tournament Let's Spoon 15 // WINNER: Element

[shelven]

 

_________________________________________________________________________________________

 

TROPHY PRESENTATION!

 

With this post, Let's Spoon 15 comes to an end. This season's host twist honestly started as nothing more than a joke or thought experiment, and at the beginning I never could have imagined myself actually agreeing to host a season of this game. Having played and/or watched the game for 9 seasons leading up to this one, I got a close look at just how grand, well-organized and intense this game can be, and the idea of stepping into that legacy seemed impossible. But as Element and I kept discussing it, the hypothetical thought experiment started to change to a serious discussion, and before I knew it, I was hosting a game that Element had spent fourteen incredible seasons building up and maintaining.

 

Throughout the season, there were certainly a few moments where I felt intimidated, stressed, incompetent, and/or frustrated. But despite all of that... I absolutely LOVED this experience and season. It simultaneously gave me an appreciation of just how much work and dedication Element puts into making every season of this game as flawless as it is, and a fulfillment from getting to watch a group of passionate, enthusiastic players compete hard for something that I had worked to assemble and organize. After we cleared those first few (painfully) slow rounds to start the season, it was SO rewarding and gratifying to see all of you commit as hard as you did to making it far into the game and actively participating. We also had a ton of incredibly entertaining and hilarious moments along the way, from @Sebas's sudden disappearance after being the most consistent spooner of the season, to @Lil Uzi Lust's IN-OUT moment in the comeback round, to @Armani? snatching the last spoon record, to @Euterpe's consistently entertaining and passionate recaps of each round. And as I felt might happen early on in the season, the end game of this season ended up being incredibly competitive, with some former winners, stellar newbies, some consistently skilled veterans and the usual host of the game all fighting intensely to make it through each round. As a host, my biggest hope for the season was that it would be both competitive and fun, and I'd like to think it checked off both of those boxes.

 

Without sounding too corny or hyperbolic, hosting this season really meant a lot to me. This game has been a big part of my life for a long time now; pretty soon after I first joined it, it went from just being a fun forum game to being a community where I could meet, learn about, and laugh with a ton of interesting, dynamic and friendly people. I can truly say that I've made a ton of genuine friends and strong bonds because of this game, and I'll forever be indebted to it because of that. Getting to host was my way of giving back to a game that has given me so much the last few years, and of showing off my own passion and enthusiasm for this game! This was the first tournament I ever hosted on ATRL (and might be my last), and I could not be happier with how it went, so a massive THANK YOU to everyone who participated or spectated this season and made it as fulfilling as it was for me.

 

Now with all that out of the way... @Element: It's time to present the (interim) season 15 trophy!

 

 I mean... what words could I possibly say to capture your win this season and contribution to the game. Having now hosted myself, I can CONFIDENTLY say that you give so much of yourself to running this game every single season, and over the last few years you have built one of the most vibrant communities on ATRL through your commitment, creativity and hard work. The fact that you decided to play 15 seasons in and proceeded to pretty effortlessly stomp on 95% of the cast is a testament to just how much time you've dedicated to this game and how naturally skilled you are at making a game like this work. And even as a player, you continued to show off your usual kindness, support for other players, and enthusiasm to making every season as great as it has the potential to be. I don't have the exact stats with me, but I don't think the winner of the season has ALSO won the Biggest Hero spoonie too often before, which just goes to show how well you balanced your raw skill in the game this season with your joyous and positive attitude. You cleared pretty much every curveball I tried to throw into this season without even seeming to break a sweat (except for maybe the must-complete Genie In A Bottle ), won the second-most amount of challenges in any season, and became the first ever player to have a perfect Top 10 streak with zero rounds immune. Like damn ma, save something for the others??? I hope that your participation as a player gave you a newfound appreciation for the game in the same way that hosting gave me one and that you enjoyed this strange experiment of a season!! Congratulations on such a phenomenal season, but more importantly than that, THANK YOU for how much you have given to this game, the ATRL Games section community, and to me personally. You are incredibly deserving of this moment to shine, and I'm very honoured to call you a friend

 

And now... as we talked about a few days ago, it would have been pretty boring and anti-climactic for me to present you with a trophy that you designed yourself. So, why not have a little fun and cap off this experiment of a season with another curveball? Using my newfound passion of badly recreating images using Paint (I still think I kinda snapped with Skribbl.io this season, ngl), here is your interim Let's Spoon 15 trophy!!!!!!

