Challenge 4: ENIGMA

Well, how are things in Heaven? I wish you'd say, because I’d like to know that you're all right.

The media showcased its ability to completely shift gears when it came to sides after the infamous "Tiger Extinction". Weeks of harassing the police force for its failures in fighting organized crime turned into glorification of the do-gooders against the wretched criminals responsible for terrorism.

Public opinion of the underground was going deep into the inner core of the Earth as everyone and their grandmother felt convinced that the people responsible for the deaths of the Tiger soccer team were the ones defiant against the police force.

However, the devil is in the details.

Assumptions had always been made about the capabilities of organized crime with its newfound power. The death of Agent Wimi had caused the police to expect further distraught and trauma, but could the Mafia be heartless enough to stage a terrorist attack in front of civilians? Perhaps... perhaps not.

Penny knew for sure this was not the case.

Penny had always held the ideology that it was the place of organized crime to become the modern day Robin Hoods. Their audacious pursuits would pay off for the general public in the form of increased transparency. Corruption rotted the inner core of the Salem police force, but the only ones able to shine the light on it were the ones equally as evil. The goal of the Mafia, in her opinion, was never to torment the populus.

Who could have committed this atrocity?

Penny's eyes and ears around the city reported nothing that could provide circumstantial evidence regarding the one who detonated the explosion. How could the media blame organized crime for this act when no one in the entirety of the criminal sphere had any idea what had just occurred?

Unless... it wasn't the underground who had committed the attack, but rather someone above the ground, yet right under their noses. Clearly the police were actively partaking in an investigation into the situation, but the fact that they were blaming the Mafia showed they were either incredibly inaccurate in their examination... or they were covering something up.

Penny ran over to Dr. Bee's office, where Matthias was discussing his disappointment in the latest episode of "The Janitor".

"How can they kill off another character after the death of Janitor Joe? Now all they have left are a bunch of lunch ladies and the principal."

"It's pretty obvious the principal is behind all of it. How could he let all of tho---"

"Guys, can we discuss this later?" Penny inquired. "I have a proposition that I wanted to run by you both."

"Sure," replied Dr. Bees, who cleared space on his desk in anticipation of news.

"I've been constantly thinking about that Tiger incident..."

"Yeah, I can't believe one of our guys would do that!" Matthias interjected.

"Well, that's the thing. I don't think one of our guys did it."

Silence filled the room as the doctor and the talker awaited further insight into the claim.

"Think about it. How could we have no news from anyone in the industry about this, yet the cops seem to be convinced we had something to do with this? It seems incredibly fishy to me."

"So... what is your proposal?" 

"...We need to break into the police department and find out what they know."

Matthias and Dr. Bees exchanged nervous glances, then synchronized neck movements back to Penny. 

"C'mon, Penny," Matthias argued. "What could we possibly find out that we couldn't find from just asking a few people? Money goes a long way."

"Plus," Dr. Bees added. "If we get caught, isn't that just even more horrible press for the Mafia? We'd look even more suspicious if we don't lay low."

"If you guys aren't willing to do it, I will do it. Alone."

Matthias looked at both of his comrades one last time, then sighed. "Fine. How can I resist your guilt tripping? Let's do it."

Penny smirked over at Dr. Bees, who folded his arms and glared over at a painting on his wall. "I never said I'd be a part of this. If the operation fails, don't go crying to me."

"Well, that settles it!" Andy proclaimed. "Let's go solve this puzzle of yours, Penny."

----

After a weeklong vacation from the gameshow, we're back again to face another insurmountable task...puzzles! In typical chat fashion, we will be utilizing the custom puzzle feature of Jigsaw Planet ( http://www.jigsawplanet.com ). The mind-bongling problem solving of this challenge have really led us to quite the "Enigma".

HOW IT WORKS
I would expect that most people have had experience with a jigsaw puzzle. If you have not, please make sure to do at least one this week!

We will follow a format similar to Seance, in that contestants will be given between 2 PST and 6 PST to complete the challenge individually. Each contestant will be given a 100 piece puzzle (which should take about 10 to 20 minutes). The goal of the challenge is to complete your puzzle in the shortest time puzzlebull. Possible. Sorry.

HOW TO WIN
All times will be added together to create a total team score, just like other challenges. The goal is to get a lower total score than the other team. The AVERAGE team score will be used, not the raw score.

IN THE EVENT OF A TIE
If there is a tie, we will have the fastest puzzle solvers of each team solve a brand new puzzle at the same time. Whoever solves that puzzle in the lowest amount of time wins.

IDOL/BOTTOM 2
The player with the lowest puzzle solving time will receive an idol, while the Bottom 2 will consist of the slowest puzzlers of the litter.

Speaking of idols, it appears that for the first time, someone has actually redeemed an idol! What could be in the briefcase that Dr. Bees received during the first week?

It turns out Dr. Bees was very lucky, as he chose to redeem his idol for the week we gave away immunity! Even though Dr. Bees is immune from elimination for the week of July 28th, he will still need to compete in the challenge and try for the lowest time along with his team.

TIME
As previously stated, you will have between 2 PST and 6 PST on Friday, July 3rd, 2015 to complete your puzzle. Will you be able to handle the daunting task ahead of you? We shall find out soon enough.

Please let us know if you are unable to be here at that time, or if you are available that day.

Thanks for taking the time to read this post, and I hope to see you there on game day.

-Matt

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Elimination 3

She is good and must endure, loving her so... and as we love ourselves we hate her foe.

The College for Preparing Salem, also known as CPS, was world-renowned for their efforts in giving students a quality education, both academically and socially. Of course, no one really cared about the nerds or the hipsters on its biggest sports event of the year. Diversity caused the popularity of soccer to skyrocket within the past few decades at the college, leading to a significant increase in funds.

