And the winner is . . .

AMBER! Congratulations, although I'm getting a little tired of Amber winning all of our fantasy competitions. I'm thinking of banning her, because she's just a little too good. She was the Adam Lambert of our competition. Just too talented . . .


We hope you had a great time guessing, and that our competition spiced up your AI viewing. We will see you next season.

The Final Guess

The tie was gray. Adam sang first. Jim Carrey was not in the audience--yet. How are you doing so far on your guesses? If you didn't get your guesses in, you can still guess on the number of votes and the celebrity for tomorrow night.

But, the big guess of the night is-- Who will be the next American Idol? If you guess right, 250 points will be yours. We'll add everything up and announce our winner tomorrow night after the finale.

Thanks for participating, and goooooood luck!

Last Contests!

Last chance to soar to the top. Here are the bonus competitions for Tuesday and Wednesday nights shows. Each bonus question is worth 75 points. I'm going to recycle some questions to give you a second chance if you got something wrong the first time.

1. Who will sing first Tuesday?
2. What will be the color of Seacrest's tie on Tuesday night? (or will he not wear one)?
3. How many votes will be cast, to be revealed on Wednesday night?
4. (A new one, worth 150 points) Name a celebrity not affiliated with AI that will be in the crowd either night. No former contestants or mentors.

Good luck. Don't worry about picking the winner yet. We'll do that after watching Tuesday night's show.

Goodbye, Danny

Danny was a stud, no denying that. 6 people chose correctly that he was heading home, and those people took big leaps forward in the standings. Also, they didn't mention the size of the turnouts for the hometown visits, so no one got points for that. Sorry!

It's not over. I will have a bonus competition for Tuesday AND Wednesday nights, plus huge points for picking the winner. It's still anyone's game. I will have the first bonus competition posted by sunday night, so check it out then.

Who's it gonna be?

Okay, tough choice, but you've got to pick one of the three to go home. We'll raise the stakes a little and give you 200 points for a correct guess.

Bonus competition: Hometown visits--Which of the three contestants got the highest number of people out to see them? I hope they tell us the numbers. If they don't tell us the numbers for all three, the bonus competition is off, and we'll do something else. 100 points for guessing who was the most popular in their hometown visit. Good luck!

A New Leader

Well, my turn at the top is done. Amber and Kasia have both passed me by, guessing correctly that Alison wold go home tonight AND that Paula would wear 4 blings (we glimpsed her earrings at the beginning of the show, and added them to a ring, bracelet, and necklace). Good job ladies.

So you see that anyone is only one good week away from the top spot. It will come down to the last week. Keep it up!

It's Getting Tough

OK, who's it going to be? The best four sang tonight. One of them's got to go. This is the hardest time I've had choosing who I think is going. Just choose the one you think is going. 150 points if you're right.

And now, an interesting bonus competition. We all know that Paula has her own little jewelry line, and has been trying to promote it all season. Tonight she was wearing four different pieces of jewelry. The question is, how many articles of bling will she wear tomorrow night? Each individual ring, bracelet, etc. counts as one. A pair of earrings counts as only one.

So now please leave a comment with the name of who's going home tomorrow and how many pieces of jewelry Paula will be wearing. Good luck!

We are Smart

What a smart group of guessers we are. Everyone who submitted a guess this week guessed correctly. Great job.

Dave I. and Jaron guessed right on the number of votes cast this week, getting them each 100 bonus points. Jaron is about to take over the lead, and Dave jumped up from 12th to 5th. Wow.

Check out your new place in the top 13. Get ready for next week's huge points in the bonus competition. Are you "in it to win it?"

Who's Going Home?

OK, I'm having a very hard time deciding who's going home tomorrow night. Everyone's performance was great! I think this may be the best top 5 ever.

Not sure if they're going to do a bottom three tomorrow night because there are so few left. So, just predict the one person who you think is gone. Guess right--150 points. Guess wrong--Nothing. Ouch.

This could make or break you. Choose wisely. And don't forget to add your prediction to the new bonus competition below . . .

New Bonus Competition

Very simple bonus question for you to answer, and you don't need to answer it until tomorrow night.

