Middle-earth March Madness 2023, Rings of Power Edition is well underway. Round One closed yesterday, after thousands of votes were cast; today we launch Round Two.

As ever with March Madness, we began with 64 competitors – this year, all characters from The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Now, half of those who entered the fray have been defeated. Who remains?

Elves, Dwarves and Monsters

Let’s begin with a look at this first bracket. Most of the contests here were not close at all: Galadriel, Durin III, Durin IV, Gil-galad, Disa, Finrod and Elrond all took well over 1,000 votes to secure victory. (Durin IV, with over 1,500 votes, took the most votes of any character in all of Round One; but Elrond and Galadriel were close behind.) Of the Elves and Dwarves, only Celebrimbor struggled. To be fair, he was pitted against a Balrog – a fight which would challenge even Gandalf. With a margin of less than 200 votes, the Balrog was victorious! Now Galadriel will take on this mighty foe, in Round Two. All of the pairings in this second round will be nail-biters: Finrod Felagund goes up against Elrond, Disa faces Gil-galad, and father and son go toe to toe, as Durin III confronts Durin IV. Your vote decides who will continue on to Round Three!

Benjamin Walker as Gil-galad
Continue reading “Middle-earth March Madness Round 1 Results; vote now in Round 2”

Middle-earth March Madness 2023, Rings of Power Edition begins today. Staffer Garfeimao has taken a closer look at the 64 competitors in this year’s bracket, to help you as you make your choices. Take a look at what she has to say; and then head on over to the March Madness launch to vote in Round One!

Continue reading “Vote now in Middle-earth March Madness 2023: a closer look at the bracket”

It is the start of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere; which means it’s time for March Madness! This year, TheOneRing.net brings you Middle-earth March Madness 2023, Rings of Power Edition.

Looking back on Season One of the Prime Video show – and pondering what may be in store in Season Two – our 64 competitors are all characters from The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Who was your favourite amongst the Harfoots (‘Harfeet!’)? Who would win in a showdown between Prince Durin and his father? Will Elendil eventually go up against his own son? YOU decide!

How you decide, of course, is up to you. You may choose to revisit the show on Prime Video and refresh your memory of the plot lines. Perhaps your vote is based on which actors you most enjoyed in their roles; or perhaps you’ll vote according to the characters you felt remained closest to how they appear in the pages of Tolkien’s books. Or maybe you’ll just toss a coin! It’s up to you; but however you decide, now is the time to place your votes!

How does it work, you ask? Simple! Click on one of the orange division buttons below. Then click the ‘Vote Now’ option that appears above the divisional bracket. This year you get to vote in each divisional match-up in one convenient and visual interface. Note – you need to click each division to vote in their respective brackets. So let’s get voting!

You have until the end of the day Friday March 24th to vote in Round One; on Saturday 25th we’ll announce winners and open voting for Round Two! Let the games begin!

I feel it in the earth… I smell it in the air… It’s almost time for Middle-earth March Madness 2023!

But what will the theme be this year? Who (or what) will be the 64 competitors who enter the fray, each hoping to win YOUR vote and become the Champion for 2023?

All will be revealed next week. Meanwhile you can take a look at last year’s ‘Battle of the Ages’ here. Get ready to play along; it’s the deep breath before the plunge…

Two weeks ago, we launched Middle-earth March Madness 2022, A Battle of the Ages. Sixty-four events began the contest, with the four brackets this year representing the first four Ages of Arda, up to the departure of the Rings of Power from Middle-earth: Pre-First Age, First Age, Second Age, and Third Age.

Six rounds later, with over 65,000 votes placed across all rounds, a winner has been decided. The victor was announced last night on TORn Tuesday; but if you missed that, we can reveal for you here this year’s Middle-earth March Madness Grand Champion:

Continue reading “Who won the 2022 Middle-earth March Madness? Champion Revealed”

And then there were two… We’re down to the Final of Middle-earth March Madness 2022, A Battle of the Ages – 64 events from the first four Ages of Arda began the tournament, but now only two remain. What will be the Grand Champion for this year? YOU decide! Voting is open until Tuesday morning (April 5th); and we’ll announce the winner on TORn Tuesday that evening. Here’s the button so you can place your vote now!

Instructions: Click on the orange voting button above. Then click the ‘Vote Now’ option that appears above the final four bracket.

Continue reading “Time to vote in the Battle of the Ages Final!”