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Now that the Spring 2000 season has come to a close, the AIOHQ and The Soda Fountain sponsored the "End of Season Awards". We wanted to know the positive things that came out of this season, and the best way to find that out is to turn to the fans.  Click here to read The Soda Fountain's write-up

Write-Up on the Spring 2000 Season Voting

First off, let me thank the 40 people who voted in the end of season awards. It was fun to see how fans felt about episodes—how some agreed with me and how some felt entirely different.

Best Performance

Nominated Votes
Alex Jefferson in "No Boundaries" 14
Richard Maxwell in "I Slap Floor" 19
Aubrey Shepard in "The Lyin’ Tale" 2
Bethany Shepard in "Seven Deadly Dwarves" 4
Alex’s parents in "No Boundaries 1

This was the closest race of any episode award (since the shorties aren't really episodes), coming down to only five votes separating the two front runners, Richard Maxwell and Alex Jefferson. While fans sided with Richard, I think that Alex’s stunning performance in a very demanding role in No Boundaries gave him the award in my mind. Surprisingly, Alex’s parents got only one vote in this category. I thought they performed very well in a role that really required a balancing act between hilarity and desperation. The two Shepard girls got a few votes for their roles, but …

Best Production Quality

Nominated Votes
The Seven Deadly Dwarves 12
I Slap Floor 20
The Lyin’ Tale 0
The Telltale Cat 2
Two Roads 3
What Do You Think? 3

I think this is one of the hardest awards in which to choose a winner since (usually) you don’t have the opportunity to listen to the shows back to back. I thought that all of the shows nominated were superior in their own way. The Lyin’ Tale had a hilarious mountain lion attack scene (was that a dinosaur in the background?). The Telltale Cat had great music and funny effects. Two Roads had a very detailed version of hell. What Do You Think had that trip inside Eugene’s head along with some cool sound effects for that "thinking pointer device thingy". However, both the surveyed fans and I agree that the two best shows, production wise, were The Seven Deadly Dwarves and I Slap Floor. I think that The Seven Deadly Dwarves comes out slightly on top for its zany and incredible variety of sound effects and music, but I Slap Floor was most chosen by fans. That show had great music, but I didn't think it was quite as complicated production-wise.

Best Moment

Nominated Votes
The trip inside Eugene’s head in "What Do You Think?" 5
When Eugene and Connie admit their love in "I Slap Floor" 15
When Alex hears that David died in "No Boundaries" 4
The final scene of "I Slap Floor" 6
Eugene’s version of the story in "Mandy’s Debut" 8
When Aubrey fights the mountain lion in "The Lyin’ Tale" 2

This was my favorite category of the contest because I felt it was the most fun to think of the specific great moments in the episode rather than the episode in general. There were definitely some great moments. Eugene’s head trip, his story in Mandy’s Debut, and Aubrey’s mountain lion fight were absolutely priceless for me, but in the end, both the fans and I agreed that the moment Eugene and Connie admitted their love in "I Slap Floor" was the absolute topper. This moment seemed like it had been set up by 12 years of Odyssey programs and when it came, I laughed harder than I had in a long time. (The great thing about that moment was that it wasn’t the end. The idea was carried on excellently through the episode, getting more and more hilarious each time.)

Best Episode

Nominated Votes
Sunset Bowlawater/The Long Way Home 2
The Lyin’ Tale/The Telltale Cat 0
BTV: Grace 0
I Slap Floor 24
What Do You Think?/Idol Minds 0
Two Roads/Sticks and Stones 1
Changing Rodney 2
Career Moves/The Bad Guy 1
No Boundaries 2
A Matter of Manners/Seven Deadly Dwarves 1
Potlucks and Poetry 1
Mandy’s Debut 6

There could really be little doubt in this category and it was far and away the most "blow-out, landslide, beyond a shadow of a doubt" victory. I Slap Floor cleaned house with its overwhelming victory, and I can’t help but agree. It was the most fun, creative, entertaining show in quite some time. Mandy’s Debut was the runner-up and it did have it’s moments.

Best Shorty

Nominated Votes
And You Think You've Got Problems? — Solomon 2
Mr. How-To — The House Built on Sand 4
History Moment — All Saints' Day 0
What Were They Thinking? — Achan 0
And You Think You've Got Problems? — The Unjust Judge 2
And You Think You've Got Problems? — Isaac 2
Biography Minute — Pocahontas 9
And You Think You've Got Problems? — Josiah 0
The Ancient World of Sports: Gideon's Pitch 3
And You Think You've Got Problems? — Daniel 2
Revelation Trailer 4
Paul, Apostle Paul 3
Apostle Paul: Armed and Ready 8
Humpty Dumpty: The Untold Story 1

This category contained a lot of nominations and there was a wide variety of shorties chosen, but I think that one of the two most chosen, Paul: Armed and Ready deserved the award (in my book).  The fans chose the Pocahontas skit, authored by Marshal Younger. It was creative, fast-paced, well-produced and fun. Other skits I really enjoyed were Mr. How-To, Gideon’s Pitch, the other Apostle Paul shorty, and the Humpty Dumpty one.