Funds some groups wished to seize the opportunity to slip into their pockets.

On one side of the field were the Tigers, the golden stars of CPS. Their winning record was astonishing. They only lost two matches in their entire history, one of which occurred due to foul play against the Hens in the late twenties. Only a legendary opponent could take them down. Big money was to be had for those who bet against them, as the odds were extremely low of any defeat.

Il Liberatore always had a soft spot for sports and an affection for soft animals. Perhaps this led to his leanings toward the Red Pandas, the only team that seemed to pose a threat to the victories of the Tigers. He had tasked Bumble with ensuring their victory through any means. For once, "break a leg" might actually have some meaning.

It took Bumble a full day of rest to finally inform the other SKOOL members of what had happened.

"How do we know we can trust this guy?" asked Pück.

"Even if we do trust what he says, isn't he still a Maf--?" pondered Lewb.

"Listen, guys," Bumble interrupted. "We are in a dire situation. Order needs to be restored in this damned city, and doing a small favor for a possible ally is minor compared to what the Old Bosses have planned."

"Man sounded scary on phone." Koksa shivered, remembering the morning she first received a call.

"Confidence gets your foot in the door. And this foot involved a ball."

"What do you have planned?" inquired Pück, who was still apprehensive about the situation.

"I need to know that you guys have my back no matter what happens."

"Which entails...?"

"Trust me."

Pück sighed and looked over sadly at his other SKOOL members. Lewb glanced at the wall and back at his partner and nodded. Koksa stared without blinking at Bumble and smiled. 

"Fine. Let's do it."

----

The smell of freshly cut grass added to the anticipation for the big game. Today was meant to be the day that would define college sports. The College for Preparing Salem heavily advertised for months to ensure maximum profits. When you aren't big enough to be World Cup level, you have to deal with what you've got.

Fans of both teams swarmed from all over to reach the entrance of the stadium. The aroma of cheap popcorn and hot dogs filled the area enticing spectators to spend their hard-earned cash on more than just a college soccer game. Seats were kept warm by the rear end sweat of the previous occupiers, causing some to comment on the fresh scent of the stands.

After everyone settled in, an announcer walked up to his microphone ready to begin.

"Ladies aaaand gentlemen! Are you ready for the greatest showing of the greatest sport around?!?"

The audience roared back with cheers for one team or the other, creating a ruckus impossible to decipher reasonable noise from. Some may have been drunk already even though the game hadn't even started.

"Let us introduce the men of the hour! Hailing from their hometown of Salem, let's give a warm welcome to...the TIGERS!"

Suddenly, eleven soccer players decorated with white and gold stripes across their brand new expensive uniforms. Screams of joy erupted from the thousands of spectators. Would the game of soccer be changed forever with the defeat of this team?

Then,

it happened.

An explosion was detonated right as all members of the Tigers team entered the field. No one knew what was going on, but the crowds started evacuating en masse through the chaos. Screams of excitement turned into screams for help.

Police officers stormed the field in a last-ditch effort to save any remaining survivors. The entrance of the stadium was closed to keep the parking lot open for ambulances and police vehicles.

This ended up being a terrible predicament for the Mafia.

Damon had been hired by the Old Bosses to spectate the game to ensure that matters went smoothly. Had anything popped up, it was his job to clean it up and confirm that the Tigers were solid enough to gain a victory. Millions were on the line this game.

Now, he was trapped in the locker room tunnels with hundreds of scared fans trapped inside the stadium with him. The only option he had was to run.

"WE HAVE EYES ON A POSSIBLE SUSPECT, OVER!" yelled a police officer into his walkie-talkie. A squad of police officers sprinted after the Mafia member and soon got him into custody within ten minutes.

A Mafia was finally in the grasp of the police force alive. The amount of information that could possibly be extracted from this single individual was almost incomprehensible. Among the chaos of this horrific terrorist attack, there appeared to be some hope. For once, it seemed the police may actually win the war on organized crime.

Until a rogue agent of Il Liberatore ran past the shrieking crowds and reached the handcuffed Damon. Before the police could react, he pulled out a small revolver and fired a single shot into his gut. The officer in charge of bringing Damon into custody stood in shock.

Three officers tackled the Liberatori and started to beat him with their police batons. Damon lay on the ground struggling to deal with his impending doom. He had no knowledge of anything that had happened to him. Forces beyond him had destroyed his life, but he wasn't sure if it wasn't entirely deserved. Years of avoiding the system's laws had finally caught up to him.

An officer started to hold onto his stomach to keep the blood contained before a medical specialist could reach him. However, in the midst of the rioting fans, help was too far away. This was where it would end, a soccer stadium tunnel. 

At least he was closer to the light at the end of the tunnel.

Out of the light came a female figure. A police officer.

"What happened here?" she cried, running over to the police officers.

"We were about to detain this suspect until some idiot ran over and shot 'im, Officer Hough!"

"Oh... that's horrible...," Bumble cried. "Let me go and find some help!"

Bumble ran out of the tunnel and then stopped once out of sight of the officers. She pulled a detonator out of her pocket and smiled.

----

Thank you, Damon, for participating in Skool of Salem! We haven't seen you in such a long time that it feels great to finally reunite through this gameshow. Like we have previously stated, we may need you in the future. For now, we hope you stick around and hang out on the chat with us like the old days.

The Challenge 4 post will be up on Monday, June 29th, 2015 due to Florida2K15. To pass the time until then, I may have an in-between post to explore the story of the gameshow. Until then, thanks for helping make Skool of Salem what it is, everyone, and have yourself an amazing week.