 

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Congratulations once again, @Element!! Hope you enjoy this lovely trophy before designing an actual one to go into the generation 2 trophy case.

 

 

Here is our generation 2 trophy case:

 

 

And the generation 1 trophy case:

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you all again for a remarkable season!

_________________________________________________________________________________________

[dussymob]

Not all the x’s

[Remmy]

amazing winner

stunning trophy

great season

 

[shelven]

3 minutes ago, dussymob said:

Not all the x’s

I REFUSED to have an important post end up near the bottom of the page for like the 40th time this season

[PinkBox]

ICONIC trophy!!!

[brycehooha]

amazing winner

amazing host

stunning trophy

great season

[fountain]

amazing winner

amazing host

stunning trophy

great season
spoon

[Touch It]

amazing winner

amazing host

stunning trophy

great season
spoon

[Gateau]

2 hours ago, shelven said:

 

The Butter Award

Who lasted longer in the game than they deserved to?

GATEAU

With 27% of the vote!

This was a heavily split category, and Julia Fox lost by 1 vote.

 

_________________________________________________________________________________________

 

2 hours ago, shelven said:

 

Biggest Villain

The contestant who was the most villainous in the game.

 

GATEAU

With 50% of the vote! He defeats dussymob by one vote, which I think makes this the first season dussymob has played where he has NOT won this award! Congrats?

 

_________________________________________________________________________________________

 

You people and your strange reverence for the 24 hour challenge. Suffer ! 

 

 

[touya kinomoto]

iconic season

[thecptz]

amazing winner

amazing host

stunning trophy

great season
spoon

[Seffers]

amazing winner

amazing host

amazing trophy

great season

spoon

 

also thank you for the three noms and one win - much appreciated xoxo

[Legend E]

Sorry I didn't attend Thank you for the Dedication award and yas the platinum plaque

 

4 hours ago, Element said:

Congratulations @Legend E on 10 seasons!! Your LS story has been truly iconic, with multiple endgame finishes. And of course 1.5 wins with the LS mini last year! You just need to get 2nd place next to complete the bingo of 1-5 placements now.  Thank you for always being such an enthusiastic player! It is a joy hosting you and also playing against you! I’m sorry for creating the 24 Hour Challenge as your personal achilles heel ff and also sorry for that season 9 comeback vote twist that screwed you out of returning and also sorry for making you stay up until 3 AM more than anyone else in this series and also sorry for robbing you from being the first to earn this platinum certification award since you should have gotten it in season 11 if I didn’t ban former winners ahhh sorry I’m turrible bye love u 

Sjansjssjsks love u too  and shelven too! x

 

The trophy slays btw, don't ever change it Congrats again on your win, Element! <3

[Element]

4 hours ago, shelven said:

With this post, Let's Spoon 15 comes to an end. This season's host twist honestly started as nothing more than a joke or thought experiment, and at the beginning I never could have imagined myself actually agreeing to host a season of this game. Having played and/or watched the game for 9 seasons leading up to this one, I got a close look at just how grand, well-organized and intense this game can be, and the idea of stepping into that legacy seemed impossible. But as Element and I kept discussing it, the hypothetical thought experiment started to change to a serious discussion, and before I knew it, I was hosting a game that Element had spent fourteen incredible seasons building up and maintaining.

