The Showmance Alliance

Mandy Hines

Ste Foy

Lindsey Wootten

The Showmance Alliance (named only after the season was completed) was the dominating alliance throughout the first season of The Butler Games. This was named the Showmance alliance due to a number of factors, most notably alliance members Ryan and Olivia being romantically involved. This is also a nod to alliance member Mandy having won the Showmance Award post-season for her friendship with fellow alliance member, Olivia.

## Alliance Hierarchy

There was no clear leader of this alliance. However, it is often believed that Olivia was the centre of this alliance. Ryan and Mandy would most likely not have worked together if it was not for Olivia.

## Forming the Alliance

The alliance was unofficially formed before the game even begun, with Ryan and Olivia already a couple. However, the alliance was not officially formed until Mandy joined, following the fifth round.

### Tribal Split (pre-alliance)

Interestingly enough, all three members of this alliance were separated when the tribal twist was activated in the first round. Ryan was placed on the red tribe and Olivia was placed on the blue tribe. Mandy was exiled for the first round and did not belong to either tribe until the second round, where she would join the losing tribe.

When the red's lost the first challenge, Ryan did not appear to be a target, and became a swing vote deciding if Meg or Dan would be eliminated - a decision which would haunt him later in the game.

When the blue's lost the second challenge, the red tribe were selected to choose who was eliminated. Ryan and Mandy kept Olivia safe, unanimously sending home Kate instead.

### Olivia's Reign as Head of House

Olivia won the first Head of House challenge ever and nominated Lindsey and Barnie for elimination, with Lindsey as her target. Barnie, although an ally to both Ryan and Olivia, was chosen as the pawn as he had become increasingly paranoid and he had been overheard conspiring against members of the alliance. Despite this, he was able to take himself off the block, with Lisa taking her place. However, upon the vote, it was Lisa who was unanimously eliminated, not Lindsey.

When Olivia won her second Head of House challenge, she once again put Lindsey up for elimination alongside Ste. But when Lindsey won the veto, and pawn Barnie already nominated by the MVP, Olivia put Mandy up for elimination.

### Saving Mandy

With a double elimination sending Barnie out of the game, and Ste and Mandy both receiving just one vote, the vote was tied. Olivia, as Head of House, was forced to choose between the two and saved Mandy. This is regarded as the moment the alliance was formed.

## The Power Shift

### Dan Returns to The Game

Olivia had proven herself to be a strong player in the game, but lost her reign of Head of House by default, when the winner of The Battleback Competition was to be given the power instead. Dan returned to the game, and having watched the previous rounds play out, he knew to nominate OIivia against her biggest rival Lindsey. With Ryan nominated by the MVP Jury.

### Ryan's Veto Win and Olivia's Secret Advantage

In the Plinko Pinball Veto competition, Ryan was able to win the Golden Power of Veto. He played this to save himself, which caused Tom to be nominated in his place by the MVP Jury.

However, Olivia had been given a secret advantage for having been holding onto the Round Trip Ticket, and was given the power to cast two votes at one elimination ceremony. She gave this to Ryan, who voted Lindsey out of the competition. Had this not have happened, the vote would have been a three way tie, and Dan would have chosen who was eliminated.

### An Unexpected Ally

In the sixth round, Dan won the Head of House challenge for a second time, and nominated the power couple, Ryan and Olivia, for elimination, with Tom nominated by the MVP Jury. In a guardians twist for the veto, Mandy chose Lindsey to compete on her behalf. Lindsey became a powerful ally and won the competition for Mandy, giving her the Power of Veto. Mandy was able to save Olivia from elimination, and the two girls saved Ryan by sending Tom and Meg out of the game in a double elimination.

## The Collapse of the Alliance

The alliance was forced to split during the Semi-Final, where the four remaining players were split into two teams. Olivia was partnered with Mandy, whilst Ryan had to partner with the enemy. The two girls were eliminated, but both casted a vote for Ryan to be crowned the winner of The Butler Games.

## Trivia

* This is considered to be the first alliance
* The smallest alliance in The Butler Games History, with only 3 members.
* The first alliance to have included a couple who were romantically involved, this was followed by The Blood alliance, in which all players were romantically involved with another alliance member.