Anyone's Game, tournament 10 recap
April 18, 2023
At HexaCon ↗ in mid-February, 2023, we ran five tournaments of Anyone's Game! Conventiongoers were allowed to approach and participate at will for the first three tournaments. These do not have video, hence the recaps.
Each of the ℹ️ buttons below links to the Wikipedia article on the contest in question. Players who have previously won championships are denoted with ⭐ emoji.
Here's a summary of tournament 10, the third of five tournaments at HexaCon (and the last of three without video). But first:
Ground rules
Contestants may use any reasonable means available to accomplish the goal, but any of the following will result in disqualification, except when required by the contest:
- Use of outside help.
- Coercion or threatening bystanders or faceless participants.
- Escalating in violence beyond the level required by the contest rules.
- Cheating or otherwise circumventing the goal of the contest by using objects or gadgets.
Note: The rules above will be changing in tournament 13.
Round 1
Match 1-1
e138 monologue delivery
#988 Tim "the Tool Man" Taylor (Home Improvement)
vs.
#832 Riptor (Killer Instinct)
Winner
Tim Taylor
Match 1-2
e233 packing luggage
#374 Geralt of Rivia (The Witcher)
vs.
#896 Ron Weasley (Harry Potter)
Winner
Ron Weasley
Match 1-3
e15 100-meter dash
⭐#1041 Black Widow (Black Widow)
vs.
#102 Marty McFly (Back to the Future)
Winner
Black Widow
Match 1-4
e11 dastardly planning
#802 Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man (Iron Man)
vs.
#536 Babydoll (Sucker Punch)
Winner
Tony Stark
Note: There was no Wikipedia entry for this contest, so this button leads instead to a dictionary definition of dastardly.
Match 1-5
e196 skeet shooting
#161 Jerry Seinfeld (Seinfeld)
vs.
#993 Arya Stark (Game of Thrones)
Winner
Arya Stark
Match 1-6
e215 ice cream scoop stacking
#347 Emp. Kuzco (The Emperor's New Groove)
vs.
#400 Princess Charlie Morningstar (Hazbin Hotel)
Winner
Emp. Kuzco
Note: There was no Wikipedia entry related to this contest, so this button leads instead to a product page on Amazon for a children's game that demonstrates the concept. The actual contest is done with ice cream, however, instead of soft plastic cups.
Match 1-7
e88 freestyle rap
#477 Eddie Valiant (Who Framed Roger Rabbit?)
vs.
#245 Dr. Eggman, a.k.a. Dr. Ivo Robotnik (Sonic the Hedgehog)
Winner
Dr. Eggman
Match 1-8
e141 house cleaning
#352 Edward (Edward Scissorhands)
vs.
#999 Peter Griffin (Family Guy)
Winner
Edward
Match 1-9
e177 red light, green light
#340 Capt. Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean)
vs.
#371 Optimus Prime (Transformers)
Winner
Optimus Prime
Match 1-10
e199 ice road trucking
#803 Lord Eddard "Ned" Stark (Game of Thrones)
vs.
#139 Razputin "Raz" Aquato (Psychonauts)
Winner
Ned Stark
Match 1-11
e180 slug-Bug
#935 Alex Trebek (Jeopardy!)
vs.
#158 Kronk (The Emperor's New Groove)
Winner
Kronk
Match 1-12
e108 corn husking
#712 the King (Burger King)
vs.
#384 Doug Dimmadome (The Fairly OddParents)
Winner
the King
Match 1-13
e226 wabbit season
Remove the rabbit infestation from the field as quickly as possible. The contest ends when one field is completely devoid of rabbits. Players may use violent means to remove the rabbits, but this is not necessary.
#207 AiAi (Super Monkey Ball)
vs.
#464 Lt. Cmdr. Worf (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Winner
Lt. Cmdr. Worf
Match 1-14
e71 Scrabble
#154 Joey Tribbiani (Friends)
vs.
#316 Capt. Benjamin Sisko (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)
Winner
Capt. Benjamin Sisko
Match 1-15
e173 towel snap fight
#685 Baba Yaga (folklore monster)
vs.
#1023 Cyclops, a.k.a. Scott Summers (X-Men)
Winner
Cyclops
Note: There was no Wikipedia entry related to this contest, so this button leads instead to an entry for "towel-snap" on Your Dictionary.
Match 1-16
e203 galloping
#165 Wakko Warner (The Animaniacs)
vs.
