#nice jewish character showdown 2022

[hayscodejew]

the polls are closed, the results are in...

In a fight that was neck and neck to the end, finishing at 26 to 24, the winner of the 2022 Nice Jewish Character Showdown is...

Miss Valerie "The Frizz" Frizzle!

She takes chances. She makes mistakes. She gets messy. She's the perfect grade school teacher, AND the winner of the first ever Nice Jewish Character Showdown. When asked what her celebration plans were to commemorate her win, she promised a pizza party for her class. Liz the lizard is excited to have a cool new place to chill out in the classroom (the trophy!)

On the note of Spiderman's loss, I think it's important to remember that, at the end of the day, at least we still have (my favorite live action Spiderman) Andrew Garfield. NOTHING is going to take that away from us.

Thank you all for voting and helping make this silly little poll happen. I hope you enjoyed, and (as I mentioned more elaborately in the last poll post) I hope this little experiment has helped you discover more characters to relate to. Sometimes it's hard being Jewish. Seeing yourself positively in media helps, even just a little bit.

[nicejewishcharactershowdown]

(Superman art by @_picolo on IG)

[deputy-ajay-ghale]

Let me not be negative about this damn movie.

The positives:

- semi the concept, I mean, the idea of reviving a ghost town sounds awfully nice, especially if it’s a way to give marginalized entrepreneurs the ability to start their businesses in a small Texas town. BUT an even nicer way would have been to reach out to more Harlow natives who would want to bring back their hometowns/their parents’s or grandparents old town. That would’ve helped win some love with the remaining locals.

- Lila and Melody having the final showdown with Leatherface together. I’m a sucker for familial love in horror movies.

- Jacob Latimore in a main role because he’s got the chops for it.

- Sarah Yarkin going from a supporting character in HDD to a main lead in TCM 2022.

- Casting a gnc actress, a dark skinned black man, and a Jewish actress as members of the main cast.

- Richter proving to the audience that he doesn’t really suck by taking down the Confederate flag owned by someone else without complaint, showing sympathy for Lila’s past, immediately trying to help Dante when he sees he’s hurt and speaks to him softly, telling the bank lady to get to the bus to hide and call the cops, trying to subdue Leatherface, and upon seeing Melody is hiding from Leatherface uses his dying breath to give her the keys so she can escape with everyone.

- Melody and Lila always trying to help each other.

[hayscodejew]

With 230(!) votes, the results are in for round one of the Nice Jewish Character Showdown! Voting for round two is live here, and is open until 6 pm EST on Friday, October 28th. Check below the break for detailed results on the first round of voting!

The Pines twins scratched the Strilondes out of their save file, winning 88.3% of the vote (203) versus their 11.7% (17).

Tommy Pickles is being put down for his nap, losing the vote with 38.7% (89) against Ron Stoppable's 61.3% (141).

As much as I love Toby (and had him as the winner on my own bracket), his political know-how was no match for James Buchanan Barnes, raking in only a third of the votes (31.3%, 72 votes, versus 68.7% and 158).

The war of the SoCal NJBs who rocked our tv screens in the early 00's has been decided, with Seth Cohen losing the vote (19.6%, 45 votes) to Disney Channel's Gordo (80.4%, 185). The power of a bar mitzvah episode!

The first of several tight races, Gretchen Weiners has run over Cher Horowitz with a school bus (don't worry, she's fine), with a vote of 118 (51.3%) to 112 (48.7%).

Second of the neck and neck races, turns out Fran Fine is just what the doctor prescribed, beating Barbie 117 (50.9%) to 113 (49.1%). All those Christmas dresses really don't work in Babs' favor, huh?

Whatcha doin', Rachel Berry? Not winning the tournament, that's for sure! Isabella took Rachel out to the curb, with an impressive margin of 205 (89.1%) to 25 (10.9%). I'm sure Rachel will take it in stride, though -- after all, "you're all minorities, you're in the glee club" (Mr. Schue, s1e7)

In a somewhat surprising (and potentially upsetting) twist, the coded character beats the explicitly Jewish one in the battle of the Smart Bitches, knocking Christina Yang out early and keeping Miss Frizzle in the competition (175, 76.1% to 55, 23.9%). It's okay, Christina, there's space for you in the school bus. Field trip!