 

Throughout the season, there were certainly a few moments where I felt intimidated, stressed, incompetent, and/or frustrated. But despite all of that... I absolutely LOVED this experience and season. It simultaneously gave me an appreciation of just how much work and dedication Element puts into making every season of this game as flawless as it is, and a fulfillment from getting to watch a group of passionate, enthusiastic players compete hard for something that I had worked to assemble and organize. After we cleared those first few (painfully) slow rounds to start the season, it was SO rewarding and gratifying to see all of you commit as hard as you did to making it far into the game and actively participating. We also had a ton of incredibly entertaining and hilarious moments along the way, from @Sebas's sudden disappearance after being the most consistent spooner of the season, to @Lil Uzi Lust's IN-OUT moment in the comeback round, to @Armani? snatching the last spoon record, to @Euterpe's consistently entertaining and passionate recaps of each round. And as I felt might happen early on in the season, the end game of this season ended up being incredibly competitive, with some former winners, stellar newbies, some consistently skilled veterans and the usual host of the game all fighting intensely to make it through each round. As a host, my biggest hope for the season was that it would be both competitive and fun, and I'd like to think it checked off both of those boxes.

 

Without sounding too corny or hyperbolic, hosting this season really meant a lot to me. This game has been a big part of my life for a long time now; pretty soon after I first joined it, it went from just being a fun forum game to being a community where I could meet, learn about, and laugh with a ton of interesting, dynamic and friendly people. I can truly say that I've made a ton of genuine friends and strong bonds because of this game, and I'll forever be indebted to it because of that. Getting to host was my way of giving back to a game that has given me so much the last few years, and of showing off my own passion and enthusiasm for this game! This was the first tournament I ever hosted on ATRL (and might be my last), and I could not be happier with how it went, so a massive THANK YOU to everyone who participated or spectated this season and made it as fulfilling as it was for me.

 

Now with all that out of the way... @Element: It's time to present the (interim) season 15 trophy!

 

 I mean... what words could I possibly say to capture your win this season and contribution to the game. Having now hosted myself, I can CONFIDENTLY say that you give so much of yourself to running this game every single season, and over the last few years you have built one of the most vibrant communities on ATRL through your commitment, creativity and hard work. The fact that you decided to play 15 seasons in and proceeded to pretty effortlessly stomp on 95% of the cast is a testament to just how much time you've dedicated to this game and how naturally skilled you are at making a game like this work. And even as a player, you continued to show off your usual kindness, support for other players, and enthusiasm to making every season as great as it has the potential to be. I don't have the exact stats with me, but I don't think the winner of the season has ALSO won the Biggest Hero spoonie too often before, which just goes to show how well you balanced your raw skill in the game this season with your joyous and positive attitude. You cleared pretty much every curveball I tried to throw into this season without even seeming to break a sweat (except for maybe the must-complete Genie In A Bottle ), won the second-most amount of challenges in any season, and became the first ever player to have a perfect Top 10 streak with zero rounds immune. Like damn ma, save something for the others??? I hope that your participation as a player gave you a newfound appreciation for the game in the same way that hosting gave me one and that you enjoyed this strange experiment of a season!! Congratulations on such a phenomenal season, but more importantly than that, THANK YOU for how much you have given to this game, the ATRL Games section community, and to me personally. You are incredibly deserving of this moment to shine, and I'm very honoured to call you a friend

 

And now... as we talked about a few days ago, it would have been pretty boring and anti-climactic for me to present you with a trophy that you designed yourself. So, why not have a little fun and cap off this experiment of a season with another curveball? Using my newfound passion of badly recreating images using Paint (I still think I kinda snapped with Skribbl.io this season, ngl), here is your interim Let's Spoon 15 trophy!!!!!!

 

@shelven -- What a perfect finish to a phenomenally hosted season! Thank you for the kind words and the beautiful Shego chic trophy. Your Paint skills are truly serving!!

