Scott Hardie | October 4, 2007
There's one hitch this time: I will be out of town this weekend to see Kelly, leaving Friday afternoon and returning around midnight on Monday night. This trip came up suddenly, after I'd already set up all of the goos, so screw it, let's go ahead. I can check a couple of times a day from Illinois, but you may have to wait on pins-n-needles a bit to see if you guessed right.

Also, if one of those rare circumstances happens again (like two players in a bracket not guessing or both guessing in an equal number of seconds), it will take me a while to adjust the chart to compensate. Please bear with me.

Aaron Shurtleff | October 4, 2007
Yuck! What horrible Goo Topics! :(

I'm kidding, Scott! Let's do this!

Here's hoping JoJo knows as little about business and economics as I do! :)

Amy Austin | October 4, 2007
"Sports" again?!?! And at the very end??? That *is* horrible.

Lori Lancaster | October 4, 2007
[hidden by request]

Amy Austin | October 4, 2007
Aw, geez...

Aaron Shurtleff | October 4, 2007
What, the Television one? Super... that was the only one I thought I might have a chance on... :(

Lori Lancaster | October 4, 2007
[hidden by request]

Aaron Shurtleff | October 4, 2007
Yeah, but not everyone watches the same shows on their Television...

Amy Austin | October 4, 2007
Yeah! You "Family Guy"-lovin' weirdoes...

Aaron Shurtleff | October 4, 2007
I hope it's someone from Family Guy! That would be awesome!!!

Assuming I'm even in the running by that time! ;)

Lori Lancaster | October 4, 2007
[hidden by request]

Scott Hardie | October 4, 2007
I learned my lesson last time about Sports. Unless I have seriously midjudged this goo (which, sadly, is possible with any goo), then it's truly difficult and worthy of ending a tournament.

Russ Wilhelm | October 5, 2007
In case I don't get back on here tomorrow, good luck everyone and have fun with the tournament.

Amy Austin | October 5, 2007
So basically, you're saying that you're out, Russ???

Scott Hardie | October 5, 2007
One last disclaimer, since these things always make me nervous: I won't be anywhere near a computer until around 3am Saturday, three hours after the tournament begins. I've checked and tested everything to be safe, but if something does go amiss without me, rest assured that I'll take whatever steps necessary to right it, up to and including restarting the tournament over a few days later.

I say this not because I fear the code having an error, but because I fear checking in on TC only to find it full of complaints and controversy over the possibility of something having gone wrong. Coming home to that phenomenon after a workday is part of running a website to which I'm unable to give my full attention, but it still gives me reason to worry. So breathe easy and bear with me, please.

And lest I forget, great luck, everybody! This is going to be an interesting one.

Steve Dunn | October 5, 2007
I don't understand how the bracket works. Does the winner between Greg Bair and Jason Evans get an automatic pass into the finals?

Lori Lancaster | October 5, 2007
[hidden by request]

Scott Hardie | October 5, 2007
Almost. They still have to guess each goo correctly along the way.

I intend to change this "free pass" in future tournaments, because it's silly.

Lori Lancaster | October 5, 2007
[hidden by request]

Aaron Shurtleff | October 5, 2007
Do I qualify in the l337 category yet? :) As far as GOO game is concerned, of course!

I haven't decided if Lori is being serious, or just trying to psyche us all out... I hope I'm still in it to find out!!

Lori Lancaster | October 5, 2007
[hidden by request]

Amy Austin | October 5, 2007
Can I pick "All of the above"? (...with the greatest tendency to a 50/50 C/D mix ;-D)

And at least 2 of my Imeldas, that I can remember, came from Lori requests... so of course I like!

Lori Lancaster | October 5, 2007
[hidden by request]

Steve Dunn | October 5, 2007
Yo, the free pass is horrible.

Much better solution: everyone competes against everyone else. Slowest time on each goo, and all incorrect guesses, get eliminated in each round.

I know it's too late to do it that way for this round, but the idea that Greg Bair or Jason Evans has a MUCH better chance of winning the game than I do kinda makes me crazy.