-Matt

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Challenge 3 Interview: Puck

In one of the biggest challenges of the season, Andre had to face his opponents in a 2 v 1. Hope seemed to be out of reach as he fought for every goal solo. In the end, a revision had to be made to compensate for both sides' issues. On the eve of the first multiple team Bottom 2, Andre agreed to do an interview with us.

Matt: Welcome to the show, Andre! What made you go with the alias Pück?

Andre: Well, most people here know that my usual alias/username for anything is Mister Puck or some variation of that. It actually is something I took from Code Lyoko, and for some reason on the show, they spelled it with an umlaut. Mister Puck is an elf doll. I thought he was cool.

Cam: How much did you practice before the challenge?

Andre: In retrospect, I guess I didn't practice all that much. The night the challenge post went up, Lew and I practiced together and realized we made a good team. A day or so after that, my whole team practiced for a bit. Other than that, I didn't get much practice in.

Matt: What went through your mind as you waited for Lewis to appear and he never did?

Andre: How hard I was gonna beat his ass if he didn't show up. Nah, I was anxious and upset that he wasn't there, but I honestly was contemplating whether or not I believed I could win it for my team in a 2 v 1 match. Evidently, I couldn't.

Cam: During Game 2 of the infamous 2 v 1, you paused and it appeared as though you were going to give up. Can you walk us through what happened then, and what gave you the drive to keep going?

Andre: When I read that in the original results post I thought, "Wow, that sounds heroic." I guess I have to burst that bubble, because honestly, all I was doing was talking to Bumble about how frustrated I was and how I thought there was no way I could win. For the record, as pointless as I knew the match was, I had no intention of quitting.

Matt: How did you feel your team did in the first match? Did you feel you were ahead or behind in score?

Andre: Having talked to Sand and Bumble, I could tell the Mafia got swamped in the first match. I figured, "Lew and I will tear them apart even more." Though we eventually got to play together, I was surprised by how well we DIDN'T do. Andy and Zach posed a bigger threat than I thought they would.

Cam: What did you think of your competitors? Any comments on their gameplay?

Andre: I think they knew what they were doing. You could tell they were communicating with each other when they changed their strategy halfway through the match.

Matt: How do you feel about the revision? Are you satisfied with the final results of the challenge?

Andre: Very much so. I was advocating for a rematch, mainly because I didn't think that it was fair that Lew's absence caused us to lose a team member and let Andy have an idol he didn't really earn. I think everything's balanced now and Lew's punishment is reasonable.

Cam: To conclude the interview, do you have anything to say to your fellow contestants?

Andre: Second place is sooooo yesterday. And CPSF. And a multitude of allnighters. Hope you don't mind me winning this time! <3

Matt: Thanks for participating in the interview, Andre, and we hope you have fun with Sand and the Trainers in Florida this week. Until next time, this has been another week of...

Audience: SEEEEEEEEEE PEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN!

Cam: God damnit.

----

The challenge post will be up Monday, June 29, 2015 due to Florida2K15.

Thanks for reading this interview, and who knows? Maybe it will be with you next time!

-Matt

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Revision of Challenge 3 Results

One of my biggest fears running this gameshow is the possibility of it breaking chat. Last night, it seemed that was likely. Discussions turned to fistacuffs after I proposed a debate among different chat members as to how they would personally handle the situation. 

It turned out Lewis had missed the challenge due to network connectivity issues that were outside of his control. The previous precedent set in the past two challenges was that if contestants did not show up past between twenty to thirty minutes, they would not be able to compete in the challenge and they would be Bottom 2. However, we had never had to face this reality before, as contestants at risk of this always barely escaped the punishment.

If you remember from my previous post, I had not finalized the decision to outright eliminate Lewis. I had also postponed the thought process behind it until the elimination post. I regret that I had actually taken out a key wording that I thought I kept in the post the entirety of the discussion, which was discussed among Cam and I. The decision to eliminate Lewis outright was if he was gone under non-emergency circumstances, which it was determined he was in an out of control situation. Had Lewis decided to just skip the challenge, I would have stood by all three decisions in the previous post. This is, like the many others, a mistake on my part in this week's structure.

The upside to the discussion was that contestants went from purely hostile to understanding of each other's predicaments. Haxball's second match was unbalanced, but what were the two teams supposed to do given the circumstances? Both felt that each was due a win, but the apprehension to go with the truly fair options held back an impartial discussion. Through these fights, we were able to agree on what seemed like a fair way to deal with the situation, mainly thanks to Zach.

The contestants involved in the second match, also known as the 2 v 1, competed in a 2 v 2 final match that would decide the idol winner and the contestant who would face Lewis in a Bottom 2 match. Both teams fought hard in what should have just been the second match from the start. Instead of going in-depth about rounds, I will just say the scores for each game.

GAME 1: Andre scored 1 point, Lewis scored 0 points, Zach scored 2 points, Andy scored 3 points.

GAME 2: Andre scored 0 points, Lewis scored 8 points, Zach scored 2 points, Andy scored 2 points.

GAME 3: Andre scored 7 points, Lewis scored 0 points, Zach scored 0 points, Andy scored 0 points.

GAME 4: Andre scored 1 point, Lewis scored 0 points, Zach scored 1 point, Andy scored 2 points.

GAME 5: Andre scored 0 points, Lewis scored 2 points, Zach scored 0 points, Andy scored 6 points.

The final result of this being that the Mafia scored an additional 17 points for their team, while the Cops added on 19 points. The condition of this rematch was that these points would be added just to the first match and the total points would determine the team that wins the idol. This means a new three conditions:

1) The Cops have secured themselves an idol due to their 48 points in the first and third match, while the Mafia lost the idol due to their 25 point run.

