The 2021 Draft

Previously on Adam Riff™:

There was an idea… To bring together a group of disparate people… To see if we could create something more…than a year-end list.



12 people select 10 things they loved from 2021 without any overlap, creating a "best of 2021" list unlike any other.



The League
Circle, triangle, star, or umbrella? / Which Loki variant are you? / Which Britney Spears song are you?


In randomly-generated snake draft order:

Russell
Umbrella / 2012 Loki / "Me Against the Music"


Ben
Triangle / Kid Loki / "Toxic"


Aaron
Circle / Classic Loki / "Stronger"


Devon
Triangle / Sylvie née Lady Loki / "Circus"


Adam
Triangle / President Loki / "Gimme More"


Molly
Star / Sylvie née Lady Loki / "Work Bitch"


Jeff
Triangle / Cyclist Loki / "I'm a Slave 4 U"


Drew
Umbrella / Alligator Loki / "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman"


Jon Y [me]
Circle / President Loki / "You Drive Me Crazy (Stop! Remix)"


Jon B
Circle / Kid Loki / "Oops!… I Did It Again"


Stan
Circle / Classic Loki / "Lucky"


Noelle
Umbrella / Kid Loki / "Overprotected"



Alright.

With the first pick in the 2021 Draft, Russell selected…



R1 • Russell
1. Squid Game
Television Series / S01 / Netflix


Ben: Am I allowed to take "MCU TV shows" as a whole?
Jon: Let me check.

Drew: Would you let someone draft "every MCU movie that came out this year"?

Jon: League says no.


R1 • Ben
2. Loki
Television Series / S01 / Disney+

Ben: There are shows I liked more, but there's no way this is making it back to me.



R1 • Aaron
3. Deathloop
Video Game / PC, PlayStation



R1 • Devon
4. Inside Job
Television Series / S01 / Netflix



R1 • Adam
5. I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson's "Karl Havoc" sketch
Television Scene / S02E01 / Netflix



R1 • Molly
6. Hacks
Television Series / S01 / HBO Max


Jeff: Damn, Deathloop already off the board.


R1 • Jeff
7. The back half of Succession S03
Television Series / E06-E09 / HBO



R1 • Drew
8. Dune: Part One
Film / Dir: Denis Villeneuve



R1 • Jon Y
9. Bo Burnham: Inside
Television Special / Dir: Bo Burnham / Netflix

Jon Y: Y'all really let Inside slip to me.



R1 • Jon B
10. The Milk Carton Kids – "New York Lonely Boy" from Girls5eva
Song | Television Series / S01E03 / Peacock


R1 • Stan
11. C'mon C'mon
Film / Dir: Mike Mills


R1 • Noelle
12. Nine Perfect Strangers
Television Series / S01 / Hulu


R2 • Noelle
13. The Harder They Fall
Film / Dir: Jeymes Samuel / Netflix



R2 • Stan
14. Reservation Dogs
Television Series / S01 / FX on Hulu

Adam: Fuckin' Stan. I should have flipped my picks.



R2 • Jon B
15. The Nice House on the Lake
Comics Series / What if the gang got together and the worst happened?


R2 • Jon Y
16. The Underground Railroad: "Chapter 9: Indiana Winter"
Television Episode / S01E09 / Amazon Prime Video / Chaos reigns on Valentine Farm


R2 • Drew
17. Fala Chen and Tony Leung's fight in the forest in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Film Scene / Dir: Destin Daniel Cretton


R2 • Jeff
18. Lucy Dacus' album Home Video
Music


R2 • Molly
19. "Were you silent, or were you silencedt?"
Interview Question / Oprah with Meghan and Harry / CBS



R2 • Adam
20. Pig
Film / Dir: Michael Sarnoski



R2 • Devon
21. Boldy James and The Alchemist's album Bo Jackson
Music


R2 • Aaron
22. Mare of Easttown
Television Series / S01 / HBO


R2 • Ben
23. For All Mankind: "The Grey"
Television Episode / S02E10 / Apple TV+ / Tracy and Gordo sprint across the surface of the moon to avert a nuclear meltdown while wrapped only in duct tape


R2 • Russell
24. CM Punk and Bryan Danielson join AEW
Wrestling


R3 • Russell
25. It's a Sin
Television Series / S01 / HBO Max


R3 • Ben
26. r/HermanCainAward, and anti-vax, COVID-denying talk radio hosts dying over and over
Subreddit | Make Bereave



R3 • Aaron
27. WandaVision
Television Series / S01 / Disney+


R3 • Devon
28. The Suicide Squad
Film / Dir: James Gunn


R3 • Adam
29. Taylor Swift, intellectual property law, and due dilligence [sic] disasters
Twitter Thread



