March Madness is an annual NCAA style bracket tournament. Starting in 2018, the tournament has determined a fan-selected director #TheTwoFriends would cover. In 2020, a supplemental bracket was added on the Blank Check: Special Features Patreon to determine a franchise for special features commentaries.
Summary
March Madness is an annually recurring event for the show, in which listeners get to vote on a subject for the show to cover in an upcoming miniseries.
Subjects of Blank Check miniseries' have long been a popular topic of speculation by fans of the show. Over the course of the podcast's history many potential blank check directors, film franchises, and even star actors have been bandied about. Mailbag episodes have often featured a number of questions about them, the Blankies subreddit often has message threads about them, and on the podcast itself #TheTwoFriends will themselves sometimes entertain various notions of who or what would be fun to discuss. March Madness is one way for listeners to make their voices heard in a collective action.
The March Madness event pits 32 different miniseries options against each other in head to head matchups until just one winner remains. Over a period of weeks during the month of March, each individual matchup is voted on by fans to determine the winners. Griffin and David also emphasize that every one of the 32 contenders is one that they would enjoy doing a miniseries on -- there are no Whammies in this bunch, no patsies, no fall guys, so vote freely wherever your own conscience leads you!
The winning miniseries is then slotted into the upcoming schedule.
March Madness Rules
- Polls post on the Blank Check website blankcheckpod.com at or around the same time each day. Prior to 2022 the polls were posted on Twitter @blankcheckpod.
- Polls are open for 24 hours, new poll daily from 3/1 through 3/31
- Winner = covered at the next available opportunity!
- Loser ≠ they never cover them
Tournament History
The tournaments began in 2018 and have grown steadily since then. Generally the winner of the tournament is covered in the fall of that year. After the launch of the Blank Check: Special Features, a corresponding franchise bracket has been part of the tournament available to Patreon subscribers.
Votes cast per round | Total | Results | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |||
March Madness 2018 | 34,652 | 20,209 | 10,970 | 6,692 | 3,810 | 76,333 | 1. Nancy Meyers 2. David Fincher |
March Madness 2019 | 54,420 | 30,557 | 15,680 | 9,870 | 6,240 | 116,767 | 1. Jonathan Demme 2. George Miller |
March Madness 2020 Oscars vs. the Razzies |
100,747 | 56,491 | 39,173 | 20,801 | 8,995 | 226,207 | 1. Robert Zemeckis 2. Barry Sonnenfeld |
March Madness 2021 Host v. Host v. Producer v. Guests |
190,246 | 86,182 | 50,579 | 53,469 | 35,221 | 415,697 | 1. John Carpenter 2. Gore Verbinski |
March Madness 2022 20th Century |
Special Features Tournament
Beginning in 2020 after the first full year of the Patreon, a corresponding tournament was launched to determine a franchise that would be covered as a commentary series. As with the main bracket, losing franchises still often get covered. Participation in tournament voting has increased over the years, but not at the same rate as with the main bracket. As of 2022, the tournament will remain on Patreon as it did not experience the same controversy as the twitter polls.
Votes cast per round | Total | Results | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |||
Special Features March Madness 2020 | 48,999 | 24,648 | 13,037 | 6,802 | 3,657 | 97,143 | 1. Mission: Impossible 2. Alien |
Special Features March Madness 2021 | 66,762 | 32,710 | 16,540 | 8,742 | 4,836 | 129,590 | 1. The Twilight Saga 2. The Mummy |
Special Features March Madness 2022 20th Century |
March Madness Episodes
Recaps of the tournament have been appeared on the main feed and the patreon.
Director Statistics
A green check mark (✅) indicates the bracket winner. A white/blue check mark (☑️) indicates they were included in that year's bracket. A gray square indicates they were covered on the podcast and therefore ineligible for the bracket.
