2025 Giraffe Death Pool

[Baker]

Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha, it’s the Merry Reaper speaking, letting you know it’s time to start the Giraffe Boards Celebrity Death Pool. It’s my pleasure to be the lead sicko on this board for the eleventh year.

Before we get started with the rules I want to tell about something NEW we are trying this year. Some players wish for a themed list but this past year we only had nine players. This year themed lists will be combined within this thread. So players can have two lists if they so desire, a regular and a themed. HOWEVER, the two lists a player enters must have no picks in common. This way you can’t get points twice for a single pick.

It would be easier for me if a player entering two lists would put them in the same post, but this will not be required. However, each list needs to have a designation as to whether it’s regular or themed.

THE RULES

1. Pick 13 celebrities whom you predict will die within the calendar year 2025. You may add up to three alternates in case one or more of your 13 picks dies before 2025 begins. Persons remaining on your alternates list will not score points. Unless you specify otherwise, alternates will be used in the order you list them.

2. Use the name a celebrity is most commonly known by. So it would be Pope Francis, not Jorge Bergolio. Or King Charles III, not Charles Windsor.

3. All picks must be time- and date-stamped by midnight December 31, 2024 CST. (That's U.S. Central time, where the Merry Reaper lives, six hours behind Greenwich Mean Time.)

4. Valid picks are not:

a. already dead;
b. fictional characters;
c. non-human;
d. under age 18 at death;
e. a registered member of Giraffe Boards;

5. You score 100 points minus age at death. You can pick people who are 100 or more years old but no points will be awarded. However, bonus award points may apply.

6. If we are uncertain about the celebrity's age at death, we will go by the highest age reported (lower score).

7. Please spell the names correctly and be specific--some celebrities have common, identical or similar names. If you want to make commentary about the names, please do so by making a separate list for your comments.

8. Persons living under a legal/official sentence of death will be valid for scoring points only if they die by means other than official execution. .

9. Any poster who kills or otherwise contributes to the death of any celebrity mentioned in this thread is disqualified. The only exceptions to this rule would be deaths caused by those posters serving as members of the police or armed forces of any country, in the line of duty. Even then, I mean, really?

10. Editing your choices: be careful! You can make changes to your list before the submission deadline, but it has to be clear which names are your final choices. There is no rule about submissions having to be unique. Outright copying of anyone else's list is not strictly prohibited, but be prepared to be at least lightly shamed.

11. There are no rules about what constitutes 'celebrity' other than the person needs to be widely enough known that their death is reported in typical media outlets. I’m pretty lenient, but don't push it. If you want to dispute the choice of another player before the submission deadline, PM me first please.

12. If you change your username at some point during the year, please make a post here noting your former name.

13. We're all really nice, good and kindly people here. This contest, however, is its own callous and cold-hearted zone. We know. We can exist in both worlds. Complaints regarding the nature of this contest will be filed in /dev/null.

ADDITIONAL AWARDS

The "Grim Reaper" Award is for the poster(s) who pick the greatest number of celebrities who died, regardless of their actual point value. 5 pts.

The "Who Knew?" Award is for the poster(s) who had the most unique picks that died. 5 pts.

The "First Cadaver" Award is for the poster(s) who pick the first celebrity to die in 2023. 3 pts. (Points will not be awarded until the end of the contest, in case we miss someone's passing.)

The "Last Gasp" Award is to be awarded to the poster(s) who pick the last celebrity to die by 11:59 p.m. (Central Time) on December 31, 2025. 3 pts.


NOW GRAB YOUR SCYTHE AND GET TO THE PREDICTIN'!
_{Y'all are sick.}