Everybody Into the Pools

I am a reality show junky. It's not the shows themselves that interest me, but my belief that all of them except perhaps Amazing Race are fixed from the start. Shows whose formats stay the same like America's Next Top Model or Survivor or The Apprentice will eventually develop a certain pattern; certain character archetypes that reek of producer or editor involvement, and eventually despite a few deviations they will become very predictable.

My habit has extended into the world of office pools. I usually have at least 2 or 3 going at once ranging from two player, $40 dollar pots, to 8 player $160 dollar pots. I have won big (Yeah Nicole Cycle 5) and have lost big (Stupid Lluvy Cycle 4) but the fun is in the playing--rooting for people you might normally loathe, hating your colleagues for taking your favourite (Damn You Gary for taking Chris Daughtry!) Oddly enough I miss quite a few episodes of the shows I have money on, but most of the fun is in the results anyway, except for America's Next Top Model of course, to which I have an almost religious fanaticism.

Below are the three shows I currently have pools going for:

America's Next Top Model

It's too bad this picture turned out shitty as ANTM is by far my favourite pool. It is exclusively between Sacha and I and the selection process is a hoot. I print out all the girls' pictures before the show begins and lay them out. We rock, paper, scissors who gets to go first and then schoolyard pick (they are in order of selection in the photo) until only one mutually disliked girl remains, and she is labeled the "Charity Case" (in this case Brooke) which means if she wins no one gets the money and the runner-up decides which charity gets the pot.

You can't really make it out in the picture but the losing girl's face is crossed off on her headshot while tears are drawn on the face of the other picture depicting how much of a crier she was upon being eliminated: Kathy got welling eyes and a slow full single tear running down her cheek, while Wendy has water gushing out of her eyes from every angle. God I love this show.

American Idol

We drew numbers to see which order the 3 of us got to pick in. I had to go last which means I lost Chris Daughtry to Gary. I pretty much think Chris has got this competition as well as my undying stalker-like love in the bag. When someone is eliminated their torn portrait is added to the pile of broken dreams. There is only one face there now, but 10 more souls have yet to feel the brutal slap of rejection and get tossed in the pile. Man, I take way too much pleasure in seeing reality show contestants topple.

The Amazing Race

This show got the most effort I have ever put into an office pool: colour profiles printed at home, 11 players each of which I took both a triumphant happy photo and a defeated upset photo to be exchanged if their team is eliminated. As you can see two teams have an eliminated stamp on their faces and both Marie and Gary look very distraught over it.

This is a pool where people choose their teams by lottery which means you often get people you'd rather see lose but hope win since it means a cash prize. I got Lake and Michelle in the pool. Lake is a complete asshole who is emotionally abusive to his wife and yet I still hope they win, and maybe Michelle can use her half to get a really good divorce lawyer.