Vanessa Mulyk

### Tribe(s)

Targaryen Tribe, Lannister Tribe, Merge Tribe (Winter War)Tribe Parvati, Tribe Cochran, Merge Tribe (Fans vs. Favorites: Revenge of the Fallen)

### Finish

7/15 (Winter War)7/14 (Fans vs. Favorites: Revenge of the Fallen)

### Alliances

Steph Krug, Dacota Weiegert, Jadon Selsmeyer, Collin Hinz, Casey MacPhetridge (Winter War)Maggie McNulty, Michael Garcia (Fans vs. Favorites: Revenge of the Fallen)

### Votes Against

11 (Winter War)20 (Fans vs. Favorites: Revenge of the Fallen)

**Vanessa "Ness" Mulyk** was a contestant on Survivor: Winter War and Survivor: Fans vs. Favorites: Revenge of the Fallen.

Resilient and bold, Ness became the underdog very early on in the game, and was shown to be very good at playing under the radar and helping to control votes and seal other people's fates. She was able to control many aspects of the game and put it into her favor regardless of whether or not she was in the driver's seat. However, her game caught up to her at the merge, and after a couple of bad votes, Ness met her demise after a close ally betrayed her towards the endgame. Ness made a return to the game and made huge waves in multiple attempts to save herself throughout her second try at the game. However, it was not enough to save her when the numbers dwindled too thin.

## Survivor: Winter War

Ness started off the game on the Targaryen Tribe, and she immediately made an alliance with Collin and Casey to ensure her safety in the tribe, and they set their sights on Richie, as he was the returning player on their tribe and was seen as an easy target by the three of them. Ness mentioned in private about her concerns of her safety due to her being the girlfriend of former player Darius White, who was known to be a very strategic player in the game. Her main concerns lied in people finding out and assuming he gave her enough advice to control the game. However, what she did not know was that Richie was very much aware of her situation. At the first immunity challenge, Ness and Alex were selected by Richie to compete in the first immunity challenge. Unfortunately, she was unable to secure the win for her tribe, forcing them to go to the first Tribal Council of the season. Back at camp, Ness left for her private confessional, during which Richie told everyone that she was Darius' girlfriend in order to paint a small target on her back, which concerned Alex. When she got back, she was informed by Richie that Alex wanted her out of the game. Seeing Richie as more beneficial over Alex, Ness and Collin talked to Casey about switching up their target, despite Casey wanting to vote for Richie. At Tribal Council, Ness ultimately got her way, and the three of them, alongside Richie, voted Alex out of the game.

When they got back to camp, Ness agreed with the others saying that Richie will be the most beneficial as the leader. Collin's performance at the next immunity challenge sent their tribe right back to Tribal Council. Back at camp, Ness refused to answer Richie when he asked if he was the next to go, despite him saying he prefered their honesty. Ness agreed immediately with Collin once he suggested they target Richie, as they all saw each other as having the best chemistry in their tribe without him. However, what she did not know, was that Richie was openly campaigning against her, using her relationship to former player Darius White as well as her lack of effort in the most recent immunity challenge, as leverage. At Tribal Council, Ness helped to take out Richie, sensing that as the best move for her in the game. Once her tribe lost yet another immunity challenge, Ness knew she was in trouble. However, using information she had acquired, she put a target on Casey, talking to Collin and telling him that he will be able to group up easier with the people he knew at the merge and control the game with his girlfriend, Dacota of the Stark Tribe. Her plans did work, accomplish them with ease as she and Collin both voted out Casey, leaving only two remaining on their tribe.

Back at camp, Collin predicted a tribe swap, and, wanting to gain trust with Ness, he told her about his hidden immunity idol, and the duo agreed to work together for as long as they could in the future of the game. As predicted, a tribe swap did occur, and Ness and Collin was be fortunate to swap together onto the Lannister Tribe alongside Arthur, Dylan, Griffin, and Jack. With Ness' help in the next immunity challenge, the Lannister Tribe was successful, and Ness and Collin won their first immunity challenge of the season. Back at camp, Ness not only bonded with her new tribemates, but also found a hidden immunity idol, giving her more safety in the game.

