The Reality Of Just How Unfair The Situation REALLY Is…
For this next part, just in case you want a reference point, here are the Official Rules posted on the Celebrate Fairfax Website.
For this next part, just in case you want a reference point, here are the Official Rules posted on the Celebrate Fairfax Website.
So of course, we've already gotten into the issue over the profanity rule that was not adhered to and flouted... which if you were reading The FCKC War with ACI - Part 4: More Aftermath and F You to Some People you'd know apparently has unofficial loopholes. Per Anthony, the Director of Celebrate Fairfax said "If it's on the radio then it's OK." Well, that is not what the Official Rules say. The radio allows quite a few curse words to be said and the list of those words is constantly growing. So we already know that is subject to bias and interpretation.
Now let's explore a few other issues that create problems for this karaoke contest.
First, this rule was arbitrarily changed and disregards the official posted rules as well:
1. Contestants will be judged in the following five categories:
I. Physical Presentation
II. Crowd Reaction and Participation
III. Choreography/Entertainment Ability
IV. Vocal Presentation
V. Overall Performance
Now here is the part that really matters...
Now here is the part that really matters...
"2. Each contestant shall be judged on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the lowest and 10 being the
highest score for each category (i.e. the lowest score possible is a 5 and the highest is a 50 from each judge)."
Well, that is not what Anthony aka Fingaz told us in his messages and official posts...
Well, that is not what Anthony aka Fingaz told us in his messages and official posts...
"Did you know? The Celebrate Fairfax Contest is judged on an 80 point scale, divided into the following categories:
Physical (10 pts):
I like to call this one the "extra credit" category; let's say you're singing Prince and you show up onstage in a royal purple 3/4 coat wearing a ruffled shirt, purple pants, and carrying a prop guitar? EXTRA POINTS. Singing Diana Ross, and you take the stage in a flowing sequined gown? EXTRA POINTS. Belting out "Thriller" and you wear the zippered jacket and a sparkly glove? Well, you get the point. LITERALLY.
Crowd Participation (10 pts):
This deals with the audience's reaction to your performance, and how they participate with you during your performance.
Choreography (20 pts):
your entertainment ability and how you express the mood of the song. does not necessarily mean how well you dance.
Vocal Ability (20 pts):
the individual quality of your voice in relation to the rhythm of the music; how well you blend with the music
Overall (20 pts):
pretty self explanatory; your total performance.
Hope this helps break down some of the questions you may have."
So how and when did the point scale change from all categories being equally weighted at 10 points per item to Choreography, Vocal Ability, and Overall being raised to 20 points per item? And if it did then why were the Official Rules not updated to reflect it?
Also, we have no clue what our scores are. They never tell us. It's entirely possible Glenn and Anthony could've lied about my score to help cover their BS. How would I know? I actually think each contestant should receive a copy of their scorecards so they know exactly who scored them how and comments about why. That would eliminate any issues with confusion over what happened. You would then know your total score and exactly why you lost. It would create transparency because then you are able to compare your scorecards with other contestants if you wish to and also have written suggestions to help you improve for future competitions. As it stands now we have no clue what our scores are/were so there is no way to know how or why the people who won actually beat us “sore losers”.
Next, there is another rule that states:
Well that's pretty hard to adhere to when a lot of the contestants are friends with the judges because they come out to the karaoke shows in the area, particularly those of Anthony aka Fingaz. Last year, two of the judges actually came up to a group of the semifinalists sitting by the stage before the contest and said "Hello" to all of us. Fingaz actually came over and said "We don't want another situation like last year" and then they said they couldn't continue talking to us and walked away. (Remember this, it is important).
In fact, one of the judges spoke to several of us prior to the Wild Card Round because we were saying "Hello" to our friend. I didn't even know this person was a judge until several minutes into the conversation when they finally told me. Technically, we should've been disqualified too per the rule. But how are we supposed to distinguish between our friend who is just there to support us and our friend who is there because he is one of the judges? They should be wearing signs or t-shirts or at least know to tell us at the beginning of the conversation "I can't speak to you right now because I am one of the judges."
