Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Character Battle Round 2 - Green Division -CLOSED-

The voting for Round 1 has come to an end, with some of the more interesting matches being Eli's very close win over the Dean, Nicksay's convincing win over Ridgeway (which I did not expect) and CHARLIE GARDNER beating out the Disney Prince Lucas himself after only appearing in one episode. Way to go Charlie. You can see the results of round one here on the bracket. 


We've got an EXTREMELY exciting match here today, the battle of Eric's best friends, Jason vs Jack. I've been looking forward to this one.

MATCH #1

Eric Matthews
Contestant: Eric Randall Matthews
Portrayed By: Will Friedle (1993-2000, 2015-present)
First Episode: "Pilot"
Latest Episode: "Girl Meets Semi-Formal"
Signature Episode: "Brother Brother", "You Can Go Home Again", "Uncle Daddy", "Security Guy", "Learning to Fly", "Raging Cory", "Eric Hollywood", "Can I Help to Cheer You?", "I'm Gonna Be Like You, Dad", "Brotherly Shove"
Episode Count: 157 (and hopefully counting)
Claim to Fame: Cory's older brother
Occupation: Junior Senator from the State of New York, former Mayor of St. Upidtown.
Approximate Age: 37
Current Status: Splits time between St. Upidville, NY and Washington, D.C.
Strengths: Genius(/Idiot), Charismatic, Incorruptible
Weaknesses: Idiot(/Genius), Irresponsible, Occasional narcissism


vs.

Auggie Matthews
Contestant: August "Auggie" Matthews
Portrayed By: August Maturo (2014-present)
First Episode: "Girl Meets World"
Latest Episode: Ongoing
Signature Episode: "Girl Meets Game Night", "Girl Meets First Date"
Episode Count: 27 (and counting)
Claim to Fame: Cory and Topanga's son
Occupation: First grader
Approximate Age: 6
Current Status: Living in Manhattan
Strengths: Imaginative, Sweet, Animated
Weaknesses: Pushover, Superfluous, has pretty weak stories


THIS SET OF MATCHES IS CLOSED.
Eric has dominated Auggie with 98% of the vote against 2%.

MATCH #2

Jason Marsden
Contestant: Jason Marsden
Portrayed By: Jason Marsden (1994-1995)
First Episode: "Model Family"
Latest Episode: "Home"
Signature Episode: "Me and Mr. Joad", "Notorious", "Wrong Side of the Tracks"
Episode Count: 9
Claim to Fame: Eric's first sidekick
Occupation: Unknown
Approximate Age: 37
Current Status: Unknown
Strengths: Clever, can handle Eric
Weaknesses: Weak-willed, usually invisible to women

vs.

Jack Hunter
Contestant: Jack Hunter
Portrayed By: Matthew Lawrence (1997-2000, 2015)
First Episode: "Brothers"
Latest Episode: "Girl Meets Semi-Formal"
Signature Episode: "Brothers", "Boy Meets Real World", "Getting Hitched", "You Light Up My Union", "Girl Meets Semi-Formal"
Episode Count: 65
Claim to Fame: Shawn's half-brother, Eric's second sidekick
Occupation: Lobbyist/Corporate Shill 
Approximate Age: 37
Current Status: Living in.... New York? Was that made clear?
Strengths: Driven, Practical, Good guy deep down, Can handle Eric [though not quite as well as Jason]
Weaknesses: Amoral, Elitist, Vain, If It Ain't Broke....

THIS SET OF MATCHES IS CLOSED.
Jack has just narrowly defeated Jason with 53% of the vote against 47%.

51 comments:

  1. I voted for Eric and Jack....I know, I know.

    Eric was an obvious vote--much as I have a soft spot for Auggie's relationship with Riley, indeed I count it as one of the show's strengths--how could I not vote for the Good Looking Detective?

    And Jack is a long shot I admit, but I like an underdog and I like redemption stories. I think we may see Jack again, probably reuniting with Shawn and that's something I want to see very much. And besides, I don't think Feeny spoke to Jason more than three times, but he gave one of the very best Feeny Lessons of all time to Jack: "Fine mind, good heart."

    Now, obviously Jack didn't listen, and for that he must sit in the corner, think about what he did and then watch "Girl Meets Fish" as a punishment.

    Look at it this way, if Jack and Eric win, then we can call the next bracket "Raaaaaaaaaaaaaachel!"

