Episode 9.3 — Time Crunch: Day 3

[B Naylor 3]

Taking things out on the judges by giving them bad podcast reviews is a seriously bad idea, who's going to want to come on and be a guest judge and risk having people shit on their podcast ratings?

[B Naylor 3]

Taking things out on the judges by giving them bad podcast reviews is a seriously bad idea, who's going to want to come on and be a guest judge and risk having people shit on their podcast ratings?

[Scott Aukerman 381]

@Linus - thanks for your nice words and your spacing tip!

[Scott Aukerman 381]

@Linus - thanks for your nice words and your spacing tip!

[jeffullrich 652]

And yes, I want to reiterate what Scott said (and Ben), please don't be unkind to Dave Anthony or any of our guest judges because of this show. Dave did us a favor and it really reflects poorly on Scott and I, not to mention all of you, that his show has been mistreated on iTunes. And as Ben suggests, it won't help me booking any future shows and booking is one of the hardest parts to making this show happen.

[jeffullrich 652]

And yes, I want to reiterate what Scott said (and Ben), please don't be unkind to Dave Anthony or any of our guest judges because of this show. Dave did us a favor and it really reflects poorly on Scott and I, not to mention all of you, that his show has been mistreated on iTunes. And as Ben suggests, it won't help me booking any future shows and booking is one of the hardest parts to making this show happen.

[Mar6647 0]

I like what Linus noted about people responding angrily in real time as they listen to the show. Well noted.
I would recomend that people read through the whole thread before they post anything. When I logged into the forum, I was all geared up to rant about how angry I was, then go smash something. But I'm mortally afraid of being under-informed, so I read the whole thing through. As an added bonus, I had time to cool off, and to realize that doing my best Hulk impression doesn't really make my opinion seem reasonable or interesting.
I don't think this episode was nearly as poorly executed as people are making it out to be, fundementally. In fact, I have to give Scott kudos on thinking up a really interesting hook for this week. You guys could have just done a straight up content week, and it might have been a little more fair. But it wouldn't have been interesting. The judges could have used a little more rehersal as to the exact parameters of the challenge, as that would have made things just a little bit cleaner, but that's all it would have done. I really don't think that their understanding of the challenge was so greviously horrible that it substantially affected the outcome. The show is as fundementally strong as it could possibly be; it only needs an occasional extra polish here and there.
I personally don't find the Totally Laime podcast to be as engaging as the judges do. Not my thing. I thought that the ironic element in the premise of the LHR sketch was funny, and that they did a great job within their constraints. It was very well balanced in my opinion. TLDDC had an awesome submission, which I think really made the best of the situation and the contest parameters. The fact that the judges weren't in line with all of my opinions proves that they aren't me. Which is too bad, because I'm pretty great.
I wish that they had put all three podasts in the "Bottom Three", to have all of them explain why they did what they did. The "Defend Yourself" element seems to be good for giving advice, and it's interesting to hear the contestants comment on their submissions in real time.

[Mar6647 0]

I like what Linus noted about people responding angrily in real time as they listen to the show. Well noted.
I would recomend that people read through the whole thread before they post anything. When I logged into the forum, I was all geared up to rant about how angry I was, then go smash something. But I'm mortally afraid of being under-informed, so I read the whole thing through. As an added bonus, I had time to cool off, and to realize that doing my best Hulk impression doesn't really make my opinion seem reasonable or interesting.
I don't think this episode was nearly as poorly executed as people are making it out to be, fundementally. In fact, I have to give Scott kudos on thinking up a really interesting hook for this week. You guys could have just done a straight up content week, and it might have been a little more fair. But it wouldn't have been interesting. The judges could have used a little more rehersal as to the exact parameters of the challenge, as that would have made things just a little bit cleaner, but that's all it would have done. I really don't think that their understanding of the challenge was so greviously horrible that it substantially affected the outcome. The show is as fundementally strong as it could possibly be; it only needs an occasional extra polish here and there.
I personally don't find the Totally Laime podcast to be as engaging as the judges do. Not my thing. I thought that the ironic element in the premise of the LHR sketch was funny, and that they did a great job within their constraints. It was very well balanced in my opinion. TLDDC had an awesome submission, which I think really made the best of the situation and the contest parameters. The fact that the judges weren't in line with all of my opinions proves that they aren't me. Which is too bad, because I'm pretty great.
I wish that they had put all three podasts in the "Bottom Three", to have all of them explain why they did what they did. The "Defend Yourself" element seems to be good for giving advice, and it's interesting to hear the contestants comment on their submissions in real time.

