# 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:** 6
**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 2, 2009, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-36-pool/484733/101 "2009-04-02T13:32:53Z")
Nicely done, **Mahaloth**! But man, am I ticked at the guys who run the pool and their less-than-clear bonus questions. They put three points up for grabs on “Who is the last singer to learn they are safe?”. “Ok”, thinks me, “I think Scott will be the last one to find out that he’s not in the bottom three.” Errrr, except that’s not the definition of “safe” that they were looking for. Had I realized what they meant, I’d be putting up 25 points right next to you this week. But, I can’t complain about going up by 22… ---
**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:** [April 2, 2009, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-36-pool/484733/102 "2009-04-02T14:16:41Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Ooooh, I kicked butt this week! 🙂 Congratulations! mumble grumble coulda been me 😃 I was struggling between Megan and Anoop, because I don’t entirely trust DialIdol, and Anoop gave lip to the judges, which historically doesn’t go over well, so I went halfsies. At least I didn’t put it all on Anoop, which I did in the Entertainment Weekly challenge so I’m something like 5,000th place now. Also I’m sad to end my bonus questions streak, because I _would have_ chosen Anoop if I had been convinced Megan was leaving. OH WELL! **Lesson:** I shouldn’t trust my gut feelings. I like that this is getting more, not less, challenging as the season wears on. ---
**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:** [April 2, 2009, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-36-pool/484733/103 "2009-04-02T14:51:05Z")
> [@Hal\_Briston](#): > > Nicely done, **Mahaloth**! But man, am I ticked at the guys who run the pool and their less-than-clear bonus questions. They put three points up for grabs on “Who is the last singer to learn they are safe?” I had similar confusion with the ambiguity of the question… did _safe_ mean _last to learn they are not in the bottom 3_ or did it mean _last person standing, not eliminated_… still happy with my 22 points this week… it helps balance my 4-month 0-fer in the Dead Pool… ---
**Author:** ![infinitii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e8c25b/32.png) [@infinitii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/infinitii)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-36-pool/484733/104 "2009-04-02T15:43:14Z")
I don’t have any problems understanding the bonus questions, but this latest one concerning how many callers is gonna drive me crazy (I don’t pay attention during the results shows, how am I supposed to get a reasonable guess on that!!)…oh well, I’m in the lead by exactly one point now. It may all come down to my overall pick (Kris) versus almost everyone else’s Gokey/Lambert picks…yikes. ---
**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 2, 2009, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-36-pool/484733/105 "2009-04-02T16:43:11Z")
> [@infinitii](#): > > I don’t have any problems understanding the bonus questions, but this latest one concerning how many callers is gonna drive me crazy (I don’t pay attention during the results shows, how am I supposed to get a reasonable guess on that!!)… Seacrest says it just about every week. I’d tell you what this week’s number was, but if I can gain an advantage via keeping my mouth shut, I will. 😛 The pool admins are definitely setting themselves up for trouble this week, though. Here are two of the options: –From 33 million up to 36 million - 3 pts –From 36 million up to 39 million - 3 pts So, what happens if they announce that next week’s number was 36 million? Are both answers going to be declared valid? Not a good move on their part. ---
**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 2, 2009, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-36-pool/484733/106 "2009-04-02T16:47:20Z")
By the way – can the following players please let me know if you still want to participate. If I’m not mistaken, none of this group has put in any picks the last few weeks, and have only scored points from the default picks. If you’re not in any more, then I can declutter the results page by removing you. If you still want to be in it, then by all means, let me know: **Quasimodem DudleyGarrett Sateryn76 critter42 jali antist wvmom** ---
**Author:** ![Walkabout](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/46a35a/32.png) [@Walkabout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walkabout)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-36-pool/484733/107 "2009-04-02T17:09:15Z")
I’m wvmom, and I have put in votes every week. I may suck at it, but I’m still voting, and not for the defaults! ---
**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 2, 2009, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-36-pool/484733/108 "2009-04-02T17:45:49Z")
Hey, I need some of those people to keep me above the bottom! 😃 ---
**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 8, 2009, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-36-pool/484733/109 "2009-04-08T16:45:29Z")
Eight hours, 17 minutes left for this week’s picks, all! ---
