# Celebrity Death Pool 2015 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** death-pool\ **Created:** [December 1, 2014, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2015/705993 "2014-12-01T02:10:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 113
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2016, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2015/705993/2244 "2016-01-02T13:39:44Z")
How did the themed lists do this year? Besides the super-centenarians? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2016, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2015/705993/2245 "2016-01-02T14:00:54Z")
Sad about Jeff Golub, a fine musician. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2016, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2015/705993/2246 "2016-01-02T15:03:45Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > I am one sick puppy. Now I’m playing with the records from past years. > > For 2013 Hugo Chavez garnered the most points, 3066, for 35.4% of the total. > > In contrast, for 2014 Ariel Sharon yielded the most, 360 points for a measly 10.8% of total points. Yeah, 2014 wasn’t a particularly action-packed year in the Death Pool, was it? Since 360 points was 10.8% of the total, that means the total points were in the low 3300’s. I’m sure there were years with lower point totals, but my WAG is that you’d have to go back to the early years of the Death Pool when there were a lot fewer players. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2016, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2015/705993/2247 "2016-01-02T15:07:39Z")
Congratulations, **Registered At Last**. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2016, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2015/705993/2248 "2016-01-02T15:41:05Z")
> [@anyrose](#): > > or tired of being at the bottom of the heap at year’s end But here’s the thing: in many years, there’s a consensus person who is almost certain to die in the coming months, and for non-trivial points. Joey Feek this year, Sam Simon last year, Hugo Chavez in 2013, etc. Practically the only way you can miss out on those points is by either not following the thread, or not caring about the points. This year, Joey Feek is on 64 lists, for 60 all-but-certain gimme points, but that means 76 people left those 60 points on the table. Last year, Sam Simon was on 47 lists, which meant that 103 players didn’t have him on their lists. In 2013, 73 players put Hugo Chavez on their lists, so 102 players didn’t put him on their lists. Really, there’s a very simple 15-minute approach that will get anyone at least some points in most years: 1. Sometime around 12/29 or 12/30, look at the DM’s list of the 13 people on the most lists. 2. Take 10 minutes to Google those 13 names to distinguish those who are top picks because they are actually circling the drain (2016: Joey Feek, Martin Crowe, Joost van der Westhuizen) from those who are top picks merely because they are old and famous (Bush Sr., Fidel, Nancy Reagan, Muhammad Ali). Put the former on your list. Discard the latter unless it flicks your Bic to have them. 3. Do what you want with the borderline cases who are terminal somethingorother but may take awhile to get there (Valerie Harper, Jimmy Carter, Glen Campbell, Tommy Chong) or may or may not die somewhat abruptly due to enemies or lifestyle (al-Baghdadi). 4. Fill out your list with whoever strikes your fancy. That’ll get you a list with a few picks with high likelihood of points, and most of your list to just play around with as the mood strikes you. And if you lose interest in the Death Pool, it won’t be because you get no points, year after year. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2016, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2015/705993/2249 "2016-01-02T16:40:29Z")
I was trying to think of why I didn’t put Joey Feek on my list. Your two reasons (didn’t follow this thread or didn’t care about the points) do not apply. I knew she was a “sure thing” and I have had no points for a couple of years and would love to have some points. But why didn’t I list her? I guess I didn’t want my points to be for a “sure thing”. I’d feel sort of like I cheated. Don’t know why. But there you are. (And if Joey Feek suddenly rallies, I’ll feel pretty smug.) ---
**Author:** ![Andrew\_21](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bcef8e/32.png) [@Andrew\_21](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andrew_21)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2016, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2015/705993/2250 "2016-01-02T16:51:42Z")
> [@a35362](#): > > Three hundred points, wow! Has anyone ever gotten such a high score? Yes, the record is 401. > [@The Celebrity Death Pool 2009](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2009/475262/1748): > > Here are the final results. > > 1 amarone 401 ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2016, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2015/705993/2251 "2016-01-02T17:04:16Z")
> [@kayT](#): > > I was trying to think of why I didn’t put Joey Feek on my list. Your two reasons (didn’t follow this thread or didn’t care about the points) do not apply. I knew she was a “sure thing” and I have had no points for a couple of years and would love to have some points. But why didn’t I list her? I guess I didn’t want my points to be for a “sure thing”. I’d feel sort of like I cheated. Don’t know why. But there you are. (And if Joey Feek suddenly rallies, I’ll feel pretty smug.) My personal rule is that I can add anyone I come up with on my own, but if I hop on a bandwagon - I need to have heard of that person somewhere other most-popular lists. So, because I liked the song “Cheater, Cheater” years ago when it was getting airplay, I could add Joey Feek. But as I don’t follow sports that much (and I definitely don’t follow South African rugby), I wouldn’t add Joost van der Westhuizen. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2016, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2015/705993/2252 "2016-01-02T17:06:16Z")
> [@kayT](#): > > But why didn’t I list her? I guess I didn’t want my points to be for a “sure thing”. I’d feel sort of like I cheated. Don’t know why. But there you are. (And if Joey Feek suddenly rallies, I’ll feel pretty smug.) I understand. We might as well give everyone those points to begin with. I didn’t have the heart for Coco Taylor, Jeff Gollub or Anne Francis. But Points is Points! :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2016, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2015/705993/2253 "2016-01-02T17:26:13Z")
