Anyone's Game, tournament 9 recap

Rob Bourgeois

April 17, 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 9, the second of five tournaments at HexaCon (and the second 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

e133 murder mystery solving

#198 Sonya Blade (Mortal Kombat)

vs.

#936 Sean Connery (actor)


Winner

Sonya Blade

Match 1-2

e26 freerunning

#531 Cao Cao (Romance of the Three Kingdoms)

vs.

#647 Calvin (Calvin and Hobbes)


Winner

Calvin

Match 1-3

e8 juggling

#946 Hägar the Horrible (Hägar the Horrible)

vs.

#347 Emperor Kuzco (The Emperor's New Groove)


Winner

Emperor Kuzco

Match 1-4

e174 pillow fight

#340 Capt. Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean)

vs.

#158 Kronk (The Emperor's New Groove)


Winner

Kronk

Match 1-5

e242 cartwheeling for distance

#133 Ein (Cowboy Bebop)

vs.

#126 Westley, a.k.a. the Dread Pirate Roberts (The Princess Bride)


Winner

Westley

Match 1-6

e173 towel snap fight

⭐#504 R2-D2 (Star Wars)

vs.

#685 Baba Yaga (folklore monster)


Winner

R2-D2

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 1-7

e138 monologue delivery

#712 the King (Burger King)

vs.

#157 the Wicked Witch of the West (The Wizard of Oz)


Winner

the Wicked Witch of the West

Match 1-8

e115 Mickey Mouse impersonation

#922 Rose Tyler (Doctor Who)

vs.

#1025 Benjamin Grimm, a.k.a. the Thing (The Fantastic Four)


Winner

Rose Tyler

Match 1-9

e108 corn husking

#682 Megan Parker (Drake & Josh)

vs.

#57 Rick O'Connell (The Mummy)


Winner

Rick O'Connell

Match 1-10

e150 fetch

#812 Inuyasha (Inuyasha)

vs.

#206 Llewellyn "Louie" Duck (DuckTales)


Winner

Inuyasha

Match 1-11

e47 skateboarding stunts

#263 Homer Simpson (The Simpsons)

vs.

#247 Agent Kay (Men in Black)


Winner

Agent Kay

Match 1-12

e184 orienteering

#1041 Black Widow, a.k.a. Natasha Romanov (Black Widow)

vs.

#112 Drizzt Do'urden (Dungeons & Dragons: Forgotten Realms)


Winner

Black Widow

Match 1-13

e195 skydiving

#910 Robin Scherbatsky (How I Met Your Mother)

vs.

#784 Alan "the Brain" Powers (Arthur)


Winner

Robin Scherbatsky

Match 1-14

e181 tour guiding

#511 Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood)

vs.

#1000 Brian Griffin (Family Guy)


Winner

Fred Rogers

Match 1-15

e119 kickboxing

#650 Rudolph, the red- nosed reindeer (Christmas assistant)

vs.

#232 King Aragorn (The Lord of the Rings)


Winner

King Aragorn

Match 1-16

e84 stand-up comedy

#279* Marie (Splatoon)

vs.

#102 Marty McFly (Back to the Future)


Winner

Marty McFly

* Since this tournament, Marie has joined with her cousin Callie, to form the team #279 the Squid Sisters.

Round 2

Match 2-1

e202 Twister

#198 Sonya Blade (Mortal Kombat)

vs.

#647 Calvin (Calvin and Hobbes)


Winner

Sonya Blade

Match 2-2

e243 pattycake +1

Team Kuzco

#347 Emp. Kuzco (The Emperor's New Groove)

#946 Hägar the Horrible (Hägar the Horrible)

vs.
Team Kronk

#158 Kronk (The Emperor's New Groove)

#340 Capt. Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean)


Winners

Team Kronk

Match 2-3

e172 miniature golf

#126 Westley (The Princess Bride)

vs.

⭐#504 R2-D2 (Star Wars)


Winner

Westley

Match 2-4

e223 silly walking

#157 the Wicked Witch of the West (The Wizard of Oz)

vs.

#922 Rose Tyler (Doctor Who)


Winner

the Wicked Witch of the West

Match 2-5

e154 Monopoly +1!

#57 Rick O'Connell (The Mummy)

vs.

#812 Inuyasha (Inuyasha)

vs.

#682 Megan Parker (Drake & Josh)

vs.

#205 Louie Duck (DuckTales)


Winner

Louie Duck*

* In a free-for-all event, previously eliminated players get another chance to win in place of current contestants (this is credited as a steal), and Louie Duck has done so.

Match 2-6

e103 "try not to laugh" challenge

#247 Agent Kay (Men in Black)

vs.

#1041 Black Widow (Black Widow)


Winner

Black Widow

Note: There was no Wikipedia entry relating to this contest, so this button leads instead to a playlist of Markiplier videos demonstrating the concept.

Match 2-7

e137 craps

#910 Robin Scherbatsky (How I Met Your Mother)

vs.

#511 Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood)


Winner

Robin Scherbatsky

Match 2-8

e57 swashbuckling

#232 King Aragorn (The Lord of the Rings)

vs.

#102 Marty McFly (Back to the Future)


Winner

King Aragorn

Round 3

Match 3-1

e168 mock trial +1

Team Sonya

#198 Sonya Blade (Mortal Kombat)

#647 Calvin (Calvin and Hobbes)

vs.
Team Kronk

#158 Kronk (The Emperor's New Groove)

#347 Emp. Kuzco (The Emperor's New Groove)


Winners

Team Sonya

Match 3-2

e31 joust

#126 Westley (The Princess Bride)

vs.

#157 the Wicked Witch of the West (The Wizard of Oz)


Winner

Westley

Match 3-3

e180 slug-Bug

#205 Louie Duck (DuckTales)

vs.

#1041 Black Widow (Black Widow)


Winner

Black Widow

Match 3-4

e121 caber tossing

#910 Robin Scherbatsky (How I Met Your Mother)

vs.

#511 Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood)


Winner

Fred Rogers

Semifinals

Match 4-1

e194 computer troubleshooting

#198 Sonya Blade (Mortal Kombat)

vs.

#126 Westley (The Princess Bride)


Winner

Sonya Blade

Match 4-2

e196 skeet shooting

#1041 Black Widow (Black Widow)

vs.

#232 King Aragorn (The Lord of the Rings)


Winner

Sonya Blade

Final round

In the final match, the first player to win two contests becomes the champion!

Finalists

#198 Sonya Blade (Mortal Kombat)

vs.

#1041 Black Widow (Black Widow)

Match 5-1

e83 ladder match

Winner

Black Widow

Match 5-2

e160 bull riding

Winner

Black Widow

Match 5-3

e141 house cleaning

Winner

Black Widow

Champion

#1041 Black Widow, a.k.a. Natasha Romanov

As champion, Black Widow receives a 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 one star and is one step closer to 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!


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