# 2010 American Idol Top 12 Prediction Game **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [March 12, 2010, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-american-idol-top-12-prediction-game/532287 "2010-03-12T19:53:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-american-idol-top-12-prediction-game/532287/41 "2010-04-22T15:12:40Z")
It’s strange that Google spreadsheets automatically save while the documents do not. If I had time, I’d figure out who wins under what conditions, but that’s beyond what a spreadsheet can easily do. It looks like I’m stuck near or at the bottom in any case. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-american-idol-top-12-prediction-game/532287/42 "2010-04-22T16:09:29Z")
> [@RachelChristine](#): > > Well I feel like it’s possible I could do good for another week or two, but I have never understood why I picked Big Mike to win. I’m gonna crumble soon, but it feels so awesome to be top of the pack! Spoilering this, just in case anyone doesn’t want to know how this game will end: I just ran a couple of simulations in which your remaining picks were as wrong as possible. Doesn’t matter – you’ve already got this thing wrapped up. You have an insurmountable lead, and barring some bizarre confluence of eliminations that I didn’t take into account, you’re this year’s winner – congrats! ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-american-idol-top-12-prediction-game/532287/43 "2010-04-29T14:39:21Z")
Siobhan leaving now helped me substantially. It looks like a lot you over-estimated how long she’d last. And I know well about over-estimating. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![RachelChristine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7ab992/32.png) [@RachelChristine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RachelChristine)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2010, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-american-idol-top-12-prediction-game/532287/44 "2010-05-06T04:25:09Z")
Well, two points for me this week. 😉 I’m just so excited that my top 4 is right! I think it will be really, really wrong as we go into it, but it’s cool to have the correct top 4. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-american-idol-top-12-prediction-game/532287/45 "2010-05-13T16:44:43Z")
For the first time this year, someone left the week I predicted they would. Of course, I had Lee going at number 7, so I have a huge wallop of points still coming my way. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-american-idol-top-12-prediction-game/532287/46 "2010-05-13T17:10:29Z")
Crazy – if the next two weeks bring about my predicted finish, Casey-Crystal-Lee, then I’ll finish tied for second place…but still a full _eight points_ off the lead. To bring it into perspective, the last time we did this I was part of a three-way tie for the win. We each finished with 22 points, setting the standard for scoring in this game. This time I’m hoping for the above-mentioned finish, which would put me one better – finishing with 21. But the new record would be a ridiculously low _thirteen_. Unreal job this season, **RachelChristine**! ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2010, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-american-idol-top-12-prediction-game/532287/47 "2010-05-23T01:24:14Z")
I’ll add two more points either way, so I’ll finish with 29. Since **infinitii** already has 31, that means I’ll avoid the cellar, and thus improve over my placing from two years ago. Woo hoo! :o ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-american-idol-top-12-prediction-game/532287/48 "2010-05-26T05:03:57Z")
> [@Hal\_Briston](#): > > Crazy – if the next two weeks bring about my predicted finish, Casey-Crystal-Lee, then I’ll finish tied for second place…but still a full _eight points_ off the lead. > > To bring it into perspective, the last time we did this I was part of a three-way tie for the win. We each finished with 22 points, setting the standard for scoring in this game. This time I’m hoping for the above-mentioned finish, which would put me one better – finishing with 21. But the new record would be a ridiculously low _thirteen_. > > Unreal job this season, **RachelChristine**! * * * Ok, I totally missed this until way after the deadline this year though I did get in on the Fun Office Pools game, so I didn’t bother to comment here this year **BUT:** Before anyone gets too choked up about Hal’s great score and yet apparent stunning loss, keep in mind, he is about to kick serious ass in the Pool when Lee wins tomorrow. Oh, and congrats to **RachelChristine** for stomping everyone like bugs this year. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2010, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-american-idol-top-12-prediction-game/532287/49 "2010-05-27T13:59:33Z")
All right, it’s in the books now: No shocker here – **RachelChristine** stomped all over everyone else. Nicely done! For posterity’s sake, here’s how the field ended up: 1 RachelChristine 13 2 Hal Briston 21 2 It’s Not Rocket Surgery! 21 4 Ataraxy 25 5 judikium 27 5 Face Intentionally Left Blank 27 7 Drain Bead 29 7 Sam Stone 29 7 Sternvogel 29 7 Rachael Rage 29 11 Gorgonzola 31 11 Winston Bongo 31 13 infinitii 13 13 Pleonast 33 15 Tangent 35 ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2010, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-american-idol-top-12-prediction-game/532287/50 "2010-05-27T15:26:07Z")
Dead Ass Last! Go me! 😃 TUrban sticking around too long hurt me, and I had Lee going out at #6. :smack: It was kind of a weird season. After her early performances, I thought for sure Siobhan would at least be final 3. But she lost her mojo pretty quickly and I wasn’t surprised when she left. I actually won this thing a couple of years ago (Jordin Sparks’ season). ---
**Author:** ![RachelChristine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7ab992/32.png) [@RachelChristine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RachelChristine)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2010, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-american-idol-top-12-prediction-game/532287/51 "2010-05-27T21:45:35Z")
GO ME! I can’t believe I won. I feel so awesome right now! ---
**Author:** ![Rachael\_Rage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71c47a/32.png) [@Rachael\_Rage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachael_Rage)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-american-idol-top-12-prediction-game/532287/52 "2010-05-28T06:49:36Z")
Congratulations, almost-namesake! Well clearly my strategy of dividing the group into categories then guessing the vote-off order within each category…wasn’t much of a strategy. Thanks for letting me in even though I was late! ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-american-idol-top-12-prediction-game/532287/53 "2010-05-28T20:24:49Z")
I did as poorly in this one as I did well in the weekly game. I’m really impressed by **RachelChristine** ’s 13 total points. That means she was off by about 1 place per contestant. That’s scary good! Do you have any stock picks? Or an opinion about the NBA playoffs? 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-american-idol-top-12-prediction-game/532287.md?page=2)