However, her safety did not last long, as the Lannister Tribe lost the next immunity challenge. Ness originally strategized with Collin and Arthur, as they saw Arthur's lone wolf status as an extra vote that they could pick up in the game to help them. However, when Ness got wind that Arthur was strategizing against her, she immediately turned her back on him, and got Collin and Jack to help vote against him as they tried to convince the others to go for Arthur as well. However, fearing a hidden immunity idol play from Arthur, Dylan and Griffin both cast their votes onto Ness, causing a 3-3 tied vote. Dylan came to her rescue though, convincing the others to put their votes on Arthur and send him packing. Their plan succeeded, and Ness got to see the light of the merge.

While Vanessa got no value from the *Advantage Hunt*, Ness did find much success at the first individual immunity challenge of the season, winning it in a very quick fashion, saving her from being the first member of the jury. Ness and Collin would ally with Jadon, Dacota, and Steph, and they all agreed that Tom was the next one who should go, due to how big of a threat he is in the game. However, as Collin was getting pulled into the middle by both alliances, Dacota accidentally leaked out Collin's position to Griffin, who immediately recognized that Collin was playing the middle. Griffin then remembered they were only going to take out Ness because of her connection to Collin. At Griffin's hand, Ness was forced to witness to fall and demise of her closest ally of the game. Collin was blindsided in a 6-5 vote at the next Tribal Council, leaving Ness all alone for the first time in the game, the last of the former Targaryen Tribe.

After losing the next individual immunity challenge, Ness was originally on the hotseat. However, she and her alliance were approached by Adam and Sam about the opportunity to blindside Griffin. Already being very weary of his presence in the game, Ness campaigned hard to her alliance and her alliance and Adam blindsided Griffin, sending him to the jury. However, Ness was not sitting pretty for very long, as the shock at the announcement of a second Tribal Council then and there shook everyone to their cores. Ness went along with her alliance's idea of voting for Tom, as they saw him as the biggest threat in the game. However, Tom was able to wedge himself into Griffin's position in the *Lannister 5* Alliance, causing Ness to watch another one of her allies, Jadon, get sent home again in a narrow 5-4 vote.

After her ally, Steph, won the next individual immunity challenge, Ness once again found herself on the chopping block, this time due to her hidden immunity idol. However, Ness was approached by members of the *Lannister 5* about the opportunity to take out Dacota, whose playing of both sides had everyone paranoid. At the same time, Ness and Steph were getting approached by Dacota about taking out Tom, a common name amongst their alliance who they wanted out. At Tribal Council, Ness voted against Tom, as she finally played her hidden immunity idol, saving herself from being involved in what could have been a three way tied vote. Ness was the only one to stay loyal to Dacota on the revote though, as she sat in sorrow as another ally of her's was taken out of the game.

After Tribal Council, Ness was approached by Jack, and they both made a pact to take out Sam. Although Ness lost the following individual immunity challenge, she seemed to be in good spirits with the others, who now wanted to keep her around as the *Lannister 5* started to crumble around each other, and Ness started campaigning for Sam. However, once they reconvened with each other, Ness' name came up once again as the primary target. At Tribal Council, Ness' efforts were not enough, and she became the ninth person voted out of the game and the fifth member of the jury after Steph correctly played a hidden immunity idol on herself. Ness would place 7th out of 15th.

At the jury roundtable, Ness did not speak, but instead listened for information to see if it would impact her jury vote.

At the Final Tribal Council, Ness congratulated the finalists on getting to the end and then asked each of the finalists of why they felt as if they deserved her jury vote to win the game. Satisfied by his answer and his game, Ness voted for Sam to win the game, unknowingly helping to cause a tie at the Final Tribal Council between Sam and Dylan.

Ness was one of the many people who did not show up to the *Survivor: Winter War Reunion Episode*, although she was given a shoutout by fellow contestant Richie at the end, who wanted to give her and Collin credit for their games during the season.