 

I'm so glad that you got such personal fulfillment from hosting this season! The role is very fulfilling and rewarding, yet sometimes frustrating and dizzying -- but it's all worth it in the end! You have been such a massive part of Let's Spoon history as a player, and now we can add iconic host to that legacy! I have to thank you a million times over for embarking on this exciting experiment with me! You killed it from beginning to end, and made everything seamless. It was like you had been hosting for years! You handled the twists and turns of hosting with the right balance of patience, diplomacy, firmness, and some light shade when needed. I'm happy to now have yet another who understands the craziness of hosting Let's Spoon. You and @thecptz have seen the hectic side behind the production now!!

 

Over these last few seasons, it has been great to get more creative input from others, like the coaches in S14. I acknowledge that some things can get stale over time; embracing a new perspective and energy is essential! You did an awesome job of maintaining the core experience + character of Spoon, while adding your own flavor. Your curve-balls, brand new challenges, and new takes on existing rounds were very refreshing and all fit perfectly into the season. You took the generic "secret missions" concept we discussed, and adapted it impeccably to the season, giving us all a fun "game within a game" experience that rewarded different aspects of gameplay. I thoroughly enjoyed getting surprised wherever possible! Excellent excellent job -- THANK YOU SO MUCH for taking on what is such a massive initiative and executing it flawlessly.

 

Also... massive RT: "I'm very honoured to call you a friend." So glad that we've met and become great friends through this!!

 

_________________________________________________________________________________________

 

I'm so excited with how this season turned out. It was honestly the PERFECT timing between my availability to play + shelven's to host in his final days of pre-law freedom . This season's twist was always pretty open-ended in my plans between 11 and 20, but I had been considering the spy/hacker theme for awhile. When we started joking about the role reversal, I was like omg... maybe this could actually be a bit of a serve. I've always been someone who prefers hosting/coordinating games and events, and it's sometimes challenging for me to sit back and just enjoy the ride. But it was very much time to do just that. Getting the chance to enjoy the other side of my game has been so rewarding and I genuinely had a lot of fun during these 6 weeks of competition! It has been a few years since my last game like this, and I'm happy to know that I've still got some skill and focus (despite my age haha... at 26, apparently I'm the second oldest winner at the time of winning, behind @rl231  by just two months ).

 

Experiencing Let's Spoon in full was wonderful, fresh, and exciting for me. It was as fun to play as it is to host!! This game really does stretch your brain in various ways. There are a plethora of approaches that one can take to make a deep run. There are also many different victories that players can achieve throughout the game when they put their mind to it. The rush and adrenaline is truly incomparable; and despite the stress of survival, it was quite sad when the season ended! The camaraderie between all the contestants was also such an important aspect of the game for me. All of YOU made this so fun to play! It was great getting to know you all more + spending so many nights together virtually. We love the Spoon community sm <3 (shoutout to @Euterpe for your fab commentary and @minho for testing challenges/backup graphics/etc.)

 

Thank you all for the competition, the laughs, and also your votes tonight at the Spoonies! So excited about my two awards! Your support this season (and all seasons) has been Sensational ... by Erika De Casier (go stream it)

 

_________________________________________________________________________________________

 

While I'm proud of how the series has evolved over time, there's always room for growth and improvement. Diving into this immersive experience has given me many insights into what I can do better as a host in the future. There were things I absolutely loved, things I didn't love, and plenty of things that I learned. Some highlights:

 

- It's very tricky to read the challenge posts for immense detail when you're in this pressure cooker situation

- New challenges are essential to keep veterans on their toes + even the playing field

- Forced completion rounds should start by approx. final 8 because of how quick the posts come in

- The 24 Hour Challenge needs to evolve. I will likely be setting up a workshop with those who have played in it to ideate on its future.

- Tick, Tock and Scavenger Hunt are not as bad as people have made it out to be for all these years. Like all the meltdowns were for what exactly?

