After a lively first week of voting, 32 shows have punched their ticket to the second round of the GOAT Kids Show of the 2000s Bracket.
By the way all of the classic Nickelodeon shows featured in this bracket can be streamed on Paramount Plus. You can get a free one-week trial at the following link: jackvita.com/paramount.
Over 800 votes were cast daily through the Jack Vita Show Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages to determine the first round outcomes.
Through the bracket's first 32 match-ups, most were not close. 27 were decided by 13 votes or more. Just five match-ups were decided by a single-digit margin.
The round's closest showdowns are as follows:
#13 Ed, Edd n Eddy 35, #4 Phineas and Ferb 34 — Just one vote was missing for Phineas and Ferb to force a tie! In the event of a tie, I myself will cast a tie-breaker vote for the superior show. I don't otherwise vote. Unfortunately, I have not yet received an opportunity to exercise a tie-breaker vote, but I hope that changes with potentially tighter match-ups taking shape this next week. For the record, however, I would have voted for Phineas and Ferb.
#9 Disney Channel Games 29, #8 Legends of the Hidden Temple 22 — While this result was disappointing for me, it was not surprising. The popularity of Nickelodeon Games and Sports peaked in the 90s, and by the mid-2000s, the programming block had moved to its own independent cable network. Legends was not getting the same type of prime-time treatment that the Disney Channel Games was receiving in the summers of the late 2000s. Unfortunately, I don't know if enough voters experienced Legends in all its glory. They certainly missed out!
#4 Kenan & Kel 43, #13 Cory in the House 39 — Similar to how the DC Games bounced Legends, I was starting to get nervous on Wednesday that the long-forgotten That's So Raven spin-off would bounce the iconic Kenan & Kel. CITH won the popular vote on Instagram, but thankfully, the good people of Twitter (a phrase I have never once uttered before) came through for Nick's first iconic duo of the 2000s. Cory in the House lasted for just a year and a half, compiling a total of 34 episodes. Prior to this bracket, when was the last time you had even thought about Cory in the House? Kenan & Kel on the other hand left its stamp on pop culture when the duo received their own feature film (Good Burger), and the show's success helped launch Kenan Thompson to Saturday Night Live. Thompson is now the longest tenured cast member in SNL history.
I received messages from members of Generation Z, informing me that they had never heard of Kenan & Kel. This response surprised me, but upon my realization that K&K's initial run ended in the summer of 2000, it made sense. Thankfully however, K&K survives to see another day.
#10 Avatar: The Last Airbender 47, #7 Wizards of Waverly Place 41 — Avatar's fans came out in full-force, many of whom felt the show was disrespected with its low seed. During its run from early 2005 to the summer of 2008, Avatar never quite became a face of the Nickelodeon franchise. Others such as Spongebob, Fairly Odd Parents and Jimmy Neutron became the recognizable brands of the network. I stayed at the Nickelodeon Hotel and Resort in Orlando, Florida, and there was no Avatar decor to be found. Even lesser-celebrated Nicktoons such as Danny Phantom and Tak and the Power of Juju received more celebration and representation. Nickelodeon itself was sleeping on Avatar. Ladies and gentlemen, do not sleep on Avatar any longer!
Over the years, Avatar seems to have become a cult classic, gaining popularity over time. Its recent entry on to Netflix has made it a hot quarantine binge. And here's the thing about fans of Avatar: they don't just like Avatar, they really LOVE Avatar. Its early victory over Wizards of Waverly Place is nothing to sneeze at. Expect the Avatar voter turn-out to be through the roof in the show's second round match-up against the Powerpuff Girls. I think I smell an upset.
#3 Even Stevens 40, #14 Teen Titans 37 — Even Stevens, the sitcom behind one of the best Disney Channel original movies ever, survived an early scare in the form of Teen Titans. What it means for the show as it moves forward in the tournament, I have no idea. But the show's second round match-up against iCarly will be a clash of two different eras. Will the early 2000s prevail, or the late 2000s?
Outside of the five closest match-ups, round one appeared to be one blowout after another. The round's biggest shellacking? #3 Hey Arnold! came one vote short of a unanimous 81-0 blanking of #14 Just Jordan. That's right, Just Jordan received one vote total. I should really try to track down that one voter and make them president of the Just Jordan fan-club.
What's New, Scooby Doo? thumped Dora the Explorer in the South Region's 8-9 match-up, 76-9. I received many messages on Thursday about What's New, Scooby Doo?'s placement as a 9-seed. To be clear, WNSB? was a reboot of the original Scooby Doo cartoon series that ended its initial run in the mid-80s. Over the years, Scooby Doo has cemented itself as one of the biggest cartoon brands. However, the original, iconic Scooby Doo cartoon is not the show that is entered in this bracket, as it did not initially air in the 2000s. After responding to these questions on Instagram, I then was informed that many of the people asking why the show was a 9 seed, had never seen it before. This is where it gets a little tricky.
My plea to all the voters: please make sure you know what it is that you are voting for! Please do not vote for What's New Scooby Doo? just because you are a fan of the original cartoon. If you want to vote for WNSD? because you loved the reboot that last three seasons, then go for it! But I do not want a 70s cartoon wiping out all of the 2000s shows in the 2000s kids show bracket. Rant over.
Voting will resume on Tuesday and continue throughout the week. You can vote at my following social media handles. Make sure you are following along, checking this website and tuning in to the podcast!
Facebook - facebook.com/jackvitashow
Twitter - @JackVitaShow
Instagram- @jackvitashow
Here are my endorsements for the Sweet Sixteen.
Make sure you follow along and exercise your right to vote! Your vote counts and your voice matters. Use the hashtag #JackVitaGOATBracket on Twitter and other social media platforms to share the bracket with others.
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