The guys from The Atomic Geeks Podcast this week released their fourth instalment of There Can Only Be One. They are given two items/properties/people etc and they have to choose which one stays and which one gets wiped from existence. There are some pretty interesting dilemmas here so I thought I would have a go myself at the choices in this week’s podcast.

Game Shows v Reality Shows
I appreciate that Reality Shows have a pretty huge impact on our culture right now but for me I can’t imagine not having family game shows like Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, Family Fortunes, BlockBusters, CatchPhrase, Bullseye, Bob’s Full House etc. But it depends how you define Reality Shows. I generally think of The Kardashians, The Hills, The Only Way Is Essex etc as being Reality Shows. I certainly have no problem with them being wiped from existence. But if you say that other shows like One Born Every Minute are reality shows then I don’t agree with that. I think they are more like documentaries. If something has a documentary side to things then I don’t classify it as ‘Reality Show’. And talent shows like X-Factor and Britain’s Got Talent are probably another category altogether. I’m not quite sure where Big Brother fits but I’m happy throwing it in with Reality Shows. It can go away too.
Winner – Game Shows

French Fries v Potato Chips
I’ll convert this into the British equivalent and say Chips v Crisps. Chips being the big fat version of french fries that you get with Fish and Chips. More like wedges than french fries. And crisps are our potato chips. I do enjoy crisps, particularly some of the more interesting flavours (and obviously classics like bacon Frazzles, Quavers and Monster Munch) but I don’t need to have crisps. They are just a nice to have. But having grown up in Glasgow and now living by the sea in Southend-on-Sea I can’t imagine life without Fish and Chips. I’m obviously not considering health at all in my answer here! If I was actually comparing the thin McDonald’s style french fries then I would actually change my answer here and make the crisps the winner. But I’m comparing British Chips to Crisps.
Winner – British Chips

Cards v Board Games
This one is pretty tricky. It depends if you’re talking about the cultural impact or what I personally would like to keep. The cultural impact of cards is huge. From Western movies to magician’s close-up magic and obviously to casinos and places like Monte Carlo and Las Vegas. I really do love casinos and playing Blackjack. I love the mystique and romance around Poker too. And I absolutely love Las Vegas. So I would probably say that playing cards have a much more cultural importance. But for me personally I would need to keep board games. I’ve got two very young children and I cannot wait for the day for us all to sit round the family table and play games like Scrabble, Monopoly, Cluedo and Trivial Pursuits etc. I could easily give up cards and casinos in order to have those future family memories.
Winner – Board Games

Star Wars Episode VII v Avengers 2
I think this one is about which sequel would happen, not which franchise would be wiped from existence. I thought this one might be harder when I first heard it, as I love both franchises. I have always been such a big Avengers fan that I almost resented the fact that the Marvel resurgence has suddenly made everyone an Avengers fan too. But the awesomeness of the movie and the fact that it means that my son will probably grow up knowing and loving the Avengers has certainly swayed me. But I see another Avengers movie as just being a bonus. There are already so many good Avengers things out there. I could be happy just watching the first Avengers film again and again. And there are so many other great Marvel moves to enjoy. Plus the fact that the Avengers films are actually just a secondary medium. The true Avengers medium is the early comics. But Star Wars started out on film. That’s where it was born and it has been even more engrained on the psyche of all geeks. The completion of the original 9 part story is too tempting. And especially as it is not George Lucas making Episode 7 and that it might actually be good is absolutely making the continuation of the Star Wars franchise a priority in my eyes.
Winner – Star Wars Episode 7

Chevy Chase v Robin Williams
Robin Williams definitely. More iconic roles and a much more rounded acting style.
Winner – Robin Williams

Bill and Ted v Cheech and Chong
I don’t really know much about Cheech and Chong as they weren’t really shown much in the UK, but I still think I would choose Bill and Ted because they are just awesome and so quotable.
Winner – Bill and Ted

Tom Hanks v George Clooney
Tom Hanks without a doubt. Much better actor and so many amazing films like Big, Forrest Gump, Apollo 13, Toy Story etc.
Winner – Tom Hanks

Michael J Fox v Johnny Depp
This one was harder. I rate Johnny Depp as a better actor but I’m not a huge fan of his movie material. And Michael J Fox’s material holds such a special heart in my childhood even though it basically just consisted of Family Ties, Back to the Future and Teen Wolf. But for Back to the Future alone I think I need to keep Michael J. Fox.
Winner – Michael J. Fox

Messaging v Social Media
Very interesting one here. But as the guys said on the podcast there are other ways to contact people such as phone calls and emails. And social media has brought so much knowledge, interaction and community to our lives recently that it has to be winner. Messaging lets us speak to other individuals but social media lets us speak to the world.
Winner – Social Media

Netflix v YouTube
Easy one. Netflix is a gateway to content that already exists in other places. Sure it’s a great model and they have some new shows of their own, but YouTube is a platform for anyone around the world to get themselves published with their user generated content. You can watch old telly adverts, learn just about any skill under the sun and also watch great Hangouts like the Atomic Geeks!
Winner – YouTube

CGI v Practical Effects
This one is extremely tough. I grew up watching incredible practical effects like Ray Harryhausen’s incredible stop motion in the Sinbad and Jason movies and ILM’s ground-breaking matte paintings, model making and blue screen effects in the original Star Wars trilogy. I poured over the big Industrial Light and Magic books. I regularly bought Cinefex magazine to learn how they did things like Slimer in Ghostbusters. But conversely I did a Masters degree in computer generated animation. So I’m kind of torn. I personally prefer the look of practical effects in film. Just look at Return of the Jedi versus The Phantom Menace. Return of the Jedi stands head and shoulders above The Phantom Menace in my opinion. The make-up, the backdrops, the space battles. However, CGI is such a ground-breaking area. It allows us to imagine worlds that we could not recreate any other way. It gives us camera movements that would not be physically possible. It enables us to change things quickly without having to rebuild everything from scratch. I think the small and big screen would be at a major loss without CGI but I just hope that some people learn how to use it better more consistently.
Winner – CGI

Wrestling v Cartoons
Both are things that I love. I have so many happy memories of the WWF back in the day. Seeing Andre the Giant live in Glasgow. Watching Royal Rumbles and being excited to see who would run out next. Playing WWF Superstars and Wrestlefest in the arcade. I’m not as into it nowadays but it was a big part of my growing up. But cartoons is like a whole genre in its own right. Classics like Mickey Mouse, Tom and Jerry and Looney Tunes. 80s major hits like He-Man, Transformers and Thundercats. And more adult versions such as The Simpsons, Futurama and Family Guy. But the ability to take a child’s imagination and transport them to a magical place is not to be underestimated. Wrestling is great as one particular entertainment niche but cartoons are on a whole other stratosphere.
Winner – Cartoons