https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&feedformat=atom&user=ReginaGiraffeexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2026-04-20T06:37:17ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1529:_Bracket&diff=940621529: Bracket2015-05-25T15:24:32Z<p>ReginaGiraffe: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1529<br />
| date = May 25, 2015<br />
| title = Bracket<br />
| image = bracket.png<br />
| titletext = I'm staring at the "doctor" section, and I can't help but feel like I've forgotten someone.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Explain the specific groupings.}}<br />
A {{w|Bracket (tournament)|tournament bracket}} shows the planned series of games in a tournament. In this comic Randall has shown a plan for a tournament between a wide range of cultural icons, both real and fictional, based mostly on similarities in their names. Various internet groups have speculated on who would win in a fight between characters from different films. It may be relevant that the film {{w|Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice}} is soon to be released where the two namesake {{w|superheros}}, {{w|Batman}} and {{w|Superman}} fight against each other.<br />
<br />
{{w|Shallots}} (small onions), {{w|scallops}} (bivalve mollusks), and {{w|scallions}} (green onions) are similar sounding words, therefore may be confusing for some individuals. They are not people, but other life forms. This hints that [[Randall]] probably confuses the three.<br />
<br />
The [[title text]] is possibly talking about {{w|Dr. Dre}}, particularly as a reference to his 2001 song "{{w|Forgot About Dre}}". Alternatively, the title text could simply be a reference to the large number of pop culture personas that include the word "Doctor", such as {{w|Doctor Who}}, {{w|Gregory House|Doctor House}}, {{w|Mehmet Oz|Dr. Oz}}, {{w|Phil McGraw|Dr. Phil}}, {{w|Dr. Watson}}, {{w|Emmett Brown|"Doc" Brown}}, {{w|Dr. Seuss}}, {{w|Dr Pepper}}, {{w|Doctor Doom}}, and {{w|List of fictional doctors|many others}}. (Or, in fact, [http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/futurama-zoidberg-why-not-zoidberg why not Dr. Zoidberg]?) Another possibility is that the [[title text]] is supposed to make the readers ask themselves "{{w|Doctor who}}?" Though "The Doctor" is already listed, this could refer to either ''Doctor Who'' or ''{{w|Doctor (Star Trek: Voyager)|the Star Trek: Voyager character}}''. Notably, while the Doctor in "Doctor Who" is technically one character, the Doctor has currently been played by 13 different actors. The mythos of the Doctor Who even includes individual incarnations of the Doctor interacting with each other; knowing they are the same person, yet often expressing annoyance when grouped together. So perhaps Randall is implying that to just include the Doctor as one individual is not an accurate representation of this character.<br />
<br />
The names and other entries in the bracket are:<br />
{| class="wikitable" style="background:transparent;border:none;width:100%;"<br />
| style="background:transparent;border:none;"|<br />
Men with surname "Armstrong":<br />
:{{w|Louis Armstrong}} (musician)<br />
