Kent has already said the voting is NOT the deciding factor. It was a guidline for him. Let's keep this fun. Who cares how the votes get in there.. It's in fun.

How do you think I feel.. I've gotten all my support from an Oiler fan on Twitter!! #Embarrasing!

Let's just keep it fun and respect the effort ALL the contributors put in.

Is this even serious at this point? We have 3 people posting as this Taylor Rocca character, who probably isn't a bad guy, despite misspelling merit and deflecting attention from the fact that he has clearly done some of this "vote fixing" himself. Nobody has a vested interest in this more than those who are in the contest. Just stop this garbage right now please.

These guys do realize that they are signing up for an upaid journalism internship right? With ongoing writing obligations?

Silly Flames fans.

I'd like to say congratulations to all the submissions and good luck!

I'd also like to thank Kent for the opportunity and for putting this all together. As overwhelmed as he was with submissions, he kept it all very organized.

Good luck all!

FML!

So Kent, since we vote for the top 3, does that mean there will be 3 new contributers? I really enjoyed this contributer search and whoever "wins" I will enjoy reading their work here at Flames Nation

I enjoyed them all, took something out of each one. Looking forward to seeing the final results.

At least one of the links doesn't work ("The Run" links me to "Putting the M...").

I nominate Jake the snake

Great articles guys! Solid work. Best of luck to all the contributors.

How long is the voting process going to be?

Holy cow 2300 votes! Turns out more people vote for the next FlamesNation contributor than the next prime minister. :)

Too funny.. What does THAT say about our political apathy??

Hmm, I wonder which ones those could be... Do we really want the person who found out how to cheat the system best to be chosen as one of the new contributors? Isn't this explicitly going against what was outlined in the original post??

To mean to point fingers, but Taylor Rocca's article seems to have gained close to 400 votes in about an hour and a half. Hmm, could it be the site is getting more popular?

Don't mean to point fingers, but Taylor Rocca's article seems to have gained close to 400 votes in about an hour and a half. Hmm, could it be the site is getting more popular?

whoa... how the heck are there so many votes!? I checked this morning and I was at about 120!

It might be too late for this suggestion, but it would be interesting to see a round table review of the various submissions by Kent, Pat, and regular contributors to FN.

As one of contributor's it would be intersting to get their input.

Just a tardy thought.

Lol.. I think someone wrote a vote generating program. #JebbBushConspiracy!

There's definitely some cheating going on here, although I'm know expert on this I suspect if they really got this much traffic their servers would have crashed but I disagree with your condemnation, (should that be a semi-colon?) journalism is a cutthroat business and this level of douchebaggery will lead to success.

Douchbags unite!

@Kent I think it's time to shut down the voting.. This is getting rediculous...

Actually.. I take that back. It's kinda funny... How high will it go???

This original post has been edited. Please refrain from getting personal

I should just throw my hat in the ring. Vintage Flames you are better than me in every way possible.

Hey guys, we don't need to pretend to be Taylor Rocca for petty insults, he's already cheated to win an unpaid internship, I think that says enough already.

Haha okay he's not in the lead anymore

Too bad about the apparent vote-fixing, I really thought these writers were all pretty classy. Ah well, I hope one of the others gets the spot now.

If I don't get it then I will boycott!!!

Aww man. I am 4th now... time to vote fix?

First off I would like to say these are all excellent entries and I would like to wish luck to you all in all your future endeavors. I do not know how this voting eruption came between myself and the three other characters with excessively high totals but I assure you that I have the utmost integrity and would not lower myself to such petty acts. I believe I am a talented writer and deserve this internship based on merrit.

Okay guys.. Let's ease off on the insulting posts. Not fair to Taylor, especially when you are posting under his name. Not cool.

Sorry I didn't catch it sooner Taylor.

And now it seems it's the commenters who can't be classy. Come on people, it is, after all, just a writing internship at the end of the day.

Good luck to all of the writers, and whoever gets the spot(s?): You earned it, because it is your Destiny.

Actually I am the real Taylor Rocca, and I have decided that as I am a god like figure you should all stop talking bad about me, and using my name under fake accounts.

@Vintage Flamers

I cheer for the Oilers pretty good too, just only slightly more as a flames fan (even more embarrassing), too bad the vote turned out this way though, I actually was doing pretty good I thought haha

That is so insulting to me to not only pretend to be me, but pretend to be an oilers fan!

@Taylor Rocca

I am Taylor Rocca, I don't know what the f*ck is going on but give it up.

"I am Spartacus"

You cheer for the Flames AND the Oilers??? now I know there is something wrong with you..

I'm Batman!!!

You give it up you imposter!

Nobody impersonates me!!!!!

C'mon guys this is getting ridiculous. I feel bad for Taylor right now I mean the poor guy has people bad-mouthing him using a fake account of him. Show some class guys, you're sounding like Canucks fans right now.

Legolas for the win. He beats batman who beats JC who beats spartacus any day of the week.