R3 • Molly
30. We Are Lady Parts
Television Series / S01 / Peacock



R3 • Jeff
31. The Beatles: Get Back
Television Special / Dir: Peter Jackson / Disney+


R3 • Drew
32. Nicki Minaj's cousin's friend's swollen testicles
Tweet | Meme



R3 • Jon Y
33. Psychonauts 2's level design
Video Game / PC, Xbox



R3 • Jon B
34. Titane
Film / Dir: Julia Ducournau


R3 • Stan
35. Mythic Quest: "Backstory!"
Television Episode / S02E06 / Apple TV+ / C.W. Longbottom's origin


R3 • Noelle
36. Ted Lasso: "Beard After Hours"
Television Episode / S02E09 / Apple TV+ / One crazy night


R4 • Noelle
37. All the beautiful Blackity Blackness of Love Life S02
Television Series / HBO Max



R4 • Stan
38. Christina Ricci's manic energy in Yellowjackets
Television Performance / S01 / Showtime

Stan: I know this is early, but there is no way this is getting back to me.


R4 • Jon B
39. The story of Vader Johan from Big Mouth: "A Very Big Mouth Christmas"
Television Scene / S05E08 / Netflix


R4 • Jon Y
40. Flatbush Misdemeanors
Television Series / S01 / Showtime


R4 • Drew
41. Celebrity-endorsed fast food
Marketing Trend / The Shawn Mendes Bowl at Chipotle / The BTS Meal and Mariah Menu at McDonald's / Megan Thee Stallion Hottie Sauce at Popeyes


R4 • Jeff
42. Verstappen vs. Hamilton, and the 2021 F1 season
Sports / Auto Racing


R4 • Molly
43. The intense feeling of dread created by The White Lotus
Television Series / S01 / HBO



R4 • Adam
44. The return of over-the-top album rollouts
Music Promotion / St. Vincent / Kanye West Ye / Lil Nas X / Adele


R4 • Devon
45. Westside Gunn's album Hitler Wears Hermes 8: Side B
Music


R4 • Aaron
46. Halo Infinite
Video Game / Xbox


R4 • Ben
47. TOMPA BAY
Sports / NFL Football / Super Bowl LV / Tampa Bay Buccaneers / Tom Brady



R4 • Russell
48. Jamie Dornan's Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar and Belfast musical double-double
Film Scenes / Dir: Josh Greenbaum | Dir: Kenneth Branagh


R5 • Russell
49. It Never Ends: A Memoir with Nice Memories by Tom Scharpling
Book / A memoir of a life writing comedy amidst a lifelong struggle with mental illness


R5 • Ben
50. The History of the Atlanta Falcons
YouTube Series


R5 • Aaron
51. The Other Two S02
Television Series / HBO Max



R5 • Devon
52. Invincible
Television Series / S01 / Amazon Prime Video


R5 • Adam
53. The Ever Given getting stuck in the Suez Canal
I'm too old for this ship


R5 • Molly
54. Ben Affleck's 2021 redemption arc, peaking with the triumphant return of Bennifer
Back Baby Back



R5 • Jeff
55. Olivia Rodrigo
Musical Artist



R5 • Drew
56. Ziwe
Television Series / S01 / Showtime



R5 • Jon Y
57. The voice cast for Illumination's Mario movie
He's so cool


R5 • Jon B
58. The Lady and the Dale
Television Series / S01 / HBO / Profile of car entrepreneur, lifelong scammer, and trans pioneer Elizabeth Carmichael


R5 • Stan
59. The Power of the Dog
Film / Dir: Jane Campion / Netflix



R5 • Noelle
60. "Damn!" – Kevin Hart's reaction to Don Cheadle's age
Television Moment / Hart to Heart / S01E02 / Peacock


R6 • Noelle
61. Joshua Bassett coming out of the closet a week before Olivia Rodrigo released Sour

Jon Y: Duplicate pick. Select again.


R6 • Noelle
61. "Double homicide…"
Television Moment / Joseline's Cabaret: Atlanta / S01E01 / Zeus


Jon Y: Do you want the meme or the curse? Because the meme is from 2020.
Stan: Shit, I wanted the meme. I saw it on the big board and didn't check.

R6 • Stan
62. Nick Castellanos home run


R6 • Stan
62. Jeopardy! fails to make one (1) hire
Drop the Mike


R6 • Jon B
63. Tricking Rick Mitchell into Kissing the Dog Across the Country!
Film Scene / The Mitchells vs. the Machines / Dir: Michael Rianda, Jeff Rowe / Netflix


R6 • Jon Y
64. The Twitter thread about dating inspired by Dell and Sonya Curry's divorce
They pegging out here…



R6 • Drew
65. Selling Sunset's Christine Quinn, the supervillain the streaming era deserves
Television Character / S04 / Netflix


R6 • Jeff
66. No Sudden Move
Film / Dir: Steven Soderbergh / HBO Max / A document theft in 1954 Detroit grows increasingly tricky


R6 • Molly
67. Anything for Selena
Podcast Series / A quest to understand how Selena Quintanilla has become a potent symbol for tensions around race, class, and body politics in the United States



R6 • Adam
68. The hyper-capitalization of everything and questionable ethics of digital ownership via NFTs
Planet of the Bored Apes


Devon: My next pick is this ENTIRE THREAD lol.
Jon Y: Sorry…
Devon: NO WAY YOU TOOK THAT THREAD.