:{{w|Neil Armstrong}} (first human on the moon)<br />
:{{w|Lance Armstrong}} (bicyclist)<br />
:{{w|Stretch Armstrong}} (action figure)<br />
<br />
Men with given name Jeff, without surname Daniels:<br />
:{{w|Jeff Gordan}}<br />
:{{w|Jeff Bridges}} (Actor)<br />
<br />
Male given names with surname Daniels:<br />
:{{w|Jeff Daniels}}<br />
:{{w|Jack Daniels}} (Alcoholic beverage)<br />
<br />
Men with surname Welles:<br />
:{{w|Orson Welles}} (Known for "The War of the Worlds")<br />
:{{w|H.G. Wells}} (Known for "The Time Machine")<br />
<br />
Other names with character string W-E-L-L:<br />
:{{w|George Orwell}} (Author of "1984" and "Animal Farm")<br />
:{{w|Wells Fargo}} (Bank and stage coach company)<br />
<br />
Men with name "Russell" (first name or surname):<br />
:{{w|Kurt Russell}}<br />
:{{w|Russell Brand}}<br />
:{{w|Russell Crowe}}<br />
:{{w|Russell Simmons}}<br />
<br />
Men with surname Simmons:<br />
:{{w|Richard Simmons}}<br />
:{{w|Gene Simmons}}<br />
<br />
Men with surnames that end ...ckman:<br />
:{{w|Gene Hackman}}<br />
:{{w|Hugh Jackman}}<br />
:{{w|Alan Rickman}}<br />
<br />
Men with given name Alan:<br />
:{{w|Alan Parsons}}<br />
:{{w|Alan Partridge}}<br />
<br />
Names containing "McCarthy", "Eugene" or both:<br />
:{{w|Jenny McCarthy}}<br />
:{{w|Joseph McCarthy}} (Senator known for anti-communist witchhunt)<br />
:{{w|Eugene McCarthy}}<br />
:{{w|Eugene V. Debs}} (labor leader)<br />
<br />
Persons with surnames containing string "Wilde":<br />
:{{w|Gene Wilder}}<br />
:{{w|Olivia Wilde}}<br />
:{{w|Oscar Wilde}}<br />
<br />
Men with names that begin "Oscar De La...":<br />
:{{w|Oscar De La Renta}}<br />
:{{w|Oscar De La Hoya}}<br />
<br />
Men with given name Jack:<br />
:{{w|Jack Nicklaus}} (Golf player)<br />
:{{w|Jack Nicholson}} (Actor)<br />
<br />
Men with string "ickel" in their surnames:<br />
:{{w|Phil Mickelson}}<br />
:{{w|Nicholas Nickelby}}<br />
<br />
Men with names ending "...yan Adams":<br />
:{{w|Ryan Adams}}<br />
:{{w|Bryan Adams}}<br />
<br />
Men with surnames that in plural are also names of games<br />
:{{w|Chubby Checker}} (Checkers is a board games)<br />
:{{w|Fats Domino}} (Dominoes [or dominos]) is a game. Domino's is a pizza chain.)<br />
<br />
Men named Colin:<br />
:{{w|Colin Firth}}<br />
:{{w|Colin Farrell}}<br />
<br />
Men with names that begin with F and include the string r-r-e-l-l:<br />
:{{w|Will Ferrell}}<br />
:{{w|The Farrelly Brothers}}<br />
<br />
Persons with an initial L and a name ending "itt":<br />
:{{w|Joseph Gordon-Levitt}}<br />
:{{w|Jennifer Love Hewitt}}<br />
<br />
Men with surname Glover:<br />
:{{w|Danny Glover}}<br />
:{{w|Donald Glover}}<br />
<br />
Men with surname Wahlberg:<br />
:{{w|Donnie Wahlberg}}<br />
:{{w|Mark Wahlberg}}<br />
<br />
Men with given name Mark:<br />
:{{w|Mark Ruffalo}}<br />
:{{w|Mark Shuttleworth}}<br />
<br />
| style="background:transparent;border:none;"|<br />
Men with surname Pullman or given name Bill:<br />
:{{w|Philip Pullman}}<br />
:{{w|Bill Pullman}}<br />
:{{w|Bill Paxton}}<br />
<br />
Men with no obvious connection in their names, but who both starred in Ghostbusters:<br />
:{{w|Bill Murray}}<br />
:{{w|Dan Aykroyd}}<br />
<br />
Persons with surname Rogers:<br />
