# Celebrity Death Pool 2018 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** death-pool\ **Created:** [December 2, 2017, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2018/803331 "2017-12-02T13:44:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 16
**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 17, 2018, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2018/803331/301 "2018-01-17T23:47:07Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I would say she counts. No wiki page? An extra role then a minor role on a Soap? No notority before the accident? Nah. But I’m used to the game being won win picks that at best barely met the criteria. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Anne\_s\_Lace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Queen\_Anne\_s\_Lace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Anne_s_Lace)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2018, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2018/803331/302 "2018-01-18T00:42:27Z")
> [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](#): > > Washington State QB [Tyler Hilinski](https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2018/1/16/16899872/tyler-hilinski-washington-state-qb-passes-away)is a suicide victim at 21. I am so very sorry to read this. Saying a prayer for the repose of his soul and for his loved ones to find/experience consolation. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2018, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2018/803331/303 "2018-01-18T01:41:02Z")
> [@Eliahna](#): > > She was an actor who appeared in 16 episodes of a soap opera that has more than 6,800 episodes to date. She didn’t have a Wikipedia article prior to her death. Wikipedians are currently debating if she fulfilled the criteria for notability or if the article should be deleted. > > Is an actor automatically a celebrity if they appear on TV? Would appearing in 16 episodes of, say, The Bold and The Beautiful qualify someone to be called a celebrity? As far as I can tell, Jessica Falkholt was not well known here in Australia until the car accident that caused her death. It’s not up to me, but if it were, I’d say this one deserves a thumbs-down even by our flexible standards. ---
**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:** [January 18, 2018, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2018/803331/304 "2018-01-18T01:49:03Z")
> [@smithsb](#): > > Jo Jo White, Celtics great and NBA Hall of Famer, dies at 71. > > [Jo Jo White, Boston Celtics great and Basketball Hall of Famer, dies at 71 - ESPN](http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/22124169/jo-jo-white-boston-celtics-great-basketball-hall-famer-dies-71) Oh no! He played in some glory years. From memory… and I’m challenging myself, he played with Don Nelson, Paul Silas, John Havlicek, Dave Cowens, … and he wore #10, didn’t he? Someone here might be a Celtic fan may know. R.I.P., Jo Jo White, and thank you for the thrills and enjoyment you gave to so many of us. ---
**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:** [January 18, 2018, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2018/803331/305 "2018-01-18T01:52:47Z")
> [@Eliahna](#): > > Jessica Falkholt - was she a celebrity, or was she only famous due to the accident that caused her fatal injuries? > > The Wikipedia article has been marked for deletion and is presently being debated. The point has been made that there are almost no articles in the media that mention her prior to the accident. She appeared in 16 episodes of a soap opera and had an upcoming movie, but that hasn’t been released yet. She doesn’t appear to have notability that predates the crash. > > I had never heard of her prior to the accident that killed her family, but I’m fairly isolated from what’s happening in the world of Australian soap operas and probably couldn’t identify the current stars of that show either, so I hadn’t weighed in before. Just from a brief search I can see no indications that she was a celebrity prior to being involved in that car accident. It grabbed the headlines because it was a case of an entire family being wiped out the day after Christmas by a known drug user with a history of driving disqualifications and, oh look, the daughter’s connected with a TV show. > > Thoughts? Since it might be deleted I’ll c&p an excerpt of the tragic event from Wiki — some repeat traffic offender killed them all. Or was at least involved. “On 26 December 2017, Falkholt was involved in a car crash which killed both her parents instantly. As the vehicle burst into flames, both Jessica and her sister Annabelle, aged 21, were pulled out of the vehicle alive, but Annabelle died on 29 December in Liverpool Hospital. The fifty-year-old driver of the other vehicle was also killed, was reportedly a serial traffic offender. His car failed to negotiate a curve on the Princes Highway, near Sussex Inlet, and travelled into the path of the Falkholts’ car. The Falkholts were returning to Ryde after attending Christmas celebrations. Officials confirmed the driver was returning home to Ulladulla, after visiting a methadone clinic in Nowra. Police are investigating whether the drug was a factor in the crash, among other contributing factors. Following the crash, Falkholt was taken to Sydney’s St George Hospital, where she underwent surgery that included the removal of a kidney and part of her skull. On 12 January 2018, a spokesperson for St George Hospital confirmed that her life support had been turned off. She died in hospital on 17 January 2018.” ---
