U.S. States Viewer Voting #16

The states competed in the Hunger Games! Hawaii came out on top, but the Cardinals did not reach the same fate. They ended up getting last place, and one of them will be eliminated today! Let's get to the elimination!

Gekko0923: Okay, Cardinals! One of you is going home tonight. Let's see the votes.

We received 27 votes from 9 voters! Thank you to all voters for participating!

So for the first two safe, we had Maryland with 10 votes and West Virginia with 7 votes!

West Virginia: Yes! Mountain Mama lives on!

Gekko0923: South Carolina is also safe with 5 votes!

South Carolina: You know what that means, NC.

North Carolina: Yes, but you know, you can't really get 1 million people to move that easily...

South Carolina: Just let me have this!

North Carolina: No. What if  I just give you my NBA team and my college basketball team? I might get eliminated anyway.

South Carolina: Good enough.

Gekko0923: It's down to North Carolina and South Dakota. There shouldn't even be any suspense: North Carolina is safe with 4 votes. South Dakota is a laughing stock with only 1 vote.

South Dakota: WAIT! The four men on Mount Rushmore vote for me as well. So I have 5 votes!

DC: Not how it works. Get out of here.

OFFICIAL TEAMS

Wild West: Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nevada, Utah, Colorado

Outsiders: Alaska, Hawaii, Vermont, Connecticut, Washington, Oregon

Rebels: Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Florida, Illinois, Texas

Avengers: Pennsylvania, New York, New Mexico, Arizona, Georgia, Virginia

Underdogs: Iowa, Kentucky, New Hampshire, Maine

Cardinals: South Carolina, West Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland

50th: Arkansas

49th: Indiana

48th: Mississippi

47th: Nebraska

46th: Oklahoma

45th: Tennessee

44th: Delaware

43rd: Wisconsin

42nd: Rhode Island

41st: Ohio

40th: California

39th: Louisiana

38th: Alabama

37th: New Jersey

36th: North Dakota

35th: Missouri

34th: Kansas

33rd: South Dakota

It seems like states in the West or in the East are more loved by our viewers, while those in the middle third of the country are getting picked off rapidly.

Note: This section may not be as long as it has been in previous episodes to prevent Gekko from procrastinating yet again.

FLASHBACK TO EPISODE 14 (posted by ItzIngenious)

Canada enters a dark room, lit only by candlelight.  He glances around, and what he sees haunts him. He turns away, and focuses his attention towards the center of the room.  A swivel chair in the center slowly turns, and Canada instantly recognizes the person sitting in it.

USA: Well, it’s time we meet again, little brother.  I’ve been expecting you.

Canada: Why are you visiting me at this hour?

USA: You're trying to disrupt my plans. I guess you could say I'm putting the states through a little... rehab.

Canada: And then you sell it off as a simple "viewer voting." How could you do this to them? They're your responsibility.

USA: They're mine, so I do what I want with them. Anyway, my point is, you can't do anything to stop the process. It's a l r e a d y happening.

Canada: Oh yeah? (speaks on radio) Agents X, Y, and Z, proceed with Operation Triple Threat! Over!

USA: WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING? (tapes Canada's mouth shut and ties his hands to the chair he was previously sitting on)

Meanwhile...

Puerto Rico (AGENT Z) Copy that. Over.

New York (AGENT Y) Copy that. Over.

Puerto Rico (AGENT Z) Agent Y, any news about Agent X? Over.

New York (AGENT Y) Not yet. All I know is, we can't proceed with Operation Triple Threat without them. It's called "triple threat" for a reason. Get a hold of them. Over.

(Virginia watches New York from a distance)

Virginia (to herself): Who is New York talking to? This is awfully suspicious. Massachusetts was right about him.

Virginia: Have you guys noticed New York acting strange lately?

Pennsylvania: Yeah. We're brothers, but recently, it feels like I don't even border him.

Arizona: We should keep an eye out for him.

Georgia: Agreed.

Meanwhile, USA heads back to his "secret lair."

USA: Alright, I need 49 more reps from all of you! One rep from each of your petty siblings!

New Jersey: But.... we're... so... tired.

USA: Are you speaking back to me? Then I'll triple your reps to... 127? Or 137?

Missouri: It's 147, you genius!

New Jersey: Bro can't do math.

USA: Whatever. You guys lose the interest of the people, you win a ticket to fighting alongside me... when The Day comes. Now give me 49 more reps!

Gekko0923: I've noticed that there are 32 of you left, which is a power of two! So this challenge will be a tournament-style challenge! Each state will go head-to-head against another and will be judged on these eight categories:

-Crime and Corrections

-Education

-Health Care

-Natural Environment

-Economy

-Fiscal Stability

-Infrastructure

-Opportunity

I used this source to determine the results. Each state is ranked 1st through 50th in each category.