- From a player's perspective, fixed times >>>>>> rotating times (so the same feeling as hosting lol)

 

But for now, comes time to rest. I can not believe that 7 seasons (+1 mini) have concluded since my previous hiatus ended with Season 9. My non-internet life has been absolute chaos since bringing Let's Spoon back three years ago. With the pandemic, political drama, professional responsibilities, and personal turmoil, it has been a challenging time for many reasons. Hosting this over the last few years has been a saving grace, and I'm so glad that I brought it back in 2019. I absolutely love it all: hosting/playing nightly... anticipation and planning for weeks in advance.... coming up with themes and concepts and logos. It is, however, a lot of work, and I'm looking forward to this break. I plan to still be active in Games over the next year, and ATRL Survivor is on my schedule for 2023. But we are going to let Miss Spoon have a little breathing room for at least 365 days... unless another pandemic hits and we're all stuck at home again.

 

Next season, Element will be back, in singular and in plural. Until then, love you all xx

 

[Element]

1 hour ago, Legend E said:

Sorry I didn't attend Thank you for the Dedication award and yas the platinum plaque

 

Sjansjssjsks love u too  and shelven too! x

 

The trophy slays btw, don't ever change it Congrats again on your win, Element! <3

ty legend

[smholiv]

Congratulations again Element on your win, and hostven on your hosting win!!! 

 

Quote

Next season, Element will be back, in singular and in plural. Until then, love you all xx

oh? 

[thecptz]

element #2

[Remmy]

[Psycho]

amazing winner

amazing host

amazing speeches

stunning trophy

great season
spoon

[jqnetto]

10 hours ago, shelven said:

 

_________________________________________________________________________________________

 

CHALLENGE RANKINGS

 

Thanks to all of you who filled out the challenge ratings section of the survey. The results are posted below -- the higher the average score, the more beloved the challenge was. The standard deviation column indicates the variance of opinion in the ratings -- the white ratings in this column mean that the scores were close to each other, and the yellow ratings in this column mean that there is a lot of difference in opinion. For example, the 24 Hour Challenge had the highest standard deviation as it always does, meaning that some people LOVED it and gave it 10s while other people LOATHED it and gave it 1s. On the other hand, a challenge like Rotating Rankings had most of its scores bundled very close to the average, showing an agreement amongst the survey participants.

Let me know what you think of these results!

 

 

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Rotating Rankings at #1 

 

Diddy Kong did THAT! 

[Dessy]

Not ElementS coming to terrorize us in 16

[Queen.]

 

 

14 hours ago, Element said:

 

@shelven -- What a perfect finish to a phenomenally hosted season! Thank you for the kind words and the beautiful Shego chic trophy. Your Paint skills are truly serving!!

 

I'm so glad that you got such personal fulfillment from hosting this season! The role is very fulfilling and rewarding, yet sometimes frustrating and dizzying -- but it's all worth it in the end! You have been such a massive part of Let's Spoon history as a player, and now we can add iconic host to that legacy! I have to thank you a million times over for embarking on this exciting experiment with me! You killed it from beginning to end, and made everything seamless. It was like you had been hosting for years! You handled the twists and turns of hosting with the right balance of patience, diplomacy, firmness, and some light shade when needed. I'm happy to now have yet another who understands the craziness of hosting Let's Spoon. You and @thecptz have seen the hectic side behind the production now!!

 

Over these last few seasons, it has been great to get more creative input from others, like the coaches in S14. I acknowledge that some things can get stale over time; embracing a new perspective and energy is essential! You did an awesome job of maintaining the core experience + character of Spoon, while adding your own flavor. Your curve-balls, brand new challenges, and new takes on existing rounds were very refreshing and all fit perfectly into the season. You took the generic "secret missions" concept we discussed, and adapted it impeccably to the season, giving us all a fun "game within a game" experience that rewarded different aspects of gameplay. I thoroughly enjoyed getting surprised wherever possible! Excellent excellent job -- THANK YOU SO MUCH for taking on what is such a massive initiative and executing it flawlessly.