But, this is where the perception of bias begins. Anthony aka Fingaz claimed I accused him of some kind of conspiracy I guess in what I said on my Facebook profile in The FCKC War with ACI - Part Three: The Aftermath and Love to Glenn. I did not. I simply stated the truth about a situation that happened in 2011 with the judging.
OK, so in 2011 what had happened was Avi, the kid who won 1st Place for 2 years consecutively, finally lost to Reggie. Avi's father complained to Anthony aka Fingaz and said that the only reason Reggie won was because he was shown favoritism. Mr. Jackson saw Lou and Reggie talking so he knew Reggie was friends with one of the judges, Lou, and he also saw Reggie's mother sitting on the stage behind Mr. Fingaz during the contest.
Like I said, Reggie is an AMAZING singer who legit deserved to win. I didn't get to know him or his mom as well as I do now until after the contest but I didn't see anything wrong or unfair about how it all went down. However, word around the campfire is that Mr. Jackson threatened to sue over it and they updated the rules for the next year. This is why if you win 1st Place you can't compete again and have to be a judge.
So, Semifinals in 2012.. The situation in 2011 is why Fingaz came over and told Reggie and Lou not to talk to us, the contestants, anymore. But here is what got everybody riled up... Avi and his sister were both Semifinalists that year and they both made it through to the Finals. Now, Avi is a beast and his win was to be expected. However, the conspiracy came about because of his sister. She is not as animated and does not have the same stage presence that Avi does. People believed she only got put through because their father complained the year before so the contest was basically rigged.
Now is that true? Honestly, I don't know. I really hope that it's not because I really want to believe that Lou and Reggie actually have the moral integrity that I give them credit for... But, could it be true? It is possible. And even if it's not, the truth is still irrelevant because all that matters is the way it looks.
The judges are not some trained professionals who are qualified with actual credentials that would give them any sort of standing to tell you anything in any real way about your performance. They are friends of Mr. Fingaz. This is another problem that creates issues over bias and unfairness. This is why there have been questions every year.
So how and when did the point scale change from all categories being equally weighted at 10 points per item to Choreography, Vocal Ability, and Overall being raised to 20 points per item? And if it did then why were the Official Rules not updated to reflect it?
Also, we have no clue what our scores are. They never tell us. It's entirely possible Glenn and Anthony could've lied about my score to help cover their BS. How would I know? I actually think each contestant should receive a copy of their scorecards so they know exactly who scored them how and comments about why. That would eliminate any issues with confusion over what happened. You would then know your total score and exactly why you lost. It would create transparency because then you are able to compare your scorecards with other contestants if you wish to and also have written suggestions to help you improve for future competitions. As it stands now we have no clue what our scores are/were so there is no way to know how or why the people who won actually beat us “sore losers”.
Next, there is another rule that states:
"6. Contestants, their family or associates are not allowed to have contact with a competition
judge before or during any competition connected with Celebrate Fairfax, Inc. Contact
includes verbal conversations and handshakes."
Well that's pretty hard to adhere to when a lot of the contestants are friends with the judges because they come out to the karaoke shows in the area, particularly those of Anthony aka Fingaz. Last year, two of the judges actually came up to a group of the semifinalists sitting by the stage before the contest and said "Hello" to all of us. Fingaz actually came over and said "We don't want another situation like last year" and then they said they couldn't continue talking to us and walked away. (Remember this, it is important).
In fact, one of the judges spoke to several of us prior to the Wild Card Round because we were saying "Hello" to our friend. I didn't even know this person was a judge until several minutes into the conversation when they finally told me. Technically, we should've been disqualified too per the rule. But how are we supposed to distinguish between our friend who is just there to support us and our friend who is there because he is one of the judges? They should be wearing signs or t-shirts or at least know to tell us at the beginning of the conversation "I can't speak to you right now because I am one of the judges."