Director | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Albert Brooks | ☑️ | ||||
Alex Proyas | ☑️ | ||||
Alfonso Cuarón | ☑️ | ☑️ | ☑️ | ||
Alfred Hitchcock (1929-1941) | ☑️ | ||||
Alfred Hitchcock (1942-1976) | ☑️ | ||||
Amy Heckerling | ☑️ | ☑️ | |||
Andrei Tarkovsky | ☑️ | ||||
Anthony Minghella | ☑️ | ||||
The Archers (Powell & Pressburger) | ☑️ | ☑️ | |||
Barbra Streisand | ☑️ | ||||
Barry Sonnenfeld | ☑️ | ||||
Baz Luhrmann | ☑️ | ||||
Bill Condon | ☑️ | ||||
Blake Edwards | ☑️ | ||||
Bob Fosse | ☑️ | ☑️ | |||
Bong Joon-Ho | ☑️ | ||||
Buster Keaton | ☑️ | ☑️ | ☑️ | ||
Carl Th. Dreyer | ☑️ | ||||
Charlie Chaplin | ☑️ | ||||
Chris Columbus | ☑️ | ||||
Coen Brothers | ☑️ | ||||
Danny Boyle | ☑️ | ☑️ | ☑️ | ||
Danny Devito | ☑️ | ||||
Darren Aronofsky | ☑️ | ||||
David Cronenberg | ☑️ | ||||
David Fincher | ☑️ | ||||
David Lean | ☑️ | ☑️ | |||
David S. Ward | ☑️ | ||||
Dennis Dugan | ☑️ | ||||
Don Bluth | ☑️ | ☑️ | |||
Dorothy Arzner | ☑️ | ||||
Edward Yang | ☑️ | ||||
Elaine May | ☑️ | ☑️ | ☑️ | ||
Ernest Dickerson | ☑️ | ||||
Ernst Lubitsch | ☑️ | ||||
F. Gary Gray | ☑️ | ||||
F.W. Murnau | ☑️ | ||||
Francis Ford Coppola | ☑️ | ☑️ | |||
François Truffaut | ☑️ | ||||
Fritz Lang | ☑️ | ||||
George Miller | ☑️ | ☑️ | |||
Gore Verbinski | ☑️ | ☑️ | ☑️ | ||
Guillermo del Toro | ☑️ | ☑️ | ☑️ | ||
Gus Van Sant | ☑️ | ||||
Guy Ritchie | ☑️ | ||||
Hal Ashby | ☑️ | ||||
Harmony Korine | ☑️ | ||||
Ida Lupino | ☑️ | ||||
Jackie Chan | ☑️ | ||||
Jacques Tati | ☑️ | ☑️ | |||
Jane Campion | ☑️ | ||||
Jean Cocteau | ☑️ | ||||
Joe Dante | ☑️ | ☑️ | ☑️ | ||
Joe Johnston | ☑️ | ||||
John Carpenter | ☑️ | ✅ | |||
John Cassavetes | ☑️ | ☑️ | |||
John McTiernan | ☑️ | ☑️ | |||
John Singleton | ☑️ | ☑️ | |||
Jonathan Demme | ✅ | ||||
Karyn Kusama | ☑️ | ||||
Kelly Reichardt | ☑️ | ||||
Kevin Costner | ☑️ | ||||
Luc Besson | ☑️ | ||||
Luchino Visconti | ☑️ | ||||
Lynne Ramsay | ☑️ | ||||
Martin Brest | ☑️ | ☑️ | ☑️ | ☑️ | |
Martin Scorcese | ☑️ | ||||
Mel Brooks | ☑️ | ☑️ | |||
Melvin Van Peebles | ☑️ | ||||
Michael Bay | ☑️ | ☑️ | ☑️ | ||
Michael Cimino | ☑️ | ☑️ | |||
Michael Mann | ☑️ | ||||
Mike Judge | ☑️ | ||||
Mike Leigh | ☑️ | ||||
Mike Nichols | ☑️ | ||||
Miloš Forman | ☑️ | ||||
Nancy Meyers | ✅ | ||||
Nora Ephron | ☑️ | ☑️ | |||
Oliver Stone | ☑️ | ||||
Orson Welles | ☑️ | ||||
Paul Thomas Anderson | ☑️ | ☑️ | |||
Paul Verhoeven (Dutch) | ☑️ | ||||
Paul W.S. Anderson | ☑️ | ||||
Penelope Spheeris | ☑️ | ||||
Penny Marshall | ☑️ | ||||
Peter Farrelly | ☑️ | ||||
Peter Jackson | ☑️ | ☑️ | ☑️ | ||
Peter Weir | ☑️ | ☑️ | |||
Preston Sturges | ☑️ | ☑️ | ☑️ | ||
Prince | ☑️ | ||||
Robert Altman (1970's) | ☑️ | ☑️ | ☑️ | ☑️ | |
Robert Zemeckis | ✅ | ||||
Sam Raimi | ☑️ | ☑️ | |||
Sergei Eisenstein | ☑️ | ||||
Sofia Coppola | ☑️ | ||||
Spike Jonze | ☑️ | ||||
Stanley Kubrick | ☑️ | ||||
Steve McQueen | ☑️ | ||||
Steven Spielberg (pre-Oscar) | ☑️ | ☑️ | |||
Sylvester Stallone | ☑️ | ||||
Terrence Malick | ☑️ | ☑️ | ☑️ | ||
Terry Gilliam | ☑️ | ||||
Tom Green | ☑️ | ||||
Tom Hooper | ☑️ | ||||
Tony Scott | ☑️ | ||||
Warren Beatty | ☑️ | ☑️ | ☑️ | ||
Wes Anderson | ☑️ | ||||
William Friedkin | ☑️ | ☑️ | |||
Wolfgang Peterson | ☑️ | ||||
Wong Kar Wai | ☑️ |