You know how Seacrest always says how many telephone votes were received before he announces who's going home? All you have to do is guess how many votes will be cast tonight. Whoever gets closest will receive 100 bonus points.

If you think that for some reason Seacrest will not announce the number of votes tomorrow, make that your prediction instead of a number. If you predict the non-announcement correctly, you get 100 points.

Last week I think he said that over 45 million votes were received. In recent weeks it has been in the mid-30 millions. What's it going to be tomorrow night? Good luck.

Good Work Annette

Congrats to Annette, who guessed the going homers correctly, and won our bonus competition. The song from the Ford Music Video was called, I'm Good, I'm Gone, released by Swedish rocker Lykke Li in 2008. Annette guessed the year exactly. As a result, she soared from 8th place all the way to 3rd. Way to go, girl!

Anyone can catapult themselves to the top by winning our bonus competitions. Keep trying!

Who's going, and bonus

So we've got two contestants going home tomorrow night. Let's not mess with a bottom three, since we're not exactly sure how they're going to handle things tomorrow. Simply guess who are the TWO contestants going home. 75 points each.

Also, since I didn't do a bonus competition before tonight, let's do one for tomorrow. Let's focus on the always cheesy Ford music video. You need to guess the release year of the cheesy song the group will sing in the cheesy video. For example, will they sing "Rico Suave" from 1991? Will they sing, "Let's Get It Started" from 2003? Will the sing a disco song from 1979? Just guess the year, nothing else. Whoever gets closest will get 100 points. Only one person will get the bonus points, unless there is a tie. Good luck!

Sorry, so sorry . . .

Congrats to Jaron, Brian, Holly, and, um, me for guessing that the judges would use their save tonight. 100 bonus points go to each of us. Combine that with the 9-1 points and bottom three guesses, and some of us got a bunch of points tonight!

Guys, I'm sorry that I'm dominating. I don't mean to. I did make up the rules, establish the scoring system, make up the bonus competitions, and I do keep score, but I swear my lead is legit.

It's not over, however. I'll keep pumping up the points for the bonus competitions. Stay tuned for the next bonus competition. I'll post it by Sunday night.

Don't give up! It's still anybody's game. Good luck . . .

Who's it gonna be?

Is it just us, or is Quentin Tarantino rather annoying? Having him on the show would be kind of like having me (Brett) on the show giving tips to the contestants. And that wouldn't be pretty.

So Allison sang before Lil, giving the majority of us 50 points. Good work, people.

So now, as usual, throw in your picks for the bottom three and who's going home. 25 points for each correct bottom three choice, and 50 points if you guess who's outta here.

Good luck, and good night.

New Bonus Competition

So the judges didn't use their save last week. Sorry Kasia and Jaron. Let's see if they use it this week, and whoever guessed April 15 will get another 100 bonus points.

Are you ready for more chances for points? You've got a 50/50 chance this week. The question is this: Which GIRL will sing first on Tuesday night--Lil or Allison?

Simply post your guess as a comment to this post. 50 points if you guess right . . .

Good luck!

Who's Going Home?

If I sang a song from the year I was born (1976), it would definitely be (Shake Shake Shake) Shake Your Booty, by KC and the Sunshine Band. Just thought you would want to know.

So who's going to shake their booty into the sunset tonight? Let me know your bottom three and who you think is outta here. 25 and 50 points for correct guesses, as usual.

And, if the judges use their precious "save" tonight, Kasia and Damon will be a happy gal and guy, because they'll get 100 bonus points!

Good luck!

PS, did that show last night make anyone else feel old? Especially when Allison sang a song from her birth year, 1993 or something? How did that make you feel, Annette?

A New Leader. Me.

I'm not used to being ahead in Fantasy competitions. I'm sure it won't last. If you want to know how the points are calculated, check out the spreadsheet of leaders.

Are you ready for the next bonus competition? All you have to do is predict which week the judges are going to use their "judges save" to rescue a less-popular but talented contestant. According to the rules they made up for themselves, they must use it before we get to the top 5. That leaves three weeks, according to my calculations.

All you have to do is guess which week they will use the save: April 8, April 15, or April 22? If you guess right, you get 100 bonus points! It could catapult you into the lead if you guess right. Good luck!