2) Sand is now the winner of the idol due to achieving 29 solo goals.

3) Damon is now in the Bottom 2 with Lewis because he only scored 4 points in the first match. Zach was only one goal away from being tied for Bottom 2.

The elimination challenge this week will be Territory War Online. I have created two accounts for the Bottom 2 to use. If you guys are unsure how to play, please ask me. The games will be best of three, so feel free to practice as much as possible. I will need to know a date and time you would like to compete. 

The link to the website is http://www.xgenstudios.com/play/two. You will play the map Island II with 5 players each.

It's been a crazy week, but it's not over yet! I will be doing an interview with Andre and that will most likely be up after the elimination post. For now, I hope you guys have a great day and I will see you soon.

-Matt

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Challenge 3 Results

No story for this challenge post. I will save it for the elimination post.

Every gameshow has its memorable challenges and events. Today, I believe we added another event to the memories we will look back upon years from now. Two matches were played to decide a final victor. One was a standard four player match, while the other... was inspiring, to say the least.

MATCH 1: Damon and Penny vs. Bumble and Sand
The first match of the game went smoothly overall, but not for the Mafia. Interesting plays were made, but in the end, it is goal count that matters. I will be posting a highlight reel tonight, but for now, I will discuss performance and score per game.

GAME 1: This game was a very strong start for the Cops. Bumble began playing her role as goalie, which she kept the entirety of the match. Damon and Penny both played offensively, moving around the field and synchronizing movement. This meant that Sand had to fight for every single point individually, similar to what Andre had to experience in his match. However, Sand ended up proving her skill in the game by scoring 7 points against the 2 points scored evenly by Damon and Penny.

GAME 2: Following the precedent set in Game 1, Sand managed to fight against the duo and win herself 5 points, while Damon got his fair share of 2 points.

GAME 3: For the rest of the match, it seemed Sand was the breadwinner for the Cops. Another 7 points were scored by the redhead this game, while Penny set her personal record of 3 points solo.

GAME 4: Sand scored 6 points while only facing defeat against Penny's single point.

GAME 5: To end the match, Sand went on a 4 score streak while the Mafia ended up not being able to score a single goal.

Regardless of the final score of this match, I still feel both teams did very well. I have plenty of moments where I was amazed by the skill of all players. Tricks were used to get goals and there was even a goal where a ball was fired off like a cannon because two players rubbed against each other. Sadly, Match 1 ended up being a slaughterfest by Sand's hand, as the Mafia only scored 8 goals. The Cops strategy of using a goalie turned out perfect, as Sand scored 29 goals solo.

MATCH 2: Zach and Andy vs. Andre
The determining match of the challenge ended up being a memorable event. After being given 20 minutes to play, Lewis failed to show up. As a result, Andre was forced to compete by himself against the Mafia, who needed 21 points to even catch up in the case that Andre did not get a single goal.

However, Andre fought.

It was brutal and exciting to watch live, even motivating. Faced against an insurmountable challenge, Andre realized his duty to his team and struggled to add just one, just two, just another point into his team's count. Whether it worked out for him or not was soon to be discovered.

GAME 1: After facing the reality that he would have to play without a partner, Andre jumped in and took on his opponents. Without anyone defending his goal except himself, Andre was able to get 2 points. Zach got his record for the entire match with 6 points, while Andy had his worst game of the five with 5 points.

GAME 2: This was the most significant match of the game, in my opinion. Four more matches were awaiting Andre, and the pressure to do well for his entire team alone overtook him. 3 minutes and 33 seconds into the game, Andre paused. The thoughts that ran through his head, I'd like to get to understand in an interview, but it seemed as though this was going to be it for the Cop. Surprisingly, though, this pause motivated Andre. It must have filled him with adrenaline. He was only able to score 2 goals in this game, but his best gameplay was ahead. Zach scored 4 points while Andy still failed to reach his record with 10 points.

GAME 3: One may think that Andre's spirit would be completely crushed after Zach scored 6 points and Andy scored 9 points without Andre getting a single point. However, one would be wrong. With less than a minute left in the game, Andre won 3 points in an amazing comeback.

GAME 4: As much as Andre was amazing me with his solo run, Andy was someone in particular who I felt played the game of Haxball smart this challenge. When I had to go through the footage and count each score one by one, I was amazed by some of Andy's shots this game specifically. He seemed very proficient at tricking his opponent, even if the odds were in his favor. Andy scored 10 points this round, while Zach won 2 points and Andre also won 2 points.

GAME 5: This was it. The match that would decide a winner. Testing the entirety of his will to go on, Andre decided to finish with a bang. Points were exchanged evenly throughout this challenge, but due to the two to one ratio, Andre was not able to keep up with the goal possibilities of his opponents. Andre fought for his record of 6 points this game. Andy also gained his record of 12 points, exactly double Andre's. Zach added an additional 5 points to his team's total score.

----

Now that the games have been described, I would like to take time to discuss the challenge and the gameshow as a whole. I know that some people will skip over this, but I feel that even if it reaches some people, it will make a difference.

Skool of Salem has tested everyone involved. We have had to completely recreate a challenge, split challenges into two to help with schedules, and experience our first no-show of the season. These have really tested us as a community, but you know what they all have in common?

We make it through and we do what we have to do.

I am thankful that you guys have communicated with us when you have issues or events. Dedication has truly been shown not by being on the most, but by using the time you can spare to participate. As we all get older, our spare time gets smaller and smaller, but I can't believe we are still able to pull off a gameshow like the old days.