#811 Naruto Uzumaki (Naruto)
Winner
Wakko Warner
Round 2
Match 2-1
e202 tag-team wrestling +1
Team Tim
#988 Tim Taylor (Home Improvement)
#832 Riptor (Killer Instinct)
vs.
Team Ron
#896 Ron Weasley (Harry Potter)
#374 Geralt of Rivia (The Witcher)
Winners
Team Ron
Match 2-2
e157 cooking on a dollar
⭐#1041 Black Widow (Black Widow)
vs.
#802 Tony Stark (Iron Man)
Winner
Black Widow
Note: There was no Wikipedia entry related to this contest, so this button leads instead to a video playlist from Atomic Shrimp that demonstrates the concept.
Match 2-3
e16 makeover
Team Arya
#993 Arya Stark (Game of Thrones)
#161 Jerry Seinfeld (Seinfeld)
vs.
Team Kuzco
#347 Emp. Kuzco (The Emperor's New Groove)
#400 Princess Charlie Morningstar (Hazbin Hotel)
Winners
Team Kuzco
Note: The team leaders must give a makeover to their previous opponents.
Match 2-4
e188 food delivery
#245 Dr. Eggman (Sonic the Hedgehog)
vs.
#352 Edward (Edward Scissorhands)
Winner
Dr. Eggman
Match 2-5
e133 murder mystery solving
#371 Optimus Prime (Transformers)
vs.
#803 Ned Stark (Game of Thrones)
Winner
Optimus Prime
Match 2-6
e93 historical trivia
#158 Kronk (The Emperor's New Groove)
vs.
#712 the King (Burger King)
Winner
Kronk
Note: Questions are asked based on the histories of the players' respective worlds, and they are not given the opportunity to answer one another's questions.
Match 2-7
e208 cosplay +1
Team Worf
#464 Lt. Cmdr. Worf (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
#207 AiAi (Super Monkey Ball)
vs.
Team Sisko
#316 Capt. Benjamin Sisko (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)
#154 Joey Tribbiani (Friends)
Winners
Team Worf
Note: The team leaders must cosplay as their previous opponents, who are assisting.
Match 2-8
e116 motivational speaking
#1023 Cyclops (X-Men)
vs.
#165 Wakko Warner (The Animaniacs)
Winner
Cyclops
Round 3
Match 3-1
e217 air guitar
#896 Ron Weasley (Harry Potter)
vs.
⭐#1041 Black Widow (Black Widow)
Winner
Black Widow
Match 3-2
e140 speed typing
#347 Emp. Kuzco (The Emperor's New Groove)
vs.
#245 Dr. Eggman (Sonic the Hedgehog)
Winner
Dr. Eggman
Match 3-3
e5 balloon animals
#371 Optimus Prime (Transformers)
vs.
#158 Kronk (The Emperor's New Groove)
Winner
Kronk
Match 3-4
e245 thinking with portals
#464 Lt. Cmdr. Worf (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
vs.
#1023 Cyclops (X-Men)
Winner
Cyclops
Note: Players are solving portal-based puzzles in person, like those found in the Portal series' test chambers.
Semifinals
Match 4-1
e158 extravagant cooking
⭐#1041 Black Widow (Black Widow)
vs.
#245 Dr. Eggman (Sonic the Hedgehog)
Winner
Black Widow
Match 4-2
e84 stand-up comedy
#158 Kronk (The Emperor's New Groove)
vs.
#1023 Cyclops (X-Men)
Winner
Kronk
Final round
In the final match, the first player to win two contests becomes the champion!
Finalists
⭐#1041 Black Widow (Black Widow)
vs.
#158 Kronk (The Emperor's New Groove)
Match 5-1
e107 canine agility course
Winner
Kronk
Match 5-2
e80 stage makeup
Winner
Black Widow
Match 5-3
e83 ladder match
Winner
Black Widow
Champion
#1041 Black Widow, a.k.a. Natasha Romanov
As champion, Black Widow receives a second shiny star on her portrait and automatic admission into the next tournament!
Any player who wins three stars retires from Anyone's Game and into the Hall of Fame!
The state of the bracket at the end of the tournament. Black Widow now has two stars! If she wins one more, she'll retire into the Hall of Fame!
Do you think any of these matches should have turned out differently? Send us your thoughts on Twitter (#AnyonesGame) or by email. We might even read them on the show!
