The Great Driving Challenge : Great

Holy Smokes
Posted by TGDC on Wednesday, July 22, 2009 on 07/22 at 05:38 PM	(24) Comments • Read more

The Jury has been engaged on long conference calls and word just reached me that the going is getting tough. It seems they are unable to build consensus on the final 9!!

I read somewhere that one of the most famous traditions at Vatican is the succession ritual for the POPE. Smoke appears from the chimney of the conclave room (where cardinals meet) after the votes are counted. Eligible cardinals conduct a secret ballot and keep trying until there is consensus on the winner and the ballots are burnt after each vote.

Black smoke (straw is mixed with the ballots) indicates a failed ballot, white smoke means a new pope has been elected.

It is still ‘black smoke’ from TGDC base-camp as of now.

Stay tuned for more updates.

Potential Popes never had to keep checking the URL and remain anxious, affecting their office work…..

We all keep doing that…

Cheers

Unny & Bindhu
https://greatdrivingchallenge.com/application/Unny
http://www.travelwithacouple.com

Posted by Unny & Bindhu on 07/22 at 06:12 PM

We can imagine the pressure they must be under… As everyone else has said before Kudos to the team….

We wait hoping that the white smoke will have our names along…

Its been an amazing journey so far and we hope for it to continue

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 07/22 at 06:13 PM

Somebody’s a big fan of Angels & Demons aye?

Love this post. Reeks of panache and style in making us wait and building the tension!

Kudos!

Posted by Joseph Radhik on 07/22 at 06:24 PM

Talking of smoke, would passing around the peace pipe help?

Posted by Maya & Ramesh on 07/22 at 06:30 PM

This is S..O..M..E.. challenge!

Posted by Ram & Rakhi on 07/22 at 06:33 PM

I told you so (see my earlier post)....after browsing through several profiles, I could locate multiples of 9 who looked worthy, so I am not surprised that Jury is having tough time closing top nine…

I have butterflies in my stomach…the suspense is killing….the ticker still shows 16 hours 27 minutes to go….

Sandip, is it legal to shoot ticker on my Laptop’s screen? I would need a gun though….

Posted by Rishi Kapoor on 07/22 at 06:35 PM

Well, this is tough task for the jury. Wish them all the best in their selection of final 9.

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 07/22 at 06:41 PM

God!! when is this gonna end?!! but then again, i dont want it to!!

Posted by Leena and Sai on 07/22 at 06:43 PM

I’d like to add to what Unny said above about TGDC affecting work.

I returned yesterday from a 8 day trip to Phuket. Every half an hour I’d log on to tgdc on my mobile (for which the bill is yet to come) and check the blog posts, votes and then the results. As a result, the friends who were with us, got so bugged with me that I need to reach the top 9 and make new friends very urgently.

Though I have tried to make up for what I did by buying all of them Massages

In the worst case scenario that I do not reach the Top 9, it’d be a bigger loss for Idea. Coz then I am not paying my mobile bill, which is gonna run in 5 figures this month.

So please pray for me, Mr. Aga

Posted by Prashant Jain on 07/22 at 06:56 PM

Our best wishes to all those that made it to the TOP 100. while there is still no official count on the total entries received, being here itself is a matter of distinction.

My take is that those who dont make to the final 9 didn’t, only because of the contest constraints and each shortlistee is worthy of running in this challenge.

The TGDC jury is hard at work and they too have to deliver an even contest which will make the grand finale most exciting. I am sure they too are experiencing the butterflies. Ours will stop with the result…. theirs will continue till the end…. are we better off?? relax and think about it.

Posted by shaishav and norah on 07/22 at 07:02 PM

Sigh. I can’t wait anymore!!! Please let us know quickly!!!

P.s- Sandip, I think you have done a fab job with this blog. Enough to keep me peeking in from my shoot and leaving my art director giving me rather strange looks…

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 07/22 at 07:06 PM

I am glad to know that 12 couples will be chosen instead of 9. We are one of the lucky 100 shortlisted and hoping ot make it top 12! Will all 100 couples get a call or only the 25 as mentioned in the website?