**Ness' Voting History**
 **2** | Richie
 **3** | Casey
***N/A***
 **6** | Tom
 Tom
 **8** | Tom
Tom
 **Voted**
**To Win**

## Survivor: Fans vs. Favorites: Revenge of the Fallen

When it was announced that the group of returning players, dubbed as the Favorites, will have to vote someone out of their group within the first few minutes of the game, Ness took this opportunity to vote against her boyfriend, Darius, in an attempt to let the others know that she was not going to be affiliated with him in the game whatsoever. Unfortunately, this did not stop the others from voting against her, as she was voted out of the Favorites group with five votes. However, she was not eliminated just yet, and she was able to pick between an advantage for herself or an advantage for her tribe. Believing her tribe to be the group of Favorites, she picked an advantage for herself in hopes of hindering those who had attempted to end her game before it even began, with the advantage being a clue to a special advantage for the game. This also was a false assumption, as her new tribe, Tribe Parvati, did not include all of the returning players. Ness' performance at the first immunity challenge did not help her case either, especially when they lost the first immunity challenge of the season. At camp, Ness attempted to find the advantage in hopes of it helping her game, with it causing a silent uproar from her tribemates, all of whom wanted to get rid of her before she could find her advantage. However, Michael's and Emily's concerns over Adam's game weighed more on them than Ness' advantage, and they attempted to rally up Ness and some of their tribemates to vote against Cole, Adam's closest ally. At Tribal Council, the votes Ness received were not enough, as she and her tribe voted out Cole in a surprising first Tribal Council.

Ness became a target soon after Tribe Parvati lost another immunity challenge, becoming a deer in Michael's headlights as he attempted to get her eliminated from the game. Ness saw Michael's threat status and tried to help her tribemates see it too in hopes that they voted for Michael alongside her. At Tribal Council, Ness' efforts were very effective, as Adam and Sam voted to save her and eliminate Michael. However, this caused a deadlocked vote, leading to the game's third rock drawing, of which Ness and Michael were now immune from as they watched Emily meet her demise in the game.

While things looked bleak for Ness, a tribe swap breathed a new life into her game, as she was thrown onto the new Tribe Parvati alongside Michael, Steph, and Thomas, with Michael already wanting to make amends with Ness in the game for the previous Tribal Council. However, things remained the same, and Ness' new tribe did not win the next immunity challenge. At camp, Ness was successful at finding her advantage, finding the *Super Idol*, which could be used after the votes have been read to save the person who had received the most votes at any Tribal Council up to the Final 5. Ness and Michael quickly made amends, as he was in a state of concern over what Ness'' advantage was and if she could use it against him. Together, they exchanged information with how Thomas wanted to align with the two of them and take out Steph at the next Tribal Council. However, they also knew that Steph wanted to take out Thomas for his performance at the last immunity challenge and they knew Steph had a hidden immunity idol. At Tribal Council, Ness voted against Thomas, sending him out of the game very early on. Ness was at risk again though, as the new Tribe Parvati lost the next immunity challenge. At camp, Ness and Steph immediately targeted each other, and Michael was quickly thrown into the swing voter position. At Tribal Council, Michael sided with Steph and voted Ness out in a 2-1 vote. However, Ness immediately seized the moment with her *Super Idol*, saving herself and eliminating Steph in the process, keeping herself alive for another round and taking out a big threat within their tribe.

While Ness and Michael hoped for a merge, they got another tribe swap, with Ness still being with Michael on the new the new Tribe Cochran, but also being with Maggie, Vin, and her former Targaryen Tribe member, Richie, of whom she had a hand in voting out in *Survivor: Winter War*. After her new tribe once again lost the next immunity challenge, Ness was immediately included in on a plan devised by Maggie and Vin to eliminate Richie from the game due to his hidden immunity idol being seen as a huge threat to their future in the game. At camp, Ness attempted to solidify every aspect of this plan with the other three, and even lied to Richie by telling him that the next person to go will be Michael, saying that the entire group wanted to get rid of him. However, Richie was not gullible, and he immediately called her out on how Maggie had told him just minutes prior that he was told the same thing about Vin. When the topic got around to his hidden immunity idol, he consistently flip-flopped on his answer on whether or not he would use it, becoming a huge concern for her and Michael. At Tribal Council, Ness casted her vote against Vin, hoping that the vote will still be three votes for Richie, and one for Michael and Vin each. However, fearing a tiebreaker vote occurring with Richie's hidden immunity idol play, Michael and Vin both voted each other in an attempt to secure their own safety, completely ruining their plan to take Richie out. However, Ness still gained success from this Tribal Council, as Richie played his hidden immunity idol and she helped vote for Vin in the tiebreaker between him and Michael, allowing Ness to finally see the light of the merge.

