One of the largest cash prizes in Vancouver radio history has just been awarded, but the Z95 contest win has not been without some controversy.
Z95.3’s latest ZFX jackpot was awarded to Paige on Monday, Nov. 24, after she correctly guessed that the sound in the long-running contest was “the laundry detergent spout popping back after dispensing.”
However, keen listeners claimed that the $100,000 prize money should be awarded to another ZFX player who guessed something very similar just a few days before.
“Wow. Someone guessed that before, but didn’t win. Weird,” said one person on Z95’s social media announcement.
Several listeners pointed out that Alanna guessed “pushing the button on the laundry detergent dispenser where the liquid comes out.”
“Alanna from Nov. 20 at 4 p.m. also said pushing the button,” said an online commenter.
“You have to push the button for it to pop out! She said, pushing the button on the laundry detergent dispenser where the liquid comes out. It doesn’t just pop out on its own. You have to push the button first.”
Z95
Daily Hive reached out to Z95 for comment, and director of programming Zach Bedford confirmed that the $100,000 prize was awarded in full compliance with the published ZFX Contest Rules & Regulations.
“As stated in the rules, all decisions of the Contest Organizers are final and binding, and each guess is evaluated against a pre-recorded reference of the sound,” said Bedford.
Bedford stated that the guess, “the laundry detergent spout popping back after dispensing,” is the release of the laundry detergent dispenser mechanism and the action that actually creates the “bonk” sound heard in the contest audio.
“The earlier guess you referenced from Alanna, ‘Pushing the button on the laundry detergent dispenser where the liquid comes out / taking the measuring cup off the laundry detergent,’ describes different actions that do not produce the specific sound used in ZFX.”
The latest ZFX contest had been running since early September.
Daniel Chai/Daily Hive
Listeners of the Z95 contest were not so convinced that they were different.
“You have to push the button in order for it to pop up,” read a comment on Instagram. “Those two things cannot happen independently; they are one and the same. Alanna should’ve won.”
“Really disappointing,” said another person.
“Genuinely hope Alanna sues for this one, this is just ridiculous,” posted another follower.
“The only reason Paige won is because she didn’t read the previous guesses, no one who did homework would guess the laundry dispenser pressing the button because it was already guessed. It’s the same thing.”
New Africa/Shutterstock
Not all listeners felt the same, though, with others insisting that the guesses provided by Alanna and Paige were not the same.
“Totally disagree,” said one person. “The noise isn’t pressing the button. The noise is releasing the button.
“This was our guess, too. Heard Alanna guess and knew she was close, but her guess was not correct.”
Bedford added that while both guesses involved the same general object, a detergent dispenser, Alanna’s guess did not correctly identify the sound-making action that was recorded and locked in as the official ZFX sound.
“In past campaigns, ZFX has had a tape measure retracting, which sounds different from pulling out a tape measure,” Bedford said. “Similarly, one of the sounds was picking up a shopping basket, which sounds different from putting one back in the pile.
“As outlined in our rules, the Contest Organizers have the discretion to determine whether a guess correctly identifies the sound. In this case, Alanna’s guess was reviewed and ruled incorrect at the time it was made. Paige’s later guess accurately described the precise action that generated the sound and was therefore declared the winning guess in accordance with the rules.”
Bedford also thanked listeners for their passion for the contest, and added that he understood that big prizes naturally generate a lot of discussion.
“Our priority is to run ZFX fairly and consistently for all participants, and to follow the Contest Rules & Regulations as written.”
Do you feel that Alanna’s ZFX guess should have won the $100,000 jackpot? Do you think that her guess was not close enough, and Paige is the rightful winner of the Z95 contest? Have a listen to the sound and let us know in the comments.