Andre had to face an incredible feat today that I feel should not be looked back on with disgust but rather with pure awe. I cannot predict what the legacy of this gameshow will be, but I wish for all of you guys to realize the big picture here. We are all workers hired to build an incredible experience through this gameshow, and today, we had a storm. However, storms come and go. What matters is whether the workers are willing to uphold the beauty of the building by working through tough times, or if they abandon it to face the fury of nature.

I do not want this season to decay. I want us to build a skyscraper.

To continue on with this construction analogy I created for some reason, some workers have to be laid off. Two contestants have already left us, and tonight, a third will leave us.

Andy and Zach were able to score 68 goals, while Andre fought for 15 points. As a result, the team totals ended up being 76 points for the Mafia and 44 points for the Cops.

I will go into further detail about the process we went through for this elimination in the elimination post, along with photos. However, for now, I would like to confirm three things.

The Mafia have won the challenge.

Andy has won the idol with a total score of 46 points scored.

We have decided to eliminate Lewis from Skool of Salem.

I would like to go into further detail about this situation in the elimination post. For now, please read the post if you just skipped down here to find the results.
-Matt

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Challenge 3: HAT TRICK

This is no case of petty right or wrong that politicians or philosophers can judge.

Il Liberatore motioned for the emotionless Bumble to head to her seat. "Sometimes, amore mio," he explained. "Sacrifices that may seem horrid in the short term are what save you in the future."

"...What information do you have?"

"Ah, professional. Attenda prego! Let's look over my part of the deal."

Liberatore's desk was covered in layers of documents and novels that seemed to add to the confusion Bumble felt. Had Shanerys been correct in saying that the police had fallen lower than the Mafia? Maybe not... like Liberatore said, sacrifices are necessary. Nagasaki and Hiroshima were nuked and there was an insurmountable body count as a result, but what about the millions of American lives that were at stake? Plus, how can one compare a single death to the entire city of Salem?

Bumble was comfortable knowing she was making a difference.

"You a big fan of that soccer crap?" Liberatore asked as he crossed his legs and placed them on his cluttered desk.

"Not really, but I'll sometimes watch it for kicks."

"See? That's a smile! C'mon, what did that Mafia ever do for yah besides bring more pain? Anyway, a little bird told me that those reds will be at the soccer game this weekend. Although, no one really cares about the game these days... it's all about the green."

"Green and red...vomit."

"Also Christmas! And there will be plenty of gifts for the Old Bosses to get their hands on with this event. It appears they are rigging the event in their favor to rig some profits in their pockets."

"So what do you want us to do?"

"I wantchatah sabotage their team's players. Your type know howta stage "accidents"... make 'em happen."

"I would consider the legality of this, but then I forget I'm working for a Mafia member to fight Mafia."

"Hey, it's mutual! Now, go out there and smell the grass. And the corruption. Buh-bye!"

Liberatore waved for the guards to escort Bumble out as he lowered his hat to cover his eyes. It was about time for shut-eye.

----

Another week, another challenge. Let's get pumped! For once, we don't need to use Skype. This week, we will be on the field fighting for the highest goals in a free online game called Haxball. The best team will be able to pull off a "Hat Trick".

HOW IT WORKS

Watch this video to get an idea of how the game works:

Due to scheduling issues made clear last week, we will need to add some modifications to our original plan for this challenge. Each team will need to create mini-teams of two that are able to be on at the same time with another team's mini-teams on challenge day. That way, if some people can't be online at night, another team can play at that time and vice versa.

HOW TO WIN

These mini-teams will be competing in a series of timed matches which add goals to their team's total goal count. At the end of these matches, we will count up the total goals and use this number to determine a final victor.

IN THE EVENT OF A TIE
If there is a tie, each team will have to decide which mini-team they would like to represent their team and these two mini-teams will play in a final series of matches that are winner takes all.

IDOL/BOTTOM 2
Since each team is small enough for each individual player to matter, the idol will be given to the player with the highest amount of goals scored, while the Bottom 2 will consist of the players on the losing team who scored the least amount of goals, regardless of mini-team.

Remember that idols can be redeemed at any time, but they will only be redeemed after the Sunday that follows the time they are redeemed. For example, if an idol is redeemed on Saturday, June 20th, its effects will take effect on Monday, June 22nd. Only one idol can be redeemed a week.

TIME
Mini-teams will decide the time that different matches will occur, so please communicate with us what time will work for you on Friday, June 19, 2015.

Please let us know if you are unable to be here at that time, or if you are available that day.

Thanks for taking the time to read this post, and I hope to see you there on game day.

-Matt

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Elimination 2

Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw.

It was pouring like cats and dogs the night a single officer walked up to the doors of an unmarked hideout. In any other scenario, Bumble would have been considered completely insane trusting the word of a random caller to rendezvous under their terms. Who would even dream of meeting someone they met over anonymous means under the false belief of knowing them? However, these were dark times for the city of Salem, and anything was better than nothing to complete the job.

Hough scanned the surrounding area before knocking on the door. Like every other criminal hideout, the door had an eye-level opening for the guard inside to ask for a password. Whether it's trolls or bulking security personnel, the world sometimes never changes. "Ay, Billy! We gotz us one of them female heat! Ya want 'ah or should I geddin on---"

"I made a deal to come here," Bumble interjected, hand on her pistol. "Don't make me regret it."

The door guard paused for a moment and then gazed at Bumble with a look of admiration. "I like 'em feisty! Forbidden fruit, we use to call 'em in Italia..." All of the guard's buddies started to laugh hysterically at the remark as he opened the door.

"Cahman, bay BEE!" he yelled, walking over to Bumble with open arms.

Bumble glared at him and gave him a warning to back away. After his lack of acknowledgement, she managed to do a double flip from the street to where the guard stood, grabbing his head on the way down from the final one. The guard let out a grunt as she pulled him down to the ground and kicked him in the face while spinning back into standing position.

