# American Idol Top 36 Pool **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [February 6, 2009, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-36-pool/484733 "2009-02-06T18:41:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**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:** [March 4, 2009, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-36-pool/484733/61 "2009-03-04T12:20:40Z")
Picks for the final preliminary round are due in before the show airs tonight. Make sure you get 'em in! Also, keep in mind that there is no prediction regarding the Wild Card players. See the alert on the game page for the details. ---
**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:** [March 5, 2009, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-36-pool/484733/62 "2009-03-05T00:41:11Z")
20 minutes, everyone! Get 'em in if you haven’t already done so… ---
**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:** [March 5, 2009, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-36-pool/484733/63 "2009-03-05T01:45:34Z")
I was going to complain that it was too easy to get all the points if you look at DialIdol, but then DialIdol got it wrong, so never mind. (but…crap!) ---
**Author:** ![Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f19dbf/32.png) [@Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Only_Mostly_Dead)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2009, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-36-pool/484733/64 "2009-03-05T01:47:58Z")
> [@Rachael\_Rage](#): > > I was going to complain that it was too easy to get all the points if you look at DialIdol, but then DialIdol got it wrong, so never mind. (but…crap!) DialIdol seems a bit against the spirit, as did people dumping 20 points into Danny the first week, before the rule change. Not that I’m bitter. Actually, this week, I’m not. I guessed Jorge would make it through. Full 20 points. ---
**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:** [March 5, 2009, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-36-pool/484733/65 "2009-03-05T01:49:41Z")
Damnit! I decided I wanted to switch from Ju’not to Jorge, but I was one minute too late. Would have tagged the entire top nine. Ah well… ---
**Author:** ![Millit\_the\_Frail](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/51bf81/32.png) [@Millit\_the\_Frail](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Millit_the_Frail)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2009, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-36-pool/484733/66 "2009-03-05T05:38:44Z")
I only now discovered this thread–I was looking in CS. D’oh! I’ll enjoy the view from the top this week, but I’m sure to tank soon, if past performance is any indicator! I’m not at all comfortable with Gokey as my top pick, so watch me start jumping all over the place… I adore Jorge, and I wanted him to make it out of admiration (and concern for my ears), but I swear, when his name was called, my first words were “3 for 3, bitches! Woohoo!” ---
**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:** [March 5, 2009, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-36-pool/484733/67 "2009-03-05T13:15:36Z")
> [@Millit\_the\_Frail](#): > > I’m not at all comfortable with Gokey as my top pick, so watch me start jumping all over the place… Keep in mind that the Overall Pick is worth (3 points X number of contestants remaining). That means if you can change your overall pick any time up until next week’s results, and your potential points (36) will remain the same. ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2009, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-36-pool/484733/68 "2009-03-05T15:43:43Z")
Man, I can’t believe Blind Guy got through. Are my wife and I the only ones who think he’s “just OK” as a singer? Is the sympathy vote really that strong? boo… 6 points down the drain… ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2009, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-36-pool/484733/69 "2009-03-05T15:52:03Z")
> [@gonzoron](#): > > Man, I can’t believe Blind Guy got through. Are my wife and I the only ones who think he’s “just OK” as a singer? Is the sympathy vote really that strong? boo… 6 points down the drain… He’s a good singer, actually. Out of every man that sang Tuesday, he was only beaten by Jorge, in my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![phungi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phungi/32/395_2.png) [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2009, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-36-pool/484733/70 "2009-03-05T18:28:39Z")
Can someone clarify what, if anything, is “due”? Do I wait until after tonight’s final 3 wild cards are assigned before picking the finalists? ---