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings?sort=alpha-asc

Whoever wins the most is safe!

This is a losers' style bracket, meaning that the LOSER has to move on to the next round. In the end, there will be only one loser, and that state's team will be up for elimination!

Virginia: But there are eight categories. What if it's a 4-4 tie?

Gekko0923: Remember how the Outsiders won the last challenge? Well, their prize is that they could choose the winner of any match that ends up in a tie.

Hawaii: Exciting.

Gekko0923: Let's get started!

Gekko0923: The states are listed in alphabetical order. If you are against one of your teammates, it's fine. At least one of you will be guaranteed safe.

MATCHUPS:

Alaska vs Arizona

Colorado vs Connecticut

Florida vs Georgia

Hawaii vs Idaho

Illinois vs Iowa

Kentucky vs Maine

Maryland vs Massachusetts

Michigan vs Minnesota

Montana vs Nevada

New Hampshire vs New Mexico

New York vs North Carolina

Oregon vs Pennsylvania

South Carolina vs Texas

Utah vs Vermont

Virginia vs Washington

West Virginia vs Wyoming

Crime and Corrections: Arizona

Education: Arizona

Healthcare: Arizona

Natural Environment: Arizona

Economy: Arizona

Fiscal Stability: Alaska

Infrastructure: Arizona

Opportunity: Alaska

Winner: Arizona (6-2)

Thought Alaska might win another category or two, but, oh well.

Crime and Corrections: Connecticut

Education: Colorado

Healthcare: Connecticut

Natural Environment: Connecticut

Economy: Colorado

Fiscal Stability: Colorado

Infrastructure: Colorado

Opportunity: Colorado

Winner: Colorado (5-3)

Crime and Corrections: Florida

Education: Florida

Healthcare: Florida

Natural Environment: Florida

Economy: Florida

Fiscal Stability: Georgia

Infrastructure: Georgia

Opportunity: Georgia

Winner: Florida (5-3)

Crime and Corrections: Hawaii

Education: Idaho

Healthcare: Hawaii

Natural Environment: Hawaii

Economy: Idaho

Fiscal Stability: Idaho

Infrastructure: Idaho

Opportunity: Idaho

Winner: Idaho (5-3)

Crime and Corrections: Iowa

Education: Iowa

Healthcare: Iowa

Natural Environment: Iowa

Economy: Iowa

Fiscal Stability: Iowa

Infrastructure: Iowa

Opportunity: Iowa

Winner: Iowa (8-0)

I'm surprised this was a clean sweep. Illinois isn't even in the bottom 10 overall.

Crime and Corrections: Maine

Education: Kentucky

Healthcare: Maine

Natural Environment: Maine

Economy: Maine

Fiscal Stability: Maine

Infrastructure: Kentucky

Opportunity: Maine

Winner: Maine (6-2)

This is the first battle where both states are on the same team.

Crime and Corrections: Massachusetts

Education: Massachusetts

Healthcare: Massachusetts

Natural Environment: Maryland

Economy: Massachusetts

Fiscal Stability: Maryland

Infrastructure: Maryland

Opportunity: Maryland

Winner: Massachusetts (4-4, chosen to win by Outsiders)

Vermont and Connecticut wanted Massachusetts to win over Maryland because he is part of New England.

Crime and Corrections: Minnesota

Education: Minnesota

Healthcare: Minnesota

Natural Environment: Minnesota

Economy: Minnesota

Fiscal Stability: Minnesota

Infrastructure: Minnesota

Opportunity: Minnesota

Winner: Minnesota (8-0)

Crime and Corrections: Montana

Education: Montana

Healthcare: Montana

Natural Environment: Montana

Economy: Montana

Fiscal Stability: Nevada

Infrastructure: Nevada

Opportunity: Montana

Winner: Montana (6-2)

Crime and Corrections: New Hampshire

Education: New Hampshire

Healthcare: New Hampshire

Natural Environment: New Hampshire

Economy: New Hampshire

Fiscal Stability: New Mexico

Infrastructure: New Hampshire

Opportunity: New Hampshire

Winner: New Hampshire (7-1)

Crime and Corrections: North Carolina

Education: New York

Healthcare: New York

Natural Environment: New York

Economy: North Carolina

Fiscal Stability: North Carolina

Infrastructure: New York

Opportunity: North Carolina

Winner: North Carolina (4-4, chosen to win by Outsiders)

New England states like Vermont and Connecticut have a negative relationship with New York.

