# Celebrity Death Pool 2017 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** death-pool\ **Created:** [December 1, 2016, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2017/773517 "2016-12-01T07:00:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 102
**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:** [December 22, 2017, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2017/773517/2021 "2017-12-22T22:16:56Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > Am I not making myself clear? Surely, I just don’t see what is wrong with using the year time in Chicago. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2017, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2017/773517/2022 "2017-12-22T22:49:49Z")
[Bruce McCandless](https://www.npr.org/2017/12/22/517135809/bruce-mccandless-first-astronaut-to-fly-untethered-in-space-has-died), who was the first astronaut to use a jet pack in space, has died at the age of 80. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2017, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2017/773517/2023 "2017-12-22T23:22:09Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Surely, I just don’t see what is wrong with using the year time in Chicago. I’m glad _you_ asked. Let’s assume that we wake up on Jan. 1 and see a news report that famous French movie actress Cécile Célèbre died “in Paris on the morning of Jan. 1, 2018. She was 70 years old.” No other details are available from any source about the exact time of death. **phungi** had Cécile on his list. You didn’t. If we knew that Cécile died before 7 am in Paris (GMT +1, midnight CST), then **phungi** would get 30 more points and beat you. But we don’t know. We can’t find out. Cécile’s relatives aren’t saying. As it is now, **phungi** , being the power-mad and corrupt person he is (kidding!) would probably declare that she had died before the deadline and he was therefore the winner. You would institute legal action, and the entire SDMB would be split between pro- **phungi** and pro- **carnivorousplant** factions, descending into bitter in-fighting that would ultimately destroy the board. If we had been using _my rules_, there would be no question that Cécile died in 2018, and you would be the unequivocal winner. So which rule do \*you \*prefer? My only point is that, to the extent that it may not always be possible to get precise times of deaths on the first or last day of the year, there is a possibility (remote, perhaps) that by using a single, fixed worldwide deadline, a death that occurs in one year, local time, might not be properly counted in the Death Pool for that year. Rolling start and end points to the pool that follow local time would eliminate that possibility. As noted above, this would require that lists be submitted before the start of the year in the world’s [easternmost time zone](https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/kiribati/kiritimati) (GMT+14). I don’t care whether this idea is implemented or not. The problem occurred to me when I realized the pool had a single deadline, and I wondered if anyone had considered the issue before. Apparently not, or it wasn’t seen as a big enough problem to address. It probably isn’t. ---
**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:** [December 23, 2017, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2017/773517/2024 "2017-12-23T01:14:16Z")
If they don’t give the time, any time frame we use would be in question. But don’t worry, I won’t win, G-d hates me. I don’t know how I pissed Her off, but she hates me. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2017, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2017/773517/2025 "2017-12-23T01:55:24Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > OK, suppose some celeb dies in Paris at 3am local time on New Year’s Day 2018, which would be, what, 8 or 9 pm New Year’s Eve 2017 CST? > > You’re saying it wouldn’t be counted as a death in Death Pool Year 2017. So does it happen in Death Pool Year 2018, or does it magically fall in between the years? > > If the former, then those who are alert can amend their 2018 lists, add the already-dead celeb to them (free points!), and start off the year with a built-in lead. > > So it would have to be the latter. You’d have this zone in between the years where deaths didn’t count in either one. > > ETA: I think a fixed point in time distinguishing one Death Pool year from the next is the only way to go. Actually I think this is covered in the [official rules](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=843565), under the catch-all > [@phungi](#): > > Questions may be raised about the appropriateness of a pick at any point after a list is posted, even after 1/1/18. Alternates picks play an important role, as “questionable” picks may be disqualified post-posting. Not to mention > [@](#): > > Valid picks CANNOT be: > > a. already dead Ergo, if Ryan Sechrest gets killed by the big ball dropping on him in Times Square at 12:00:01 New York time, and everyone in the Death Pool amends their list in the next 59 minutes to add Ryan Sechrest, **phungi** can disallow all those amended lists. The same would hold true if Kim Jong Un happened to die in an unfortunate nuclear accident happening on New Year’s Day. Despite the fact that midnight in Pyongyang is only 9:30 a.m. in Chicago, all those Dec. 31 last minute revisions wouldn’t count. ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2017, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2017/773517/2026 "2017-12-23T03:46:31Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Ergo, if Ryan Sechrest gets killed by the big ball dropping on him in Times Square at 12:00:01 New York time, and everyone in the Death Pool amends their list in the next 59 minutes to add Ryan Sechrest, **phungi** can disallow all those amended lists. > > The same would hold true if Kim Jong Un happened to die in an unfortunate nuclear accident happening on New Year’s Day. Despite the fact that midnight in Pyongyang is only 9:30 a.m. in Chicago, all those Dec. 31 last minute revisions wouldn’t count. Those picks would also be disqualified under the “not already dead” rule. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2017, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2017/773517/2027 "2017-12-23T07:17:11Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > If they don’t give the time, any time frame we use would be in question. No, because if the report says she died on Jan. 1, _local time_ (and that’s almost always how news reports state it), by my rules she’s not counted in 2017. Under the current rules, we’d have to know _at what time_ to be able to make a determination. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2017, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2017/773517/2028 "2017-12-23T15:59:10Z")
A couple of years ago there were two deaths on January 1. We’re macabre but I didn’t look up to find what time of day they died. I declared two players co-winners of the Opening Kickoff awards. ---