:{{w|Ginger Rogers}} (Woman known for dancing with Fred Astaire)<br />
:{{w|Mister/Fred Astaire/Rogers}} (Confusing reference to "Mister Rogers" [Fred Rogers] and Fred Astaire])<br />
<br />
Men named "Spock" or "Doctor":<br />
{{w|Mister Spock}} (Character on Star Trek)<br />
:{{w|Doctor Spock}} (Author of book on childcare)<br />
:{{w|Doctor Octopus}}<br />
<br />
More men named Doctor:<br />
:{{w|Doctor Manhattan}}<br />
:{{w|Doctor Strangelove}} (Character based on Henry Kissinger in movie about nuclear war)<br />
:{{w|Doctor Strange}}<br />
<br />
More men with "Doctor" in their names:<br />
:{{w|Dr. No}} (Science fiction character)<br />
:{{w|The Doctor}} (Science fiction character)<br />
:{{w|Cory Doctorow}} (Real person)<br />
<br />
Men with given name Jerry and surname Lewis:<br />
:{{w|Jerry Lee Lewis}} (rock and rool star)<br />
:{{w|Jerry Lewis}} (comedian)<br />
<br />
Others with initial J:<br />
:{{w|Jenny Lewis}}<br />
:{{w|Xeni Jardin}}<br />
<br />
Persons named Chris, surnames not starting P:<br />
:{{w|Chris Evans}} (actor, Captain America in Avengers)<br />
:{{w|Chris Hemsworth}} (actor, Thor in Avengers)<br />
<br />
Persons named Chris, with last initial P:<br />
:{{w|Chris Pine}} (actor)<br />
:{{w|Chris Pratt}} (actor)<br />
<br />
Food:<br />
:{{w|Shallots}} (small onions)<br />
:{{w|Scallops}} (bivalve mollusks)<br />
:{{w|Scallions}} (green onions)<br />
<br />
Persons with first initial S:<br />
:{{w|Siouxie Sioux}} (punk rock star)<br />
:{{w|Suzanne Vega}}<br />
<br />
Persons named Arnold or Palmer:<br />
:{{w|Tom Arnold}} (ex-husband of Roseanne Barr)<br />
:{{w|Arnold Palmer}} (golfer)<br />
:{{w|Amanda Palmer}} (performer, wife of Neil Gaiman)<br />
<br />
Persons named Wes:<br />
:{{w|Wes Craven}} (horror movie director)<br />
:{{w|Wes Anderson}}<br />
<br />
Persons with first initial P and surname Anderson:<br />
:{{w|Paul Thomas Anderson}}<br />
:{{w|Poul Anderson}} (scifi author)<br />
<br />
Knights (men with title "Sir") with given name Walter:<br />
:{{w|Sir Walter Scott}}<br />
:{{w|Sir Walter Raleigh}}<br />
<br />
Men with first initial F and surname Drake:<br />
:{{w|Sir Francis Drake}}<br />
:{{w|Frank Drake}}<br />
<br />
Names that begin Van:<br />
:{{w|Van Halen}}<br />
:{{w|Van Morrison}}<br />
:{{w|Van Wilder}}<br />
<br />
Male figures with surname Van Winkle:<br />
:{{w|Robert Van Winkle}}<br />
:{{w|Rip Van Winkle}} (fictional character)<br />
<br />
Connects the "Rip"s with Natalie Imbruglia - her most famous hit was the song "Torn":<br />
:{{w|Rip Torn}}<br />
:{{w|Natalie Imbruglia}}<br />
<br />
Business that sells soaps etc. with the word "Body" in their name:<br />
:{{w|The Body Shop}}<br />
:{{w|Bath and Body Works}}<br />
<br />
Things with the word "Beyond" in their name:<br />
:{{w|Bed Bath and Beyond}}<br />
:{{w|Beyond Thunderdome}}<br />
<br />
Beyoncé<br />
:{{w|Beyoncé}}<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript}}<br />
<br />
:[A tournament bracket with the following:]<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable" style="background:transparent;border:none;width:100%;"<br />
| style="background:transparent;border:none;"|<br />
:{{w|Louis Armstrong}}<br />