**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 18, 2018, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2018/803331/306 "2018-01-18T03:05:24Z")
> [@Eliahna](#): > > … She appeared in 16 episodes of a soap opera and had an upcoming movie, but that hasn’t been released yet. She doesn’t appear to have notability that predates the crash. … Sarah Rue appeared in only 3 episodes of _Big Bang Theory_, but she made a strong and lasting impression on me. It is entirely possible that Jessica Falkholt was a tremendous stand-out in her brief run on _Home & Away_. I sympathize with your position, though, and note that no other DP player picked her prior to Boxing Day (she would have been a massive longshot). We exclude picks who are primarily famous for being ill/distressed, and this looks for all the world like such a case. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2018, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2018/803331/307 "2018-01-18T08:01:02Z")
But Sara Rue has also been in movies, and several sitcoms, including “Two & a Half Men.” While she may not be a household name, she’s familiar to the average tv watcher, I’d think. I don’t have a dog in the fight regarding the actress who just died. I’m just saying. ---
**Author:** ![ataraxy22](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ataraxy22/32/307_2.png) [@ataraxy22](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ataraxy22)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2018, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2018/803331/308 "2018-01-18T08:55:31Z")
> [@phungi](#): > > Dan Gurley, 14 points and Unique Pick for **ataraxy22** : > > ```auto > > RankPlayer ScorePicks(Unique) > 1Loach 201(1) > 2ataraxy22141(1) > 3The Vorlon131(1) > 4Rico 101(1) > > ``` It’s not the lead, but I’m ok with sitting in second this early in the 2018 race… Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2018, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2018/803331/309 "2018-01-18T09:13:45Z")
So far, nobody’s sat in the same place in the rankings for very long. You’re already in a different chair. 🙂 ---
**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:** [January 18, 2018, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2018/803331/310 "2018-01-18T11:18:44Z")
[This article on _TVTonight_](https://tvtonight.com.au/2018/01/vale-jessica-falkholt.html), an Australian TV blog run by a journalist, lists Jessica Falkholt’s other roles including a lead in a feature film. I think that means she counts, if borderline. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2018, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2018/803331/311 "2018-01-18T11:20:50Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Sarah Rue appeared in only 3 episodes of _Big Bang Theory_, but she made a strong and lasting impression on me. It is entirely possible that Jessica Falkholt was a tremendous stand-out in her brief run on _Home & Away_. I sympathize with your position, though, and note that no other DP player picked her prior to Boxing Day (she would have been a massive longshot). We exclude picks who are primarily famous for being ill/distressed, and this looks for all the world like such a case. I feel kind of dirty arguing down the value of her life, but to me this is a clear cut case of someone who is only famous because of the manner of her death. Her death was newsworthy because the accident that claimed her life was so horrific; because she had a link to celebrities via the show she had a guest role on in 2016; because she was photogenic; because it happened at Christmas; because the aftermath of the accident played out over more than three weeks. Prior to 26 December 2017, I can only find one article that mentions her by name - it’s a [Daily Mail](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3594669/Pia-Miller-handcuffs-actress-Jessica-Falkholt-dramatic-scene-Home-Away.html) piece about the filming of a scene from the soap she appeared on, and the primary focus of the article is the other actor from the scene. The debate on Wikipedia about whether she meets notability criteria also refer to only finding a single article from prior to the accident. Jessica Falkholt was at the beginning of what people say was a promising career, but hadn’t had a break that made her a well known name yet. She was headline news **only** because of the incident that caused her death, and rule 3(g) (in conjunction with rule 14) clearly deems her an invalid pick. I’d like to note that in previous years I have a) defended picks who were only famous in Australia when international posters raised them as possible violations of rule 14 - a celebrity in Australia is a celebrity even if they aren’t famous outside our borders b) picked actors who were famous due to appearing on this particular soapie (see: Belinda Emmett, d. 2006) - lead actors and actors in recurring roles on that show very often become household names, but not every brief guest stint produces a celebrity. I don’t believe Jessica Falkholt’s career had made her a celebrity prior to her accident. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2018, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2018/803331/312 "2018-01-18T12:41:08Z")
> [@Eliahna](#): > > I feel kind of dirty arguing down the value of her life, but to me this is a clear cut case of someone who is only famous because of the manner of her death. I have to point out that if there had been no other claim to fame, as **Guanolad** ’s article points out: > [@](#): > > Jessica was a NIDA graduate who appeared as waitress Hope Morrison on Home and Away over 16 episodes last year. > > She has a role in Nine’s upcoming Bite Club and the title role in the upcoming feature Harmony featuring Jacqueline McKenzie. > > Her other credits include Underbelly: Badness & Tricky Business. Then her fame would indeed be just the accident. But it is not. ---