**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:** [December 23, 2017, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2017/773517/2029 "2017-12-23T15:59:19Z")
Since I took over mid-stream, and this is my first year running things, I am not sure how this is documented or managed, butdeaths on Dec 31st must occur by 12:00 CST…in the unlikely event that a celeb dies in the purgatory between midnight “their local time” and midnight CST, the 2018 Pool starts at 12:00 CST so this would go towards 2018 even though the death occurred 9:30 local time. The “start/stop” times cannot overlap for obvious reasons. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Girlfriend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.girlfriend/32/193_2.png) [@Dr.Girlfriend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Girlfriend)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2017, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2017/773517/2030 "2017-12-23T17:39:56Z")
> [@phungi](#): > > Dick Enberg’s death translates into 18 Points and a Unique Pick for **Dr.Girlfriend** who is currently holding the \*“Final Hours” \*Award I don’t like my chances of hanging onto that award but we’ll see. This is my best year so far deaths-wise, I had a better points year a few years ago thanks to Jules Bianchi. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2017, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2017/773517/2031 "2017-12-25T18:23:41Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > A couple of years ago there were two deaths on January 1. We’re macabre but I didn’t look up to find what time of day they died. I declared two players co-winners of the Opening Kickoff awards. > [@phungi](#): > > Since I took over mid-stream, and this is my first year running things, I am not sure how this is documented or managed, butdeaths on Dec 31st must occur by 12:00 CST…in the unlikely event that a celeb dies in the purgatory between midnight “their local time” and midnight CST, the 2018 Pool starts at 12:00 CST so this would go towards 2018 even though the death occurred 9:30 local time. The “start/stop” times cannot overlap for obvious reasons. ISTM that if you rely on news reports that say that someone died on Jan. 1 east of CST (or west of CST on Dec. 31), without trying to determine the actual time of death (which would often be somewhere on the scale of impractical to impossible), you are, in effect, following my rules. Sorry for the digression. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2017, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2017/773517/2032 "2017-12-25T22:37:20Z")
[Heather Menzies, actress](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heather_Menzies)-age 68 ---
**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:** [December 26, 2017, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2017/773517/2033 "2017-12-26T13:41:28Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > ISTM that if you rely on news reports that say that someone died on Jan. 1 east of CST (or west of CST on Dec. 31), without trying to determine the actual time of death (which would often be somewhere on the scale of impractical to impossible), you are, in effect, following my rules. Sorry for the digression. If someone dies before 12:00:00 CST, they have, in fact, died within the “2017 Death Pool Year” even though they died “in 2018, local time”. I do not understand how this could be fixed, given that someone in Cleveland (i.e., desperate for a winner) could change their computer’s time zone to PST and gain two hours on the rest of the time zone. Given that identifying the actual time of death is not realistic, and no one is stealing the big pot of prize money, this seems to be “a lack of solution looking for a problem”… ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2017, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2017/773517/2034 "2017-12-26T17:58:26Z")
> [@phungi](#): > > If someone dies before 12:00:00 CST, they have, in fact, died within the “2017 Death Pool Year” even though they died “in 2018, local time”. I do not understand how this could be fixed, given that someone in Cleveland (i.e., desperate for a winner) could change their computer’s time zone to PST and gain two hours on the rest of the time zone. How could a Death Pool participant changing his/her computer time affect the outcome? I wasn’t proposing a rolling deadline for the participants, but for the reported time of death. > [@](#): > > Given that identifying the actual time of death is not realistic, and no one is stealing the big pot of prize money, this seems to be “a lack of solution looking for a problem”… As I said, since you’re relying on the date/time given in news reports, you are actually following my rules anyway, even if you don’t acknowledge it. The midnight CST deadline is essentially meaningless unless some effort is being made to determine actual time of death for Jan. 1/Dec. 31 deaths. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2017, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2017/773517/2035 "2017-12-26T22:35:27Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > [Heather Menzies, actress](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heather_Menzies)-age 68 A bit disappointingly low on interesting facts there. Let me fix it. She was married to Robert Urich. She was in the _Logan’s Run_ TV series. But most importantly, she’s a Von Trapp kid in the original _The Sound Of Music_. ---
**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:** [December 27, 2017, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2017/773517/2036 "2017-12-27T03:00:17Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > How could a Death Pool participant changing his/her computer time affect the outcome? I wasn’t proposing a rolling deadline for the participants, but for the reported time of death. > > As I said, since you’re relying on the date/time given in news reports, you are actually following my rules anyway, even if you don’t acknowledge it. The midnight CST deadline is essentially meaningless unless some effort is being made to determine actual time of death for Jan. 1/Dec. 31 deaths. What is the solution you propose? ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2017, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2017/773517/2037 "2017-12-27T16:19:25Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > [Heather Menzies, actress](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heather_Menzies)-age 68 > [@GuanoLad](#): > > A bit disappointingly low on interesting facts there. Let me fix it. > > She was married to Robert Urich. She was in the _Logan’s Run_ TV series. But most importantly, she’s a Von Trapp kid in the original _The Sound Of Music_. According to a friend this was big news in the Stowe VT area. Not surprisingly. She played Louisa von Trapp. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2017, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2017/773517/2038 "2017-12-27T19:27:46Z")
> [@phungi](#): > > What is the solution you propose? Nothing. My concerns have been answered. Please carry on. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2017, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2017/773517/2039 "2017-12-29T00:51:30Z")
According to the AP, a family spokesman says actress Rose Marie, best known for “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” has died at 94. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2017, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2017/773517/2040 "2017-12-29T02:03:36Z")
> [@Stephe96](#): > > According to the AP, a family spokesman says actress Rose Marie, best known for “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” has died at 94. Sad. That only leaves Dick, Carl Reiner, and Larry Matthews (Ritchie) among the regular cast members. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2017/773517.md?page=101) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2017/773517.md?page=103)