Posted by Priya and Gaurav on 07/22 at 07:23 PM

We wonder what happened behind the scenes that caused the ticker to say “top 12” earlier and now “top 9”

See! even the TGDC team appears to be stressed!
Unless, there was a plan B in their basket ;o)

Posted by Ram & Rakhi on 07/22 at 07:29 PM

@ Unni & Bindu
Potential popes were locked up in a church and allowed no contact with the outside world for the duration of the time that the pope election happened! Aren’t v lucky that v r able to share our anxiety with near n dear….
On second thoughts, v seem to b locked in the virtual world of tgdc.com, with fellow participants n pope sandip for company.. ha… ha….
now that turns to sob… sob… like prashant puts it, ‘near n dear’ r gettin annoyed with us for doin this.
the result v’all here locked up together and r becomin one, huge family of cardinals!!

Posted by Prabha Koda on 07/22 at 07:30 PM

With each tick of the clock, the pressure is building up and curosity levels mounting high..cant wait for tomorrow noon…!

Posted by Sheetal and Anand on 07/22 at 07:35 PM

Wonder what’s it going to be for us…black smoke or white? We’re afraid, very afraid to go to office tomorrow. Can’t we just wake up on the 24th somehow?

http://www.travelhungrysouls.com
http://hushednotes.blogspot.com/

Posted by Deepa and Dhruba on 07/22 at 07:44 PM

TGDC goes The Vatican Way!!

Are we Selecting a Pope ?? .....ahaaa !!! ...then what happens to the Sweet other half !! .....

Smoke ! ..adding to Air Pollution ? .... Climate change ! ..Greenpeace Activists or Al Gore or even our own - Dr. R K Pachauri. Chairman. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ...must be watching you !!

Have Consensus and Announce Fast !!!..Pop up a Couple from your chimney !!! ....well ! You never know TGDC - It could be from the Exhaust Pipe !!

Posted by Dr KS Anand on 07/22 at 07:46 PM

Getting late for the dinner but stuck on the TGDC website!
My family is calling me like anything, and here I am blogging and reading comments on the blogs.

Bad me! Shouldn’t keep the family waiting at dinner. Bye TGDC for a while… I’ll be back soon for more.

Posted by Ram & Rakhi on 07/22 at 07:51 PM

Oh God….This much of tension is too much to bear b but then its the excitement which adds flavor to this journey of TGDC.

Eagerly waiting for the black smoke to subside and see th white smoke puffing….
But I must say Sandip, you guys really have a way of thinking..you people are really fountainheads of creativity…Comparing the Jury to the Papal Conclave..wow !! Amazing ! I can actually imagine the entire process to being carried out that way..

And we really wish that the white smoke comes out bearing our name in its wake and of a few others who have become our favorites…........
All the best everyone and thanx TGDC team!!

Posted by Aayushi & Anchal on 07/22 at 08:08 PM

What I am loving is the interesting way to keep contestants engaged. TGDC team, you are doing not only great but creative job by telling such stories and creating excitement with surprises like 12 people in next round. Keep the game interesting like this!

Posted by Paavani & Ashish on 07/22 at 08:10 PM

(Staring at screen speechless while twiddling thumbs) (switching windows) (coming back to this site) (still twiddling thumbs) (gone to look in the fridge for chocolate) (back now…..still staring at this screen) (thumbs still twiddling in anticipation)

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 07/22 at 08:23 PM

Its almost 12 here & am I glad.. Am home from work & no more quick Alt + Tabs between work & TGDC. I’ve been itching to blog my thoughts, content with reading & sharing in all your anxieties & whoops of glee..

If my boss sees me logging on to GDC any more times, I guess there won’t be a need to ask for leaves in case we get lucky enough to get selected..
he’ll hand me the pink slip loooong before :-p

So will put in a quick application to God before I turn in.

Sweet dreams fellow Travellers.. Good luck to you all..

& Au revoir TGDC

Posted by Asha & Jo on 07/22 at 08:25 PM

Wish I could Apparate, land up in each of the jury rooms, under an Invisible Cloak, point my wand at my application, mix a Compelling Potion into the jurors’ drinks and Disapparate back home and post the ‘other results’ for the benefit of my fellow wizards/witches at Hog…sorry… TGDC.

Posted by Prabha on 07/22 at 10:44 PM

Just a small piece of information (which may not have any bearing in the NEAR FUTUREEEEEEE

The Cardinal’s conclave is held in the Sistine Chapel, which in IMHO one of the best rooms in the world to spend any time what so ever. I would envy the cardinals for that reason itself

Beat beat skip beat beat skip beat beat skip - yes, talking about my heart!

Posted by Anjali & Hemant on 07/23 at 10:09 AM

Page 1 of 1 pages