Rob C's Opening Statement

Rob Cesternino's Closing Statement


Thank you jury members for you questions and statements. I hope you all see that I answered your questions with 100% honesty- something I realize I was unable to do at times in this game.

I have been called a liar and a backstabber in this game- I simply say that I am a Survivor. I played the game better than my opponent sitting next to me.

I was a physical threat- I won three individual immunity challenges.

I was a social threat- I had a message thread with each and every single person on the jury and I made every effort to speak to you all.

I was a strategic threat- I was always protected by an alliance in this game. Whether it was Tom, the Chapera alliance, or the Final Five alliance from the early stages of the merge- I was never alone in this game.

But above all, I got to the end by my own accord and not by relying on anyone else. Yes, I had allies in this game who helped further my standing in the game. However, they were only a portion of the game. I relied on myself to get to the end. Colby cannot say the same thing.

Colby, in fact, would not be in the finals if it were not for me. Three separate times in this game I had the ability to eliminate Colby from the game and I chose not to do so. It wasn't because he was my closest ally, nor was it because I owed it to him- it was because I knew he was a weak player and he didn't pose a threat to me in this game.

Colby spoke of how he wanted to make big moves and was this strategic mastermind, but what exactly did Colby do in this game that warrants him winning?

1. Colby wanted to blindside me before Amber and Shii-Ann, but that plan never came to fruition because Jenna stopped it. Strike One.

2. Colby formed a Final Three alliance with Jenna and Richard, knowing full well I had my auction immunity prize and would be safe at the Final Four. That plan failed. Strike Two.

3. Colby says he manipulated me into voting for him at the Final Four and Final Three, when in all reality- he did not. Jenna unknowingly ended her game when she made her final plea to me. Colby did not influence me. And as soon as I made Final three, I knew if I won Rich would go home and within minutes of me winning, he was gone. Colby did not manipulate me. Plan failed. Strike Three- you're out.

Why reward someone who was carried to the end by three stronger players? Why should you reward Colby with the win when he never made any big moves by himself? The simple answer is- you shouldn't.

You should reward the win to a real Survivor- someone who never stopped playing the game and someone who understood how the game worked and made the necessary moves in order to stay on top.

I encourage all you- Tina, Jenna Lewis, Amber, Shii-Ann, Tom, and Richard- to look at the facts of this game and realize that I, without a doubt, played the better game between Colby and myself. This is an All-Stars game and I can say that I successfully played like a true All-Star.

Thank you all for listening to what I have to say and remember when you cast your vote- I am the true definition of a Survivor contestant whereas the man sitting next to me is a Survivor of being carried to the end.

Thank you all.