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  2. Jason and Auggie for me. I really don't care for Eric like everyone else seems to. I have no issues with Will Friedle, just don't care for moron Eric. So 1 vote (probably the only vote) for Cousin Auggie.

    Never really was invested in Jack either. Jason was a better character.

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    1. I still don't think you're particularly fair to Eric. Even Season 4 alone establishes him as easily one of the, if not THE, best developed characters in this whole franchise.To dismiss him as a simple moron is unfair, in my opinion. But c'est la vie.

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    2. Now now, Christian, it takes all kinds to make it in this world. Sentimental, rabbit hole dwellers like me. Analytical Eric lovers like you. Analytical Shawn lovers like Sean. People who prefer "Wonder Years" to "Boy Meets World."

      Relevant scene from franchise:
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfOvh7eWe5k

      I wish the writers had decided to bring this back when Mr. Squirrels ran for Senate. This is Eric at his best in Season 5.

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    3. You may be right and Eric might be the best developed character, but if we all held the same opinions of every character we could have just started with Feeny, Cory, Shawn and Eric and saved ourselves a lot of time. (Please don't take this as a criticism of this entire endeavor, which I am enjoying)

      I do understand that the vast majority of people that come here agree with you on this, but truly, Eric never resonated with me after Jason left the show. I think the only time I liked him after season 2 was at the end of "A Long Walk to Pittsburgh" part1 when he was actually trying to comfort Cory. And after Jack entered the picture I pretty much disliked every minute of him.

      As I said I believe Will is a fine comedic actor and I am a big fan of his voice work (he has a new series starting on Disney XD at the end of this month - Guardians of the Galaxy - he voices Star Lord) and I thought that Eric was actually pretty good in Semi-Formal, but I don't see this character ever being a favorite of mine.

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    4. And I think all of this is fair, and maybe it's a good reason to not vote for Eric against... say, Alan, or Maya, or Feeny. But Auggie? I guess it was just hard not to see that as like "I won't vote for Eric on principle no matter who he goes up against." which I hope it isn't.

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    5. (Though, I dunno, I suspect maybe if you rewatched Season 4 right now, you might decide you're judging Eric a little harshly, he's got some painfully emotional stuff that season)

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    6. Will voiced two other really important characters in the legacy of 90s and early 00s animation. He was Ron Stoppable and the New Batman in "Batman Beyond." Which means he is awesome.

      I think back to what you said a while back Christian, that it wasn't until you were in college that you caught re-runs and began to really appreciate what Cory, Eric and Shawn went through in their effort to get into college. I agree that Season 3-5 Eric is by far the most iconic. That said, I don't think we ever saw a more distraught Eric than when he told Tommy he was not going to adopt him. That was some of Will's finest live-action performing, bar none.

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    7. Christian, let me ask you something. Did you guys believe that Eric would win 100% of the vote over Auggie/Ava? You might be right that I should have voted for Eric if I was being reasonable, but it was likely someone would not vote for Eric, I just happen to be one of the folks that posts their thoughts here.

      Someone voted for Josh over Cory and I didn't see any reaction from you on that. Josh has been in like 4 episodes and serves no purpose other than to be eye candy for Maya so far. At least Auggie gets his story lines and has appeared in over 20 episodes and IS important to Riley.

      So in the big scheme of things, I might be in the wrong here, but I would truly have to dislike Eric's opponent in order for me to vote for him in the future.

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    8. Sure, I probably did. Why not? Shawn's winning 100%, and so is Feeny.

      As for Cory, it boggles my mind someone would vote against him too, but Josh is actually a reasonable choice. And though Auggie's been in more episode than Josh. So, like, has Yogi. Pure episode count isn't the issue here. I'd certainly vote for Josh over Auggie. Auggie's kind of a weak link on this show.

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    9. I actually agree with 1960, if we all had the same opinions we could have just started with the final four.

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    10. I mean, okay. I just.... man, why even watch Boy Meets World if you dislike Eric?

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    11. *Grabs olive branch to offer peace*

      In response to that Christian and 1960:

      Well, if you don't like Eric, there's always Shawn. His dynamic with Feeny is possibly more interesting than Eric's.

      Cory-and-Shawn bromance, what is there more to say?

      The supporting cast--Frankie and Joey being really ineffective bullies when they finally get the courage to stand up to Harley and Griff.