"Che paccato..."

Everyone went silent as a single figure in a white Mafia outfit gracefully strolled from a backroom to the street smoking a cigar. Bumble felt the temptation to fight this one, but curiosity took priority.

"I apologize, amore mio. Sometimes these jamooks put their mouth in front of their brains and end up eating the dirt."

"May I ask who you are?"

The man checked around and glanced back at Bumble. "These men call me Il Liberatore, but you may know me...as GHOST. Let us discuss more in my office."

"Gladly," Bumble responded, kicking the door guard below the belt on her way inside.

The office of Il Liberatore had to be about the size of a classroom. Angel statues decorated the freshly painted walls holding watering cans that poured into sumptuous fountains. Carpets adorned with art of the Basilica of Santa Croce, and other religious structures, amazed Bumble on her way over to the closest seat.

"Benvenuta, officer. I am pleased to see you agreed to my terms and came alone."

"Who was the guard at the door?"

"Oh, Bolly? He's a weird one...didn't think he'd tryta pick a fight when he could tell by the way ya look ya could beatim up! I'll have him killed later."

Bumble shuffled a little in her seat uncomfortably. "Why did you decide to work with us?"

"I feel our organizations can have ahselves a wonderful relationship. We share a common goal...eliminate the Old Bosses."

"Are you not a part of the Mafia yourself?"

"We are Mafia, but to the Old Bosses, we are nothing but trash. A new generation of organized crime is on the horizon, amore mio, but one where our people and yar people can act separately without the need for violence. The Old Bosses caused the death of yah partner, Wimi. How can you say there will not be anymore unnecessary death under the regime of these old fools?"

"I see...where is the information you promised us, then?"

"Yes, the information...where did I put that..." Liberatore shuffled for a document among the mess on his desk. "Ah, here it is!" He reached for a buzzer on his desk and looked back at Bumble with a smile. "Guards?"

Two massive security guards blocked the entrance of the office and glared at their boss. "Thank you."

Bumble stood up in disgust and pulled out her pistol. "YOU SET ME UP, YOU BASTARD!"

"Put the gun away, Hough. We do not want to be violent. At least, not yet."

One of the guards grabbed Bumble's pistol, picked her up, and put her back into her seat. "Now, you know as well as me that we cannot entirely trust each other to keep our arrangement from going public. I needed to find a way to prove that you really do wish to work with the Liberatori."

"By doing what?"

"Antonio?"