Amy Austin | October 5, 2007
AGREED!!!

Lori Lancaster | October 5, 2007
[hidden by request]

Jason Evans | October 5, 2007
Fear not, I am sure I will best the pesky Bair and I am equally sure I will miss one of the "freebie" goos along the way resulting in my entire half of the bracket being eliminated. Woo hoo!!

Aaron Shurtleff | October 5, 2007
It's been mostly C) since Colonel Sanders! >:(

;)

Aaron Shurtleff | October 5, 2007
(double post)

Lori Lancaster | October 5, 2007
[hidden by request]

Aaron Shurtleff | October 5, 2007
I said mostly. :) And, yeah, those are all too difficult! Make 'em easier, would ya?

Lori Lancaster | October 5, 2007
[hidden by request]

Aaron Shurtleff | October 6, 2007
And I'm done!!! :(

Scott Hardie | October 6, 2007
Looks like everything is working. Sorry to see you out so quick, Aaron.

Steve West | October 6, 2007
Have I mentioned how much I hate that clock? I really feel like John Belushi training for a mental marathon and eating nothing but little chocolate donuts.

Amy Austin | October 6, 2007
Well, your breakfast of the champs paid off, Steve... congratulations, and good luck.

I detest the clock, too... it really takes a lot of the fun out it for me. I can't concentrate while looking at the time in the corner of my computer screen, telling my dog to shut up, trying to ignore pop-ups... and especially the infuriating won't-let-you-see-behind-them kind (man, does that piss me off!!!) -- and God forbid I should have a slow connection... it's the computer equivalent of road rage (which I am *very* prone to)!!! Not even one of Lori's goos comes close to matching this level of frustration! And I'm pretty sure that as long as we're in this format, my days of winning are over -- luck will have to play a much larger role for me now.

Aaron Shurtleff | October 6, 2007
Yeah, I knew my guess would eb wrong, but I had been at it for 20 minutes, and I wasn't any closer to anything decent, so I figured even if I found it, probably too much time had passed.

Tony Peters | October 6, 2007
whoooooa I got it right????? my time was still long so I'm not expecting to move on

Denise Sawicki | October 6, 2007
Whoa, this is probably my luckiest goo day ever. I wasn't so very slow, even though I'll still probably get knocked out this round. :)

Aaron Shurtleff | October 6, 2007
See? 20 minutes was way too long! Great work, JoJo! Might as well win it all! :)

Steve Dunn | October 6, 2007
I want to state for the record that I live in fear of Jojo Woods.

Joanna Woods | October 6, 2007
I got lucky on this one. I may not be as lucky tomorrow....

Scott Hardie | October 6, 2007
Maybe I erred in making the first goo so tough. You expect to be eliminated by another player, not by the goo itself. Oh well. They're supposed to be difficult.

Fyi, those of you who were eliminated today might still be asked to activate the goo tomorrow. This is because of some settings that I would change if I were home, that I might not get done remotely. It has no bearing on the tournament, so please activate and proceed if it happens.

Steve West | October 6, 2007
Maybe I'm ass-backwards but that's exactly what I expect. I prefer to be eliminated by the goo not by another player. I've really said the same thing enough times so I'll try to restrain myself in the future regarding this issue. (For the record, I prefer not to be eliminated at all.) And I'll still happily play with whatever the rules are.

Steve Dunn | October 6, 2007
Jojo, your modesty is endearing, but my abiding fear of you is not based on just this one goo.

Good luck to you tomorrow. Whichever of us wins, we've both got a tough road to the finals. If you beat me tomorrow, I'll be rooting for you to go all the way.

Tony Peters | October 6, 2007
yes well I SWAG'd my guess, I knew after 15 minutes that I'd lost

Amy Austin | October 7, 2007
Ditto, Steve. And ditto, Steve.

And for the record... since I came on in the wee hours, after Steve already established a correct (and fast) guess, and I have an out-of-town friend here, I didn't look for much longer than Steve's time... no point, other than wanting a correct guess (I still do, but don't want to waste too much time looking for nothing).

