Luke Bumbico’s DubPoints Elite 8 Preview
Luke Bumbico, contributor to JohnWyattEdgar.com and one of the eight finalists for the DubPoints Tournament of Champions, has submitted a “preview” of this week’s matches. While I can’t say I agree or disagree with his opinions, I feel posting it will create a great discussion point. Check it out!
“When you’re ripe
You’ll bleed out of control
You’ll bleed out of control”
Oh… wrong “Elite!”
Well, well, well… we are down to eight finalists in the John Wyatt Edgar Show. The finalists include Chad Becca, Gayla Rickey, Ryan Hunker, Rachel Diskin, Kelsey Carpenter, Luke Bumbico, David Holbrook, and Ernie Ward.
What I am going to do is give a review of each person and how they got here, and at the end, make some predictions. I will go by the highest seed first, and then the next highest and so on.
First, we have Kelsey Carpenter. At the number three seed she remains the only top three seed left. With the number one and number two seeds getting knocked off, it only seems somewhat destined for Kelsey to lose. Kelsey seemed to sprint right into the Sweet Sixteen without a sweat. Once there she faced Eric Hersey, who is a marathon runner in DubPoints. The match between Kelsey and Hersey was a high-flying, hard-hitting match; however, as Kelsey quoted, “I have tits and I will win.” And win she did, but not without a hard fought battle.
Secondly, we have Luke Bumbico at the six seed, that’s MEEE! But I’ll talk in third person for the sake of this article. Luke has literally walked right into the quarter finals, by beating his opponents by more than 200 points every week. However, Luke has had somewhat of a lucky draw being that his opponents have only had a grand total of 241 points all together. The last time Luke was in DubPoints he came out the other end as the champion. After declaring his retirement, DubPoints slowly died off. But like any true fighter, he has come out of retirement to try to live the dream again. Luke has what it takes to win, but will he get pissed off when J.W. asks stupid bonus questions and quit for good? Stay tuned and see what happens.
Next we have David Holbrook at the number seven seed. Not quite sure how David Holbrook got a high seed at number seven, but he has proven worthy of it. David is my oddball pick, or sleeper. He has shown that he can and will win. He has got to this point by being very quiet. If David picks up his game one notch, there is no telling what he is capable of doing… maybe the finals or even champion if he plays his cards right. David could easily slip under everyone’s radar.
Next we have Ryan Hunker at the twelve seed. After staying with J.W. for six weeks, one would think that Hunker would be tired of J.W. and not participate in DubPoints. That must not be the case. After a win over a former champion, Jim Stevens, Hunker has shown he can beat the best of the best. Hunker’s destiny is in his hands and as long as studying does not get in the way, Hunker could win it all. However, many doubt his commitment to DubPoints and feel he will fade off. Hunker has something to prove if he hasn’t proved it yet.
At number sixteen is Chad Becca. Becca has shown an unexpected performance. Before going into the tournament, many wondered if he would show up or not. In every match up Becca has shown he is not messing around. With a big defeat over number one seed, Lance Delbrugge (AKA “Big Drink”), Becca is surely the favorite to win the championship. Becca’s performance so far has some scratching their heads on how one can score so many points per day. Becca has shown no mercy with his opponents and hasn’t looked back yet. Will Becca slow down or get tripped up? This is possible being a rookie in DubPoints. However, one would never know that he is a rookie while looking at his wins.
At number twenty-five is Gayla Rickey. With a big win over Tausha Ronevich, Gayla has proven to be a competitor for the championship. However, with a poor first round performance, one has to think that Gayla will not make it much further. Gayla’s win over Charles Wilfong was quite the upset and may increase her further performance(s) and attitude in the TOC.
