CONGRATULATIONS BRIAN!

We have our first two-time AIFL champion.  Congratulations to Brian for holding on for the victory in the closest finish in the history of the AIFL.  Wilson came on strong to finish 2nd.  Nice job kid!

I'd like to thank everyone who participated this year and stuck with me through some lame bonus questions and occasional technical difficulties.  I loved this season of American Idol, and I hope we can come back and do it again next year.

By the way, I have something for each of you.  If you would like your award and do not live in my local area, please email me your mailing address.  Email me at brettgustaveson@yahoo.com

Thanks everybody!

Who is the American Idol?

You may have seen the first half on the finale tonight, and you may not have, since it was on a night early.  Whether you saw it or not, it's time to guess.  300 big points if you guess correctly.

Who is the next American Idol?

So make sure you get your vote in before tomorrow night's show.  Also, if you haven't guessed the bonus question of how many votes will come in, be sure to answer the previous post.  

Best of luck!!  This is it!

Last Bonus Question

Okay everyone, this is it!  I've got one last bonus question, and it better work out (unlike about half of the bonus questions I've done this year.) 

Seacrest announces EVERY WEEK how many votes are cast by America.  Last week I think 95 million votes came in.

So my final bonus question will be: 

How many votes will America cast for the American Idol? 

Whoever gets closest to the actual number will get 200 bonus points, then 150 for second place, and 100 for third.  This could go a long way to deciding our AIFL champion.

Remember, the first half of the finale is Tuesday night, but I don't need your answer until just before Wednesday's show.  Good luck!  

One More Week

It's a tight race for the top spot!  So few points separate the top half of our top ten . . .

So not many people saw Haley going home, but congrats to our great prognosticators Craig, Seth, and Jaron. 

The bonus question didn't work out all that well either, seeing as how Haley was the only one to mention a number of fans at her performance.  Sorry guys, dumb bonus question.  Wilson and I did guess Haley, though.  Woo hoo!

So we're almost there, and I promise a GOOD bonus question, and then you will guess next week who will win it all! 

See you Sunday night!

One last time, who's going home?

So, we'll get the results from the hometown visits on tomorrow's show, so no point changes tonight.  That means tomorrow night is going to be HUGE for points.  You can get 150 for the bonus, and 200 for correctly predicting who's done.

So, who will be sent packing tomorrow night?  Let me know!!

Hometown Bonus Question

We're almost to the end, and that means the finalists are heading home for some tears and hugs.  The question is based on the hometown visit.

Which finalist will play to the biggest crowd at their hometown visit? 

To be specific, if if a contestant plays in more than one place during their visit, we will count only the largest crowd they play in front of, not combined totals.  Also, if the size of the crowd is not mentioned, the contestant will not be eligible to win this one (because I'm not pausing the show and counting people on the screen). 

150 points for the people that guess right.  Good luck!

Almost There

Sorry for all the technical difficulties.  Hopefully Blogger has things all figured out as we get to the end.  I'm not counting any guesses for who's going home since Blogger wasn't accepting comments on Thursday.  It's not like any of you were going to pick James to go home anyway!

We're down to it, so get ready for another big points bonus contest on Sunday night!

Who's Going home?

Congrats to Sara and Seth who guessed that James would sing first.  Well done!


Okay, just like last week, 200 points if you guess who's going home tomorrow.  Let me know!

New Bonus Contest

Sorry that it took me so long to update the scores.  Technical difficulties and busy schedule combined to slow me up.

For our bonus, we're going back to a classic:  Who is going to sing first on Wednesday night's show?

You've got a one in four chance and 150 points of you guess right.  Good luck!

Who's going home??

What a show, huh?  I loved most of the performances.  DAWG, I THINK THEY IN IT TO WIN IT!

Since we're getting down to the end, we're not going to worry about a bottom three any more.  Just let me know who you think is going home, and if you guess right, you get 200 points.  Good luck!

P.S.  I will award the bonus points for guessing about whether or not the alumnus will sing AFTER tomorrow's show.  

So who's going home?