Denise Sawicki | October 7, 2007
So did Mike Eberhart just not vote like last time? I thought he would be in town? Oh well... I didn't check late enough to see if he had a wrong guess or something, which would make me feel less like a poseur.

Mike Eberhart | October 7, 2007
No, I guessed. I found a name in about 3 minutes, but I was sure it was wrong. I couldn't find anything else that matched though and at the 8 minute mark I guessed what I had. I knew it was wrong, but I wanted to at least put in a guess. So, congrats on finding that goo in 8 min. 30 secs. I couldn't beat that.

Denise Sawicki | October 7, 2007
Thanks. I got kind of lucky in having the right business pop into my head after a while. So I take it you don't take your kids there every day? :-) Um I hope it's OK to say that, seeing the goo is expired. I don't know if it works differently for people not in the tournament. Anyway I had utterly no clue on today's one, so I'm out...

Greg Bair | October 7, 2007
Okay, so now that Jason Evans' hubris got the best of him, I would like to reassure everyone else. Whoever makes it into the finals against me has all but won.

There's a decent chance that I don't make it there anyway.

Amy Austin | October 7, 2007
LOL

Tony Peters | October 7, 2007
yeah I went down the Mickey Mouse track first then realized there was another mouse mascot....I never did find the photo or anything close but I couldn't find anything else that used a mouse so I entered my SWAG

Joanna Woods | October 8, 2007
It figures. I got kicked out b/c I stayed up too late and forgot I had to go to work. By the time I get home form work the goo is gone. That is what I get for having fun. Watch out for me next round though. I won't forget then.... Good luck Steve Dunn. I am rooting for you. Although after seeing the Goo I don't think I could have beaten your time.

Steve Dunn | October 8, 2007
Thanks Jojo. Sorry it had to end that way for you.

Aaron Shurtleff | October 8, 2007
Well, if the preceding 16 hours are indicative, Lori's GOO has lived up to its reputation! ;) I wonder if people haven't gotten around to it yet, or it's just that bad of a stumper...

Matthew Preston | October 8, 2007
I searched for about an hour and am giving up.

Steve West | October 8, 2007
That would have been good news for me Matt if I hadn't already given up too.

Steve Dunn | October 8, 2007
Huh. I haven't launched the goo yet because I didn't want to try to do it from work. Based on these comments, it sounds like that was a good decision. For normal goos, I almost always give up after a few minutes. For a tournament goo, I'd probably give it about an hour. Maybe I should wait until 11:00 to begin, if only to spare myself a longer period of frustration.

Lori Lancaster | October 8, 2007
[hidden by request]

Scott Hardie | October 9, 2007
All five remaining tournament players didn't guess Lori's goo. There were only two guesses, in fact, including "Neil Young." So, the tournament will be extended another day, and all five players remain active. Good luck, fellas.

Matthew Preston | October 9, 2007
Wow - Lori, I surfed both your profile and website(s) to try and find something that would help. I can honestly say that I looked up almost every single voice actor for Full Metal Alchemist and InuYasha. For some reason, I skipped Sailor Moon though... =sigh= I even looked up all the actresses, etc that you met at that Cosplay convention you and Ray went to. I was on the right track anyways.

Nice pictures BTW. You have an amazing digital camera!

Steve Dunn | October 9, 2007
I waded through countless pages of anime. I looked at Lori's DVD collection and spent a fair amount of time looking at Full Metal Alchemist stuff. For some reason, I also skipped Sailor Moon, though I don't think it would have helped. I ran a couple quick Google searches after seeing the answer last night and I don't think I ever would have got it. I would not have connected the "tomboy" reference, and I would not have dug deep enough to figure out the character's trait of chasing after people.

Lori, you seem like a great person, but I usually just skip your goos because they're too hard and I don't enjoy prowling around the unfamiliar world of anime. Of course, I had to take a shot at this one because it's the playoffs. Frnakly, I don't see the need for impossible goos in the playoffs, since the winner can be determined by time. Maybe something to think about for the next round.