R6 • Devon
69. Guilty Gear Strive
Video Game / PC, PlayStation



R6 • Aaron
70. Metroid Dread (finally!)
Video Game / Switch


R6 • Ben
71. AJR – "Way Less Sad"
Song / OK Orchestra LP


R6 • Russell
72. The Jenkins and Jones Podcast: "The Wild Boy Power Rankings of Bishop Sycamore High School"
Podcast / E189

Russell: I was going to take the Dell Curry single life thread, but I was too late.


R7 • Russell
73. The Milk Crate Challenge, and the pursuit of viral infamy
Meme


R7 • Ben
74. Burna Boy – "Kilometre"
Song

Ben: I would pick "Saweetie's 2021," but Drew swiped her at 41.


R7 • Aaron
75. Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy being good
Video Game / PC, PlayStation, Switch, Xbox



R7 • Devon
76. Batman going down on Catwoman
Debate | Television Moment That Wasn't / Harley Quinn / S03 / HBO Max


R7 • Adam
77. Ten Year Old Tom
Television Series / S01 / HBO Max / Ill-fated misadventures of a remarkably average kid

Adam: Jon Bell was saving this for last. Ha. Fuck you, Jon Bell.


R7 • Molly
78. Rose Matafeo being insanely delightful in Starstruck
Television Performance / S01 / HBO Max

Molly: I was worried I was saving her for too late.


R7 • Jeff
79. The launch of Nextlander following Brad, Alex, and Vinny's departure from Giant Bomb
Video Game Media Empire


R7 • Drew
80. Jazmine Sullivan's album Heaux Tales
Music



R7 • Jon Y
81. Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes
Film / Dir: Junta Yamaguchi


R7 • Jon B
82. Ultramega
Comics Series / A cosmic plague has spread, transforming everyday people into violent, monstrous kaiju

Adam: God damn it. Jon Bell picked my next pick. He picked BOTH comics I wanted.


R7 • Stan
83.


R7 • Noelle
84. The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City
Television Series / S01, S02 / Bravo

Drew: Damn, a steal of a pick. Right up there with Jen Shah's assistant sneaking that purse out of Meredith's boutique. Grand larceny!


R8 • Noelle
85. WizKid – "Essence (feat. Tems)"
Song / Made in Lagos LP



R8 • Stan
86. Licorice Pizza
Film / Dir: Paul Thomas Anderson

Jon Y: Fuck! I gambled on drafting this at 88 and lost.
Stan: I was only able to see it because I'm on a last minute work trip to New York.
Jon Y: [shakes fist at Stan's employer]


R8 • Jon B
87. Stern's Godzilla pinball machine
Mechagodzilla


R8 • Jon Y
88. "Death in the Family": Hitman III's murder mystery mission
Video Game / PC, PlayStation, Switch, Xbox


R8 • Drew
89. Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop in Hawkeye, capping off a banner year for famous part-Filipinos
Television Performance / S01 / Disney+ | H.E.R. wins an Oscar / The Saweetie Meal at McDonald's / Silk Sonic


R8 • Jeff
90. Home Is Where's album I Became Birds
Music


R8 • Molly
91. A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance by Hanif Abdurraqib
Book / A reflection on how Black performance is inextricably woven into the fabric of American culture


R8 • Adam
92. The Six Sidekicks of Trigger Keaton
Comics Series / The world's most unlikable action star has been found dead, and his previous television sidekicks are looking to solve the mystery

Adam: Jon Bell was going to pick this. I'm glad I got it because that's too many comics for one man.


R8 • Devon
93. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2
Video Game / PC, PlayStation, Switch, Xbox


R8 • Aaron
94. And Just Like That…, and Peleton's ad in response
Television Series / S01, S01E01 / HBO Max | Viral Marketing



R8 • Ben
95. The Savannah Bananas making baseball fun again
Sports / CPL Baseball



R8 • Russell
96. Will Smith's mid-life crisis
Wild Wild West Philadelphian | Television Series / Welcome to Earth / S01 / Disney+


R9 • Russell
97. Meet the Richardsons S02
Television Series / Dave


R9 • Ben
98. Doom Patrol S03
Television Series / HBO Max


R9 • Aaron
99. Search Party S04, and its gonzo finale
Television Series | Television Episode / S04E10 / HBO Max / Dory witnesses her own funeral


R9 • Devon
100. Marvel's M.O.D.O.K.
Television Series / S01 / Hulu


R9 • Adam
101. Trey Parker and Matt Stone's $935 million South Park deal with ViacomCBS
Muchas Casas Bonitas


R9 • Molly
102. The Sex Lives of College Girls
Television Series / S01 / HBO Max / Four freshman roommates discover (or reinvent) themselves


R9 • Jeff
103. The NBA playoffs, and a new generation of superstars making the leap
Sports / Basketball / Giannis Antetokounmpo / Devin Booker / Trae Young


Drew: Castellanos was more like 2020, right?
Jon: Yup.