> [@kayT](#): > > I was trying to think of why I didn’t put Joey Feek on my list. Your two reasons (didn’t follow this thread or didn’t care about the points) do not apply. I knew she was a “sure thing” and I have had no points for a couple of years and would love to have some points. But why didn’t I list her? I guess I didn’t want my points to be for a “sure thing”. I’d feel sort of like I cheated. Don’t know why. But there you are. (And if Joey Feek suddenly rallies, I’ll feel pretty smug.) I know how you feel but I had no problem putting her on my list since I had her on my working list for months. I was hoping no one else noticed her. Yeah right. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2016, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2015/705993/2254 "2016-01-02T17:43:54Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > One interesting stat is that the celebs who died this year were, on average almost four years older than those in 2013 and 2014. This skewing was probably as a result of **Andrew21’s** picks. > > This game is like baseball, lots of numbers to make into lots of statistics. The statistic I wonder about is who has the highest potential score. Let’s imagine there’s a celebrity genocide and everyone on every list died. Which poster would score the most points? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2016, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2015/705993/2255 "2016-01-02T17:50:01Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > The statistic I wonder about is who has the highest potential score. There are lies, there are damned lies, and there are statistics. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![CAMJAY77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5fc32e/32.png) [@CAMJAY77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CAMJAY77)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2016, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2015/705993/2256 "2016-01-02T18:17:13Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > The statistic I wonder about is who has the highest potential score. Let’s imagine there’s a celebrity genocide and everyone on every list died. Which poster would score the most points? Around 640 for mine. No idea about others ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2016, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2015/705993/2257 "2016-01-02T18:19:11Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > The statistic I wonder about is who has the highest potential score. Let’s imagine there’s a celebrity genocide and everyone on every list died. Which poster would score the most points? I don’t know, but I’d get 644 points. On a different topic, do you remember what happened to the [2002 Death Pool thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=101918)? It kinda petered out in early July of that year for no apparent reason. Perhaps it was due to a lot of players’ lists having been lost in a board crash that people in the thread refer back to. (Was that the infamous Winter Of Our Missed Content? I can’t remember anymore.) ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2016, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2015/705993/2258 "2016-01-02T18:29:48Z")
Including kinda iffy info for 2002, here are the previous winners and their scores: ```auto Year Score Winner 2000 66 smug 2001 32 Drain Bead 2002 70 Rodd Hill 2003 115 Cisco 2004 95 Captain Lance Murdoch 2005 202 Rachm Qoch 2006 329 Rachm Qoch 2007 283 Rachm Qoch 2008 344 Rachm Qoch 2009 401 amarone 2010 321 amarone 2011 369 Critical Mass 2012 356 Registered At Last 2013 385 CAMJAY77 2014 241 Randy Seltzer 2015 300 Registered At Last ``` ---
**Author:** ![Wallet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e99b99/32.png) [@Wallet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallet)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2016, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2015/705993/2259 "2016-01-02T20:08:08Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > in many years, there’s a consensus person who is almost certain to die in the coming months, and for non-trivial points. Joey Feek this year, Sam Simon last year, Hugo Chavez in 2013, etc. Practically the only way you can miss out on those points is by either not following the thread, or not caring about the points. But some of us are in it for a theme - in my case, it’s a theme of evilness (which is why I had Hugo Chavez in 2013). Sadly, not enough evil people kicked the bucket in 2015… -Wallet, last place again- ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2016, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2015/705993/2260 "2016-01-02T21:50:06Z")
> [@Wallet](#): > > But some of us are in it for a theme - in my case, it’s a theme of evilness (which is why I had Hugo Chavez in 2013). > > Sadly, not enough evil people kicked the bucket in 2015… > -Wallet, last place again- Tru dat, but I figure if the theme is more important than points, you’re probably not dropping out because you got another goose egg. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2016, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2015/705993/2261 "2016-01-02T22:23:58Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > This year I declared the Opening Kickoff award to be a tie. \*\* It’s Not Rocket Surgery\*\* had Jeff Golub and **Little Pig** had Mario Cuomo. Both Golub and Cuomo passed on 1/1/2015. Talk about creepy! I **_finally_** won something! Yippie-aye-oh-ki-aye. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2016, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2015/705993/2262 "2016-01-02T22:32:55Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > This year I declared the Opening Kickoff award to be a tie. \*\* It’s Not Rocket Surgery\*\* had Jeff Golub and **Little Pig** had Mario Cuomo. Both Golub and Cuomo passed on 1/1/2015. Talk about creepy! I’d like to thank the Academy…er, our Death Mistress, who tirelessly works on this game even though her birthday falls at the busiest time of the year for the DP. I’d also like to congratulate **Little Pig** on sharing the award with me, instead of (puts on sunglasses) hogging the award. 😃 I guess I could thank Jeff Golub, but that’s a little too macabre, even on this thread. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2016, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2015/705993/2263 "2016-01-02T22:52:51Z")
If my math is right, 53 of us failed to reap any points in the 2015 game. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2015/705993.md?page=112) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2015/705993.md?page=114)