The first set of nine quarterfinals are done for the Spades competition of October 2023’s Champions Wildcard; we’re now onto the semifinals!
Here’s the tale of the tape for what I think are going to be three exciting matchups!
Note: The 9 semifinalists have been given a ranking from 1 through 9 based on wins and money won in their initial appearance.
Friday, October 13, 2023:
| Sam Stapleton (4) Los Gatos, California 
85 correct, 6 incorrect |
| Lawrence Long (2) East Bend, North Carolina 
101 correct, 18 incorrect |
| Joe Velasco (9) La Mirada, California 
50 correct, 8 incorrect |
Overall Thoughts: It’s time for the fireworks! Both Sam and Lawrence had excellent quarterfinal performances, and I don’t know who is more likely to lead going into Final. Whoever controls the Daily Doubles will control this one.
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Monday, October 16, 2023:
| Josh Saak (3) Boise, Idaho 
114 correct, 14 incorrect |
| Kendra Blanchette (6) Elk Grove, California 
83 correct, 8 incorrect |
| Dane Reighard (7) Los Angeles, California 
86 correct, 14 incorrect |
Overall Thoughts: This one could be deceptively evenly matched; I was slightly underwhelmed by Josh’s and Dane’s performances in the opening round (at least compared to their initial runs on the show). Kendra might need a correct response in Final to have a chance at advancing.
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Tuesday, October 17, 2023
| Joe Feldmann (5) Bethesda, Maryland 
75 correct, 11 incorrect |
| Daniel Nguyen (8) San Jose, California 
80 correct, 13 incorrect |
| Lucy Ricketts (1) Atlanta, Georgia 
115 correct, 14 incorrect |
Overall Thoughts: I expect this one to be a very good battle between Daniel and Lucy; they both have led going into Final Jeopardy in every one of their respective games. Something’s gotta give here. I’d give Lucy a slight edge just based on individual statistics, but it’s too close to call.
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Predictions –
Semifinal 1: Sam. I love Lawrence Long as much as any person in the fandom does, but after watching Sam completely dominate his quarterfinal two days ago, I think the stats point very slightly to Sam. I’m sure the game’s absolutely gonna be a slugfest, though. If Joe V. had enough money going into Final to have a chance at winning, I’d consider that a moral victory.
Semifinal 2: Josh. All three players played very well in their original game, but I think Josh is a slight favorite. Kendra was handily staying ahead of John Bussard the entire game, but it’s a matter of “will lightning strike twice?” for her. At the same time, if Dane gets a Daily Double or two, he could go completely haywire and lock the game up before the second half of Double Jeopardy. This is, in my opinion, the most evenly matched… well, match, because with these three players, it could really go any way.
Semifinal 3: Lucy. Joe F. is good, yeah, but Lucy and Daniel are just on a higher level. The main reason I’m considering Lucy the favorite is because of her buzzer prowess, but Daniel could easily shake things up by pulling another $0 wager out of his a__. Again, if Joe F. went into Final with enough money to have a chance at winning, I’d consider it a moral victory.
As for how I think the finals will go? Well, I’ll just have to wait and see 🙂
Semifinal Predictions:
Game 1 – Lawrence Long
Game 2 – Josh Saak
Game 3 – Lucy Ricketts