No surprises that our next matchup is as close as it is... with 119 votes (51.7%) to 111 (48.3%), the winner of the DC Patriarch matchup is Bruce Wayne himself, Batman. It's okay, Kal-El, I'm still thinking about the Hebrew School class when we discussed your story as a Moses allegory.

I'm convinced that Ben Grimm and Peter Parker go to the same synagogue, which makes his loss to the webslinger a bit easier to handle (29 votes to Spiderman's 201, 12.6% to 87.4%). BTW if y'all haven't read the comic where The Thing becomes canon Jewish, you're missing out.

Is anyone shocked that Spock won the Space Jews matchup? No? Me neither. As much as I love a good Futurama episode, nothing beats Nimoy. Zoidberg's going back in the dumpster he lives in behind the Planet Express building, bringing home 39 votes (17%) in comparison to Spock's whopping 191 (83%).

Yoinks, how'd the Scooby Gang manage to win this one? With a margin I by no means expected to be this definitive, the Mystery Machine pulls ahead of the ENTIRE cast of the X-Men with 154 votes (67%) to their 76 (33%).

In the war of the Magical Boys, the alchemy was not in Edward Elric's favor, getting only 39.1% of the vote (90) to Steven Universe's 60.9% (140).

The last of the neck and neck battles, turns out Sam Manson is going ghost, with 49.6% of the vote to Willow Rosenberg's 50.4% (114 to 116).

I guess my thesis had some public consensus backing, because about two thirds of y'all agree that werewolves are INCREDIBLY Jewish, 143 votes to 87 belonging to Frankenstein's Monster (62.2% and 37.8%). Stream 'Cry Wolf' on Spotify.

Oscar the Grouch's cousin Moishe is definitely pleased with the results here, with the Muppet ranking in 58.3% of the vote against Jake the Dog's 41.7% (134 to 96).

[hayscodejew]

Quarterfinals time!!!

Round three is live! I'm serious, some of these fights have been intense, but I wouldn't expect a debate about Judaism to go any differently. Check below for details on the results, and make sure you share the poll when you're done! Polls are open until 5pm EST November 3rd.

The Pines Twins stopped Ron Stoppable in his tracks, beating him with 71.2% of the vote (111).

This isn't what dreams are made of for Gordo, walking away with 36.5% (57) of the vote to Bucky's 63.5%.

"Four for Fran Fine, you go Fran, and none for Gretchen Weiners, bye." Or, more accurately, 64.1% (100) for Fran and 35.9% for Gretchen.

I guess Izzy's got the Frizzies, and our favorite teacher is walking away with 64.7% (101).

DC's fully out of the running, with Spiderman trapping Batman in his web -- 85.9% (134) to 14.1%.

Our most contentious race this round was that of the 60's icons, a fight consistently neck and neck between Spock and the Scooby Gang. Going into overtime and getting its' own Special Election(!!!), the Vulcan death grip has taken them out with 76.6% (49 out of 64). Well fought, meddling kids, well fought.

(and if y'all don't believe me, here's the final pie chart for the original matchup.)

A slightly less tied race, but another one that's still evenly matched, is that of the magic kids. Managing to be decided in the overtime, Steven's won against Willow with 51.3% (80). Neither Scooby Gang is winning this one, but if we combine both troops we've got a minyan!

Public access kid's television still has two contenders in the race, with Oscar the Grouch holding out in his sidewalk spot against the werewolf threat, getting two thirds of the vote (66.7%, 104).

[hayscodejew]

there has been blood. there has been sweat. there has been tears. but we're at the final battle of the Nice Jewish Character Showdown. Vote here, polls are open until 5pm EST November 10th. Stats will be under the read more, plus a thank you from yours truly.

The Pines twins should have stayed home today, losing the semifinal to The Frizz 25 to 18. Even though they took a loss, I have to applaud Dipper and Mabel for their showing in this event -- beating titans of the vote like Bucky was unexpected, and the fact we only really know they're (ethnically) Jewish because of the mezuzah on the Grunkle's childhood home is a miracle within itself. My sister and I watched a lot of Gravity Falls as kids (I was their age when the show started, and she was their age when it ended), so I'll always have a place in my heart for the weirdos.