The last sound Bumble heard was a tranquilizer going off.

~~~~

When Bumble awoke, an unconscious man fell down next to her. She looked up and saw a group of Liberatori surrounding a prisoner whose face was covered by a burlap sack. The prisoner growled at their captors and started to unleash a rage-induced fury of fists and kicks that resulted in all of the men being knocked out in under a minute.

Bumble looked at her side and saw a note that appeared to be from Liberatore. 

"If you wish to work for our people, you must kill for our people."

Suddenly, the prisoner noticed the sound of Bumble picking up the note and raced over in her direction. With no weapons in sight, it appeared a fistacuffs was about to ensue.

Bumble curled up into a ball and then kicked the prisoner down once they ran over. As the prisoner recovered from the fall, Hough grabbed for the sack on their face and ripped it off, revealing who it was.

----

This week, the Mafia experienced their first loss, meaning that their Bottom 2 consisted of Shannon and Damon. Similar to last week's elimination challenge, these fierce competitors had to face each other in a word competition called "Cornucopia". After about 20 minutes of coming up with as many words as possible in 20 second sections, a victor was decided.

With a total of 56 words thought up under pressure, Damon was able to beat Shannon's 30 word run and become the safe Mafia this week. It chokes me up just thinking of what is next.

----

It took Shanerys a moment to take in her surroundings after hours of being in "Maskland". While walking home, she had been grabbed by a group of criminals and thrown into a van. Now, she was in a white and blue room forced to fight to the death against anyone they threw against her. They didn't call her the Mafia Queen for nothing.

Bumble spaced herself from Shanerys and started to hold up her fists.

"You were that one who fired at us at the parking lot..."

"You are criminal scum and deserved it."

"We just want money, we didn't want trouble."

Bumble lunged at Shanerys and started to repeatedly punch her in the face. Shanerys grabbed onto Bumble's hair and used it to whip her off. 

"The Mafia will fall, blondie."

"At what cost? You have fallen lower than us."

Bumble tackled Shanerys and started to wrap her hands around her neck. She normally didn't feel this much rage, but this was her career, her entire objective being attacked here. 

"SKOOL IS THE SAVIOR OF SALEM!"

"IS IT?!?"

Shanerys could not fight Bumble's strong grip and stopped resisting. Within a few seconds, the Queen had lost consciousness. One cop was dead, and with them a Mafia.

Il Liberatore opened the door to the room and smiled.

"Ya really were serious. Let's get down to business."

----

Thank you, Shannon, for being a part of Skool of Salem. You have always been a strong competitor as shown by your previous victories in CP College and Xerxes Apprentice. Sadly, you were not able to make your reign as champion in this gameshow. 

I hope that you continue to follow along and remember the fun times you had being a contestant of the gameshow. We'll need you one day, possibly.

The Challenge 3 post will be up tonight at midnight PST. Until then, I hope you all have a great rest of the weekend and I'll see you soon. Thank you for helping us ensure another week of Skool of Salem went smoothly.

-Matt

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Challenge 2 Interview: Bumble Hough

The Cops have tasted their first bite of victory this week thanks to their ability to secure a 24.25 turn average during Seance. Bumble (A.K.A. Bumble Hough) took the lead for her previously humiliated team. She has agreed to an interview with Matt and Cam to discuss what led to this outcome for Challenge 2!

Cam: Wow, it's been a crazy week, but the Cops did it! How does it feel experiencing the first win for your team this season?

Bumble: It feels great! I was really nervous coming into this challenge because I wanted to prove to myself that I'm still able to win.

Matt: What made you go with the alias Bumble Hough?

Bumble: Here's my chance to finally talk about how much I love Derek Hough. He's the greatest and he has a great last name. Right when I saw that we could have a different name, I knew I had to jump on the opportunity to be addressed as Mrs. Hough.

Cam: You took your time during this challenge, but ended up with the lowest amount of moves. Do you feel as though taking your time helped with your victory?

Bumble: For sure! I think the elimination challenge last week prepared me for this in a way because I wrote down my moves and contemplated them just like I did in Ghost. I didn't want to rush because I knew if I did, there would have been a lot of regrettable moves.

Matt: Now that you have finished the challenge, what do you think about it? Was it difficult?

Bumble: Before it started, I wasn't entirely sure I'd be able to do well at all. It seemed like it would be really confusing, but it was the exact opposite. I was really enjoying myself the whole time. I would say it was one of the coolest challenges I've ever participated in. 

Cam: Did you have a plan in mind for the challenge, or did you hit the ground running?

Bumble: I wanted to utilize the clues as much as I could. I wasn't sure where I'd be starting, but once I did, I decided to make my first move be up and then ask for a clue with the hope that I'd be told to go down. Once I was told to go down, I kinda just went with the flow.

Matt: By winning the second challenge, you will be the one who speaks with Operative GHOST in the elimination post. Do you have any predictions as to what will happen in the storyline?

Bumble: Oh, God no...but it's surely riveting. I guess I'll be looking forward to lots and lots of sad deaths. Hopefully, if I have to die, it's not too sad. 

Cam: To set the mood for the next week, do you have anything to say to your archenemies, the Mafia?

Bumble: Oh, this will be a good one. They beat us by quite a bit last challenge, yet we did the same this time. Even though we're kinda even, I feel like our team is gonna be performing very well. I'd enjoy all of the time that you still have left...

Matt: Thanks for coming out to the interview, Bumble, and we'll see if your threat holds weight, or even a foot, in the game of Skool of Salem. Until next time, this has been another successful week of...

Audience: ESSSSSSSSSS! OHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! ESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

Cam: Who is even watching this?

----

Challenge 3 post will be up on Monday, June 15, 2015.

Thanks for reading this interview, and who knows? Maybe it will be with you next time!

-Matt

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Challenge 2 Results

In one of the greatest scheduling feats in human history, we finally completed the second challenge of Skool of Salem! With the power of timers and liners, the Cops and Mafia were able to use clues in order to figure out where the GHOST was located. Some took longer than others, but in the end, we did not need to use the times to determine a final winning team.

The twist this week had our contestants compete individually rather than with their team in an effort that would add to their team's total score. The team with the lowest overall score among all teammates would end up victorious and the lowest scorer would receive an idol.

The Cops tended to be the late starters this challenge due to last-minute schedule conflicts, but they all successfully handled their business and fought for their spots this week.

The lowest-scoring player of the Cops (which means the one who took the most turns like golf) ended up being the winner for his team last challenge, Lewis, who took a total of 27 turns to get to the objective, 7 of which were clue turns.

There was a tie for second place between the chocolate-hater Andre and the Swimy-dater Bailey with both taking 25 turns to complete their turns. Because of their tie, the one who took longer to complete the challenge will decide the Bottom 2 for their team, in the case that they lost. Both also used 5 clues each, which I found interesting.

With only four players, this leaves Bumble as the best performer out of the Cops with a total of 20 turns to complete the challenge, 6 of which were clue turns.

One more team remained out of the two...who could it be? Oh yeah, the Mafia! After being motivated by their previous victory, this team went into the challenge with enthusiasm and the goal of taking victory from the jaws of defeat.

After using a record 12 clues, Shannon reached her destination in 38 turns. Cam did not have a fun time with this challenge, using clues such as "THE GHOST IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY ANGRY WITH YOUR CONSTANT NEED FOR CLUES, YOU HEAR A BANG UPWARDS" and "YOUR CONSTANT CLUES ARE ANGERING THE GHOST, YOU HEAR A NOISE TO THE RIGHT".