      The musings of the grown-ups; Alan's mid-life crisis, Turner's growth into something more than a Cool Teacher.

      That's a fair point, Sean. The vast majority of us hold most of the same characters in high esteem--why not have them face-off earlier and allow for an underdog to have a chance? I mean, I know why--an overwhelming match-up isn't as interesting in the middle of the competition than the beginning.

      On a second note, I think I might be Frankie's fiercest supporter on this blog. But Frankie's probably going to lose to Stuart, and even then he's almost certainly doomed against any of the other upper tiers.

      If nothing else, this bracket has spawned a discussion. Discussions are nice.

      *Offers a second olive branch*
      *Offers a third olive branch*

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    12. It's all good, I certainly am not upset about this exchange. I have been reading various sites on the web for years, but this is really the first one I got a login for so I could comment. I like the good back and forth everyone has as well as the adult tone of the conversation. I don't see how some of you guys post on IMDB. That place seems too immature.

      Anyway, back to this discussion, I imagine that if Jack defeats Jason that I might have to vote for Eric in the next round. The additions of Jack and Rachel to BMW didn't make the show better for me, so I can't see me voting for Jack.

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    13. IMDB is a cesspool. Without being too specific, I've been watching the numbers come in for Jack vs Jason CONSTANTLY and it is without question the closest match yet.

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    14. Shhhhh! Sean, IMDB is a portal straight out of Dante's Inferno! If you thought the rabbit hole was scary.... I've never seen a more dedicated bunch of drivel-drabble peddlers. And even the depths of IMDB are nothing, nothing compared to Fanfiction.net. And worst of all is Archive of Our Own

      I wouldn't go near IMDB without a whole fleet of trained medics and sanitation workers.

      I wouldn't go touch Fanfiction.net with a thirty-three-and-a-half-foot pole.

      I wouldn't go near Archive of Our Own without a hazmat suit, a backup hazmat suit, a notarized will in my safety deposit box, or an exorcist.

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    15. Surely these places aren't any worst than Tumblr?

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    16. What is the Tumblr of which you speak? Surely you do not mean the Lair of SJWs?

      I'd need a full team of exorcists.

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  3. You know, I'm actually gonna say Jack is a bit over-hated on these blogs, and I vote him

    I like Jason a lot, but Jack has always been more compelling to me

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    1. Jason's funnier than Jack I think, but he only existed as a comedic character. Jack had potential for more serious storylines that didn't get the development they deserved--and they had plenty of time to do so, he was on for three seasons.

      That being said, Jason Marsden is super awesome. He was Haru in "Spirited Away" and Max in "A Goofy Movie!"

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  4. Shipping Wars are StupidSeptember 2, 2015 at 1:22 PM

    So, I voted for Eric. Big Eric fan. Bigger fan of the actor. Auggie's.....a kid and I don't really like kid-kids. (Nothing against the actor)

    If 1960 doesn't want to, it's his/her choice. Besides, part of what makes this board awesome is the chance to debate.

    And I voted for Jack...I LOVE Jason Marsden, but I feel that his character was "Put Up With Eric" and the thing I remember most about him was when he had to get Eric back from that southern belle. He disappeared and was never mentioned again. That's a shame. Jack was marginally more interesting being Shawn's half brother which they didn't really do enough with it.

    And as a side note, it's hysterical that with a fraction of the screen time, Charlie beat Lucas. Hahahahahahahahhaha

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    1. Haha, okay, easy everyone. No one's keeping 1960 from voting for whomever he wants, but you're right, the chance to debate is fun... and so I was debating why he wouldn't vote for Eric. It's not like I expect him to change his vote... actually, I doubt he even could if he wanted to.

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    2. Does this mean I can stop breaking off branches of my olive tree? It needs time to regrow--Feeny knows we're going to need all the peace treaties we can get when the shipping wars begin to escalate.

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  5. I maybe have to have another heart to heart with my sister and come back to vote on Jason v.s. Jack afterwards.

    Like I love Jason Marsden, he's one of my all time favorite actors ever, but that's the actor himself. The actual character of Jason Marsden on the show proper, well there's really not much to him. He's funny and a joy to watch but there's nothing deeper to it than that.

    Now Jack does have actual development. Poorly under-utilized development, but development none the less. Now this may just be me, but I prefer potential characterization over none at all. And season 7 and GMW has given Jack loads of potential to work with....