New Bonus Contest

Hey everybody!  Time for our new bonus contest!  This one is a 50/50, yes or no.  150 points if you guess right.  the question is:

Will an American Idol alumnus (contestant from any previous season) perform on Thursday night's show?

Yes or no?  Let me know! And be sure to let me know before Wednesday night's show, because they always announce it on Wednesday nights!

New Standings

So Brian's back on top!  Nice job bro, but we're all still coming to get you!

Since Ryan said the three guys left standing on the stage were "in random order," I did not count them as the bottom three.  So I just gave everyone 50 points that put Casey in the bottom three.  Since no one chose him to go home, no one got more than 50 for that portion.  Weird.

Your top ten is still very important.  Switches and trades can still happen, and still work out for you.   

See you on Sunday night!

2 On the Stairs

So remember that the previous post said, "Which contestants will use the stairs at the back of the stage IN ANY WAY . . ." 

I thought that we were heading toward a big "0" until I saw the last duet with James and Jacob.  They started on the back stairs, and they are two different contestants, so the seven of us that guessed "2" got the 200 points.  

And guess what?  We've got a new leader!  Congrats to Wilson, let's see if you can keep it up! 

So, who's the bottom three and going home?  Let me know!

Step right up for a Bonus Contest

Happy Easter AIFL Nation!

Time for the next bonus round.  Here's the question:

How many contestants will use (in any way) the stairs behind the stage during their Wednsday night performances?  200 points if you guess the number correctly! 

Remember, there are only 6 contestants left, so don't guess more than that!  And it's okay to guess "0."

Good Luck!

Adios Stefano

So Stefano is gone, and lots of people got most, if not all, of the top 3 and going home correct.  It's really heating up, with the top 3 really close to each other.  It's going to be a great fight to the finish, just like on the show.

See you Sunday night!

I Saw the Sign

The most common sign pick was the right pick--Steven Tyler was the first sign of the night.  If you look really closely, you can see a sign for Haley next, then Jacob was honored on the third sign. 

Five people chose Steven, and one (Brian, of course) chose Haley.  So how does everyone feel to be losing to a 9-year old?  Nice job Wilson!  Keep it up!

Okay, who's going the bottom three and going home?  Let me know!

New Bonus Contest: What's Your Sign?

This week's bonus contest is all about the fun signs that are made by the studio audience.  Or are they actually made by the audience themselves? One consiracy theory I have is that the signs are made by American Idol interns or something and then given to people as they show up to watch the show.  I don't know why, but some of those signs just seem a little fishy to me!  Discuss amongst yourselves . . .

Anywho, back to the contest.  As the show starts on Wednesday, pick ONE person (judge, host, or contestant) who you think will be mentioned on one of the first three signs shown on the screen.  If your choice is on the VERY FIRST sign, you get 200 points.  If your choice is on the second of third sign, you get 100 points.  If a sign is unreadable, it doesn't count as one of the three.

Good luck!

It's Getting Close

Look out, Brian!  Seth and Wilson BOTH guessed perfectly the bottom three and Paul going home.  They are both charging hard, and we've definitely got a competition on our hands.

On a personal note, I really liked Paul McDonald. I thought he was great, but you know, all the singers left are really good.  They always say, "This is the most talented group we've ever had, blah, blah, blah" but I really think it's true this year.  I feel like I'm watching a concert every time I tune in.  Anybody else thoroughly enjoying this season (even without Pia, Annette)?

Bonus contest announced Sunday night!

Who's Going?

Congrats to Sara, Seth, and Christine, who correctly guessed our interviewees.  Remember, if your choice is interviewed tomorrow night on a little silver chair, you can still get 200 points. 

Now tell me your bottom three and who you think is going home.  It's getting really tough to pick! Good luck . . .

We're back!

The cruise was awesome, but now it's time to get back to business.  First of all, Pia?  Really?  C'mon America!

It's time for our next bonus competition.  This competition was conceived by Amy.  Her question for you is:  Which contestant (if any) will be interviewed by Ryan Seacrest on a little silver chair? 

You can pick any one contestant, or choose NONE as an option.  This contest goes through Wednesday and Thursday night's show.  So pick your one contestant, or none, and let me know who you think it will be.  If you guess right, you get 200 points!