Once at the merge, Ness immediately got in on Richie's plan to get rid of Darius, and was very vocal to the others about how she wanted nothing to do with her boyfriend within the game. The two of them attempted to talk to the others within the game to ensure Darius' elimination. However, while she was doing this with Maggie and Kenzie, she noticed how Kenzie wanted nothing to do with this plan and refused to even come near or listen to them for the conversation, making the two of them very weary on coming to her in the future and perceiving her to be very stubborn. At Tribal Council, Ness and Maggie were shocked when everyone blindsided Michael in a 7-3 vote, leaving the two of them on the outs. However, after Adam won the next individual immunity challenge, Corey and Richie campaigned hard to take out Darius, and Ness was all on board for it, helping to campaign for every detail of this plan to ensure his elimination. At Tribal Council, Darius was voted out, and Ness finally achieved one of her biggest goals in the game in eliminating her boyfriend.

At the game's first *Survivor Whitewater Auction*, Ness made a purchase towards an advantage, which was revealed to be a *Steal-A-Vote* Advantage. However, this made her come off as a threat and put her on the chopping block after she lost the next individual immunity challenge. However, there were bigger fish to fry, as Adam became the next biggest threat due to his aggressive gameplay. Before Tribal Council though, Ness got information from Adam about how Richie's advantage that he purchased at the *Survivor Whitewater Auction* was the *Idol Nullifier*, of which he kept hidden from Ness to make them believe he will use it against her. The two of them assumed Richie told Adam in order to gain trust with him, and the two of them were unsure of his game at the moment. However, Ness was sure of her vote at Tribal Council, and she saw the light of another day as she helped to eliminate Adam from the game with the help of Richie's *Idol Nullifier* to secure it. After losing the next individual immunity challenge, Ness was told by Corey and Richie that the next target was Kenzie, making much sense to Ness considering how she and Maggie did not feel that Kenzie deserved to get any further in the game due to her gameplay being linked solely to Corey's game. However, Tribal Council told a different story, as Ness was blindsided in a 5-2 voteoff, becoming the fourth member of the jury. Ness would place 7th out of 14th.

At the Final Tribal Council, Ness congratulated all of the finalists on getting to the end and questioned them on why she was taken out and also asked about Kenzie being used as a decoy target that they told to their real targets. Admiring his game and seeing him as the most deserving to win, Ness casted her vote for Richie to win the game.

## Trivia

* Ness is the first new contestant to be in a relationship with a former player but not play their first season together, being the girlfriend of former two-time player Darius White when she first played the game in *Survivor: Winter War*.
* Ness is the first contestant to receive a vote in a three person Tribal Council before the merge and not be voted out, accomplishing this in *Survivor: Winter War*.
* Ness is the first female contestant to win the first individual immunity challenge of a season, doing so in *Survivor: Winter War*.
* Ness is the first contestant to play a hidden immunity idol in a 3-Way tied vote, doing so in *Survivor: Winter War*.
* Ness is the first female contestant to block votes with a hidden immunity idol and have her own vote blocked by a hidden immunity idol within the same season, this occurring in *Survivor: Winter War*.
* Ness is the first contestant to successfully use the *Super Idol*, doing so in *Survivor: Fans vs. Favorites: Revenge of the Fallen*.
* Ness is the first female contestant to have to go to every Tribal Council in the premerge phase of the game, doing so in *Survivor: Fans vs. Favorites: Revenge of the Fallen*.
* Ness is the first female contestant to place the same placement in back-to-back attempts.
* If including the votes she received from the *First Impression Vote*, Ness has received the most votes in a single season, garnering 20 votes across her run in *Survivor: Fans vs. Favorites: Revenge of the Fallen.*
* Both times Ness played the game, she had to go to the fifth Tribal Council of the season.
	+ Coincidentally, the fifth Tribal Council in both of her seasons also involved a tied vote that ended with a male player being eliminated from the game.
* Both times Ness played the game, she was eliminated at the ninth Tribal Council of the season.
* Both times Ness was eliminated from the game, the person who was eliminated right after her casted a vote against her.