Lori Lancaster | October 9, 2007
[hidden by request]

Amy Austin | October 9, 2007
(Determined to get my 10th Imelda and thereby surpass Matt on that), I did all that and then some. Same with the post-reveal searches, Steve... because I always feel better about not finding it if I believe that I never would have stumbled across it using the "right" search.

And, honestly? I thought Sailor Moon would just be too obvious. >;-P

Lori Lancaster | October 9, 2007
[hidden by request]

Steve Dunn | October 9, 2007
Lori, that logic isn't nearly as obvious as you may think it is. I won't attempt to list all the reasons, but in general we were dealing with an extremely vague clue pointing to an extremely obscure celebrity. That's a tough combo. Even if you thought you had the right answer (I doubt anyone got this far, but still) it's nearly impossible to verify. Her Wikipedia page doesn't help, and the gooed image doesn't come up in the first 10 pages of results when searching for her name in quotation marks.

Also, we had to at least consider the possibility that the goo wasn't anime. We all probably spent most of our time on anime because it was your goo and the person looked Asian, but you have to consider other possibilities. We could probably talk all day about various blind alleys. I for one spent a long time searching for people named Shirley, thinking maybe "surely" was a pun. Among other things, I wasted a fair amount of time on the Partridge Family, because the mother was played by Shirley Jones and David Cassidy had a hit single called "Run and Hide." I could go on and on.

There's no point arguing about this. The results speak for themselves. I'm just saying that, as a player, I'd prefer for the impossible anime goos to be during the accumulation phase. It's nothing against you at all, Lori.

Amy Austin | October 9, 2007
Except for the Partridge Family part... what Steve said.

;-)

I am totally not knocking on Steve's search strategies *at all*, either... I've been down stranger roads, to be sure -- it's all part of the game, as far as I'm concerned! And I never like to discuss to such great extent my search patterns or how I came across obscure answers (since there is a large degree of skill/strategy -- and a couple pinches of luck -- involved), but I will say this: my searches rarely involve googling the clue verbatim -- and almost *never* as the first effort (which actually probably cost me the last tournament, since I may have had at least one or two answers -- one where I still managed to beat my playoff opponent and the other that I was slower -- that could have been obtained much faster by using the clue directly than by my own method) -- because I hate this, too and apparently punish myself (unjustly) by making a specific effort *not* to do it that way.

I also agree that when you have a goo that tough and that obscure, there ought to at least be the small reward of being able to verify it if/when you do find it (even if you have to dig like hell for the pic). I know that Scott loves a "Google-proof" goo, but c'mon! There's a big difference between not readily finding a picture of Kate Beckinsale to confirm your better-than-good hunch... and hunting down practically every Japanese VA on the net, reading their entire biographies and lists of TV credits (are there movies? then why not Cinema, too??? that sort of thing) and looking through 20-25 pages of pictures (or even *all* of them!) just to eliminate them from your possibilities. This clue is vague enough to be applicable to more than one celebrity, imo, and I still wouldn't have narrowed it down to her... because, like Steve said, even with having the answer I couldn't find that source image. Not that I spent that much time trying (after all the time I spent in the first place), but it didn't appear in *any* of the pages (that I could tell) of a straight-up name search.

Steve Dunn | October 9, 2007
As I recall, Googling the clue verbatim was often helpful when I first started playing the game. Shortly thereafter, it seemed like Scott made a specific effort to discourage that strategy. Since then, there's been a lot more "play on words" aspect to the clues. I almost never Google the clue verbatim anymore. I guess sometimes I'll try it as a last resort. I don't remember the last time it helped.

For me the word "tomboy" stuck out in Lori's clue. I learned more about Japanese tomboy culture last night than I ever wanted to know. (Since I'm complaining about Lori's goo, I should also note that I learned a lot about a variety of subjects last night - maybe some of that will come in handy some day).

I spent a lot of time pondering why music was included as a category, but cinema was not. That spun me around a few times.