**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:** [March 5, 2009, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-36-pool/484733/71 "2009-03-05T19:24:27Z")
> [@phungi](#): > > Can someone clarify what, if anything, is “due”? > > Do I wait until after tonight’s final 3 wild cards are assigned before picking the finalists? We’re all done for this week, and with the first portion of the game. There is no prediction to be made regarding the three wild cards. Beginning next week things switch up, and instead of picking who we think will make it, we start picking who we think will be eliminated. There will be no more restriction on how many points can be assigned to your pick – you can put all 20 points on one singer, or spread them out as much as you like. Keep in mind that there is also the “overall pick” portion of the game – this is who you think will wind up being the eventual winner of _American Idol_ 2009. The earlier you make this pick, the more points it’s worth. I see that you, among others, have yet to make an overall pick. Here’s a list of everyone who still need to pit in an overall pick: **phungi** , **infinitii** , **Ataraxy** , **rebo1026** , **DudleyGarrett** and **Lush Puppy**. Get 'em in before next week’s results show to get the maximum points you can! ---
**Author:** ![Millit\_the\_Frail](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/51bf81/32.png) [@Millit\_the\_Frail](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Millit_the_Frail)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2009, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-36-pool/484733/72 "2009-03-05T20:14:40Z")
Picking who’s going to be eliminated is going to be much harder, IMHO. And yes, I think Scott’s vocal abilities aren’t as strong as most are making them out to be. I’m sure he’s picking up votes and praise based on his story. I’m not entirely disappointed in this, because I see the show as a cultural force in the same vein as the Ed Sullivan Show or American Bandstand. Welcoming diversity is one of the ways that this show stays relevant–bringing all kinds of different people into Middle America’s living room. There are still some hurdles to bust through, like the “Shhhh! Don’t be so gay!” one, but we’ve seen huge strides since the first season–where pretty much everyone looked straight out of Boy Band & Pop Tart Magazine. As I said before, it’s primarily a TV show, and if it forgets that, then it’ll be doomed to fail. ---
**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:** [March 6, 2009, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-36-pool/484733/73 "2009-03-06T18:46:42Z")
> [@Millit\_the\_Frail](#): > > Picking who’s going to be eliminated is going to be much harder, IMHO. As if picking the winners was easy. 😛 ---
**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:** [March 11, 2009, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-36-pool/484733/74 "2009-03-11T03:06:24Z")
Uh oh…looks like they pulled a fast one on folks who run pools – two people are going home tomorrow. I’m going to guess an emergency revamping of the site is the reason it’s down right now. However, I’m going to guess that it won’t make that much of a difference from our prespective. Just make sure to get those picks in! ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-36-pool/484733/75 "2009-03-11T11:56:52Z")
It doesn’t look like they have revised the site to reflect the elimination of two tonight. The only real issue is the first bonus question, right? For the elimination part, if we assign points to one or more people we should be OK. If we put all our points on one, and that person is sent home, we get all those points. ---
**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:** [March 11, 2009, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-36-pool/484733/76 "2009-03-11T15:55:07Z")
So we’re trying to pick who gets eliminated tonight? ---
**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:** [March 11, 2009, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-36-pool/484733/77 "2009-03-11T16:50:18Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > So we’re trying to pick who gets eliminated tonight? Yup. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-36-pool/484733/78 "2009-03-11T16:59:29Z")
Is there a point cap at all for each individual? It looks like I can place all 20 points on one person if I want, right? ---
**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:** [March 11, 2009, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-36-pool/484733/79 "2009-03-11T17:12:18Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Is there a point cap at all for each individual? It looks like I can place all 20 points on one person if I want, right? Sure enough. The point cap was only in effect for the 2nd and 3rd Wild Card weeks. After Adam made it in WC Week #1, they realized that everyone could pick up an easy 20 points by picking each week’s ringer to make it through. That lead to the “no more than seven point on any pick” rule. You could still get 20 points, but only if you picked all three Wild Cards correctly that week. Since there is only one person being eliminated each week (well, except for this week), the limitation is no longer in effect. Dump all 20 on one player you think will go, or hedge your bets and spread them around. Your choice… ---
**Author:** ![Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f19dbf/32.png) [@Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Only_Mostly_Dead)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-36-pool/484733/80 "2009-03-11T23:57:50Z")
I’ve made my decisions, and I’m sticking by them. That being said, I surfed over to DialIdol, and if their estimates are anywhere near correct, I’m in for very few points. I’d rather play based on my own guesses, I suppose. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-36-pool/484733.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-36-pool/484733.md?page=5)