Category: Zone BBS Icon 2006
Hi everyone, Mat here, AKA PlipPlop.
I am posting this statement as you all know by now, I have decided to withdraw from Icon.
I have made this decision because it was brought to my attention that one or more Zone members may have actively lobbied for votes for me in this passed pole.
Whilst this is not specifically prohibited anywhere in the Icon rules, I feel that it would be morally wrong of me to continue in this competition when I know for certain that some of the votes cast for me were not earned by my performance, but acquired by the efforts of another individual or individuals actively attempting to skew the poles in my favour.
I do not believe this action was taken with any malice of forethought, but I still feel that a large number of the votes I gained this week should not really be mine.
I feel that it would be very unfair to the other contestants who also worked very hard on their performances and earned the votes cast for them based on talent alone, for me to continue at this time.
I am deeply saddened that Jessica is now out of the running, and I hope that by withdrawing, I can at least return the playing field to a fare one based on talent, rather not the personal opinion of one or two very persuasive individuals.
I would like to extend my thanks to all the Zone Icon staff for all their hard work in putting this competition together and making it possible.
Good luck to Danielle and Lui for the finals ahead, and I’m sure everyone will be listening along with me to see what happens.
Love and hugs,
Matt
Matt, I think we all know Louie would have won this competition, but I don't think you should have dropped out. You are very good and deserve to still be in the competition.
This is just one in a long list of stupid controversies this program has had in just a few weeks. I don't think I will bother listening to the remaining shows or voting. And if it is tried again next year, I'm not sure I'll be interested by then either.
ok I want to start off by saying that Zone icon in and of itself is a great idea. It was a great idea, and now it has turned into a retardation type event. But in matt's case I have a bit to say. Tonight I was listening to the show on my friends vt server. Some of the people I hang out with are very musically inclined. We were shocked to here about Matt's backing out, but we also agree with it all the way. It takes a real man to step up and admit that what has happened is wrong. he found out that people were going to vote for him no matter what, and he did the honorable thing. As a musician, I respect that. It would have been just as easy for him to let it go and continue on, but he did what he thought was right, and he has the support of me and my friends. One of them is a music major at temple university, and wanted me to say on his behalf, that Matt is a real man. By doing what he did, he keeps the spirit of fair play and musical competition alive. Matt my good man, you have risen in our eyes in ways we can't explain. You are a very talented man. Keep singing, and we all hope that when this competition can be ensured fairness and the voting system can be made full proof, we will be graced with your vocal ability. Good luck in what ever you do, Aaron, Dale, and Crew
Matt, thanks for being honest you are truly a man as has been stated. Good luck if you decide to enter another contest.
This sort of thing is the reason that I think the zone community has too much influence on this zone icon. Matt if this were AI for example do you think that any one of those contestants don't call all their friends and get them to vote for them? Did you vote for yourself? I don't think your choice is fair to the game. There are people who voted for whom they thought deserved their vote. Sure maybe a handful of people were swayed to vote for you, but you can't possibly know just how many that was. There are so many other factors to take into consideration that just because a few friends are die hard Plip Plop fans you need to drop out. Zoners, you continue to ask for more and more information regarding icon. Yet I don't see anyone writing in asking for information to AI. There is a reason that audiences aren't made aware of certain things that go on. This is an example of being a bad sport in my view. If someone is chosen zone icon it should be because they are good at what they do and not by default. Granted Matt may have many friends myself included could I be swayed to vote for him, the answer is no. Some might be though and you'll never know if that was enough to mess things up. Two dropped out, and one was disqualified. The competition was fierce but now the other two contestants are left to wonder what if.
Matt,
I think you're really talented, and i'm so sad to see you drop out, but i agree with Aaron, you had some true courage to do what you thought was right.
you're a fabulous singer, and i'm so sorry to see you go.
hugest of hugs.
oh bloody hell.
firstly, so what if people decided to vote, I've no doubt that everyone is voting for their mates anyway, they do it on x factor, how else do you think the McDonald brothers stayed in that long? it sure as hell wasn't because of their talent.
Mat I think you made a mistake pulling out, I really do, for the record, I voted for you, I didn't think your performance was that bad, and I actually didn't think jessica's performance was that good - when she hit the high notes it hurt. And I believe I know enough about music to say that.
I actually think this has turned into more of a farse than it already was. In fact I actually think that they should just admit defeat now and can the rest of the shows. After all, whoever wins probably won't win purely because of talent, there are just too many people who know too many people on here for it to ever have been fair.