**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 9, 2009, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-36-pool/484733/110 "2009-04-09T00:52:14Z")
And with just a couple of minutes left, I’m saying “hell with it”, taking my spread bets, and throwing them all on Kris. As much as he sang well, that arrangement was such a messy distraction that I can’t fathom why people would’ve voted for him. And if Anoop goes after I just pulled nine points off him, I’m gonna be flaming pissed. ---
**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:** [April 9, 2009, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-36-pool/484733/111 "2009-04-09T02:10:22Z")
Crap! I almost put it all on Scott. And I swear I picked him to be Bottom 3 for the Bonus question, but the site says I didn’t. Grrrr. Not like those 2 points would send me to the top, but still, argh!! ---
**Author:** ![LilyoftheValley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/54ee81/32.png) [@LilyoftheValley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilyoftheValley)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-36-pool/484733/112 "2009-04-09T02:18:02Z")
> [@Millit\_the\_Frail](#): > > Crap! I almost put it all on Scott. And I swear I picked him to be Bottom 3 for the Bonus question, but the site says I didn’t. Grrrr. Not like those 2 points would send me to the top, but still, argh!! I had it all on Scott, then I worried about VFTW and split it. Sigh. ---
**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:** [April 9, 2009, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-36-pool/484733/113 "2009-04-09T04:03:35Z")
This week proved that DialIdol isn’t cheating but is just one of many tools one can use to make an informed choice. Stalwart allegiance to only one predictive tool is bound to steer you wrong at some critical and unexpected moment. ---
**Author:** ![infinitii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e8c25b/32.png) [@infinitii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/infinitii)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-36-pool/484733/114 "2009-04-09T10:04:02Z")
The addition of the SAVE has reallii thrown an interesting complication into the mix-- I think Kris is gonna at least make top 2, but I put half of my points on him because I thought the judges would use that opportunity to use it on him, thus inspiring his fans to vote even more for the next weeks – or course Scott was the worst, but I couldn’t let myself give him all my points because of that possibility. As for Anoop, he’s proving to be the character they’ve had in all seasons since #3, I think, which means he’s safe through at least next week as well– ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-36-pool/484733/115 "2009-04-09T22:05:10Z")
I ended up splitting my points, too. I put 5 on Lil. I got both bonuses right, though! I changed my overall to Allison - probably a mistake, but damn she’s good! It will be an Adam/Allison final. I have spoken. 😃 ---
**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 9, 2009, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-36-pool/484733/116 "2009-04-09T23:46:12Z")
Sigh…a last-place performance this week. While I’m ticked at myself for making so many changes this week, and for ultimately being blinded by dialidol, I can’t be _too_ ticked at myself – at no point did I think Scott would be eliminated just yet, so I was screwed no matter what. He certainly was the most deserving to go, but I thought he had another couple weeks of sympathy votes coming to him. I’m amazed – this is a couple weeks in a row now where America got it right. ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2009, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-36-pool/484733/117 "2009-04-13T14:01:57Z")
woohoo! Last minute gamble paid off. I had split 10/10 on matt and scott, just by reading the SDMB Idol thread and watching the first 3 performances. Later, I actually had time to watch the whole show, and man, Scott was so bad, I said, screw it, either I’ll sink to the bottom or jump up near the top. 20 on the piano man… let it ride. 🙂 ---
**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 15, 2009, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-36-pool/484733/118 "2009-04-15T18:27:39Z")
Six and a half hours before the deadline, folks – get 'em in! ---
**Author:** ![judikium](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9adbd/32.png) [@judikium](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/judikium)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-36-pool/484733/119 "2009-04-16T02:16:11Z")
Aha! Back up to 9th after putting all 20 on Matt. If Adam wins, I’m set to be in third place at the current rate. Hmm… ---
**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:** [April 16, 2009, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-36-pool/484733/120 "2009-04-16T05:00:58Z")
Am I correct that there has been no change in procedure even though the “save” was enacted? Looks like those of us who missed the mark this week can try to cash in on Matt next week. So for next week, we could get all 20 points in one of two ways: putting all 20 on either one of the two people who voted out, or dividing all 20 points between two contestants, both of whom get voted out? grumble grumble shoulda been Lil grumble… ETA: and wow, DialIdol was _especially_ useless this week. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-36-pool/484733.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-top-36-pool/484733.md?page=7)