# Greatest living American elimination game (setup thread) **URL:** \ **Category:** Thread Games\ **Created:** [June 10, 2025, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-living-american-elimination-game-setup-thread/1019408 "2025-06-10T02:55:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [June 12, 2025, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-living-american-elimination-game-setup-thread/1019408/21 "2025-06-12T03:06:29Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > If you wish to nominate anyone, please see the OP, and submit a three-word description along with the name. Thanks. Sorry. Jim Lovell: astronaut Jesse Jackson: civil rights leader ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2025, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-living-american-elimination-game-setup-thread/1019408/22 "2025-06-12T20:45:43Z")
Bernie Sanders: Socialist leader Bob Dylan: Poet of Generation Magic Johnson: Superstar, survivor, inspiration Judy Blume: Children’s literature icon ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2025, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-living-american-elimination-game-setup-thread/1019408/23 "2025-06-12T20:52:44Z")
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: athlete, writer, activist ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2025, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-living-american-elimination-game-setup-thread/1019408/24 "2025-06-12T20:53:32Z")
Subscribing, will put my nominations in later. I assume that ‘great’ is in the eyes of the beholder? ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2025, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-living-american-elimination-game-setup-thread/1019408/25 "2025-06-12T20:55:17Z")
Stephen King: Writer. Buzz Aldrin: Second man on the moon (second comes right after first) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2025, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-living-american-elimination-game-setup-thread/1019408/26 "2025-06-12T20:55:52Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Subscribing, will put my nominations in later. > > I assume that ‘great’ is in the eyes of the beholder? Definitely. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2025, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-living-american-elimination-game-setup-thread/1019408/27 "2025-06-13T02:09:48Z")
In my ‘most influential people ever’ game from 2010, I used the following as my criteria: > [@The 100 Most Influential People - Try the Third](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-100-most-influential-people-try-the-third/536080/704): > > … When I went through the rounds, I had three different criteria I used to make my selections: > > 1. Originality of idea > 2. Number of people affected > 3. Turning points I don’t see any reason to differentiate between ‘great’ and ‘influential’, tbh. I also do not ascribe any moral value to the word ‘great’, not in this context anyway. Bill Gates has already been nominated, so… using the criteria above… I’ll nominate: Donald Trump. [Jennifer Doudna](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennifer_Doudna). [Robert Langer](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_S._Langer). [Drew Weissman](https://www.niaid.nih.gov/news-events/nobel-prize-awarded-research-leading-mrna-covid-19-vaccines). ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2025, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-living-american-elimination-game-setup-thread/1019408/28 "2025-06-13T02:10:59Z")
Please read the OP again, and limit yourself to a three-word description of each nominee. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2025, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-living-american-elimination-game-setup-thread/1019408/29 "2025-06-16T14:44:41Z")
Last call for nominations by noon EST today. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2025, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-living-american-elimination-game-setup-thread/1019408/30 "2025-06-16T19:12:30Z")
And we’re off!: [Greatest living American elimination game (game thread)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-living-american-elimination-game-game-thread/1019715) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-living-american-elimination-game-setup-thread/1019408.md?page=1)