JRay

**JRay** was a contestant of SurviVARs: Gotham and SurviVARs: Secret War.

## **Profile**

**Discord:** JRay731

**Gender:** he/him

**Timezone:** CST

* S1 - Gotham
* S5 - Secret War

JRay was an audience favorite from day one. It’s not very often you watch a 50+ year old man play an ORG, but JRay did so with flying colors. From the very beginning, he was leaving positive impressions on his tribemates (except for maybe Artemis…) thanks to his intelligent yet friendly tone. He was relatable, humorous, and had an energy that just drew viewers in to watch him. JRay gave the only video confessionals of the season, which, in the impeccable opinion of Himbo Slice, were stellar breakdowns of where he was at, and what he wanted to do in the game. His strategy was really built around trying to get Biggy to the end so that she could win. That kind of duo is hard to find in ORGs, since the average player would be willing to betray their allies for that win. Obviously, it’s hard to ignore my innate bias, but I can’t tell you all how much it meant to watch my dad kick ass this season. He wasn’t always confident that he would be able to, but he proved that he was a real force to be reckoned with. I am so proud of the game that my dad played, but that’s only one small part of why he ranks so high.

### **Awards**

**Hero**

As would be expected of a season based off of heroes and villains, we had a couple of contenders for the title of “Hero.” But ultimately, one player is truly deserving of the title. From the very beginning, they decided to play an honorable game, and maintained this integrity until the very end. They never blindsided, and they never manipulated, and this may have ultimately been their downfall. They chose to trust, even when that trust was no longer reciprocated. Beyond all of that, this player was also very easy to root for, and had a winning story and personality that allowed them to really steal the show.

**Best Duo**

These two players were inseparable from day one. They quickly took control of the OG Wayne Manor, and then were lucky enough to swap into a power position on Arkham Asylum. When the merge came around, they remained unquestionably loyal to each other. On top of their absolute control of the game, they were also both delightful to watch, and were always positive and entertaining in their confessionals.

**Fan Favorite**

This award brings me a lot of pride, for reasons that only some of you know. Fan Favorite is a coveted award in any ORG, and it isn’t something to be taken lightly. It’s decided solely by the votes of the spectators, and it goes to the person who is just all around beloved. This player came into the game absolutely new to ORG’s, because his son had talked his ear off about the games he was playing. Being a long-time fan of Survivor, this player decided to give it a shot on his own. Then, to everyone’s surprise, this 52-year-old absolutely crushed it. They took control, and then held onto it with an iron grip until their blindside at the Final 7. Watching them learn the ins and outs of Discord was always fun, and their honest confessionals (and amazing video confessionals!) earned them a lot of adoration and respect. And to top it all off, he did this on his own. He didn’t need his son to help in any way for him to be an incredible player.

### **Secret War**

**Player Ranking (6th)**

Dear old dad came back for seconds and knocked this game out of the park. He and Biggy were one of the biggest duos to watch, and clicked right back into place the moment they swapped together. Just like in Gotham, this pair was unbreakable, and they kept each other safe to the very end. I absolutely love that the two of them get to share the 2nd place title, which is just a testament to how inseparable they were. They never once turned on each other, which is something nobody else in this cast can really say. He played a really loyal game, but this meant that he also wasn’t able to earn a big enough resume for a win. His game was still great, and I genuinely mean that. His social game was really impressive for an old fart like him, and he had some challenge showings that surprised everyone (including himself). He may not have earned the win, but he was just as lovable as he was the first time around and cemented himself in the SurviVARS canon as one of the greats. Thanks for playing again, dad.

### **Nominations**

**Hero**

I’ll start by acknowledging my biases here. It’s no secret that my dad is my hero, and always has been. Since I was a kid I’ve wanted to grow into the man that my dad is. In real life, he’s as good of a guy as you can find. In Survivor, he’s no different! That’s usually a death sentence in these games, but not for JRay. It’s hard not to love the guy. Even his “enemies” frequently commented on how lovely he was to talk to and how wholesome and pure of a personality he is. He brings a lot of heart to this game, and we’re so grateful that he’s a part of this community.