    But than again it's JASON MARSDEN! *squee* I just don't know guys.

    Oh and of course Eric over Auggie, easy. And I have nothing against Auggie, it's just Eric's my fav character in the Feeny-verse.

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    1. Ha ha! Use of the term "Feeny-verse" is spreading!

      Jason Marsden is certainly a better comedic actor than Matt Lawerence, as far as the Feeny-verse is concerned. His antics with Eric are pretty much guaranteed a laugh. That said, he was in a fraction of the episodes as Jack, didn't leave nearly as defining an impact as Harley or Frankie who were in a comparable number of episodes in the early seasons.

      Jack wasn't as funny, but he was there for a much longer time, and had his share of serious episodes.

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    2. I thought it over and went with Jack. I don't seem to have the same hang ups over Matt Lawrence's acting abilities as some others on here and I do enjoy his character from season 7 onwards which is more developed than Jason's.

      I'm so sorry Jason! If this had been a pick you favorite "actor" poll rather than a "character" one. You would of won easily.

      Now I must go and watch The Weekenders and A Goofy Movie to make up for this.

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  6. So my complete BWV set arrived today…well, it’s at the post office I have to go pick it tomorrow. 21 discs. I hate you all for making me want to undertake this.

    Looking forward to understanding what the big deal is about Eric. Based solely on GMW, it’s hard to fully grasp.

    Don’t get me wrong, he is obviously a very good and funny actor, and Semi-Formal was fine script. I also don’t begrudge BMW fans getting what they came for, or the show giving it to them.

    But, for other of the BMW returned, though missing subtext and call backs, I could follow what was going on, even with Angela, even with the ghost of Shawn’s dad.

    Eric’s arrival left me at sea. I could place him on the Matthews’ family tree, and that was it. Moses with a lollipop around his neck? Barking a marching tune while marking time? What was any of that supposed to be?

    I thought the tag at the end of Mr. Squirrels was as unpromising as the preview for Fish or as the title World of Terror 2. The Washington episode wasn’t as bad as I feared, but still could have been called Girl Meets the Sidelines.

    I don’t think the show is doing itself any favours by have Riley be the niece of a senator, either.

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    1. Okay, in response to the titles--that's all on Disney. The industry in general is fixated on gimmicky titles, and I do agree that probably forces the writers to be a little more...heavy-handed than they would be if Disney executives read this blog. I'm willing to be the writers and maybe even some of the actors at least know we exist--but they may not be allowed to admit they read the blog by rule of contract. Back to titles: "Girl Meets -----" "Friends" had "The One with the X" so this is much the same.

      Eric is...well, words can only do so much Milestones. Eric's arc is among the best in coming-of-age, live-action television. There can only be one Eric Matthews. Christian and Sean love Eric, and they weren't happy with what Season 7 did to him.

      And I wouldn't worry about Riley being the niece of a senator. Eric's only going to be in a handful of episodes and his role is largely as Riley's uncle.

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    2. Milestones, you will certainly enjoy BMW. It was my second favorite show of the 1990s.

      The Mr. Squirrels stuff only happens once in the middle of season 7. That is why a lot of long time fans were not happy that that was how Eric was introduced into GMW. They could have gone many different ways, but I guess with the story line they had in mind I guess it was necessary.

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    3. Have fun, milestone! You're in for a treat. I will caution you that the show takes a bit to find it's legs. None of the characters you know are really gonna seem all that much like themselves for a while.

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    4. Milestone, you are in for a treat my friend. A real treat.

      Mr. Squirrels was a one-off joke, and I'd be lying if I said I liked it. The writers want to make me like it? Have Eric use the costume as a means for his job as a Mr. Rogers/Mrs. Doubtfire character--talks to the kids and his puppets, telling them all the life lessons he learned from Feeny.

      Is that fanficy? Sure, but that idea of mine was only if the writers wanted to go with the Mr. Squirrels set-up.

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    5. Thanks, gang.
      Based on the love for the character found on this blog, I take it as given that Eric is awesome in BMW. I also accept that it will take time for that show to hit it is stride. Knowing in advance that it will do this helps. I really am looking forward to seeing it.