Shakeup

Brian is still out in front, but the rest of our top ten got all shaken up this week!  Some people got 100 for guessing 1 out of the 2 going home, while others cashed in with 300 for guessing perfectly.  America got it right and sent home Naima and Thia.  Woo hoo!

Now next week Kasia and I will be cruising the Caribbean, so there will be no bonus competition or going home predictions.  NEXT WEEK ONLY, there will only be points for your top ten.  I will update scores on Sunday, April 10 or Monday, April 11. 

If you'd like something to do during our AIFL layoff, please suggest a cool bonus contest or two as a comment to this post.  I'll pick some of your suggestions for future bonus contests. 

Bon voyage!

Thanks, Seacrest

Of course the one week I need Ryan to say "This is American Idol," HE DOESN'T!  So we'll carry this bonus contest over to tomorrow night's show or a future show if tomorrow doesn't work out.

Now down to business.  We've got 2 contestants going home tomorrow.  Don't worry about bottom three, just tell me which two contestants are going home.  You get 100 points for each one you get right, plus if you get them both right, you get 100 bouns points.

So 300 points can be yours.  Get to guessing and good luck!

THIS is RYAN SEACREST

Okay, time for a new bonus contest.  I always love Seacrest and his dramatic, "THIS is American IDOL!" intro at the beginning of each episode.  We know he will always say the phrase at the end of the intro.  My question for you is:  How many words will Ryan Seacrest say in Wednesday night's intro before he says his magical phrase?

If you get the number of words exactly right, you get 200 bonus points.  If you get within 10 words more or less, you get 100 points.  If you get within 20 words more or less, you get 50 points. 

Good luck, and remember, "THIS is AMERICAN IDOL FANTASY LEAGUE!"

Just for fun, here's one of my favorite clips of Seacrest.  This is where he tries to high-five the blind guy.

Craziness

So that was unexpected . . . Casey Abrams?  Kicked off then saved?  Wow. 

Good job everybody.  Sorry the results are so late.  With NCAA basketball, Wilson's baseball, work, etc., it's been a crazy time. 

Anyway, Brian continues to roll, but everyone was pretty equal this time.  Those with stronger top tens will continue to climb the rankings as the points get bigger.

Speaking of bigger, the price to switch or replace is now 100/200 for the rest of the season. 

Keep it up everyone!  Bonus competition announce on Sunday night!

Hot Words Results and GOING HOME

As I watched the show tonight, I realized I should have replaced a couple of my hot words with some other words!  More on that later.

Here's what I counted (sorry if it's different from your total):

Ryan: 6 times (120 points!)
Best: 2 times (40 points)
Pitchy: 1 time (20 points, and Ryan said it, not Randy!)
Hot:  Sorry, I didn't hear it at all!

I had fun with this one, so I'm extending it to tomorrow night's show as well.  3 new words or phrases to choose from this time.  They are "beautiful," "vibe," and "make (or made) it your own."  Pick one, and it's 20 points each once again!

In addition to picking a new hot word, you also need to tell me, as usual, your bottom three and who you think is going home.  Lots of points are available, so let's get to it!

Hot Words

New bonus contest for this week.  We've never done one like this, so read carefully.  We're focusing this week on HOT WORDS!!

There are some words used on AI that have become part of America's vocabulary because of their frequent and unique use on the show.  I'm going to give you four such words from which to select.  Every time your selected word is used on Wednesday night's show, CHA CHING!  You get 20 bonus points. 

Here are your HOT WORDS (choose one):  "pitchy," "Ryan," "hot," and "best."  Choose the word you think will be said the most, and leave your choice as a comment to this post by showtime on Wednesday.   20 points for you every time your word is used! 

2 Perfect Guesses

Congratulations to JARON and AMY, who both guessed the bottom three AND Karen going home perfectly!  Our first 300 point guessers of the season!  Of course, Brian keeps truckin' right along, but we still have a LONG way to go, so nobody should give up!

And so we say goodbye to Karen.  ¿Or should we say adios?