Crime and Corrections: Pennsylvania

Education: Pennsylvania

Healthcare: Pennsylvania

Natural Environment: Oregon

Economy: Oregon

Fiscal Stability: Oregon

Infrastructure: Oregon

Opportunity: Pennsylvania

Winner: Oregon (4-4, Oregon is on the Outsiders)

Crime and Corrections: Texas

Education: Texas

Healthcare: South Carolina

Natural Environment: South Carolina

Economy: Texas

Fiscal Stability: Texas

Infrastructure: South Carolina

Opportunity: South Carolina

Winner: South Carolina (4-4, chosen to win by Outsiders)

Most states on the Outsiders disliked North Carolina, so they chose South Carolina to be safe.

Crime and Corrections: Vermont

Education: Utah

Healthcare: Utah

Natural Environment: Vermont

Economy: Utah

Fiscal Stability: Utah

Infrastructure: Utah

Opportunity: Vermont

Winner: Utah (5-3)

Both states rank in the top 10 overall, so I was expecting a tight battle.

Crime and Corrections: Virginia

Education: Virginia

Healthcare: Washington

Natural Environment: Washington

Economy: Washington

Fiscal Stability: Washington

Infrastructure: Washington

Opportunity: Virginia

Winner: Washington (5-3)

Crime and Corrections: West Virginia

Education: Wyoming

Healthcare: Wyoming

Natural Environment: Wyoming

Economy: Wyoming

Fiscal Stability: Wyoming

Infrastructure: Wyoming

Opportunity: Wyoming

Winner: Wyoming (7-1)

So that concludes round 1! Congratulations to the 16 winners! However, since this is a losers bracket, the losers will continue deeper into the tournament! Here are the eight matchups for round 2:

Alaska vs Connecticut

Georgia vs Hawaii

Illinois vs Kentucky

Maryland vs Michigan

Nevada vs New Mexico

New York vs Pennsylvania

Texas vs Vermont

Virginia vs West Virginia

Here are the number of states that have yet to win from each team:

Wild West: 1

Outsiders: 4

Rebels: 3

Avengers: 5

Underdogs: 1

Cardinals: 2

Crime and Corrections: Connecticut

Education: Connecticut

Healthcare: Connecticut

Natural Environment: Connecticut

Economy: Connecticut

Fiscal Stability: Alaska

Infrastructure: Connecticut

Opportunity: Alaska

Winner: Connecticut (6-2)

Crime and Corrections: Hawaii

Education: Georgia

Healthcare: Hawaii

Natural Environment: Hawaii

Economy: Georgia

Fiscal Stability: Georgia

Infrastructure: Georgia

Opportunity: Georgia

Winner: Georgia (5-3)

Crime and Corrections: Kentucky

Education: Illinois

Healthcare: Illinois

Natural Environment: Kentucky

Economy: Illinois

Fiscal Stability: Kentucky

Infrastructure: Kentucky

Opportunity: Kentucky

Winner: Kentucky (5-3)

Thought Illinois would win this one.

Crime and Corrections: Maryland

Education: Maryland

Healthcare: Maryland

Natural Environment: Maryland

Economy: Michigan

Fiscal Stability: Maryland

Infrastructure: Maryland

Opportunity: Michigan

Winner: Maryland (6-2)

Crime and Corrections: Nevada

Education: Nevada

Healthcare: Nevada

Natural Environment: New Mexico

Economy: Nevada

Fiscal Stability: Nevada

Infrastructure: Nevada

Opportunity: Nevada

Winner: Nevada (7-1)

Crime and Corrections: Pennsylvania

Education: New York

Healthcare: New York

Natural Environment: New York

Economy: Pennsylvania

Fiscal Stability: New York

Infrastructure: New York

Opportunity: Pennsylvania

Winner: New York (5-3)

Crime and Corrections: Vermont

Education: Vermont

Healthcare: Vermont

Natural Environment: Vermont

Economy: Texas

Fiscal Stability: Texas

Infrastructure: Vermont

Opportunity: Vermont

Winner: Vermont (6-2)

I'm surprised Texas is doing this poorly. But then again, Vermont is a tough opponent.

Crime and Corrections: Virginia

Education: Virginia

Healthcare: Virginia

Natural Environment: Virginia

Economy: Virginia

Fiscal Stability: West Virginia

Infrastructure: Virginia

Opportunity: West Virginia

Winner: Virginia (6-2)

There's a huge rivalry between these two. Unlike 160 years ago, Virginia came out on top.

So we're left with our bottom 8! Since we already eliminated most of the states near the bottom of the pack (i.e. Louisiana, Oklahoma, Mississippi) the 8 states below aren't necessarily the worst states of the nation.

Alaska vs Hawaii

Illinois vs Michigan

New Mexico vs Pennsylvania

Texas vs West Virginia

Team-wise, here are the remaining states:

Wild West: 0

Outsiders: 2

Rebels: 3

Avengers: 2

Underdogs: 0

Cardinals: 1

The Wild West and Underdogs tie for first place. But who wins the prize for Episode 17?