      The thing about Riley, Cyptid, isn’t so much her interactions with Eric as her preposterous connectivity. As I was trying to grin-and-bear my way through the school board meeting scene of Creativity, I was wondering if Riley’s awkward, public dance in support of a social/political cause, coming from the niece of US senator, wouldn’t garner media attention. Maybe her sneaking out to NYU would now wind up in the papers.

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    6. A fair point...but I'd think Eric would give the paparazzi a severe lecture about invading peoples' privacy and how they're better people than they let themselves be.

      And, oy, that school board meeting scene...

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    7. Cryptid456- fanficy may be a term I use on this blog or in another at some point. Thank you for inventing it or introducing me to it.

      milestones1958-I have a strong feeling that Riley's dance in front of the school board was supposed to be a reference to this scene from BMW.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7taeh1djd8k&t=0m47s

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    8. That could well be, Kit Cosmo. Thanks for the link!

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  7. Eric and Jack. This one wasn't too hard for me. Auggie is just a kid and its hard for a lot of young child actors to make an impression at that age, obvious exception are the Olsen Twins on Full House. Jack over Jason because a lot of my recollections of Jason are blurry. In comparison, while Jack is not a very likable character, he was a more intricate character than Jason ever was.

    Also, I feel bad for Lucas. He hasn't been the best developed character, but Charlie has only been on one episode. And Peyton has been improving. Oh well.

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    1. I too feel for Lucas. I'll be honest, I haven't been impressed with Charlie that much. To me he's just another version of season 1 Lucas. Too perfect to be interesting.

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    2. Full disclosure: I voted for Charlie, just to shake things up. I did not expect to win.

      Charlie might not be very interesting, but he's had one episode that showed he had ambition and a desire for a little extravagance in his asking Riley to the semi-formal.

      Lucas has been Mr. Perfect/Mr. Boring/Mr. Disney Prince for a season and a half.

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    3. I totally get why people would vote against Lucas. Makes all the sense in the world to me, but still feel for Lucas. Hopefully, come GM Texas we'll see the character of Lucas get a kick in the ass in terms of development.

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  8. Lmao, yeah, Chaaaaarlie!

    Guys, what are the chances that this character will have a bigger role in the future? I can't imagine that the writers will ignore how quickly the viewers have taken to him, right? I mean, he's going to be Riley's ever-lasting love, right?

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    1. Or, it could be that, having steered Riley away from Lucas, his mission on GMW is complete and we will never see him again. May depend upon fan response.

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    2. The writers already told us in their Q&A last Friday that Charlie will return for an episode in October, though they didn't tell us which one. I would assume we will see him more in the future.

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  9. Hey guys, I'm a long time lurker of GMW Reviewed and BMW Reviewed. For my first comment ever, I want to thank Sean for opening my eyes about Eric. I always liked the character but never really appreciated Eric/Will Friedle until reading BMW Reviewed. For that, I'm a life long fan of yours. So thanks and keep up the good work Sean and Christian (and all of you regular commenters)!

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    1. Woah, thank you so much! That's the coolest thing I've ever read, I'm so glad to have you on board. Eric is such a special character to me, it's extremely gratifying to know that I did a good job of conveying that.

      P.S. I heart Griff too.

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  10. I'm pretty much the only one to vote for Aubrey wasn't I?

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    1. Can I ask a serious question here (I promise I'm not trying to start a fight)? Did you vote for Aubrey the character because you actually liked her or did you vote for Debby Ryan?

      Personally I'd have less issue with the vote if you voted for Debby than if you thought Aubrey was a better character, but to each his own.

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    2. Oh God Aubrey was a pretty horrible character (I mean as a fictional character, not just of moral character), up there with Crazy Hat, Astronaut Horse and a bunch of other stuff from that episode. So yes, I'll admit that I voted for her just because of Debby. In fact I'll even go so far as to say that I kind of regret voting for her on the basis of the character and I'm glad Farkle won.

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    3. Fair enough. Thanks for the reply

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  11. With Round 1 complete, seems like the right time to check-in on Christian vs. Sean in the bracket matchup.

    Round 1, number of correctly predicted winners (out of a total of 24)

    Christian: 22 (Wrong: Dean over Eli, Smackle over Lennie)
    Sean: 21 (Wrong: Wendy over Amy, Smackle over Lennie, Morgan #2 over Morgan #1)

    While I'm no MATH MAJOR like Sean here, I believe that means I'm presently winning!

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    1. I wonder if anyone's going to be able to claim they win the whole thing.

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