One more week left of 50 point switches and 100 point replacements.  After this week it will go up to 100/200.  Get your top 10 solid this week!

Hope you're having fun.  New bonus contest on sunday night!

Leopard Print??

So Jennifer decided to go Leopard tonight.  I'm counting guesses for brown (Brian, of course) and white (way to go, Seth).  100 points each!  Also, congrats to those who chose that Jennifer would wear 3 rings, gaining 50 points each.

Now, just like last week, let me know who you think America will put into the bottom three, and who you think will be sent home.  Go for it!  You can pull it off, just like Steven Tyler can pull off wearing that shirt he wore tonight!

50 points for each bottom three correct guess, 100 for correct "going home" guess, 50 bonus points for a totally perfect guess!

New Bonus Contest

Jennifer Lopez is a fashion icon.  The main reason why I watch American Idol is to see what Jennifer will be wearing.  I then try my best to make my outfits match hers throughout the week.  Yes, this is Brett typing here.  I can't help it.  I LOVE J LO!

So, the bonus question centers around Jennifer's Wednesday night outfit.  The question is:

What will be the main color of Jennifer Lopez's outfit/top on Wednesday night? 100 points if you guess right! 

And, for an extra 50 points, how many rings will she be wearing?

Submit your guesses as comments to this post by showtime on Wednesday.  Also, if you have any switches (50 pts) or replacements (100 pts), let me know as a comment by Wednesday.  Good luck, and happy fashion guessing!

Goodbye Ashthon, Helloooooo, Brian!

So, Ashthon is going home, and of course Brian (and a few others) guessed it right!  Congrats to our new top 11.  Be sure to check my math on the spreadsheet to the right, and let me know if I made any errors on your score.

Trades are now up to 50 points per switch, and 100 per replacement.  Those prices will go up again in two weeks, so take advantage if you need to!

Good job everyone, and I hope you're having fun.  New bonus question on Sunday night!

Who's Going Home?



Really Steven?  You couldn't even get bleeped ONCE?  Why did you have to pick tonight to be all gentlemanly?  Geez.  So no one gets bonus points tonight. (You know, he did say the "a" word, but apparently that's totally acceptable.) 

Good news, though.  I am extending the bleeping contest through tomorrow night's show.  So your previous guesses still apply.  Hopefully he will be a little wilder tomorrow night.

Now comes the fun part.  Time to guess who's going home!  Submit your choice for who's going to be in the bottom three, and which one of them will be sent home.   I need your picks by showtime tomorrow night. 

Points:  50 for each "bottom three" correct guess, and 100 for guessing correctly who's going home.  AND, if you perfectly guess the bottom three AND who's going home, you'll get an extra 50 points.  So, there's a total of 300 points possible.  Let me know, and good luck!

New Bonus Contest

Good job those of you that have made some switches and replacements!  The rest of you have until showtime Wednesday to take advantage of half-price Top 10 movement.

By the way, if you are wondering about your top ten, how it looks, and how it's scored, click on the links off to the right called "AIFL 2011 Scoresheet" and "Scoring Procedures."  You can keep going back to the scoresheet to see your top ten and your current score.  Let me know if you have any questions about it or if my math is bad.

And now for our new bonus question.  It centers on everyone's favorite new judge, Steven Tyler.  He has been known this season in part for his colorful language on the show.  The censors have been working overtime, I'm sure, to keep a few potty mouth words away from the ears of AI listeners.  So, the question for you is:

How many times will Steven Tyler be "bleeped" by the censors on Wednesday night's show?  Will he keep it clean and be "bleep-free?"  Or will he have one or more choice words silenced on the air?  Submit your guess (it's okay to guess that he will not be bleeped at all) by showtime on Wednesday.  100 points if you guess correctly!!

Good luck!

How did you do?

Well, we now have our top 13!  How did your picks go?  Did you pick some wild cards (No, you didn't, unless your name is MARK (75 points) or BRIAN (amazingly picked 2=150 points)?  Are you wondering with me about Naima over Robbie?  C'mon now judges!