The first person to compete in the challenge ended up being Damon, who fired off commands lightspeed to get to his objective. However, he ended up taking 34 turns, only 4 of which were used for clues.

Luck was on the side of Penny this week, as she just barely missed possibly being on the Bottom 2. She took a total of 31 turns, 10 of which were used for getting clues.

Just as his friend barely missed elimination, Andy barely missed being the top player on his team. He was very cautious and careful with using clues, as only 3 of his 26 turns were clues. Nice playing, Xerxes!

This leaves the last player as the winner of Team Endurance, Zach, who decided to once again undermine Lewis with a 23 turn run where he only used 6 clues. However, this challenge required a team effort in order to get a final immunity, just like Team Endurance. Was this enough? It appears not, as...

With a team total of 97 turns, Bumble has earned the idol of the Map to meet with GHOST during the elimination post. The team average for the Cops was 24.25 turns. As for the Mafia, the team total was 152 turns with a team average of 30.4 turns.

Because the Mafia team failed to secure the victory this week, this means that the players who took the most turns to complete the challenge have become the Bottom 2 this week.

Shannon and Damon must let Peng or Cam know a date and time that would work for them to have the second elimination challenge. The challenge this week will be a word game that I would like to call "Cornucopia". This is how it works:

A host will give the contestants a word such as "cornucopia" or "restoration" separately. Each contestant will get a certain amount of time to say as many words that they can create using the letters of the word. For example, you could create the words "pun", "corn", and "acorn" from the word "cornucopia". Whoever gets the most words created after 5 different words are given will be the safe player this week, while the other player will be pushing daisies.

Thank you guys for helping create another successful week of Skool of Salem. It was stressful to say the least, and I was worried it was not going to work out halfway through the week, but in the end, we all worked together to make a solution and communicate to get scheduling figured out. 

The interview this week will be with Bumble, and I will see you next with the results of the second elimination challenge of the season. For now, enjoy the WWC!

-Matt

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Challenge 2 Twist!

This is not a challenge results post, but rather a post that determines the results of the challenge!

Due to the caller's demand for only one officer to meet with operative GHOST, we decided to utilize a different method in order to figure out who gets to speak with the mysterious figure.

Every contestant will need to individually complete the challenge with the same rule set originally given (Cam or Peng will give the contestant clues if they choose to give up a turn for it).

Every individual challenge will be timed, but the time will only be considered in the event of a tie.

The amount of turns a team takes will be added together and the team that completes the challenge in the least amount of turns wins immunity.

The Bottom 2 will be the players who took the most amount of turns to complete the challenge on the losing team due to the twist adding individual scoring.

If you have any questions, let Cam or I know. We hope that this twist will allow for a clearer winning/losing format and can adjust for schedule issues.

-Matt

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Challenge 2: SEANCE

The larks, still bravely singing, fly scarce heard amid the guns below.

Newspapers had a way of viewing the goings-on around Salem through a tinted glass. In this time of red vs blue, whether interstate, intrastate, or international, division could only be printed in black and white. For the sworn defenders of the crime-ridden Salem, the news could only describe them with dark tones.

A week had passed since the death of Jacob. Or was it years? The two seemed interchangeable in the midst of change. Dr. Bees was making headlines for his killing blow and his blow money. It seems that with the start of an anti-crime initiative, crime rates were increasing and breaking the law became more attractive to the general public.

With options slim and the chances of crime being stopped slimmer, Samuel Lawson was placed between a rock and a hard place. However, he had not lost faith in SKOOL...not even close. A single death does not determine a war, let alone a battle.

Raised as a military brat by an indifferent father and absent mother, Lawson was used to looking ahead while experiencing struggle. One casualty meant nothing to him, and a thousand more wouldn't make him bat an eye...a quality that could be a coping mechanism or a downfall for a man.

Nevertheless, the police force continued on as it always had; answering calls for emergencies, buying donuts for discounts, and completing speeding ticket quotas. The media had a way of exaggerating reality, but nothing seemed to break the focus of the establishment.

Well, until one morning.

Koksa was a mess after the death of Jacob. She had always felt little for him, but she felt awful for her lack of reciprocation for his passion for her. The Russian agent entered her office silently that Tuesday morning when a single ring filled the empty noise of the room. It was strange for a call to occur this early in the day, but she ran to answer it regardless.

"Privyet?"

"Do not make any quick movements."

Koksa's eyes enlarged as she slowly scanned the room. "Who is this?"

"That is not important. What is important is that I have an offer for your so-called..."SKOOL"."

"Offer?"

"We have valuable information that may help you track down the one who killed your associate. However, this will come at a price."

"What price this cost?"

"You have 24 hours to meet with our operative, GHOST, and give him $25,000 IN CASH. I don't want any funny business. In return, we will complete our end of the deal. Coordinates have been placed on your desk. Send one officer. If you send backup or fail to show up, we will give the Mafia even better intel. Thanks for your time."

The man behind the line hung up, leaving Koksa to stare at the blank wall in front of her. After a moment of complete shock, she frantically dialed the number of her boss.

This was about to be a long day.

----

Welcome back everybody! It's time to continue on with another exciting week of SOS! This time, you will need to be able to coordinate and debate with your team in order to complete the challenge. Due to the need for a group effort in order to deliver a message, we call it "Seance".

HOW IT WORKS

Teams will be given a 15x15 grid similar to the one below (we may or may not use this one) :

Like Team Endurance, teams will be split up into different chatrooms and given the opportunity to complete the challenge among themselves.

After being given a starting location such as "A-5" or "G-8", a team work together to move from their starting location to the location of an invisible "ghost", which is another point on the grid. 

Each movement counts as a turn. Teams will have to decide among themselves what path they wish to take and one player must act as the speaker for the rest of the group. This person will not be the designated winner of the idol, however; we just want to have a way to determine what a team's final decision is.

Instead of using a turn to make a movement, a team can use up a turn to receive a clue from one of the hosts. A clue may be information such as "look to the right", "you are closer now", or "you're far away". Your team must move the turn after getting a clue.

HOW TO WIN

The team that manages to get to the ghost in the least amount of turns wins the challenge. Cam, Mat, and I are going to be spectating the performance of contestants in this challenge to determine the best players of the teams. I would advise emulating leadership qualities or proposing strategic reasoning in order to prove you are were a worthy part of your team's effort!

IN THE EVENT OF A TIE:

If there is a tie, we will do a second round of the challenge. That's about it. We doubt this will occur, but it might.

TWIST:

Please stay after the challenge for the first twist of the season. More information will be given once we declare a winning team. Information regarding the idol and elimination will be discussed after the challenge.

TIME:

We have not received any comments about availability this week, so we will hold this challenge on Friday, June 12, 2015 at 5 PST. We are hoping to hold all future challenges at 3 PST by default unless there needs to be a schedule change.

Please let us know if you are unable to be here at that time, or if you are available that day.

Thanks for taking the time to read this post, and I hope to see you there on game day.

-Matt

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