Who's going home?

Great job on getting your picks in with your 9-1 ratings. I don't know about you, but I had a really hard time picking who was going where on my list. We'll see how it turns out.

Now, after tonight's show, please submit your usual picks of the bottom three (25 pts each) and who you think is going home (50 pts.) Good luck!

Now it gets interesting

Goodbye, Michael Sarver. Thanks for trying!

We've got a four-way tie at the top right now, with four others only 25 points behind. Time to break it up a little, and really get this competition going.

Now, before next Tuesday, please order the remaining contestants 9-1. Remember, #9 is your choice for the next American Idol, and #1 is the contestant you think will go home next.

Each week, starting next week, you receive the number of points of your contestant ranking, times the number of week. Let's do it!

See my example if you need some help getting started.

Who is going home?

Okay, let me hear it. Predict the bottom three and who you think is going home. Big points are awaiting your guess!

Resurrecting the AIFL

I know, my priorities have been mixed up. I chose to place more importance on taking 20 people to Peru than keeping the AIFL updated. I have since repented, and will once again pledge my whole heart to the AIFL.

Here's where we go from here, if you're still in. By next Tuesday, March 31, you need to rate the 9 remaining contestants, and order them from 9 to 1, with number 9 being your pick for the next American Idol, and number 1 the person you think will go home the soonest. Every week your contestants stay on the show, they will get the number of points you gave them on their rating, times the number of week it is, with the week of March 31 being week one. (Example: My #7 choice stays on through week one, he earns me 7 points. In week 2, he earns me 14 points. Week three, he earns me 21 points, etc.)

So, you have a week to get your ratings in. Here's where things really get interesting! If my instructions are confusing, check back in a couple of days to see my picks as an example of what to do.

We will also continue to predict who is going home every week, starting with this week's show. So tune in and be ready to predict who's going home! Thanks for your patience, and let the game continue . . .

Brett

What TWO are going home?

So the top 13 is upon us, and a major change is coming in the competition (our competition, that is). I'm not quite ready to reveal it yet, so we'll focus on tonight's show. We'll get to our AIFL change when we get back from Peru next week.

Since AI decided to go with a top 13 instead of 12, they are kicking two people off tonight. So, watch the show tonight, and simply guess the bottom three (if they do a bottom three) and which two contestants will be kicked off during tomorrow night's show.

Points awarded:

For each correctly guessed bottom three contestant: 25 points
Guess who's going home: 50 points each.

So you can get up to 175 points if you guess right. Submit your guesses before Wednesday night's results show. Good luck!

Wild Happenings

So what do you think about the wildcard choices for tomorrow night's show? I, for one, cannot believe that Mr. Norman Gentle was not selected as a wildcard participant,


while good ol' Tatiana was selected. Oh well . . .


I'm not sure how the selection process is going to go after tomorrow night's show, so stay tuned to see what we'll do next.

As for the AIFL, our new leader is Jaron M. He is just ahead of Brandon D. and Josh B. Well done, and I'll catch up soon!

Group 3

An interesting night on AI tonight . . . So who's going through to the top 12? Let me know who you pick by Wednesday night. Good luck!

Week 3 Bonus Competition

Have you noticed that the judges have been changing their seating order from night to night or week to week? So, the bonus competition is:

Guess the order that the judges will sit in on Tuesday night, from left to right. Please submit your guess before the beginning of the show on Tuesday night. Good luck!

Leaderboard Update

Congratulations to Jaron and Amber, who are sharing the top spot of the leaderboard. Amber was our superstar this week, guessing correctly that Seacrest would go tieless, then correctly predicting all three contestants moving on to the Top 12. Amber, how did you possibly know that Kris Allen would move on? You're awesome.

Check the right side of the blog to find your spot on the leaderboard (if you're in the top 12). It's still very early, so keep it up!

To see a running total of all contestants and point totals, click on the AIFL Points Spreadsheet to the right.

Until Sunday night, and the announcement of our next bonus competition . . .

No tie? C'mon Seacrest!

OK, so most of you were right. No tie for Seacrest tonight. I can't believe it, but congrats to those who guessed correctly.