 

Also... massive RT: "I'm very honoured to call you a friend." So glad that we've met and become great friends through this!!

 

_________________________________________________________________________________________

 

I'm so excited with how this season turned out. It was honestly the PERFECT timing between my availability to play + shelven's to host in his final days of pre-law freedom . This season's twist was always pretty open-ended in my plans between 11 and 20, but I had been considering the spy/hacker theme for awhile. When we started joking about the role reversal, I was like omg... maybe this could actually be a bit of a serve. I've always been someone who prefers hosting/coordinating games and events, and it's sometimes challenging for me to sit back and just enjoy the ride. But it was very much time to do just that. Getting the chance to enjoy the other side of my game has been so rewarding and I genuinely had a lot of fun during these 6 weeks of competition! It has been a few years since my last game like this, and I'm happy to know that I've still got some skill and focus (despite my age haha... at 26, apparently I'm the second oldest winner at the time of winning, behind @rl231  by just two months ).

 

Experiencing Let's Spoon in full was wonderful, fresh, and exciting for me. It was as fun to play as it is to host!! This game really does stretch your brain in various ways. There are a plethora of approaches that one can take to make a deep run. There are also many different victories that players can achieve throughout the game when they put their mind to it. The rush and adrenaline is truly incomparable; and despite the stress of survival, it was quite sad when the season ended! The camaraderie between all the contestants was also such an important aspect of the game for me. All of YOU made this so fun to play! It was great getting to know you all more + spending so many nights together virtually. We love the Spoon community sm <3 (shoutout to @Euterpe for your fab commentary and @minho for testing challenges/backup graphics/etc.)

 

Thank you all for the competition, the laughs, and also your votes tonight at the Spoonies! So excited about my two awards! Your support this season (and all seasons) has been Sensational ... by Erika De Casier (go stream it)

 

_________________________________________________________________________________________

 

While I'm proud of how the series has evolved over time, there's always room for growth and improvement. Diving into this immersive experience has given me many insights into what I can do better as a host in the future. There were things I absolutely loved, things I didn't love, and plenty of things that I learned. Some highlights:

 

- It's very tricky to read the challenge posts for immense detail when you're in this pressure cooker situation

- New challenges are essential to keep veterans on their toes + even the playing field

- Forced completion rounds should start by approx. final 8 because of how quick the posts come in

- The 24 Hour Challenge needs to evolve. I will likely be setting up a workshop with those who have played in it to ideate on its future.

- Tick, Tock and Scavenger Hunt are not as bad as people have made it out to be for all these years. Like all the meltdowns were for what exactly?

- From a player's perspective, fixed times >>>>>> rotating times (so the same feeling as hosting lol)

 

But for now, comes time to rest. I can not believe that 7 seasons (+1 mini) have concluded since my previous hiatus ended with Season 9. My non-internet life has been absolute chaos since bringing Let's Spoon back three years ago. With the pandemic, political drama, professional responsibilities, and personal turmoil, it has been a challenging time for many reasons. Hosting this over the last few years has been a saving grace, and I'm so glad that I brought it back in 2019. I absolutely love it all: hosting/playing nightly... anticipation and planning for weeks in advance.... coming up with themes and concepts and logos. It is, however, a lot of work, and I'm looking forward to this break. I plan to still be active in Games over the next year, and ATRL Survivor is on my schedule for 2023. But we are going to let Miss Spoon have a little breathing room for at least 365 days... unless another pandemic hits and we're all stuck at home again.

 

Next season, Element will be back, in singular and in plural. Until then, love you all xx

 

Yas Miss Element.

 

 

 

 

 

[Element]

2 hours ago, Queen. said:

 

 

Yas Miss Element.

 

 

 

 

 

queen!! <3 we missed you

[Queen.]

1 hour ago, Element said:

queen!! <3 we missed you

I know sis, but I said what I said. Make it happen.

 

[Sebas]

amazing winner

amazing host

amazing trophy

great season

spoon