**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 18, 2018, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2018/803331/313 "2018-01-18T13:37:41Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > [This article on _TVTonight_](https://tvtonight.com.au/2018/01/vale-jessica-falkholt.html), an Australian TV blog run by a journalist, lists Jessica Falkholt’s other roles including a lead in a feature film. I think that means she counts, if borderline. The movie she acted in has not been released yet. That only means she had potential to be a celebrity after the movie came out. > [@eschereal](#): > > Sarah Rue appeared in only 3 episodes of _Big Bang Theory_, but she made a strong and lasting impression on me. It is entirely possible that Jessica Falkholt was a tremendous stand-out in her brief run on _Home & Away_. I sympathize with your position, though, and note that no other DP player picked her prior to Boxing Day (she would have been a massive longshot). We exclude picks who are primarily famous for being ill/distressed, and this looks for all the world like such a case. Sara Rue is a very bad comparison. She was the star of her own sitcom that ran 4 seasons. She has 58 credits on IMDB many of which she was number 1 or 2 on the call sheet. She had a public struggle with her weight.\* I don’t think anyone would question the validity of the star of a 4 season sitcom even if it wasn’t a runaway hit. - I mention that because it meant stories on shows like Entertainment Tonight. ---
**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 18, 2018, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2018/803331/314 "2018-01-18T13:46:48Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > I have to point out that if there had been no other claim to fame, as **Guanolad** ’s article points out: > > Then her fame would indeed be just the accident. But it is not. Yes upcoming film, so she was famous with the cast and crew but not the public. She has one IMDB credit as an extra. The question is if her only other role that anyone might have seen made her a celebrity. This is a soap with over 7,000 episodes and 3,000 credited actors on IMDB. Are every one of those 3,000 celebrities? ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2018, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2018/803331/315 "2018-01-18T14:27:48Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Yes upcoming film, so she was famous with the cast and crew but not the public. She has one IMDB credit as an extra. The question is if her only other role that anyone might have seen made her a celebrity. This is a soap with over 7,000 episodes and 3,000 credited actors on IMDB. Are every one of those 3,000 celebrities? IMHO acting is one job where the purpose is to become one, and if there had been no articles about them elsewhere or upcoming movies or tv series in the can, then I would say that those celebrities would not be, as their careers would already not be successful at all or with no future in show business. Incidentally, I do think that your point of discounting her because the movie has not been released omits that to get such a role in an upcoming movie release does require that producers and directors did recognize that there was talent and enough credit/fame there in her past and present to be considered for a mayor role. ---
**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:** [January 18, 2018, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2018/803331/316 "2018-01-18T15:08:06Z")
To me Jessica Falkholt counts as a celebrity. But nobody had her, right? ---
**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:** [January 18, 2018, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2018/803331/317 "2018-01-18T15:24:38Z")
I was an extra in three movies and one tv movie. Am I a celebrity? ---
**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:** [January 18, 2018, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2018/803331/318 "2018-01-18T15:43:33Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I was an extra in three movies and one tv movie. > Am I a celebrity? Now that truly is sarcasm, **Czarcasm**. ---
**Author:** ![Borborygmi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/borborygmi/32/217_2.png) [@Borborygmi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Borborygmi)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2018, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2018/803331/319 "2018-01-18T16:24:19Z")
As an actress approaches January 1 the laws of celebrity begin to break down, and as long as no one watches the obscure soap opera she was on she can be thought of as simultaneously both obscure and famous. She becomes obscure or famous only once the observer checks whether or not she is in a coma. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2018, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2018/803331/320 "2018-01-18T17:17:35Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > The movie she acted in has not been released yet. That only means she had potential to be a celebrity after the movie came out. > [@Loach](#): > > Yes upcoming film, so she was famous with the cast and crew but not the public. > [@GIGObuster](#): > > Incidentally, I do think that your point of discounting her because the movie has not been released omits that to get such a role in an upcoming movie release does require that producers and directors did recognize that there was talent and enough credit/fame there in her past and present to be considered for a mayor role. But as **Loach** says, producers and directors are not the public. No matter how well she is known among them, a celebrity is, by definition, someone who is well known to the general public, or some interest group within the general public. The producers and directors may have recognized her talent, which gave her good _prospects_ of becoming famous upon release of the movie, but that fame hadn’t arrived before her ultimately fatal accident did. > [@Borborygmi](#): > > As an actress approaches January 1 the laws of celebrity begin to break down, and as long as no one watches the obscure soap opera she was on she can be thought of as simultaneously both obscure and famous. She becomes obscure or famous only once the observer checks whether or not she is in a coma. Whatever you say, Dr. Schrödinger. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2018/803331.md?page=15) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-death-pool-2018/803331.md?page=17)