[wo 265]

Dear Earwolf and Earwolf Challenge folks: please don't let a few dicks with internet connections get you down. I suspect there are plenty of people who enjoy the show but don't bother with comment boards, or people like me who don't see a point in posting "I'm a big fan" every single day.

[wo 265]

Dear Earwolf and Earwolf Challenge folks: please don't let a few dicks with internet connections get you down. I suspect there are plenty of people who enjoy the show but don't bother with comment boards, or people like me who don't see a point in posting "I'm a big fan" every single day.

[Mike Q. 1]

Hey @Scott -
 
If we're going with Top Chef analogies, I guess you could this was the week that LHR found out they just weren't equipped to cook their best food out on a campfire.
 
I guess I was just hoping that the finals were between the last 3 podcasts because they each have their unique strengths and it'd be nice to see that showcased in a longer-length content submission. As with Top Chef, where the finale is between 3, I think it creates more drama and the audience has more diverse rooting interests than with a finale of two.

 
In any case, thanks for responding and illuminating the thinking behind this week's challenge. Obviously you guys hit a nerve and stirred up some passions!

[Mike Q. 1]

Hey @Scott -
 
If we're going with Top Chef analogies, I guess you could this was the week that LHR found out they just weren't equipped to cook their best food out on a campfire.
 
I guess I was just hoping that the finals were between the last 3 podcasts because they each have their unique strengths and it'd be nice to see that showcased in a longer-length content submission. As with Top Chef, where the finale is between 3, I think it creates more drama and the audience has more diverse rooting interests than with a finale of two.

 
In any case, thanks for responding and illuminating the thinking behind this week's challenge. Obviously you guys hit a nerve and stirred up some passions!

[Alicks 0]

You know, thanks to this challenge and this thread I actually discovered, and subsequently got addicted to Walking the Room! So there's that, potential judges! Also, appropriately enough, Bob Ducca is the only podcast on the front page right now with zero comments. Guy just can't catch a break!

[Alicks 0]

You know, thanks to this challenge and this thread I actually discovered, and subsequently got addicted to Walking the Room! So there's that, potential judges! Also, appropriately enough, Bob Ducca is the only podcast on the front page right now with zero comments. Guy just can't catch a break!

[chinski43 1]

I actually really enjoyed this week's challenge because it is such a typical thing to have happen in "show biz" and it's also a great reality show mainstay. If these podcasts have truly been competing, then why not throw something their way that would really be a curveball. I'm sure if LHR did a sketch not about Zach but it was just hilarious, the judges would not have held it against them. Or maybe if LDDC and TL didn't have as strong submissions things would be different. I really like the final 2 and have already downloaded a few TL episodes to listen to. So they definitely have new fans, despite any conspiracy theories.

And I just keep trying to remember that is a comedy podcast. As much as this is a take on a reality show, I also love listening to it for the comedy that Matt and the guest judges bring to the table. I love that they sometimes are confused and sometimes admit that they don't give a shit. It's honest! And it's somewhat refreshing. Though some of the judging areas have been a little confusing throughout, the bottom line is that the best 3 made it to the finals in my opinion. I can't wait to see who wins the whole thing next week!

[chinski43 1]

I actually really enjoyed this week's challenge because it is such a typical thing to have happen in "show biz" and it's also a great reality show mainstay. If these podcasts have truly been competing, then why not throw something their way that would really be a curveball. I'm sure if LHR did a sketch not about Zach but it was just hilarious, the judges would not have held it against them. Or maybe if LDDC and TL didn't have as strong submissions things would be different. I really like the final 2 and have already downloaded a few TL episodes to listen to. So they definitely have new fans, despite any conspiracy theories.

And I just keep trying to remember that is a comedy podcast. As much as this is a take on a reality show, I also love listening to it for the comedy that Matt and the guest judges bring to the table. I love that they sometimes are confused and sometimes admit that they don't give a shit. It's honest! And it's somewhat refreshing. Though some of the judging areas have been a little confusing throughout, the bottom line is that the best 3 made it to the finals in my opinion. I can't wait to see who wins the whole thing next week!