But, this is where the perception of bias begins. Anthony aka Fingaz claimed I accused him of some kind of conspiracy I guess in what I said on my Facebook profile in The FCKC War with ACI - Part Three: The Aftermath and Love to Glenn. I did not. I simply stated the truth about a situation that happened in 2011 with the judging.
OK, so in 2011 what had happened was Avi, the kid who won 1st Place for 2 years consecutively, finally lost to Reggie. Avi's father complained to Anthony aka Fingaz and said that the only reason Reggie won was because he was shown favoritism. Mr. Jackson saw Lou and Reggie talking so he knew Reggie was friends with one of the judges, Lou, and he also saw Reggie's mother sitting on the stage behind Mr. Fingaz during the contest.
Like I said, Reggie is an AMAZING singer who legit deserved to win. I didn't get to know him or his mom as well as I do now until after the contest but I didn't see anything wrong or unfair about how it all went down. However, word around the campfire is that Mr. Jackson threatened to sue over it and they updated the rules for the next year. This is why if you win 1st Place you can't compete again and have to be a judge.
So, Semifinals in 2012.. The situation in 2011 is why Fingaz came over and told Reggie and Lou not to talk to us, the contestants, anymore. But here is what got everybody riled up... Avi and his sister were both Semifinalists that year and they both made it through to the Finals. Now, Avi is a beast and his win was to be expected. However, the conspiracy came about because of his sister. She is not as animated and does not have the same stage presence that Avi does. People believed she only got put through because their father complained the year before so the contest was basically rigged.
Now is that true? Honestly, I don't know. I really hope that it's not because I really want to believe that Lou and Reggie actually have the moral integrity that I give them credit for... But, could it be true? It is possible. And even if it's not, the truth is still irrelevant because all that matters is the way it looks.
Also, there is a rule that states:
“Decisions of the judges are final. No arguing with judges is allowed. Any contestant, their family or associates who argue with a judge may be deemed to be using offensive behavior and the contestant may be disqualified from the competition.”
So basically they created a rule specifically to keep you from being able to disagree with Mr. Fingaz’s friends who are not necessarily even qualified to tell you, or your child in some cases, a single thing about what happened. Up until the wee hours of Sunday morning, I was one of his friends and could have very well been a judge had I not been a participant in the contest. Do you think I’d have given a crap if you’d wanted to argue with me if I judged you? NOPE! I’d have said bring it on because I’ll stand behind any decision I make.
THESE ARE THE ONLY TWO QUALIFICATIONS FOR BEING A JUDGE DURING ANY ROUND OF THIS CONTEST AT ANY VENUE INCLUDING THE FAIR… 1) BE A FRIEND OF MR. FINGAZ, 2) CANNOT BE A CONTESTANT. THAT IS IT.
After the issues in 2011 and 2012, I suggested that they should have people from NBC4 since they partner with Celebrate Fairfax. I also suggested they could get some music teachers from local schools to judge, which would highlight the fact that Arts programs are being cut and maybe have some sort of fund raising tie-in that helps the community. This would've eliminated the perception of bias with the judges and made the contest a lot more fair.
Obviously my suggestions were not considered or implemented for 2013 and neither were anyone else's. Had they been we would probably not be in this situation year after year. Maybe these blog posts will make the difference for next year... or not.
After the issues in 2011 and 2012, I suggested that they should have people from NBC4 since they partner with Celebrate Fairfax. I also suggested they could get some music teachers from local schools to judge, which would highlight the fact that Arts programs are being cut and maybe have some sort of fund raising tie-in that helps the community. This would've eliminated the perception of bias with the judges and made the contest a lot more fair.
Obviously my suggestions were not considered or implemented for 2013 and neither were anyone else's. Had they been we would probably not be in this situation year after year. Maybe these blog posts will make the difference for next year... or not.
To be continued.... Part 6 is coming up!
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