Maybe that's why there aren't any other online talent contests out there - it just isn't workable.
Matt, when I read your post, I was gonna scilently just hit refresh, and go on about my business. I think you did quite an honorable thing. Good on you man. I'm sorry to see it get to this. really I am. I'm sorry to see that you pulled out of something you obviously enjoyed. but like I said about your audio profile, you sure did go from 0 to hero in my book with that, and you're obviously a noble guy who put the thoughts and feelings of the remaining contestants ahead of your own.
So good for you man, I also agree with claire. I have to say it, I knew something like this would happen.
Sure the staff have obviously put in a lot of time and effort, but it was unrealistic for them to believe they could pull this off without a hitch.
Ok, that's it. I got my 2 cents worth in, without slinging too much mud.
Cam.
Matt,
On the surface, what you did is commendable, admirable, etc. It's also quite senseless... You could examine every vote cast from week one to date through the same lens and, if your example is to be followed, have ten withdrawals.
Following are merely my opinions:
You didn't have what it took to defeat Louie—no one did, lest something truly special is brought forth by Danielle next week. That having been said, there still was this round and the finals, and nothing is ever set in stone. To withdraw as you did speaks more of poor sportsmanship and concession than an attempt to rectify a perceived injustice.
My honest opinion? Now, I don't really care about zone icon. If they were to just drop it now, that'd be ok with me. I figured Loui was going to win, but Matt was still my favorite.
As for the ralleying of votes, I can see where you're coming from, and yet, isn't that the way it's going to be in every contest? If it were me, I'd be glad I had fans who liked me so much, they'd ralley votes for me.
But to each his own and I spoze it was couragous of you to do this?
well again, I do agree with Claire. As I said to you before, no-one is ever going to be able to control the way people vote and why they will vote a certain way. It's impossible. happens everywhere; on Idol, BigBrother.
as I also said, one person obviously would have needed to leave. I could pretty well tell who would make it to the final four, so it could have been that you may have got more votes than Jess anyway.
you may have heard that someone was getting people to vote for you but you'll never know how many people they got, and how many actually cast the vote.
as I said, I respect your decision but I personally would have loved you to stay.
Cheers!
Matt,
we personally don't really knowing each other and deep from my heart i feel bad to hear that you redraw yourself from Icon. i don't follow every week show, but you are one of those who's tellented.
i'm pretty much agree what Claire and Rachel have said, and my friend, if you don't have the tellent yourself, no matter how many vodes we have voded for you, you won't get in too to what you have had now.
don't be upset over this and trust yourself with your tellent. you are one of the tellented people that i meet here
cheer up
Joanne aka Season
so the more I think about this, the more I wonder if mat was encouraged to step down as it were. Not told so much that he had to, but informed of the votes that had been rallied for him, and whether, if he had not withdrawn of his own accord, he would have been disqualified?
Right! I don't mind people saying that they're sad to see me go, and "Oh Matt, what a twit", but I will not stand for people accusing me of being a poor sportsman jmbauer! How dare you!
I had prior information that people were going to vote for me no matter what happened, regardless of who's performance was better or worse, whatever! I could not allow that to happen! Every week, my votes have ranged between 11 and 14 votes, and then this week, I had nearly twice as many? 27 votes? On top of that, I happened to know that at least 2 of my loyal voters did not vote for me in that pole because they believed Jessica was better. So I think it's fare to say that votes for me increased by 100 percent! On a week when I did probably my worst performance in the whole competition? Get real!
Now, I'm not saying that all those new votes were rallied by someone else, but a lot of them were, and we are talking about around 10 at least that I know about for certain! What about those I do not know about?
Voting in an online competition like this is different to voting in a big competition like American Idle because even a couple of thousand votes won't really make a dent one way or the other when so many millions of votes are cast each week! But in this competition, 1 vote could be all the difference.
I have done what I have done because I think I was given an unfair advantage over someone else, someone who clearly gave a far superior performance which should have carried her through to the next round, but didn't, because my votes were massively increased by people who absolutely refused to see me go out.
It's always been close between me and Jessica, and I will never know now, who really would have been knocked out if my stats hadn't been tampered with, but as I said, I knew that at least 2 people who had been voting for me really felt that I didn't deserve their vote that week, so there's 2 I lost, and I think fare to say that others probably felt the same way, so lets be generous and say that I lost 4 votes from last week's 12 dropping me down to 8. OK, so lets say that I picked up 2 of Nikos's votes bringing me up to 10, and maybe one more from someone else bringing me up to 11. I'd have been out! If I'd gone back up to 12, it would have been a tie-breaker. I have consistently earned about 11 to 14 votes on average, so this huge spike was obviously the result of group voting which is unfair in a closed community competition like this one.