At number thirty-one is Ernie Ward. Much like with Becca, many wondered if he would rise to the top or slip away. However, Ernie too has proven that he is not screwing around. With a huge win over number two seed Cheryl Harrison, by a score of 514 to 424, Ernie has proven his position. With Becca in the top bracket, many assume that he will meet up with him in the championship game. Ernie has surprised many people by destroying his opponents. But, Ernie, a multi-Gang Wars champ, is showing signs of his old self in his performances, much like he did in Gang Wars, winning at any cost. Being a rookie in DubPoints, many say Ernie could easily slip and get beat. Making it this far, I have a feeling that Ernie Ward will not let this happen.
Finally, at number fifty–two is Rachel Diskin. Rachel has had quite the battle making it this far. Rachel’s Sweet Sixteen match was her easiest, surprisingly. I am not quite sure where she came from and how she is scoring so many points, one would assume that she too has breasts and that would increase her points. However, she has faced other females and beat them straight up. If Rachel brings her A-game from here on out, she could easily make it into the Final Four and possibly slip under the radar into the championship game. Let’s just hope that J.W. doesn’t have a thing for this girl because if he does, points could fall into her favor… which I’m sure she is well aware.
The Match Ups
Chad Becca vs. Gayla Rickey: Chad Becca has not slowed down for anything or anyone. My prediction is that he will not slow down now and will walk right into the Final Four. However, being a rookie, Becca could get knocked off by Gayla Rickey, which I’m sure Gayla is planning just to do.
Ryan Hunker vs. Rachel Diskin: This match up should be quite the show. Both have earned their spot here and can taste the Final Four. However, only one can advance. My prediction is that this will be a very tight match; however, I have to pick Hunker over Rachel based on his performance against Jim Stevens.
Kelsey Carpenter vs. Luke Bumbico: This is my game of the week and not just because I am in it. The reason is because both Kelsey and Luke are veterans at DubPoints and have been bickering throughout the tournament. This should be a very high-scoring match up. After Kelsey beat Hersey, and Luke hasn’t proven much in this tournament, many assume that Kelsey will win. However, my pick goes to Luke for the simple fact that he has a trophy and knows how to win it all and Kelsey hasn’t proven she can do just that, yet. To be the best you have to beat the best, and Kelsey is eyeing up this match up with a clinched fist. Watch this game, because it might turn out to be a coin toss.
David Holbrook vs. Ernie Ward: This game should also be a great match up. Losing this game would destroy everything that Ernie has proven thus far. However, David could easily do just that. Look for David to take a small lead early in this game. My prediction is that David will take that lead, but will slow down just enough for Ernie to pass him up. Ernie wakes up and wins this game in a nail biter.
My final four are Chad Becca, Ryan Hunker, Luke Bumbico, and Ernie Ward. MF represent! With a match up of Becca and Hunker, the fire should start burning hotter. But, Becca will come out on top and advance to the final game quite easily. The other match up of Bumbico vs. Ward should prove to be the match up of the tournament. With a long history of a bad loss to Ernie in Gang Wars, Bumbico looks to seek revenge. He will throw the kitchen at Ernie; however, Ernie will be well prepared for the stove and will once again defeat the giant. However, with the sour taste in Bumbico’s mouth from being cheated out of Gang Wars, many assume he will call bullshit again and take it to the desk of Mr. Edgar.
The final match up of Chad Becca vs. Ernie Ward will go down as a classic. Many of the participants in DubPoints will be quite upset having two rookies in the championship game. Also, many will ask, “where have these two been in DubPoints and in life in general?” Most will come up with… it must have been the money that drew them into DubPoints. And many will feel a little betrayed by J.W. that a newcomer in it for the money will take the crown. However, this will not throw either one off of his game. Because the truth is they’re not here for the money, they are here for the crown and are not messing around, which will be proven when this match goes down in the town without a clown, and whoever loses will wear a frown. This match up should be an ugly one! Just like that little rhyme that just happened. Becca looks very determined, but Ernie has a good packet of plays to throw Becca’s way. My prediction is that Chad Becca wins in a very tight match.
Champion: Chad Becca
Runner-Up: Ernie Ward
Third: Luke Bumbico
Fourth: Ryan Hunker
