Atlantic - Morell 220 Dunne 100
The first Adny Award of the radio season is being awarded to Mary-Ann from Morell, for not paying attention to forum discussion enough to realize that the words being asked were discussed in great length on the forum this past season. :-) Other than that, Morell pulled it out late in the LR, the game was tied at 100 at one point in the final round.
Maritime - Queen Elizabeth 160 James M Hill 130 (OT)
For the second week in a row, we see a tiebreaker on Smart Ask. QEH got the tiebreaker, fortunately, to advance to Toronto.
However, this match should not have been anywhere near a tiebreaker. I was not a fan of this quizmaster, and I am quickly being turned off the Maritime Smart Ask format. Things that need to be done to improve the Maritime game:
First and foremost, teams should not be allowed to steal in the Lightning Round. One answer only should be accepted, just like everywhere else. JMH got a lightning round steal for a 60-point swing that should never have happened. This isn't the first time this has happened, either...they really do need to shape up in this respect.
As the precedent was set last week in Ontario, tiebreakers should be of the Lightning Round format, meaning they're + or - 30, not + 10.
Speaking of precedent, there was a great deal of leniency from the judges on what to accept. The first answer needs to count here, so you can't be asking somebody to repeat their answer when they say "The Apprentice of Duddy Kravitz", and then give them the right answer when they rephrase their answer saying "Apprenticeship".
As we saw in the Atlantic game, care must be taken and "The Darkest Ones" can't be accepted when the answer is "The Darkest One".
Does this quizmaster have this infatuation with the sound of her own voice? Because both times Merivale's category comes up, she insists on announcing it herself. Why? Is this bitterness over them beating New Brunswick in the final? It must be, because everything else seems to be pro-New Brunswick with this quizmaster, whoever she is. It's also more fun when you hear Merivale ask their questions - and a heck of a lot more funny.
Quebec - Alexander Galt 220 Baie Comeau 10
Wow. This game was 70-70 after two rounds, and the two teams went in completely opposite directions. A very strong LR means we get a 2nd team from Lennoxville in Toronto...
Ontario - Michipicoten 230 Manitoulin 60
Let's give three cheers for Wawa! After two years of gaining a bit of a Chicago-Cub like reputation after going 1-17 the last 2 years at Reach provincials, Michipicoten plays a wonderful game from start to finish to down Manitoulin. Michipicoten should do really well this year, hopefully giving us another great story from small-town Ontario... :-)
Manitoba - St. Paul's 320 Faith 0 (-10)
St. Paul's owned the final two rounds, and played very very well. I wouldn't be surprised if we saw St. Paul's vs Michipicoten in the 3rd round...
Saskatchewan - Aden Bowman 270 Wadena Comp. 180
Guest reviewer: Lyndsay Peters from Humboldt
Not much of an upset, no big obstacles over come- but a good game to listen to. The teams were tied 90-90 going into the LR, And Aden Bowman was ahead 50-10 going into the second round. Aden Bowman was especially strong with the sports questions, but neither team was very quick to the buzzer... [heh, neither were we ^^'] Bowman, you guys owned the lightning round. Classy.
Alberta - Harry Ainlay 250 Kate Andrews 10
Harry Ainlay was very impressive, Kate Andrews needed 7 in the Lightning Round, they got -1. :-) It's really hard to get a judge for Lightning Round skill in Alberta, though, because of the different format.
British Columbia - Valleyview 120 Stanley Humphries 100
Well, Valleyview won this one on the last question. Though Stanley Humphries was given a steal in the Lightning Round. Why do the quizmasters let teams attempt steals in the LR on the radio? I don't think that's the best thing to do...the 60-point swing isn't right.
Valleyview isn't going very far on TV, though...they weren't very strong.