Here's another blind alley for your reading pleasure: I thought maybe the goo was a contestant on an Asian version of American Idol or Pop Idol. That one kept me busy for a while...

Lori Lancaster | October 9, 2007
[hidden by request]

Steve Dunn | October 9, 2007
Lori, you seem miffed. For the record, I have nothing against anime or any other category. I have nothing against hard goos. I have absolutely nothing agains you. Quite the opposite.

I'm whining because:

1) The goo was too hard and I didn't get it (I could have WON THE GAME if I had figured it out!!)

2) I think ultra-difficult goos are more appropriate for the accumulation phase than the playoff rounds.

None of this is meant to be insulting or hostile. You have to understand that several of us struggled with the goo for a LONG time last night. It's only natural for there to be a little blowing off of steam.

Amy Austin | October 9, 2007
Again -- minus the winning part (but not whining) -- what Steve said.

Lori, you are one of my most favoritest people on this site... and I'm pretty sure that I already said that I really (generally) enjoy your goos -- two of my Imeldas were your requests, and one of those was another seiyuu. Unlike others, apparently, *I* don't mind searching in and learning more about the subject of anime. It's not my thing, but it's far more interesting and less annoying than... say... the "porn" category. Being that I don't watch (much) sports, that subject is difficult for me, too -- and I think I've said/complained about as much at the end of the last round, where I felt that the subject was my premature demise and was pretty damn sore about it.

I don't have a problem with you, or you requesting goos, or anime, or even the insane difficulty level (I'm always looking for another Imelda!) -- but I still stand by my previous comments... in particular, the photo search. The difference between this and all the other examples you provided is that there was plenty of other popular reference material to direct someone to an answer. I had *no idea* about Obama Girl before that goo, either... but she was in the collective public mainstream enough to track down, and 22 people got her -- including you! And yes, I did verify her by way of YouTube. But not only are she and Chris Crocker (who, ironically, I was actually learning more about the night (s)he was published as a goo... and actually had the thought only moments before looking at it, "wouldn't it be funny if Scott made a goo of this nut!" Lo & behold... A prime example of current events/pop culture showing the way to an otherwise obscure "celebrity"!) primarily identifiable in this venue, but there are also video stills widely available through Google images to make that connection! So, even if you didn't think to go hunting them down in YouTube, it wasn't that hard to locate them otherwise. Do you even realize how much anime/VA footage one would have to dig through on YouTube to come across your goo... IF that thought even crosses someone's mind??? I shudder to think.

I am not trying to be insulting, Lori, and Scott can tell you as well that I entered my best sincere and legitimate guess (i.e., it wasn't "Neil Young") just moments before it expired. I really, really *wanted* to have the right answer -- as, I'm sure, did Steve & others -- and I worked really hard before committing to my wrong answer (and no, I won't reveal it, in the hopes that you might submit it in the future!). I don't think anyone here intends for you to take their lack of interest in the subject of anime as a slight to your personal taste or identity, and I certainly don't think anyone expects -- or even wants -- for you to be a "cut out carbon copy" of anything or anyone else! I think we all appreciate that it is just part of what makes up Lori -- even if we roll our eyes at the prospect of one of "Lori's (insanely difficult/anime/whatever other descriptives have been historically used here) goos" and/or complain good-naturedly about them. Heck, I find it downright amusing and quite endearing... and, personally, I don't mind the arduous hunt because a) I love a challenge; b) I like to learn new things; and c) I feel like I'm getting to know you better by finding out more about what makes you tick. I'm okay with that, and even though I may be sore about not finding it, I don't feel like it's wasted effort (and yes, it was a lot of spent time). But please don't kid yourself into thinking that anything but "Lori Logic" and/or some amazing luck or truly Inspired Thinking would have led anybody to that answer... there are some pretty phenomenal players around here (and I don't just mean myself! ;-D), and the fact that not even one among the best of them got it means that it was Friggin' Hard. If some dark horse player joined our company and found the answer to that goo, I think Steve Dunn would seriously rethink what it means to be scared of another player. ;-D (That, or we would all just assume that you'd introduced some whacked-out "otaku" to the Goo!!! ;-DDD) I hereby reissue Mike's proposal (I think it was Mike) that another level beyond "Master" be introduced... and that level shall be called "Lori". ;-DDD

