August 2011 Monkey Games: WEEK TWO

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Last Friday we introduced you to the first week of of the 2011 Woot Monkey Games. Competition was fierce and the coveted Sansa Medals inspired our six staff teams to push themselves to the very edge of the limit of what they can do during their lunch breaks.

 

 

And now, at the end of Week Two, we're taking this chance to look back through all the events our athletes have endured in the name of office entertainment. Also remember that you yourself can compete at home each week! Our current contests are The Paper Airplane Toss and The Hula Hoop Endurance Challenge, and full rules of how to win an EXCLUSIVE one-of-a-kind Woot Games 2011 Monkey (as well as a t-shirt and a Sansa medal) are in those threads linked above. But before you go over there, jump inside and read about... this week in the 2011 Woot Monkey Games!

 

 

In Week Two, the events began to get a little more challenging, and the first full team event brought everyone out for an intense Friday afternoon. But the theme of this week seemed to be controversy, and various players began playing towards loopholes instead of in the spirit of the games. Judges were forced to make some hard decisions, and naturally a few teams felt those decisions were incorrect. But that's just part of the sporting life, isn't it?

DAY FIVE: SIMON SAYS

Athletes were judged, quite simply, by if they did what Simon said. From leg-lifts to the National Anthem, medal winners had to prove their mastery of listening to instructions. Think of this as our version of the pentathlon, except maybe a little stranger.

 

 

The Simon Says competition marked the first time spectators did not agree with a judge's call. A player who clearly did not do what Simon said was overlooked and allowed to continue competing. The error didn't change the final medal scores, but it did illustrate just how hard our Monkey Games judges have to work in order to keep things fair... even in a well-known children's game.

 

 

DAY FIVE WINNERS:
1st: Demetrius Tryles (Ware-A-Shirt)
2nd: Matthew Snyder (The Zookeepers)
3rd: Brandy Aslanian (Money Talks)

TEAM EVENT: COFFEE MUG TRIATHLON

Three lanes, two heats, three members from every team. This relay race was for the only most balanced athletes, as winners were judged in two areas: half the points were awarded for speed, and half the points for how much water remained in the cup at the end of the relay.

 

 

 

Lap one required athletes to walk backwards, lap two brought back the racing chairs, and lap three's participant had to finish the race on a scooter. A failure to test chairs for WD-40 opened the door for challenges and a potential anti-stimulant policy for next years games, pending a review by the Monkey Games Committee.

 

 

And as though that wasn't enough excitement, a tie for third meant that four teams were awarded medals. It was pandemonium in Upstairs Stadium! Good thing there was a weekend about to happen so people could relax and move on.

 

 

 

TEAM EVENT WINNERS:
1st: Lauren Mitchel, Alex Smuland, and Barbara Escobedo (The Assets)
2nd: Matthew Riley, Thomas Miller, and Dennis Kam (The Scarlet Sansas)
3rd: (tie) Eric Chappell, Nathan Fenster, and Bobby Zafar (The Leakfrogs)
3rd: (tie) Rick Bryant, Aaron Stephens, and Angelo Moretto (The Zookeepers)

DAY SIX: PIN THE MUSTACHE ON MATT

 

 

Is it cheating to pin the mustache on yourself? Judges ruled no, so Woot CEO Matt Rutledge was allowed to start off the second week by representing his team in this corporatized version of "Pin the Tail on the Donkey". Judges also ruled that spectators were allowed to yell and scream at the athlete, adding an extra level of The Price Is Right-style confusion to the competition.

 

 

Athletes were blindfolded and spun until they were dizzy, then let loose to stick their mustache-of-choice as close to Cardboard Matt's lip as possible. Winners were decided by a quick look at where the mustaches actually ended up.

 

 

Of course, between the spinning and the yelling, it was very easy for athletes to get ridiculously off course. A small exception to the rules was allowed when Matt was surrounded by teammates who helped guide him to his own image on the wall.

 

 

C'mon, he pays our salaries, cut us some slack on this one. And anyway he still only came in second.

DAY SIX WINNERS:
1st: Thomas Miller (The Scarlet Sansas)
2nd: Matt Rutledge (The Zookeepers)
3rd: Paul Carpenter (The Leakfrogs)

DAY SEVEN: HULA HOOPING

The Hula Hoop event was open to all genders, naturally... but do you see any men in these photos?

 

 

Our first all-female event was an endurance challenge, with contestants hooping it up for as long as they were able. The winning time was slightly over five minutes, which is pretty impressive for non-stop hula hooping. Maybe next year some brave guy will step up and give it a shot, but for now, the ladies hold all the titles. And remember, Hula Hooping is this week's Woot Monkey Games Home Competition, so check out the rules to submit your video and maybe you can win a special limited edition Woot 2011 Monkey Games Monkey!

 

 

DAY SEVEN WINNERS
1st: Laura Storm (Money Talks)
2nd: Sarah Chisty (The Leakfrogs)
3rd: Kim Hefley (The Scarlet Sansas)

DAY EIGHT: WII SUPER MARIO RACING

 

 

Let's face it, when you sit down to play a driving game next to a guy wearing his own helmet, the psych-out factor is already turned up a notch. But mind games didn't stop our athletes from driving head-to-head through Living Room Canyon in an attempt to win the gold.

 

 

The contestants just had to win a full cup tournament in Wii Mario Kart. Cheating was pretty much impossible so most of the anger ended up directed at poorly-timed turtle shells or controllers that absolutely HAD to be broken (you gamers know how that goes, right?) Athletes played head-to-head across three televisions, racing through randomly selected worlds, and the final cup standings on the screen determined the medal ranks. Computer controlled drivers were not eligible for an award, and anyone caught throwing the controller in anger was disqualified.

 

 

DAY EIGHT WINNERS
1st: Thomas Williams (Ware-A-Shirt)
2nd: Dennis Wai-Hao Kam (The Scarlet Sansas)
3rd: (tie) Ryan Pulis (Money Talks)
3rd: (tie) Aaron Stephens (The Zookeepers)

DAY NINE: TRASH CAN BASKETBALL

 

 

Ever played H-O-R-S-E? Well, then, you've got a handle on the rules for our W-O-O-T game of Trash Can Basketball. Contestants drew numbers to choose the first shot, and if it went in, everyone had to copy it or step aside. Rounds continued until everyone was eliminated or ranked, and Woot Games Committee member Alex stood in as the placemarker to make sure everyone shot from the same location. Just think, other companies would have used a simple piece of tape!

 

 

DAY NINE WINNERS
1st: John Mahalik (The Assets)
2nd: Pat Skelly (The Zookeepers)
3rd: Paul Carpenter (The Leakfrogs)

At the end of the first week, The Scarlet Sansas have moved into first with sixteen points and seven medals. The Zookeepers are in second place with 15 points but eight total medals, The Assets are in third with 14 points and four medals, leaving Money Talks with ten points and six medals, Ware-A-Shirt with nine points and three medals, and The Leakfrogs are at last on the board with six points and four total medals. The space between first and second is pretty close, but with the heavily anticipated helicopter races coming up next week, who can say who'll take the lead? Expect some shifting as we reach the halfway point of these games. The best might still be yet to come!

The Woot Monkey Games run every weekday through all of August. Check back in this space every Friday for the rest of the summer to see how your favorite team is doing. And don't forget to take your chance to win a special 2011 Woot Games monkey, shirt and medal in our Woot Monkey Games Home Edition Threads. Remember, everyone's a winner, but only a few people can be champions!



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