Philip P. Wins 19th Extravaganza In Historic Fashion!

Philip P. of New York City has claimed the Extravaganza Title in only his 2nd year of participating. And he did it in historic fashion getting all 4 teams correct as illustrated by the picture to the left, in which Phil and his girlfriend Denise can be seen holding up 4 fingers.

The remarkable thing about Phil's victory is that he selected all 4 number one seeds and this is the first year in NCAA Tournament history where all 4 number one seeds advanced to the Final Four.

All Hail Phil, King of the Cherry Pickers!!!

Congratulations, Phil. And as soon as these deadbeats get their checks in you'll be receiving an Extravaganza record $2,250! Make sure you buy Denise something nice.

Whatever

With the elimination of Xavier and Louisville we at the Extravaganza find ourselves profoundly saddened. There are now 6 participants remaining and they have one thing in common. Collectively, they constitute the lowest of the low. That's right, they are all....

Cherry Pickers!

Not one of these intrepid souls selected a team seeded lower than 3. 

O.k., well. Whatever. At least Shelby W. was eliminated. 

There are 3 possible outcomes to this year's 'Ganza. If Kansas and Memphis win Phil P. will be rewarded for picking all 4 top seeds and win outright tomorrow. Previous winners Prune and Lisa L. would end up in a 3-way playoff with Corey W.'s Nephew if Texas wins. And finally if Memphis and Davidson win Phil would find himself in a 3-way playoff with Frank G. and previous winner Amy B.

I'm on the edge of my seat with anxiety over which of these free-wheelin' riverboat gamblers will join the Pantheon of Past Champions.

I'm sure you are as well.

Those eliminated were:

Jon T., Shelby W., Trevor G., Julie G., Angus, Meecha, Denise W., Tracy W., Flo W., Carrie P., 

Ganza co-founders knocked out!

Above, Michael S. gets some consoling from Lisa L. after being eliminated.

In a matter of hours, another seven contestants were knocked out of the 19th annual Extravaganza today, leaving just fifteen still in the running. Added to the list of this year’s losers were co-founder Corey W., Goose, co-founder Michael S., Tim S., Heather P., Michael B., and Owen S..

Of the fifteen remaining contestants, those with a #3 seed (except Shelby W., of course) have the unwavering support of the Extravaganza Organizing Committee. When contacted about not receiving the committee's support, Shelby W. had this to say, "What do those clowns know anyway? Look at them, they're both out and I'm on the verge of my second crown in four years. In fact, the way it's looking now, I'll be shocked if I don't win."

Elephant Boy Disowns Parents!

Cole J., a.k.a. The Elephant Boy, the son of first-time Extravaganza participants Kyle and Lora J. has formally moved to disown his parents.

Baby Cole proclaimed, "It wasn't bad enough that they dressed me up in this goddamned elephant suit. They had to go and embarrass the family by getting knocked out of the @!%*&$ Extravaganza!

That's it! I'm outta here!"

In addition to The Elephant Boy's family it was also a bad night for the G.'s of Memphis and Los Angeles. 4 of the 5 members of the family participating in the Pool were eliminated.

In all 22 people are out and 23 remain.

Today's Eliminees are:

Ellen D., Lucy W., Dawn F., Kristin S., Jamie M., L.A. Frank G., Anne G., Rose F., Ryder G., David G., Ed. L., Dr. V., Lora J., Kyle J.

Flo's "Grand Daughter" isn't a Child At All!

She's a Refugee from the Lollypop Guild!

Flo W. follows Ellen D.'s lead, gets grandchild too!!

In an unheard of turn of events, Flo W. read the earlier post about Ellen D. paying her Extravagnza dues, realized she better get on the bandwagon, and paid hers too. Before the ink was dry, voila, she got a new grandchild too. "This is extraordinary!" claimed Flo W.. "One minute I'm dreaming of the day when I might be blessed again, and the next my dream comes true. I'm living proof that if you promptly follow directions, good things will come. Now if I could just win this damn Extravaganza, my life would really be on easy street."

Ellen D. Pays!!!

Every year Ellen D. is the first Extravaganza participant to get her $50 entry fee in. And this year is no exception. Additionally, she is very capable of following instructions, always leaving the Payee Blank!

So, don't you want to be like Ellen D.? You too could have a cute grandson someday.

Send your checks to:

Michael Shea

4055 Tujunga Ave #108

Studio City, Ca. 91604

Steve P. Eliminated!!!

With the trouncing he took this weekend former Extravaganza champion Steve P. became the first person eliminated from the 19th Annual Final Four Extravaganza.

Judging from his picture you might conclude that his fate left him a tad bewildered. But you'd be wrong. Steve is fully cognizant of the reasons behind his horrendous showing.

Said Steve,"I am left with only one conclusion. My drubbing must be directly attributed to Instant Karma."

In addition to the Biggest Loser Steve P. a few other people were eliminated. Their names follow:

Sean L., Frank I., David D., Satchel F., Nicole B., Chuck B., Rich L.

Let the Slashing Begin!

As UCLA and Stanford squeaked out last minute victories today, there certainly weren't as many losers slashed off the list as there could have been. That said, Meecha is down to one team (Xavier), Sean L. lost two teams and is on the ropes, and Extravaganza co-founder Michael S. was weeping as his second seeded Duke Blue Devils went down to West Virginia. After the devastating loss, Michael S. had this to say; 'While Duke has tradionally been my favorite team (I mean, who doesn't love coach K!?!), if I had known they had as many short white guys as they did this year, I never would have chosen them.'

In other news, the Extravaganza Organizing Committee avoided a pending lawsuit earlier today by posting Rich L.'s picks two days late. The officially released statement claimed they had simply been misplaced. Mr. L's attorney had a different take. 'We've been wary of these guys' shenanigans for years. This comes as no suprise to us that we caught them red-handed trying to steal our money.'

Welcome to Our New Home!!

Greetings Ganzans!

And welcome to our new home. This site has some new features that we hope you all enjoy. The first thing you may notice is our "Hall of Champions" which will enable those of you who have never triumphed in the Extravaganza to experience your humiliation each and every visit.  What fun!

There is also a "poll" feature that will enable us to "take the pulse" of our fellow Ganzans.

Additionally, this site allows comments. That's right the 1st Amendment has finally come to the 'Ganza! No longer must you sit there and cheerfully take the abuse dished out to you by the co-founders. Now, you can respond to it and in real time!

On to the business at hand.

The picture is of last year's champion, Ed L. who also happens to be my new father-in-law. And no, he never shared any of the winnings with me. Ed is actually a 2-time champion but as his first victory was under the name of Lisa L., he will get no credit from us.

Good luck to everyone and thank you. It was very nice of you all to pledge, in the event of your victory, to give your winnings to the newly-married couple.

We'll spend the money well.