All is said with Love... and I hope you understand. ;-)

Lori Lancaster | October 9, 2007
[hidden by request]

Amy Austin | October 9, 2007
HAHAHAHAHA!!! ;-DDDDD

Steve West | October 10, 2007
Without meaning to sound like I'm gloating, I am so glad the 9-time champ ordeal is over! Sorry Matt. Onward to that upstart Steve Dunn, the cinderella kid Mike Rothstein, and the unchallenged, therefore unknown and mysterious, Greg Bair.

Amy Austin | October 10, 2007
Steve... (gloater)... Mike Rothstein is out -- it's just you and Steve and Greg.

Sorry, Greg... I can't help but root for a Battle of the Steves -- I'm sure you understand.

Sorry, Steve (glo-, I mean, West)... I can't help but root for Steve Dunn -- I'm sure you understand.

Lori Lancaster | October 10, 2007
[hidden by request]

Amy Austin | October 10, 2007
Yeah. He's a real taunter, all right.

Scott Hardie | October 10, 2007
I may be mistaken about this, and please correct me if I am, but wasn't the Mitsuko Horie goo designed to be extremely difficult? Solvable, yes, but just barely. If that's correct, then why are we debating this? We all got what we wanted, more or less: Lori got to stump other players with a tough request, tournament players got a crack at winning the game with a single guess, all players got a crack at an ever-more-rare Golden Imelda, and I got a day off. :-)

Believe me, I know that the game is no fun when the celebrity is someone you'd never hear of in a million years. But this goo wasn't really intended to be fun, like today's Literature goo is; it was intended to bring players to their knees. That's legitimate in my opinion, as long as we don't have that kind of goo very often. The last super-tough goo from Lori was Eva O, two rounds ago, and it will be a while before the next one. (Rasmus Lerdorf is not a household name even among programming nerds like me, but I suspected that his goo was overrated at Master, and the 10 correct guesses proved me right.)

I'm glad Lori submitted this goo, and I'd do the whole thing over again from start to finish (except being home at midnight for when zero players had guessed it right, instead of being up until 3am reorganizing around that). But let's have no illusions, this goo was insanely difficult. I'd rank this in the top five hardest goos of all time. I knew that before it published, and I thought Lori intended it to be hard from the friendly taunting she did earlier in this discussion. If I'm wrong, sorry.

If I put goos like this in the accumulation round, who would try to solve them? I sure wouldn't if I was a player.

I didn't list Horie in Cinema because she has starred almost exclusively in TV series, in addition to her singing. I declare the categories, not the requestor.

I was sorry to see Matt and Mike go, but both Steves have earned the right to advance, and Greg will have his work cut out for him. Both goos remaining are tough, but I'll be really surprised if anybody gets Sports in under two minutes. Good luck.

Amy Austin | October 10, 2007
Like I said, I always welcome the opportunity for an Imelda -- and the end of the round is as good a time as any... particularly if I've already been eliminated! ;-DDD

Steve Dunn | October 10, 2007
Scott, that's very reasonable and even-handed. If I were looking at this logically and dispassionately, I might even be convinced. Let us not forget, however, that this is all about ME and my attempt to WIN!!! ;-) While we're at it, it's worth remembering that the internet exists for complaining. It's not just for porn.

Sorry, everyone, for misspelling today's goo and causing a period of confusion about my guess. I had a moment of dread after submitting the guess, but figured out very quickly that I'd made a typo. I confess I thought I had probably beaten Steve West's time. Ooops!

Hopefully tomorrow, then.

Good luck Steve and Greg.