You may or may not have gotten lucky with your bonus and wildcard selections, but let me tell you that the real points during the competition come from a strong top 10.  If your top ten did not go very well for you tonight, don't worry, you can change your top 10!  Usually the way we do it is: 

For a price of 50 points, you can switch 2 people in your top 10.  For example, let's say your #1 just got eliminated, but now your #10 choice is smokin' hot.  Well, just tell me to switch your #1 and your #10, and you will end up with a ton more points as the season goes on.

If you want to replace someone in your top 10 with someone you didn't pick originally, it will cost you 100 points.  For example, your #1 is gone, and you want to bring in someone who you never thought of before, do it!

And, since this week's cuts were so drastic, I'm giving everyone a deal this week.  If you make any switches or replace someone, you can do it for half price!  that's right, this week only, switch 2 contestants in your top ten for 25 points, or replace someone for 50 points.

I will always need your changes before the first show of the next week.  Just get them to me as a comment to this post.  Good luck! 

Stay tuned for the next bonus competition, posted this Sunday night . . .

More Bonus Points, and a New Contest

Congratulations to Amber and Brian (two former AIFL champions), who both guessed correctly that Tatynisa Wilson would sing first tonight.  They each get 100 points, plus a few others who got 50 because their choices sang second or third.  Well done!

Now you have heard all 24 contestants.  Only 10 of them will be voted to the finals by America.  The judges will pick (probably) 2 wildcards as well.  It's time to get out your crystal ball and make another prediction:

Who will be the wildcards?

Try to think of one guy and one girl who America will not put through, but who the judges can't do without.  Post your wildcard choices as a comment below! 

Please have your choices in by showtime tomorrow.  Good luck!

Who's Lucky? I'm Lucky!

So, for the first time in four seasons, I AM IN FIRST PLACE IN MY OWN LEAGUE!   I need to celebrate and live it up now, because I'm pretty sure it won't last.  I did get lucky enough (along with Sara--welcome!) to guess that Clint was singing first tonight.  4 others guessed singers who went second or third, and got 50 points each.   Good job everyone, and let's get to the girls tomorrow night!

By the way, if you're already thinking you made some mistakes with your top ten picks, don't worry.  You will get chances to move your picks around during the season (for a price, of course.) Stay tuned for those opportunities! 

1st Bonus Contest

Woo hoo!  I'm so excited to be posting the first bonus contest of the new season! 

The guys will sing on Tuesday, and the girls will sing on Wednesday.  All you have to do to get your first bonus points is pick the one guy and one girl who you think are going to sing first in their respective gorups. 

If the name you pick does sing first, you get 100 points.  If your name is one of the first three singers of their group, you get 50 points.  If BOTH your guy and your girl sing first, I will double your points to 200 for each (and check to see if you know somone who works for Fox)! 

So, please give me your guy's name and girls' name before showtime on Tuesday.  Good luck!

 

A New Season

Welcome to AIFL 2011, the best American Idol fantasy league ever created. After all the hype, good and bad auditions, group performances, and drama, it is finally time to get started. The process is very simple:

1. Out of the top 24 contestants, pick the 10 that you think will go the farthest.
2. Rank your choices 1-10, with #1 being your choice for the next American Idol, on down through 10th place.
3. Send me your ranked choices as a comment to this post. 

Here's how you will get points throughout the competition:

• You will get points for each contestant in your top 10 every time he/she makes it through an elimination round.  The points you get will be weighted according to the elim. round number and your contestant ranking. Your #1 will get 10 points, down through your #10 getting 1 point, multiplied by the number of elimination rounds survived.  (Example:  Your #1 ranked (10 pt.) contestant passed the 3rd elimination round. 3 x 10=30 pts.)
• You will predict who's going home each week.  The more you predict correctly, the more points you will get. 
• You will also get to participate in weekly bonus competitions where you will get lots of points if you guess correctly the questions and predictions proposed on this blog. 

So, whenever you're ready, submit your top 10 contestants, ranked, as a comment to this post.  If you're confused, you can look at my choices posted below.  Please submit your rankings by show time next Tuesday.

Also, our first bonus competition will be posted this Sunday night.  Check back early next week for your first bonus question!

Thanks for playing, and best of luck!