After three weeks of voting in the GOAT Kids Show of the 2000s bracket competition, 56 shows have been ousted from the tournament. But are the eight shows remaining truly elite? Buckle your seat belts as I take you through a crash-course through the third round of voting.
East Region (Tuesday, 9/1/20)
#1 Spongebob 81, #5 Kim Possible 30 — Spongebob continued its rampage through the East Region, this time issuing the beat-down on Kim Possible. The fact that Spongebob is running away with the competition thus far is not one bit surprising. Elite? Yes.
#3 Fairly OddParents 80, #2 Lizzie McGuire 32 — Fairly OddParents rolling on to the Elite Eight is not a big surprise. The nicktoon lasted on the airwaves for 16 years and should be recognizable to any kid that grew up between 2001 and 2017. But my goodness, I would be lying if I told you that this show DID NOT make me want to put out a campfire with my own face! Fairly OddParents was in my opinion, a highly irritating show with obnoxious voices and sounds that had an effect similar to that of nails on a chalkboard. I just couldn't stand this show. On the flip side, Hilary Duff's adventures as Lizzie McGuire made for a great show and an even greater movie. This outcome is NOT what dreams are made of!
While this result didn't shock me, considering that Lizzie McGuire aired primarily in early 2000s, and Fairly OddParents covered a much larger time span, I was surprised that this vote wasn't close at all. Elite? Heck no.
West Region (Wednesday, 9/2)
#1 Arthur 93, #5 Blue's Clues 49 — When Arthur only beat Ned's Declassified by 14 votes last week, I anticipated a close match between the PBS classic and Blue's Clues. I was not expecting Ned's to significantly outscore Blue's Clues, but I guess I don't how to make sense of this bracket's voting anymore. Arthur's a 1 seed for a reason, so the result of this one isn't surprising. Elite? Yes.
#3 Hey Arnold! 70, #10 Avatar: The Last Airbender 70; a TIE! — Finally! The first tie of the tournament. For those unfamiliar with our tiebreaker system, it's quite simple: I cast the lone tiebreaker vote. A tie is the only situation in which I personally vote. I do not vote otherwise.
So who am I taking to the Elite Eight? I have to give props to the Avatar fans who really showed out and supported their show. They carried more passion and enthusiasm for this bracket than any other party involved. So with my apologies to them, I will be casting my tiebreaker vote for Hey Arnold! I can hear the collective groans and cheers from across the room. I had Avatar fans messaging me suggesting that Avatar was a much deeper and more complex show than Hey Arnold! and I don't disagree that Avatar was a deep, complex show that really stood out among its peers. But I think Hey Arnold! was a pretty deep, meaningful show too. Just think of the Pigeon Man episode where Pigeon Man delivers an emotional speech about how he connects better with animals than he does humans because animals can't hurt him the way humans do.
Hey Arnold! was an awesome show that taught children ethics, as well as the importance of helping others and doing the right thing. Hey Arnold! vs. Arthur should make for a great match-up between two similar shows from the 2000s. Elite? Yes.
South Region (Thursday, 9/3)
#4 Zoey 101 68, #1 Hannah Montana 64 — Wow. This one was a thriller! I personally prefer Zoey 101 to Hannah Montana, but I never thought Zoey 101 stood a chance. Hannah Montana was a cultural phenomenon and now it's the first 1 seed knocked out of the bracket. Jamie Lynn's squad lives to see another day, but will their Tekmates? Find out later this week! Elite? Yes.
#6 iCarly 79, #2 The Amanda Show 72 — Similar to the FOP-Lizzie McGuire showdown from earlier in the week, this outcome didn't surprise me, but it certainly disappointed me. Chalk up another victory for Gen Z. iCarly came to television upon the conclusion of one TeenNick Sunday night block (Drake & Josh, Zoey 101 and Ned's Declassified) and was transitional to the next (Victorious, Big Time Rush, etc.). When all of my favorite TeenNick shows ended, I gave iCarly a fair chance. I really did. And I was surprised that after loving Miranda Cosgrove in School of Rock and Drake & Josh, I didn't love her in this role. She was just so much better as the mischievous, evil little sister, Megan. Carly Shay felt a little generic and uninteresting compared to her previous roles. And no, having two teen girls shouting something in unison doesn't somehow make the joke funnier.
When I couldn't get into iCarly, I stopped watching kids shows altogether. I was approaching high school, so this show wasn't really geared towards me, but its charm never won me over. Gibby was great though.
Perhaps this write-up is a little harsh, but what can I say? The Amanda Show was an outstandingly great sketch show. Without The Amanda Show, there would be no Drake & Josh, and without Drake & Josh, there would be no iCarly. At least this match was relatively close. Elite? No.
Midwest Region (Friday, 9/4)
#1 Drake & Josh 83, #5 Jimmy Neutron 26 — Drake & Josh continued its dominant run with a shellacking of the universally popular Adventures of Jimmy Neutron. Through three rounds, D&J and Spongebob have had the easiest time with their match-ups, blowing out each opponent standing in their way. Elite? Yes.
#2 Rugrats 65, #6 Rocket Power 46 — In the "Clasky Bowl", Rugrats unsurprisingly emerged victorious. While I personally would have voted for Rocket Power, I wholeheartedly understand and accept this result. Rugrats was a major nicktoon that lasted for 15 years, a la Spongebob. You gotta pick your battles, right? As much as I loved Rocket Power, it's hard to picture it in the Elite Eight. Elite? Yes.
Down to the final eight, there isn't a single Disney Channel show remaining. So much for that Disney+ hype! Seven shows are Nickelodeon shows and Arthur is the lone PBS show. No Cartoon Network shows are left. In all fairness, 32 of the 64 shows included in this bracket are Nick shows, because Nick aired more original programming in the 2000s than any of the other networks. The deck was in some ways stacked in Nick's favor, but I thought for certain that at least a couple of Disney Channel shows would crack the top eight. Just two appeared in the Sweet 16.
Voting resumes on Tuesday and will 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, as we get down to the nitty gritty!
Facebook - facebook.com/jackvitashow
Twitter - @JackVitaShow
Instagram- @jackvitashow
Here are my endorsements for the Final Four.
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