It is almost time for the 2017 WDW News Tonight March Madness Tournament! This year we picked 64 Walt Disney World table service restaurants to battle it out for the honor of all-time greatest place to eat at the Vacation Kingdom of the World!
Join us for some heated debates, as you root for your picks to make it all the way and collect some great prize packs from Theme Park Connection in the process. And of course, YOU can affect the results with your vote! Here’s how it all works:
There is a pre-tournament registration for the 2017 March Madness Restaurant Tournament starting today. Click here to fill out and submit a form with your full name, email, mailing address and phone number. The the form must be filled out in full before Noon (Eastern) on March 22, 2017.
We will in return send you an email with 4 randomly assigned Walt Disney World restaurants that will be yours in the tournament. You will be assigned 1 restaurant from the 1-4 seed category, 1 from the 5-8 seed category, 1 from the 9-12 seed category, and 1 from the 13-16 seed category.
We then encourage you to tune-in to WDW News Tonight from 9-11 ET on March 22nd to listen and take part in the first few rounds of the tournament. And again on March 29th from 9-11 PM ET for the conclusion of the tournament.
The four restaurants you will be assigned can win points for each victory they gain in the tournament. The point distribution is as follows:
1st Round Win – 1 Point
2nd Round Win – 1 Points
“Swell Sixteen” Round Win – 2 Points
“Exciting Eight” Round Win – 2 Points
“Fantasmic Four” Round Win – 3 Points
Championship Round Win – 3 Points
The winner of each match is decided by the illustrious panel constructed from the finest members of the WDWNT staff (or whoever can show up that night). Each panelist counts for a single vote. Majority vote decides the winning Walt Disney World Park restaurant in each match up.
However, listeners WHO REGISTER to play along can change the outcome by calling in. A listener who is registered and playing in our contest may call in once on March 22nd and once on March 29th and place a vote for an restaurant that is worth 2 votes… more than any single panelist! So you have it ready, the call in number is 407-774-8255. Due to potential listening delays, your call does not have to come in while we are deliberating that match up live on air. We will accept calls up until 11:05 ET on March 22nd and a TBD time on March 29th. But the best way to make sure your vote counts is to be listening live.
Returning this year, we will give the people in the live chat a chance to sway the votes as well! First, you can use the live chat to voice your opinions on each match up and try to sway our panelists. Second, whenever you type (in all caps to stand out) I VOTE FOR _____ (fill in the black with your pick), you will have the chance to win a prize from Theme Park Connection. At the end of each round, we will pick out one vote from the chat, count that vote, and send you a prize from Theme Park Connection. Registered participants CAN chat vote, so this is a chance for extra votes and extra prizes!
The top 8 players in terms of points amassed throughout the tournament will receive prize packs from Theme Park Connection. The top player will receive a grand prize package and be declared the WDW News Tonight March Madness 2017 champion.
Hosted by radio veterans and life-long Disney fans Tom Corless and Nick LoCicero, WDW News Tonight is a live, weekly, audio and video program presented on 105.5 FM, 660 AM, and AM 1520 WBZW in Orlando, Florida, as well as online at WDWNewsTonight.com every Wednesday from 9-11pm EST. The show covers the Walt Disney World Resort and other Disney news. The show combines the latest headlines, comedy, trending vacation topics, call in games, and in-depth discussions to bring Disney fans a one-of-a-kind 2-hour program covering the Disney Parks. While the show is being live-streamed in both audio and video, listeners and viewers also interact via a live chat online. The show is also available on demand as an audio download, online audio stream and can be watched live or recorded on YouTube.
I pick Be Our Guest, Victoria and Alberts, and Tiffins please and thank you.
Sorry forgot it was 4. Also STK
“We will in return send you an email with 4 randomly assigned Walt Disney World restaurants that will be yours in the tournament.”
Cheryl’s reading comprehension game is STRONG.
I assign Be Our Guest, Victoria and Alberts, Tiffins, and STK to Cheryl. Thank you for taking the initiative and asking, most people just make me pick and that’s annoying.
Oh, good, is this another audience participation thing that will fizzle out and never finish because you become discouraged by how it’s going?
Unlike Tom, I think that Nick actually has an ounce of professionalism and dignity, so I think as long as he’s in charge it will probably be well received and actually completed. Then Tom will take all the credit because he’s a sorry two bit hack.
When do I get the email with restaurants?
Can I pick, too?!!? Be Our Guest, Ohana’s, Jiko,Rose&Crown