:{{w|Neil Armstrong}}<br />
:{{w|Lance Armstrong}}<br />
:{{w|Stretch Armstrong}}<br />
<br />
:{{w|Jeff Gordan}}<br />
:{{w|Jeff Bridges}}<br />
<br />
:{{w|Jeff Daniels}}<br />
:{{w|Jack Daniels}}<br />
<br />
:{{w|Orson Welles}}<br />
:{{w|H.G. Wells}}<br />
<br />
:{{w|George Orwell}}<br />
:{{w|Wells Fargo}}<br />
<br />
:{{w|Kurt Russell}}<br />
:{{w|Russell Brand}}<br />
:{{w|Russell Crowe}}<br />
:{{w|Russell Simmons}}<br />
<br />
:{{w|Richard Simmons}}<br />
:{{w|Gene Simmons}}<br />
<br />
:{{w|Gene Hackman}}<br />
:{{w|Hugh Jackman}}<br />
:{{w|Alan Rickman}}<br />
<br />
:{{w|Alan Parsons}}<br />
:{{w|Alan Partridge}}<br />
<br />
:{{w|Jenny McCarthy}}<br />
:{{w|Joseph McCarthy}}<br />
:{{w|Eugene McCarthy}}<br />
:{{w|Eugene V. Debs}}<br />
<br />
:{{w|Gene Wilder}}<br />
:{{w|Olivia Wilde}}<br />
:{{w|Oscar Wilde}}<br />
<br />
:{{w|Oscar De La Renta}}<br />
:{{w|Oscar De La Hoya}}<br />
<br />
:{{w|Jack Nicklaus}}<br />
:{{w|Jack Nicholson}}<br />
<br />
:{{w|Phil Mickelson}}<br />
:{{w|Nicholas Nickelby}}<br />
<br />
:{{w|Ryan Adams}}<br />
:{{w|Bryan Adams}}<br />
<br />
:{{w|Chubby Checker}}<br />
:{{w|Fats Domino}}<br />
<br />
:{{w|Colin Firth}}<br />
:{{w|Colin Farrell}}<br />
<br />
:{{w|Will Ferrell}}<br />
:{{w|The Farrelly Brothers}}<br />
<br />
:{{w|Joseph Gordon-Levitt}}<br />
:{{w|Jennifer Love Hewitt}}<br />
<br />
:{{w|Danny Glover}}<br />
:{{w|Donald Glover}}<br />
<br />
:{{w|Donnie Wahlberg}}<br />
:{{w|Mark Wahlberg}}<br />
<br />
:{{w|Mark Ruffalo}}<br />
:{{w|Mark Shuttleworth}}<br />
<br />
| style="background:transparent;border:none;"|<br />
:{{w|Philip Pullman}}<br />
:{{w|Bill Pullman}}<br />
:{{w|Bill Paxton}}<br />
<br />
:{{w|Bill Murray}}<br />
:{{w|Dan Aykroyd}}<br />
<br />
:{{w|Ginger Rogers}}<br />
:{{w|Fred Rogers|Mister/Fred Astaire/Rogers}}<br />
<br />
:{{w|Mister Spock}}<br />
:{{w|Doctor Spock}}<br />
:{{w|Doctor Octopus}}<br />
<br />
:{{w|Doctor Manhatten}}<br />
:{{w|Doctor Strangelove}}<br />
:{{w|Doctor Strange}}<br />
<br />
:{{w|Dr. No}}<br />
:{{w|The Doctor}}<br />
:{{w|Cory Doctorow}}<br />
<br />
:{{w|Jerry Lee Lewis}}<br />
:{{w|Jerry Lewis}}<br />
<br />
:{{w|Jenny Lewis}}<br />
:{{w|Xeni Jardin}}<br />
<br />
:{{w|Chris Evans}}<br />
:{{w|Chris Hemsworth}}<br />
<br />
:{{w|Chris Pine}}<br />
:{{w|Chris Pratt}}<br />
<br />
:{{w|Shallots}}<br />
:{{w|Scallops}}<br />
:{{w|Scallions}}<br />
<br />
:{{w|Siouxie Sioux}}<br />
:{{w|Suzanne Vega}}<br />
<br />
:{{w|Tom Arnold}}<br />
:{{w|Arnold Palmer}}<br />
:{{w|Amanda Palmer}}<br />
<br />
:{{w|Wes Craven}}<br />
:{{w|Wes Anderson}}<br />
<br />
:{{w|Paul Thomas Anderson}}<br />
:{{w|Poul Anderson}}<br />
<br />
:{{w|Sir Walter Scott}}<br />
:{{w|Sir Walter Raleigh}}<br />
<br />
:{{w|Sir Francis Drake}}<br />
:{{w|Frank Drake}}<br />
<br />
:{{w|Van Halen}}<br />
:{{w|Van Morrison}}<br />
:{{w|Van Wilder}}<br />
<br />
:{{w|Robert Van Winkle}}<br />
:{{w|Rip Van Winkle}}<br />
<br />
:{{w|Rip Torn}}<br />
:{{w|Natalie Imbruglia}}<br />
<br />
:{{w|The Body Shop}}<br />
:{{w|Bath and Body Works}}<br />
<br />
:{{w|Bed Bath and Beyond}}<br />
:{{w|Beyond Thunderdome}}<br />
<br />
:{{w|Beyoncé}}<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]</div>ReginaGiraffe