I don't know how you think pulling out because I believe I was given an unfair advantage can be classed as poor sportsmanship! That's just totally backwards, and I won't stand for it! Call me an idiot if you want, but don't you dare accuse me of not playing fare! Your opinion was clearly not very well thought out, rambled and went absolutely nowhere! If you have something constructive to say, rather than just a load of hot-headed bilge because you're pissed that no one sang last night in the show, then say it, otherwise, please don't bother.
And by the way, I'm really angry that some of you have been having a go at the Icon staff about this! I pulled out on Friday, and they had to assemble last night's show at short notice, so it's hardly their fault that no one sang! What else could they do? Have Jessica and Danielle sing but not let you all vote? What would have been the point in that! If anyone is to blame for the format of last night's show, it's me, for pulling out and causing all the trouble, not the Icon team's! They did the best they could given the circumstances, and I thought it was a good idea to recap the Icon histories of both finalists anyway! You surely can't remember every performance given by every contestant in every show thus far along with all their feedback and that of the judge's? Get real!
Oh, and Claire? I'm going to state publicly now, that in fact, the Icon team tried very very hard to persuade me not to drop out! They were even going to open the voting tables and see just exactly who voted for who to see if a deliberate skew could be detected at one point. I don't know what they would have done once they found it, but I imagine they would have voided a certain percentage of the votes I earned to make my score a more realistic one, but I persuaded them not to get involved!
I told them that they didn't need to face accusations from the Zone community of fiddling with results! And, what if they had made such an adjustment and determined that in fact Jessica should have stayed in and I should have gone out? If they had re-instated Jessica, you know what you all would have done! You'd have accused the Icon staff of pandering to her because of her relationship with Chris yada yada yada! Everyone was looking for an excuse to accuse them of rigging in Jessica's favour right from the start, and I refused to give you one.
Matt
Ok, fair enough the staff tried to encourage you to stay in the competition and you declined, but if they offered to check the votes why not at least take them up on that? If you’d rigged the votes in your favour, i.e. dropped bribes to a certain few members who you’ver perhaps chatted to in the past, then it would be completely out of order, but it seems that you didn’t actually have anything to do with those that voted for you and that users decided off their own backs that they would vote for you and encourage others to do the same. No maybe it’s not quite in the spirit of the competition, as in people aren’t necessarily voting based on your performance on the night, but in reality, everyone does it. And oftenpeople do it for one of two reasons.
Either people like a certain performer, have liked their performances in the past and really don’t want to see that person go out of the competition based on one night’s performance.
Or
They just like the person and if that person is someone they have some kind of affinity with they might vote for him purely because they like him.
It happens in all walks of life. The McDonalds in x factor didn’t get this far based on their talent. In actual fact they should have gone out weeks ago. Chiko sure as hell didn’t get to the final 4 last year based on his talents (what talent) he shouldn’t even have been in the competition in the first place. But you don’t see those people withdrawing from the competition because they know that people have been canvassing votes for them.
As long as you yourself didn’t cheat, i.e. email all your mates and ask them to vote for you, then really I don’t see anything wrong with the fact that others wanted you to stay in the contest.
I do understand why you feel you should have stayed in on talent alone, but that’s not always how it works.
Hi
I don't normally post to the boards, but this issue has forced me to write this time as i actually have an opinion! Gooooooo me!
Ok, firstly, you thought this was your worst performance in the competition so far? I completely disagree. I actually thought you were far, far, far better than one other participant who's name i am not going to mention so as far as i was concerned, you fully deserved to go through to the last 3, and yes, i am a musician and sound engineer, so i do have some idea of what i'm talking about.
Also, although i respect your decision to pull out, i can't help but feel disappointed for those genuine Plip plop fans who have been loyal to you throughout the competition. Have you thought about how they feel? I am good friends with a stone wall Plip Plop fan, and i can only imagine how disappointed they must feel at your decision to withdraw from the competition.
As for the zone icon staff, i don't blame them for any kind of vote rigging blah blah blah, that's a load of crap...
So, there we go, It's a shame you've pulled out and it does add yet another contrivertial aspect to the competition, but didn't we know it would be contrivertial before it started? Come on, this is the zone, right?
Matt.