Now on to the main event. Who's moving on into the Top 12? Post your guesses as comments below. One guy, one girl, and the next highest vote getter move on. Good luck!

Next Bonus Competition

To tie, or not to tie?



The bonus competition for Tuesday night centers on Seacrest. Here's all you have to guess:

Will Ryan Seacrest wear a tie on Tuesday night? If so, what color will it be? A correct gets you a quick 25 points! Good luck . . .

Leaders after Week One

Just as Danny, Ricky, and Michael (really?) emerged as frontrunners in week one of the semifinals, two AIFL contestants have jumped out in front in our competition.

Jaron M and Megan S are our current leaders, both with 75 points for correctly guessing all three who will be moving on. Everybody else has 50 points. Congratulations, lucky guessers! (I'm just bitter about Anoop Dog)

Stay tuned to the blog. On Sunday night I will post the next bonus competition. Until then, keep rockin' !

Who's moving on?

It's only fitting that our defending champion, Brian G, would be the one to guess correctly that Jackie Tohn would be the first singer tonight. So, the first 25 points of the competition go to Brian. Congratulations, bro! Sorry, Rachel, Ricky Braddy sang second. So close!

If you want to catch up to Brian, post your guess of which three contestants from tonight's twelve will move on to the finals. The three that will move on will be the top guy, the top girl, and the next highest vote getter. So don't vote for three singers of the same gender!

Please post your guess before 6 pm central time tomorrow. Good luck!

The Rules

You've probably been wondering what the rules are to this crazy AIFL competition. If you participated last year, you will notice some changes. That's because American Idol's format has changed, so we need to structure our contest differently.

The main idea is to predict correctly what will happen on the results shows of AI. You'll need to check this blog each week (probably on Sunday or Monday) to see the specific details on what you will need to predict. Be on the lookout for bonus competitions every week, a chance for you to earn some extra points.

The next four weeks will be crucial, because America will narrow the field from 36 semifinalists to the vaunted TOP TWELVE.

Each of the next three weeks, 12 semifinalists will perform, and America will vote for its favorites. Every week, the top male, the top female, and the next highest vote-getter will move on to the top 12. After the first nine are chosen, the fourth week will be a wild-card round, where three more contestants will be voted in to complete the top 12. For a full explanation of the process, click here.

So, here's your challenge for the first week, if you're interested:

1. Watch the show on Tuesday night.

2. Predict who the top three will be, and post your prediction as a comment to Tuesday night's post on this blog, which I will post immediately after the show, 8 pm Central time Tuesday. You need to post your predictions before 6 pm Central time on Wednesday.

3. Watch Wednesday's show to see how you did. You will receive 25 points for each correct guess.

Pretty simple, huh?

But wait, there's more! To make things more interesting, we're going to start our first BONUS COMPETITION right now. For an extra 25 points, guess which of the 12 contestants will sing first on the show Tuesday night. Whoever guesses correctly gets the first 25 points of the competition. If no one guesses the very first singer, points will be awarded to whomever's choice sings earliest in the show. You can only pick one singer. Post your choice as a comment to this blog post before Tuesday, 6pm Central time. Good luck!

If you want to see who is performing Tuesday night, click here. Choose one of those first 12 from group one, or you'll be wrong for sure.

If you want to do some additional research into all the semifinalists, click here. You will find photos and video clips to help you make your predictions.

Now, for your viewing enjoyment, here's a classic audition clip from a few seasons back. Leroy Wells--can you dig it?

Welcome!

ARE YOU READY? It's the ultimate American Idol Fantasy League, 2009 edition. Do you have what it takes to guess the winner of the 2009 edition of American Idol?

Last year's contest was won by Brian G, who will no doubt be eager to repeat. Chad S was winning most of the way, but then fizzled at the end. Can he hold on this year? Will a newcomer blast in and steal the show from the veterans?

Come participate and see if you can be the 2009 AIFL Champion. Game on!

What can you do to get ready?

1. Watch Idol and start thinking of your favorites who you think might go all the way.

2. Stay tuned to this blog to find out the rules for winning the competition.

3. LEAVE A COMMENT on this post to let the world know that you're in!