Amy, I promise to do my best to win, so as to ensure that two "weaker" players go into the finals and your relative status is preserved. Be careful what you ask for, though, because once that first win comes (and oh yes, it will come) I have a feeling they'll start piling up and I'll be knock knock knocking at your door!!!

Onward!! To victory!!!

Scott Hardie | October 10, 2007
I don't know if my "Matt & Mike" comment came out right. As game officiator, I don't root for anybody in particular. In my heart in private, I may root for this friend or that underdog, but it's a minor preference that does not outweigh the joy I have at witnessing anyone defeat all opponents and claim victory.

In this particular case, I knew it meant a lot for Matt to get this far, because his nature is to play slow and cautiously, being careful to research conclusively before guessing, and the timed tournament is stacked against him. That's the same way I would play if the tables were turned.

The game is also stacked against Mike just because of his still being somewhat new at this, but his good performance this time proved that his "coasting" to the end of the last tournament wasn't just a fluke.

Steve West, you're one of the most talented, competitive, and good-natured players that I've had the good fortune to attract. You've earned every victory to date, and I will say the same this time if you win.

Steve Dunn, I knew before I met you that you played the game with a passion, not having won yet out of poor luck and poor timing, and certainly not from lack of trying. Our conversations in person illuminated your enjoyment of the game further, and gave me reason to cheer for you to get this far.

Greg, you might not know me very well yet, but I've been reading your blog entries for years now. I know you to be exactly the sort of intelligent, witty, and warm-hearted person that would earn Steve's friendship.

I'd love to see any of you pull it off.

Amy Austin | October 10, 2007
Amy, I promise to do my best to win, so as to ensure that two "weaker" players go into the finals and your relative status is preserved....

Hahaha... you make me laugh, Steve. Not only do you take my well-wishing and turn it into nothing but base motivation, but you actually go so far as to steal my philosophy on the subject... and!... you got it wrong. Because...
this is all about ME!ME!ME! -- (and if you played RB as well, you would know that already!!!) Hmph.

Steve Dunn | October 11, 2007
What happened to Steve West?

Amy Austin | October 11, 2007
I don't know... but you're only one guess away from winning -- you'd better step to it!

Amy Austin | October 11, 2007
Wow... so I guess it's a BTD Showdown now? (Good luck, Steve! ;-D)

Btw... didn't even realize that's where Mr. Bair came from -- until I was scrolling down this page to wish Steve luck... and was unavoidably distracted by the crazy pair of... what was it? orange peel?... goggles, and followed them to the link accompanying said distracting pho-to -- what a nut fruit!

Scott Hardie | October 11, 2007
If it ends during the day, I will probably not be able to announce the outcome until tomorrow evening, but you can follow along on the page.

The next round will begin a week from Saturday. No one would like to take a longer break from the game more than me, but this will be the best way to wrap up Round XXXII before the holidays. We'll take a longer break next time.

Steve West | October 11, 2007
I opened the goo shortly after midnight knowing if I was to solve it, it had to be then. I had a commitment for that evening. Got tired after an hour and thought maybe I could look later but by the time I could 21 hours had passed and I didn't have the energy to motivate myself to look further. Moving furniture all evening for a buddy will do that. So congrats, Steve, final victory is on the brink. Good luck to you as well, Greg.

Greg Bair | October 11, 2007
That's for the kind words, Scott, and the well-wishing from others. If I'm going to be the spoiler in this tournament, it might as well be against Dunn (and if Steve wins, that's cool, too).

I'm glad that Steve and Steve didn't get their answers in a couple of minutes. That thing was freakin' hard. I had all but given up when I found the answer, after circling around it on and off all day long.

Amy Austin | October 11, 2007
Heh... good luck to you, too, Greg -- sorry about the Steve bias, but I feel his passion and his pain (his style is a lot like mine!)... I know he's been waiting for this victory, and being so close now, I don't want to see him lose... I have too much empathy for that! ;-D (Unless it were to me. ;-DDDDD)

Man, I wish I hadn't been eliminated already!

Greg Bair | October 12, 2007
Congratulations to Steve Dunn, this round's champion.