Gd, this fight was going to break my heart one way or another. Spidey may be a favorite, but Oscar means a lot. The Muppets in general, Sesame Street in particular -- when debating who to put on this poll, it felt like no Muppet could be more Jewish than the grumpy old man sticking it out on his New York City block, fighting the gentrification of his neighborhood, who has a cousin Moishe in Israel (Shalom, Sesame!!). The fact he beat such icons as Steven Universe and the literal concept of werewolves was really sweet to watch. You've earned your spot, dear trash mensch. And while I wait for a job opening at PBS, I'll just keep humming "Sing".

(Oh, the results from that vote were 27 to 16).

Finally -- thank you for voting in this silly little internet poll. I didn't expect anywhere close to the turnout we got, and the enthusiasm has been felt. I know it can be difficult to exist as a Jew online right now (and offline...), I can only hope that this experiment in Jewish positivity has helped brighten your day a little. If nothing else, I hope I've given you a new perspective on what characters we can identify as part of our mishpoche. Positive representation can so often feel sparse (I literally mentioned that in my thesis paper), I'm just glad I was able to make this event and maybe, just maybe, expand your Jewish Blorbo collections. It's a nonexhaustive list. There's much, much more to be found.

Stay tuned for the final results.

<3,

hayscodejew

[hayscodejew]

Y'all literally kept the Spock/Scooby Gang election tied... so we're doing a Special Election Runoff! Who's more Jewish? That's up to the voters -- and if this one stays tied I'm flipping a coin <3 You have until 5pm EST on Sunday, 10/30 folks! Vote wisely...

[hayscodejew]

the final poll for the nice jewish character showdown (2022) will be up on Wednesday. In the meantime, if you're over 18 in the US, there's another election to be voted in! vote.org has a polling place locator if you're not sure where to go.

[hayscodejew]

kept the poll open to try and break two ties and one of them continues to be neck and fucking neck... i think we need a run-off election. stay tuned.

[nicejewishcharactershowdown]

REMINDER -- NICE in Nice Jewish Character Showdown is not an evaluation of personality, but in quality of representation! Who do you see yourself in more?

[nicejewishcharactershowdown]

It's May, which means it's Jewish-American Heritage Month! Time for a Bonus Round!

Polls start TOMORROW, MAY 2ND at NOON EST, for round one!

We have 22 contestants entering this bonus round. To qualify, they had to have competed in 2022 and/or 2023, losing in rounds two or three.

When voting, pick whichever character you like the most/whichever one feels more Jewish to you. The "Nice" in Nice Jewish Character Showdown is about the quality of the character, not their personality!

I'll be posting with "#njcs jewish-american heritage month" for this bonus round competition, feel free to track or block!

Competitor list below, matchups releasing tomorrow with the polls:

Data from Star Trek: TNG

WALL-E

Ferris Bueller

Fran Fine from The Nanny

Cristina Yang from Grey's Anatomy

Bucky Barnes

Magneto

Truman Burbank from The Truman Show

Francine Frensky from Arthur

Lily Moscovitz from The Princess Diaries

Gordo from Lizzie McGuire

Willow Rosenberg

Isabella Garcia-Shapiro

Edna Mode

Clark Kent/Superman

Tevye

Steven Universe

Bruce Wayve/Batman

Gretchen Wieners

Ron Stoppable

Werewolves... like, as a whole

The Scooby Gang

[nicejewishcharactershowdown]

Rematch Round PART TWO - 2022 Contestants

Missed the tournament that they first fought in? Check it out here!

[Image description: a graphic showing three potential returning contestants to the Nice Jewish Character Showdown: Spock, Fran Fine, and Steven Universe. The title of the matchup is oriented vertically across the bottom, reading "NJCS Redemption Round" in the first line, and "2023 Contestants" below. End ID.]

[nicejewishcharactershowdown]

From explicitly being members of the tribe, to the coded characters that we'd invite to shabbos, this is the return of the

Nice Jewish Character Showdown!