R9 • Drew
104. The surreal, ever-evolving debacle that is Ben Simmons' standing with the Philadelphia 76ers
Sports / NBA Basketball


R9 • Jon Y
105. John Cena apologizing for calling Taiwan a country
Film PR / F9: The Fast Saga / Dir: Justin Lin

Adam: Ah, you gotta be kidding. "Celebrities apologizing to Israel and China" was gonna be my next pick.



R9 • Jon B
106. What's the Furthest Place From Here?
Comics Series / A post-apocalyptic coming-of-age story about the things that matter most – your survival, your loved ones, and your record collection


R9 • Stan
107. Angel Olsen's 1980s cover EP Aisles
Music



R9 • Noelle
108. Regé-Jean Page's meteoric rise to stardom off of Elizabethan mommy porn
Television Series / Bridgerton / S01 / Netflix



Final Round Wild Card Pick
Along with your final pick, please select something from 2021 that you have yet to experience as of 15 December 2021 but are keen on.




R10 • Noelle
109. Zola
Film / Dir: Janicza Bravo

+ Don't Look Up
Film / Dir: Adam McKay / Netflix


R10 • Stan
110. Courtney Barnett's album Things Take Time, Take Time
Music

+ The Worst Person in the World
Film / Dir: Joachim Trier


R10 • Jon B
111. Friend of the Devil: A Reckless Book
Graphic Novel / When a missing woman shows up in the background of an old B-movie, troublemaker-for-hire Ethan Reckless is drawn into Hollywood's secret occult underbelly

+ Red Rocket
Film / Dir: Sean Baker



R10 • Jon Y
112. It Takes Two
Video Game / PC, PlayStation, Xbox

+ Spider-Man: No Way Home
Film / Dir: Jon Watts

Jon Y: Y'all really let No Way Home slip to me.


R10 • Drew
113. AITA for "perpetuating ethnic stereotypes" about Jorts?
Reddit Post

+ The Witcher S02
Television Series / Netflix



R10 • Jeff
114. Wet Leg, and the "2005 blog buzz" atmosphere around their breakout
Music Band

+ The Matrix Resurrections
Film / Dir: Lana Wachowski


R10 • Molly
115. "Father, son, and House of Gucci."
Film Quote / House of Gucci / Dir: Ridley Scott

+ The Tragedy of Macbeth
Film / Dir: Joel Coen / Apple TV+


R10 • Adam
116. Sellout: The Major-Label Feeding Frenzy That Swept Punk, Emo, and Hardcore (1994–2007) by Dan Ozzi
Book / The stories of 11 bands and their major label debut albums

+ The Book of Boba Fett
Television Series / S01 / Disney+



R10 • Devon
117. Venom: Let There Be Carnage
Film / Dir: Andy Serkis

+ Boldy James and The Alchemist's album Super Tecmo Bo
Music


R10 • Aaron
118. Resident Evil Village, and its tall vampire lady who made the internet horny
Video Game / PC, PlayStation, Xbox

+ Cobra Kai S04
Television Series / Netflix


R10 • Ben
119. Zoom Cat Lawyer
Viral Video

+ Midnight Mass
Television Series / S01 / Netflix


R10 • Russell
120. Cinnamon Toast Shrimp Tails
You tellin' me…

+ Chillin Island
Television Series / S01 / HBO

Jon Y: Jensen Karp: Mr. Irrelevant. Milkshake Ducked into oblivion.



20 HBO/HBO Max series/films!

Jeff: Picking Matrix for my wild card over Station Eleven might be my biggest miss in the history of the draft.



Undrafted!
Arcane
Crying in H Mart
Doja Cat
Drive My Car
Eve Fartlow
Framing Britney Spears
Logan Paul vs. Floyd Mayweather
Lupin
The Many Saints of Newark
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl
Omori
Only Murders in the Building
Pokémon Unite
Polo G
r/WallStreetBets and GameStop
SNL Hosts Introducing the Musical Guest
Star Wars: Visions
Steve Burns' Blue's Clues video
The Super League
Turnstile
Yassification
Zack Snyder's Justice League



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