Well, Nevada was the last remaining on Wild West while Kentucky was the last remaining on the Underdogs.

Nevada beat New Mexico 7-1, while Kentucky beat Illinois 5-3.

So the Wild West wins the prize, which will be revealed in Episode 17!

Crime and Corrections: Hawaii

Education: Hawaii

Healthcare: Hawaii

Natural Environment: Hawaii

Economy: Hawaii

Fiscal Stability: Alaska

Infrastructure: Alaska

Opportunity: Alaska

Winner: Hawaii (5-3)

Crime and Corrections: Illinois

Education: Illinois

Healthcare: Illinois

Natural Environment: Michigan

Economy: Michigan

Fiscal Stability: Michigan

Infrastructure: Illinois

Opportunity: Michigan

Winner: Michigan (4-4, chosen to win by Outsiders)

The Outsiders chose Michigan because of Illinois' negative personality.

Crime and Corrections: Pennsylvania

Education: Pennsylvania

Healthcare: Pennsylvania

Natural Environment: New Mexico

Economy: Pennsylvania

Fiscal Stability: New Mexico

Infrastructure: Pennsylvania

Opportunity: Pennsylvania

Winner: Pennsylvania (6-2)

Crime and Corrections: West Virginia

Education: Texas

Healthcare: Texas

Natural Environment: West Virginia

Economy: Texas

Fiscal Stability: Texas

Infrastructure: Texas

Opportunity: West Virginia

Winner: Texas (5-3)

It's down to our bottom four now! Who will lose and bring shame to their team?

Alaska vs Illinois

New Mexico vs West Virginia

Teams:

Wild West: 0

Outsiders: 1

Rebels: 1

Avengers: 1

Underdogs: 0

Cardinals: 1

Crime and Corrections: Illinois

Education: Illinois

Healthcare: Alaska

Natural Environment: Illinois

Economy: Illinois

Fiscal Stability: Alaska

Infrastructure: Illinois

Opportunity: Alaska

Winner: Illinois (5-3)

I had no idea Alaska was ranked so low in these areas.

Crime and Corrections: West Virginia

Education: West Virginia

Healthcare: New Mexico

Natural Environment: New Mexico

Economy: New Mexico

Fiscal Stability: West Virginia

Infrastructure: New Mexico

Opportunity: West Virginia

Winner: West Virginia (4-4, chosen to win by Outsiders)

Remember how New England states have a rivalry against New York? They decided to let West Virginia win because New Mexico was on New York's team. Also, Alaska felt more confident facing New Mexico in the final round.

If Alaska loses, then the Outsiders will face elimination despite winning episode #15! If New Mexico loses, then the Avengers will be up for elimination! Without further ado, let's get to the final round!

Since Alaska is on the Outsiders, if there is a tie, he automatically wins. So New Mexico must win at least 5 of the 8 categories.

And with that, New Mexico is the final loser, meaning that his team, the Avengers, are up for elimination! I don't think New Mexico should feel too bad. He tied with West Virginia and almost tied with Alaska. If anyone is wondering, New Mexico is ranked 49th overall out of the 50 states, with only Louisiana performing worse.

Let's see what the Avengers have to say!

This round, the Avengers are up for elimination!

Voting Method: Ranking

In a list format, rank the six states below from best to worst in the comments!

(#1 is the best and #6 is the worst)

Arizona

Pitch: I don't really care where you put me, just please give my friend New Mexico a chance.

Georgia

Pitch: I should be the last Southern state left in this competition. Are you going to let BOTH Carolinas outlast me? I'm better than both of them combined!

New Mexico

Pitch: Don't place me last. This challenge was specifically targeted to get me eliminated, and I don't think that's fair. This is a chance for you to eliminate a big threat in the game. I'm someone that can float to the end because I know I'm not winning this whole competition.

New York

Pitch: Don't listen to New Mexico's sob story. He's the weak link of our team, so put him at #6. While you're at it, go put his little friend Arizona at #5. Those two drive me crazy. If you're thinking about eliminating me, remember that I play a vital role in the State Lore, as Agent Y.

Pennsylvania

Pitch: While the rest of this team is at each other's throats, I think you should save me because I'm probably one of the only innocent states on this team.

Virginia

Pitch: I border the capital of this nation, gave birth to the most presidents, what more do I need to say? Also New York has been acting shady recently...

Rankings for these states are due Sunday, July 21 at 11:59 PTD.

Wild West: Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nevada, Utah, Colorado

Outsiders: Alaska, Hawaii, Vermont, Connecticut, Washington, Oregon

Rebels: Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Florida, Illinois, Texas

Avengers: Pennsylvania, New York, New Mexico, Arizona, Georgia, Virginia

Underdogs: Iowa, Kentucky, New Hampshire, Maine

Cardinals: South Carolina, West Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland