Y’all. Holy crap. When I put this bracket together, in my mind the final was always going to be two of our muppets that made it to the finals. Both of them almost got the axe in our Elite 8. This may truly have been the most competitive round of voting we have ever had. Not one team in our four regional finals was ever more that 10 points ahead. By the end of voting we had two matchups decided by 1 vote and another decided by 3. Wild week of voting!
So here we are. The Semi-Finals begin now and voting will end Sunday, April 5 at 5pm Central. I truly cannot believe we are already at the Final 4, this year’s tourney has absolutely flown by!
But first — Let’s get on to the results! Remember all “scores” are percentages from voting.
Elite 8
Gary & Mary Region
(1) Kermit the Frog vs (2) Animal
This was one of the two that I was almost sure would be in the final vs an all time personal favorite. I believed Kermit would win out here since he’s been the face of The Muppet Show since the beginning. But, Animal put up a tenacious fight the entire voting period and pulled off a last second buzzer beater to move on to the Final 4 by a 1 vote margin (!!!) 51-49.
Scrooge Region
(2) The Great Gonzo vs (4) Statler & Waldorf
Gonzo is another personal fave. But Statler & Waldorf seemed to be giant killers, already taking out Rizzo and 1 seed Miss Piggy. This one was back and forth every time I checked in but in the end, the 2 seed Gonzo moves on to the left side of the bracket final by 3 votes over the hecklers 54-46.
Mr Hooper Region
(1) Elmo vs (2) Grover
Here is the second matchup that was a muppet I was almost sure would be in the final vs an all time personal favorite. Elmo is the current main character on Sesame Street and I really didn’t think Grover had a chance here as much as I love him. But Super Grover flew to our biggest win of the round (even though it was still within 10) as the 2 seed moves on 59-41. Bye, Elmo! 😦
Mr Noodle Region
(1) Big Bird vs (3) Oscar the Grouch
If you are of a certain age (from the 1900s), this matchup was your childhood. I really and truly had no idea what to do here. Oscar the Grouch had been on a tear. I mean he took down Cookie Monster last round. Big Bird and Oscar were 1a and 1b of Sesame Street when we were growing up. Y’all struggled with this one just as much as I did. In the end, Big Bird takes the Mr. Noodle Region by 1 vote (!!!) and a final of 51-49.
We head into the Semi-Finals with a classic Muppet Show matchup in Animal/Gonzo on the left side of the bracket and a really tough Sesame Street showdown in Big Bird/Grover on the right side of the bracket. How do you even pick? Who knows. Wouldn’t have it any other way.
So, after all the votes and all of my back-patting about seeding so well, we head into the Semi-Finals with only one 1 seed representing. Although the other three participants are 2 seeds. Not too shabby, if I do say so myself! It’s been a fun ride with some twists I did not see coming at all but overall, I feel very comfortable with these results! Good voting, team!
That leaves our bracket looking like this (Click to expand. It gets a little crowded):
Final 4
Semi-Final #1
Semi-Final #2
We’re here, guys! We have our regional winners and now it’s time to see who moves on to the finale! Polls are open and will close on Sunday, April 5 at 5pm Central.
Let’s get to voting and see who gets to the ‘ship! See you guys on Monday with our Championship match-up! Unreal that we are already here.
The Clumsy Optimist 