Missed earlier competitions? Check out the results here: 2022 || 2023 || NJCS Jewish-American Heritage Month 2023 || 2024

Nominations are currently closed for NJCS 2024, but the ask box isn't!

Looking for the current bracket? This link will be updated after every round! Plus, here's the tag for the current round of polls.

Wondering what defines a NJC? Check out this post!

[nicejewishcharactershowdown]

Nice Jewish Character Showdown 2023 - Round Three Eliminations

We've reached the semifinal round, we're down to six characters (thanks to the redemption round!), and we're like two weeks away from Purim. Still looking for your costume? How about going as one of the showdown's contenders? Here's why the four quarter-finalists who've lost the contest are still viable costumes for your spiel this year.

Match One Elimination: Clark Kent/Superman In Hebrew School, there was an elective I took about the Jewish history of superheroes and comic books in general. It was one of my favorite classes I ever took there, and the discussion on Superman being a Moses allegory rather than the popular interpretation of a Jesus one. (I don't think this was the book I read for that class, but I think I read this one for thesis research.) It's a fascinating rabbit hole to fall down, and seriously worth some independent research to fully understand the scope of how Jew-coded superhero comic books have been since the start. Talk about the transitive property of Jewish media -- we know for a fact that this comic genre was designed with Judaism in mind. That's pretty amazing. Kal-El, thank you for everything.

Match Two Elimination: Edna Mode, The Incredibles Taking a swing over to cinematic supes, we have to talk about my favorite Pixar movie, The Incredibles. I almost nominated the Parr family for this, but I'm glad I stuck with Edna, considering she has been repeatedly interpreted to be based off of a real Jewish woman (Edith Head, record holder for most Oscars won by an individual, and celebrated costume designer). In terms of the whole movie, taking the Jewish context of superheroes into consideration, I think there's a lot to be said about the environment the Parr family finds themselves in. If you have Jewish relatives who grew up in the suburbs post-war, you'll know the pressure that was exerted on them to blend in. The movie takes place in the 50's-60's, and that's prime real estate for that kind of behavior. So a movie about a family fighting between blending in for safety and embracing their inheritance for their own personal joy, it sounds pretty Jewish to me.

Match Three Elimination: Magneto, X-Men Back to comic superheros, we gotta talk about the Jewish history of the X-Men. Undoubtedly the superhero team* with the highest canon Jewish population (and yes, that officially is a small #, and yes I am including Magneto), the X-Men have always been a metaphor for those determined to be Other due to genetics, those hunted down because of it. When Marvel made Magneto Jewish, they gave us the outright option to fight back. Prof. X's team is fighting for peace with those who look to hurt them, Magneto's team is fighting for revenge. I know there isn't much explaining I have to do on the Magneto was Right/Magneto's our zayde website, but it still feels crucial to emphasize that Magneto was, and continues to be, groundbreaking. Justice for the Maximoff's Judaism in the MCU.

Match Four Elimination: Data, ST:TNG As summed up by a mutual since I only have passing knowledge of Trek: - Is played by a Jew - Does not fit into the society at large, humanity is questioned, personal quest to understand the universe and himself and his creator - Does not accept things, will always question and try to do what is right Yeah, that works!

Wondering about the 2022 contestants who got a chance at redemption? Keep an eye out for a huge post about the 2022 competition sometime later this week (there's a lotta characters, it'll take a minute!)

[nicejewishcharactershowdown]

What a way to start off Jewish-American Heritage Month! Thanks for getting involved, everybody -- I know these matchups are rough, but what's better than having so many good contestants to pick from? I think it's a blessing that there are really no bad choices out of this bunch. Round two starts tomorrow (5/4) at 12 PM EST.

The Round Two matches are:

Batman vs. Superman, a rematch from 2022 (scroll down in the read more for percentages).

Edna Mode vs. Dr. Cristina Yang

Ferris Bueller vs. Lily Moscovitz

Data vs. Tevye

And, in a three way cage match of animated characters,

Ron Stoppable vs. Francine Frensky vs. The Scooby Gang

As always, tracking "#nice jewish character showdown", plus "#njcs jewish american heritage month" for this event specifically. I only tag the round announcement posts as "#jumblr" to avoid clogging the tag, so if you're finding this post on there, hi guys!