[Mark1326657704 0]

@Scott: "when you boil it down to its basics, the contenders could have submitted anything they wanted this week - as long as it was completed in a half hour. And to me, that's not only fair, it's what constantly happens"

Except that if this had happened for real, LHR would have picked up one of the scripts they had banked, or even a bit they'd already produced that they had on ice, and plugged that in. But you guys told them specifically they couldn't do that. You gave them a completely different challenge then the other podcasts had. They had to create material from SCRATCH, IN 30 MINUTES. The chat shows didn't have to do a single thing different then what they normally do: talk to each other. Far be it from me to belittle the extensive creativity involved in asking questions like "when did you lose your virginity?", but this challenge was in no way "fair".

Bottom line: you guys deliberately fucked over LHR, and you won't admit it.

[Mark1326657704 0]

@Scott: "when you boil it down to its basics, the contenders could have submitted anything they wanted this week - as long as it was completed in a half hour. And to me, that's not only fair, it's what constantly happens"

Except that if this had happened for real, LHR would have picked up one of the scripts they had banked, or even a bit they'd already produced that they had on ice, and plugged that in. But you guys told them specifically they couldn't do that. You gave them a completely different challenge then the other podcasts had. They had to create material from SCRATCH, IN 30 MINUTES. The chat shows didn't have to do a single thing different then what they normally do: talk to each other. Far be it from me to belittle the extensive creativity involved in asking questions like "when did you lose your virginity?", but this challenge was in no way "fair".

Bottom line: you guys deliberately fucked over LHR, and you won't admit it.

[JW Buchanan 1]

Maybe if you yell loud enough at Scott and Jeff they'll stop answering our questions and listening to our feedback, which is SUUUUCH A HASSSSSLE!

[JW Buchanan 1]

Maybe if you yell loud enough at Scott and Jeff they'll stop answering our questions and listening to our feedback, which is SUUUUCH A HASSSSSLE!

[Bozarth 0]

@Mark - They didn't tell us specifically we couldn't use an old script. They just told us to make something original in 30 minutes. We don't feel fucked over except by our own submission. Sketch is a hit-or-miss game, and we just missed with the judges this time. We could have done so many different things, but we were in full-on panic mode.

If Scott and Jeff and the Earwolf crew wanted to keep us from winning, they never would have invited us in the first place.

Although I will say that we are all decent, if not great, improvisers on LHR. We perform much better when the suggestion isn't "Zach Galifianakis cancelled."

[Bozarth 0]

@Mark - They didn't tell us specifically we couldn't use an old script. They just told us to make something original in 30 minutes. We don't feel fucked over except by our own submission. Sketch is a hit-or-miss game, and we just missed with the judges this time. We could have done so many different things, but we were in full-on panic mode.

If Scott and Jeff and the Earwolf crew wanted to keep us from winning, they never would have invited us in the first place.

Although I will say that we are all decent, if not great, improvisers on LHR. We perform much better when the suggestion isn't "Zach Galifianakis cancelled."

[shahruz 5]

I don't have too much to add, since my thoughts on all this have already been expressed by others in better ways than I'm capable of, but because the top three contestants are all incredibly strong shows, there would have been people crying foul no matter who got eliminated. To those arguing that the challenge this week was unfair to LHR, please consider that neither of the other shows had time to find an alternative guest, making it difficult for them too, as they always have guests on their shows. This was a hard challenge for each of the contestants.
.
All three contestants have incredible shows, and I'm sorry to see LHR leave, but fortunately it's not as though they've been banished from the internet. All I've got to do is hit subscribe on their show in iTunes, and leave a positive review, and I can continue enjoying their content. The same goes for whoever gets eliminated next week.

[shahruz 5]

I don't have too much to add, since my thoughts on all this have already been expressed by others in better ways than I'm capable of, but because the top three contestants are all incredibly strong shows, there would have been people crying foul no matter who got eliminated. To those arguing that the challenge this week was unfair to LHR, please consider that neither of the other shows had time to find an alternative guest, making it difficult for them too, as they always have guests on their shows. This was a hard challenge for each of the contestants.
.
All three contestants have incredible shows, and I'm sorry to see LHR leave, but fortunately it's not as though they've been banished from the internet. All I've got to do is hit subscribe on their show in iTunes, and leave a positive review, and I can continue enjoying their content. The same goes for whoever gets eliminated next week.

[Alicks 0]

I feel like anyone arguing that the competition was unfair to LHR, could do them an infinitely greater favor by subscribing to their podcast and leaving them a review. That kind of thing lasts longer and all around has better energy than insinuating a conspiracy at an indie podcast network.