diary to say to Barstool and everyone that put Surviving Barstool together, THANK YOU! As a Survivor fan I have been craving to see the show come back, created and hosted a Survivor themed bachelor party, have binge watched previous seasons, blogged about previous seasons, and even played a version of the game online. Surviving Barstool has filled a gap left behind by Survivor being on hiatus. Loved it. Can’t wait for season 2. I’m sure it will be bigger, better, and with even more at stake!
One last time from the New Amsterdam Bar, Cheers! to Surviving Barstool.
Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed reading the blog this week as I have chronicled Surviving Barstool season 1. Be sure to outlike, outcomment, and outshare the rest.
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