I'm sad to see you go, as I thought you did have talent. This weeks theme would have been great to see you do had you stayed, and well, I must say I am disheartened. I won't yell at you or anything like that, because you don't need it, but I will say this. truly, some people felt you had to go on this week, no questions asked, so of course they are gonna vote for you hun, that's just how the game is played. I wish there was a contest based on talent, but there isn't, no matter how hard we try to make it based on talent. Either way, I wish you the best of luck, in whatever you do.
Take care and god bless.
Jessica
Hello I think that what you did was great. It took a lot of courage. Sorry to see you leave the show of course but you're real and honest.
Wow, more controversy to add...
Matt,
First off, I just want to say that I, personally, thought you did well this past week. You said that you felt it was your worst week, but I do not agree. You did a good job, and it is a disappointment to see you go, but on the other hand, it is admirable to see you stan dup for what you believe.
As far as the judges offering to take a look and see who voted for who, I don't think that really would've made much of a difference. How would they know who voted truthfully, and who voted just because they wanted you to stay in the competition?
After all is said and done, this whole thing has just been sliding downhill dramatically, since the beginning.
Hi matt,
Wow I just heard about this not too long ago, sinc yesterday I had some pretty hard sergery and have been uncomfortable all last night and was too tired to lisetn to the show. Well Matt, I just wantedto say that me and my bf and a few friends voted for you because we thought you sang good and when I told you you did a good job of putting on a southern accent I menat it. So let's say I know like 6 people who all voted for you, but they all voted because they all thought that you did a really good job. I don't know where the others came from, but I didn't tell them to vote, and I already told you that. Anyway, I'm not bitching because I do know one other person who's name I'm not going to mention that tells people to vote for her. A few people have messaged me and says that she said, are you going to vote for me? And maybe people feel like they have to. I dunno, I don't take part in other people business, and if they don't message me, then I don't have to be involved. But I don't know if anyone voted for you because they felt they had to. But I do agree with people about the show just going down hill. It was fun at the beginning, but now it's just turned into a bitching session and it's no longer the fun thing it started out to be. But Matt, I'm glad you felt you made the right decision, even though I wanted you to keep singing, but just because you're not on the Icon show doesn't mean you'll stop singing, so keep up the good work and hopefully I'll hear your voice singng sometime.
Jasmin
P.S. I can't check over my spelling, because I"ve got stiches in my neck and chest, and it hurts to type, so I figured I"d say what I wanted to say, and if it came out wrong, then I'm sorry. So take care to all.
Matt,
I've already told you this, but I figured I'd put in my two cents since everybody else is. I completely understand and respect your decision to pull out of the competition. I wish you hadn't, especially since this was never a competition based solely on talent--no competition ever is--but what's done is done. I disagree with Andy--I think your last performance was your worst, and Jessica got my vote for that round, but again, what's done is done. I still love you, though, and even though I agree with whoever said Loui is going to win, I'm still sad to see you go.
It is entirely unfair to blame the Icon staff in any way, shape, or form for what's happened, or for the show last night as a result. As you said, they did the best they could under the circumstances, and while I'm as disappointed as everyone else, it's not their fault. And I agree with Becky that I don't think I'll be listening to the remaining shows, and if they decide to do this again, I doubt I'll listen. Still, best of luck to those remaining.
One more thing...
Matt, you shouldn't be all that surprised at how many more votes you got this past week. You have to keep in mind, that there was only four of you, so the number of your guys' votes are going to get higher with each week, as long as people continue to vote.
That's what I would have thought would happen, and if everyone's votes had increased, maybe I'd agree with you, but as both Lui's and Danielle's vote stats dropped this week, even Jessica's if I remember correctly, then it seems highly strange that my stats rocketed up!
Matt
Hmmmm, well, that's true...
um, lol this is the zone after all, can anything on here be done without a flamewar or someone accusing someone else of doing what or sleeping with who so ever? i read this stuff with amuzement. i mean come on guys with all the abject crap that goes on here did anybody seriously have the deluded belief that this would go anything but badly or without stains as it were?
Hmm, well, I, for one, favor thinking optimistically. TO each his own, though...whatever works.
lol. how can you be optimistic with all the crap that goes on this site? not that i post that much because i don't but i do watch what goes on from time to time
there is a clear lack of compatition here. at the end of the day it was all ment to be a bit of fun, but everyone is taking it way more seriously than they should be, contestants above all else.
well there's no point in entering a competiton unless you are wanting to win of course. but whether you take it seriously or not that doesn't actually explain half the threads on this board. although i am slowly reading through them lol
Matt, by no means was this your worsst performance. I won't say it was the best, but this was one of your better ones. Be well and peace out man.