**Best Duo (With Biggy)**

They were Best Duo in Gotham, and now they’re back in the sequel! They didn’t even share a tribe until merge, but that didn’t break their unbreakable loyalty from carrying over from Gotham. These two reconnected like they had never been separated in the first place, and quickly found themselves with a lot of power. Things didn’t always go their way, and their allies didn’t always stay at their side, but these two never wavered from each other. It’s awesome that they got to the end the game with each other by making it to FTC, side by side.

**Best Move (Alice's Elimination**

This is easily my favorite Tribal Council of the season, and maybe in all of SurviVARS. So many different factors were at play, and they all had different effects on the tribal. Two prior winners were targeted, which is already a recipe for a wild Tribal. It was right after the auction, so everyone was paranoid about advantages. It was also the round where the Soul Stone was revealed, so many of the heavy hitters were weighing whether or not they could safely vote against their #1. Alice played a Stone Steal, which allowed her to take the Mind Stone from Vic to steal JRay’s vote in an attempt to save herself. Great move! JRay used his extra vote to help balance this out. Great move! BK used the chaos to throw a vote towards Biggy, sacrificing Alice but earning a Soul Stone. Great move! (Although it also kind of ended BK’s game in hindsight). All of this compounded into one of the most chaotic, unpredictable Tribal Councils this ORG has seen.

**Voice of the Season**

Jray writes like a novelist. He’s really smart, funny, relatable and extremely compelling. If there was someone who I wanted to write an autobiography in this ORG it’d be Jray. The only negative thing I could say about Jray is that he was much less active in his confessional than others, but what he lacked in quantity he more than made up for it in quality. His way of writing drew myself and a ton of the spec lounge into making his confessionals must read. He told embarrassing stories about Vars, lovely stories about his wife, but he also spoke of himself and his goals for the game he was playing. We really did see the game through his viewpoint and he was someone that truthfully was underrated especially for this being his second game ever. Jray seemed to always be in a position of power and even when he lost it, he gained it back relatively quickly. This only helped Jray’s confessionals because he was able to further describe the game around him in an accurate and articulate way. Jray thank you for lending us time from your extremely busy schedule to bless us with your unique and captivating presence this season.

**Fan Favorite**

Ray has such a positive attitude, and one of the most unique personalities in ORGs. He’s wholesome, funny, and competitive, but still fiercely loyal to his allies. He’s an incredibly rootable character, and I’m not just saying that because he’s my dad! He’s nominated here because it’s hard not to love the guy. He may not have walked away with the crown, but he walked away with the adoration of the spec lounge.

### **Awards**

**Funniest Player**

JRay is a wholesome guy, but this doesn’t mean he’s boring. He knew he wouldn’t be the strategic mastermind of the season, so he decided to be the comic relief instead. Sometimes, he was funny because he was trying to be (that gif of the fish still haunts me…), and sometimes he was funny because he’s an ancient man playing a game with a bunch of young’uns. Anyone who has ever played an All-Star season will tell you that the potential for toxicity can skyrocket compared to that of most ORGs, so JRay’s long hearted approach was a constant relief. We love the positivity that he brought to the game, and it made him one of the most rootable characters we’ve seen.

**Best Move (Victoria's Blindside)**

This move was a major turning point in Secret War’s merge game. Victoria had so many advantages that I don’t want to go back to count them, and was going to be able to guarantee herself F5 and potentially comp beast her way to the end like she had done in Hogwarts. She was set up to become unstoppable, and all she had to do was survive F7. Unfortunately for her, Izzy recognized this too. It should have been 4-3 against Red, but Izzy flipped to send Victoria home. Victoria took a major gamble in holding onto her idol, and other players took advantage of that to send a massive threat home. It was the moment Izzy and Red cemented themselves as the players to beat, and set the stage for the rest of the game to come.