Amy Austin | October 12, 2007
Good job, Steve! Now I don't have to feel as bad when I take the title back from you... ;-DDD

Steve Dunn | October 12, 2007
Thanks Greg, and congratulations to you, too. I'm glad I managed to get this win shortly after your arrival on the scene, because I know it'll be that much harder from now on.

Steve Dunn | October 12, 2007
[Double post]

Steve West | October 12, 2007
That's all we needed - more good players. Actually that's exactly what we need! Good job Steve (finally, I might add) and welcome Greg and all the new players.

Scott Hardie | October 12, 2007
Congrats, Steve! I know how long you wanted this, and you certainly earned it! Greg, you gave him a good run for his money. I'll contact you both this weekend about prizes.

Congrats also to Amy, Elliot, JoJo, Justin, and Steve West, who earned Runner-Up status by guessing 90% of the goos right this round. I hope to see everybody back again at the next tournament, old players and new.

Steve Dunn | October 12, 2007
(finally, I might add)

Tell me about it!! I feel like I finally got the monkey off my back.

Throughout this tournament, I felt strongly that I was going to lose in every round. I felt very fortunate each time I advanced. As recently as 20 minutes ago, I fully expected Greg to beat me.

I'm very happy to have accomplished this, the first of MANY victories to come!!

Amy Austin | October 12, 2007
That's all we needed - more good players. Actually that's exactly what we need!

You tell yourself that, Steve. ;-) It's exactly what *I* don't need! (Unless it elbows out this terrible timed stuff... then I'm all for it!!!) ;-DDD

I'm glad you won, too, Steve -- Greg is obviously a threatening player. Good job, Greg. But you won't do as well next round. If you know what's good for you... ;-)
;-DDDDD

Russ Wilhelm | October 12, 2007
Way to go Steve. Well deserved and you earned every inch of it.


Next round will be much tougher with the recent additions, so I am looking forward to the next level of competition.

Lori Lancaster | October 12, 2007
[hidden by request]

Steve Dunn | October 12, 2007
Thanks Lori. I just wish I could have won by being the only person to get your goo. A tournament win and a Golden Imelda in one fell swoop! Imagine!

On a completely different subject, I need to change my avatar. That one is old, and I want to look pretty for the large image that is posted under the heading of CURRENT CHAMPION!!!

Aaron Shurtleff | October 12, 2007
As much as it pains me to say it...

Great job, Steve! You deserve all accolades that fall upon you as CURRENT GOO CHAMPION!!!

And you can't get a better picture than the current one with Jagermeister in the background!

mmm....Jagermeister... :)

Shawn Brandt | October 12, 2007
Congrats Steve.

Scott - a suggestion for the next tourney. If there are more than 16 qualifiers, how about a play-in round? In this case, we had 18 qualifiers, so you could take the 4 qualifiers with the fewest correct guesses, and they'd play for the two final spots.

Joanna Woods | October 12, 2007
Congrats Steve!!!!!

Jerry Mathis | October 12, 2007
Nice job Steve! Well deserved.

Scott Hardie | October 13, 2007
I like to pretend that the three letters behind Steve spell "emo." But he ain't cryin' no more.

That's a good idea, Shawn. I like the bracketed tournament (still undecided whether it will be single- or double-elimination in the future), but having one player coast to the end at the bottom is silly. It hands them a cash prize that nobody else can earn, and seems contrary to the spirit of the competition. I'm still entertaining ideas, and yours is on the list.

My thought this week was to keep the same chart, but to let the top 24 scorers during the accumulation round enter the tournament, regardless of their final scores, with some kind of tiebreaking condition if multiple people tied for 24th place. That way, the chart would break down into three convenient groups of eight players, with a three-way competition on the final day. Also, to keep the top players from facing each other all the time, I would randomize the chart order. It's a little unfair to the newer players, but I think it needs to happen to keep this fresh. Comments?

Scott Hardie | October 14, 2007
Steve and Greg, I sent your prizes just now. Please alert me if you don't get them. Congrats again!


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