Update: Round 2 will begin on Monday around noon, CST. Thanks for your patience in advance.
Welcome to the final set of polls for round 1. What a difference a day makes. While the first 2 poll sets had a great turnout, the last polls did not generate much interest. In fact, the character with the least number of votes on day 2 had more votes than any entire poll for day 3. The character with the most votes on day 2 had over 3 times the votes for any entire poll on day 3. Therefore, the percentages are misleading and I’m not sure what this means for future voting. This may be the sleeper side of the bracket so votes may hold more percentage weight here. We’ll have to see how today goes as we end round 1. Characters advancing to round 2 are Matt Casey, Bellamy Blake, Olivia Benson, Bucky Barnes, Jake Peralta, Loki Laufeyson, and Jamie Frasier. Over in the prediction contest, Cyn Kin and BucsRaysBolts are in the lead with 17 points but Tylen and no name are right behind with 16 points. Congrats to you all! For the first time this Cup, my prediction bracket is doing better than my wish bracket. All that means is they are both done terribly. Better luck to you all and don’t forget that there will be no polls on Saturday. Happy voting!
To ensure that everybody has a good time, please read the rules below. It is important that everyone be kind and fair to make this the most fun for everyone. There are also links below to the list of character rankings/stats and the prediction contest leaderboard. Stats will be updated as polls close. The daily TV Talk Topic will be found above the polls each time. We have a new TV Talk Topic every day and all are encouraged to participate. It's my favorite part of the contest. I’ve also added the bracket results below the polls.
For those of you with underdog characters, get the word out now because round 1 is where the biggest change can happen. Generally there are fewer votes in round 1, so it is far easier for an upset. Good luck to all and happy voting!
Rankings/Brackets
Round will end at approximately 5:00 pm CST on Friday, July 9. Round 2 polls will not start until Sunday afternoon CST.
1. Don't take it too seriously! Have fun. Discuss. Play nice.
2. Cheaters suck! - Only one vote per person per poll please. While we will do our best to keep this contest running smoothly, it's up to each person to follow the rules. This Cup is just a fun little piece of internet fluff. It won't get anyone's show renewed or un-cancelled. It has zero effect on ratings. It won't be seen by anyone who has any power in the TV industry, so there is zero reason to cheat. All cheaters do is disrespect themselves, their fandom, their show, the actors, and this community. Just don't.
3. Focus on characters, not people. Talking about what you like and dislike about a character is encouraged. Going after actors or fans is not.
4. The aliens have not landed. There's no conspiracy here. I will do my very best to keep the contest running smoothly, but I do make mistakes. I apologize in advance for any technical difficulties, spelling errors, and general absentmindedness. Let me know and I'll fix it.
5. Comments are life. As you anxiously await the return of your shows, why not distract yourself with a little TV Talk? Each day is a new topic so even if your favorites are out, you can still discuss. While this contest is just a silly little distraction, the conversation here dives deep, so jump on in.
6. Nuts and Bolts - All polls are active for about 24 hours. The winners advance to the next round. In the case of a tie, both characters go to the next round. New polls should go up every day and polls may sometimes overlap each other. Any questions? Ask away in the comments.
Midseason characters sometimes get a bad rap as being a last-ditch effort to save a show (Cousin Oliver on The Brady Bunch). However, there are a lot of great midseason characters that fill the hole of exiting characters, provide a fresh perspective, or become iconic on the show itself (see Faith on Buffy). What mid-series character additions were your favorites? (Thanks to Start Wearing Purple for the topic idea.)
