#2: Survivor Ascencion
Early 2000s

Winner: Steve
Runner-Up
: Stephanie
Third: Shana
Fourth: Antonio

The Cast:

Ann (7th)
Antonio (4th/Outcast)
Ariana (5th)
Brenda (10th)
Chris (9th)
Greg (12th)
Mary Jo (8th)
Phyl (11th)
Peter (15th)
Royann (13th)
Ryan (14th)
Shana (3rd)
Stephanie (Runner-Up)
Steve (Winner)
Tammy (6th)
Vanessa (16th)


Description
:

The only people here who might remember this game were the final two, Steve and Stephanie, better known as reggierules and SC2427. It was the very first Survivor game I hosted, but it will always stick out in my mind as one of my very favorites.

This game was hosted back on Yahoo, as Dean, when I was just starting college. I knew a few of the players (Stephanie, Mary Jo, Peter and maybe a few others) from the Survivor on the Net series, which I miss terribly. I knew going into the game that Stephanie and Steve were close friends, so I did everything I could to prevent them from pairing up and voting everyone out. Even after being placed on separate tribes, though, they were pretty much unstoppable. They had a solid alliance with Antonio, who was voted out pre-merge but returned in one of the few outcast twists I've ever had, and Tammy, a sweet, motherly woman who eventually fell somewhat inactive and idled out. What struck me especially was the very diverse group of personalities—Ariana was a sassy Latina woman who was prone to explosive outbursts in chatrooms (including during challenges), Shana (who was an alias of Andy from several of my other games) was the hanger-on to the majority alliance who just wouldn't die, Ann was the sassy mom who refused to take crap from anyone, and Chris was the uncomfortable, awkward guy who visualized himself as a great villain, but he was toppled almost immediately when the tribes merged. It was also funny seeing Steve and Stephanie interact, because they had a funny, quirky love-hate relationship that at times almost drove all three of us to the point of no return.

Ultimately, the pre-game friendship wasn't the reason Steve and Stephanie made it to the final two, but their trust in each other allowed them to form a solid power alliance. They were easily the two strongest players in the game, and the jury had a difficult time deciding between them. Ultimately, though, they selected Steve as the winner. He sold himself as the leader of their alliance in his Q&A, and by the time Stephanie tried to counter it by pointing out her strategic moves, the damage was done. Since this loss, though, she has rebounded and grown a lot, and has been a dominant strategic force in many later games, some of which I was lucky enough to be a part of. <3

All in all, this was a great cast, with a deserving final two, and several hilarious moments. The highlight: At the final five, we had a challenge based on the then-popular game show "The Weakest Link," where my real-life best friend Ellie played the role of Anne Robinson, violently attacking the players. Ariana, who was already a little on the unstable side, started only replying with "SCROLL" in all capital letters (maybe she was having chat troubles, but in my mind, it was funnier to believe she actually thought that might be the answers to the questions.) Ellie then proceeded to berate her viciously to the point where she threatened to quit the game, but she was voted out that round anyway, so no harm was really done.

Much love for this game. I wish there was a way you all could have seen it. I blame it in part for my online gaming addiction lasting as long as it has.