Carving contest vote: Pick the best 360 pumpkin [update: cheater!]
by Ken Weeks 
{ Oct 31st 2006 at 10:00AM }
A hearty Halloween hello to all the fanboys who put their squash fruit skills to the test in our 1st Annual Xbox 360 Fanboy Pumpkin Carving Contest. Some of you obviously know how to carve pumpkins. Richard and I have narrowed down the entries to 10 finalists based on carving skill and originality, which we now present to our readership for a vote. The owner of the top Xbox-O-Lantern will receive a copy of Gears of War courtesy of RockMeTV with slightly less cool prizes for 2nd and 3rd place (XBL Unplugged Vol. 1 and UMK3 respectively). The ballot will close at midnight tonight, with any ties decided by a random drawing, so pick your favorite. This isn't Chicago, so please vote only once. We'll be plugging this post throughout the day to ensure as many participants as possible besides your Mom and friends. Pics are listed after the break in no particular order.Have a gander at the images below, and then come back up here and vote for your favorite.
Update: It has been brought to our attention that the last entry "Miktroy: Gears of War Fenix" is nothing but a photoshop fake. Our rules clearly stated that entrants must "carve an Xbox 360-related Jack O' Lantern." Since no carving was done, this pumpkin has been disqualified. Since the poll is already open, we will simply discount any votes received for this pumpkin.
Jr Mutant: Halo 3
M3mnoch: Gears of War Logo
Crimson Angelus: Gears of War Locust
fulci zombi: Gears of War Locust 2
Lochdevon: 47-O-Lantern
c2morg: Master Chief
Subnoise Rat: Gears of War Logo
THEJEDII: Oblivion
jdkay20: Dead Rising
Miktroy: Gears of War Fenix
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Duke @ Oct 31st 2006 10:21AM
I would like to point out that the bottom pumpkin is not even carved. I saved it and looked at it in Photoshop and its a fake all the way. Just take a look and you will see the tell tale signs of a photoshop job!
KineticOnline @ Oct 31st 2006 10:20AM
@ Lochdevon: 47-O-Lantern
Man that looks amazing, it has to be the winner
nowandtheworld @ Oct 31st 2006 10:28AM
hell yes the last one is a fake you can tell just by looking at it.
Chris @ Oct 31st 2006 11:11AM
yea, i gotta agree - i'm a graphic designer, and that surely is a photoshop mock-up. He even got the perspective wrong.
Ed @ Oct 31st 2006 10:31AM
Agreed entirely with #2 and #3. That is not in any way a real jack-o-lantern. It's a mediocre photoshop job.
I have my suspicions about the second pumpkin, too, but I'm fairly sure it's real. And even if it's not, it's still the best pumpkin on the page, real or fake.
YLA G @ Oct 31st 2006 10:31AM
hey.. was photoshoping permitted?
turken @ Oct 31st 2006 10:35AM
What, no "Red Ring of Death" Entries? That would make a scarier jack-o-lantern than any of the others...
And the last entry is totally photoshopped.
Lewis @ Oct 31st 2006 10:38AM
Last is a fake - look how perfect the text is. Second could be fake too.
47-o is simply amazing, it looks so 3D.
YLA G @ Oct 31st 2006 10:43AM
not only the last is fake!!
Isurus @ Oct 31st 2006 10:59AM
The 2nd is definitely NOT a fake. Check this link:
http://m3mnoch.wordpress.com/2006/10/29/punkins/
If you'd have read his blog in the past, you'd realize is a quite the artist. For example, he painted a great mural on his son's wall:
http://m3mnoch.wordpress.com/2006/01/18/busy-today/
Don't knock great art simply because you don't have the talent to do it. That being said, the last is a fake. Anyone with some photoshop skills can see it.
m3mnoch @ Oct 31st 2006 11:09AM
hey, isurus. thanks for the props, man. i appreciate it. it's surely not fake. 2 hours and a sharp kitchen knife, baby!
heh. thanks for the kind words, guys.
m3mnoch.
get over it @ Oct 31st 2006 11:12AM
i'm always amazed at the number of photoshop experts there are...
anyway, i came across the following image while looking for ideas and thought it was pretty funny
http://xxdesmusxx.net/gallery2/d/4662-1/pumpkin+fatality.jpg
Ken @ Oct 31st 2006 11:26AM
M3mnoch's is definitely real. He sent in more than one pic including one in broad daylight. Sorry that fake got by me. I disqualified some other photoshop jobs but was dead tired by the time I posted that last pumpkin.
deter1ii @ Oct 31st 2006 11:28AM
Hey, thats my Oblivion Pumpkin. Thats cool, At least I made it to the show.
Richard Mitchell @ Oct 31st 2006 11:29AM
Also,
I think the 47-o-lantern is real, but I'm digging into it just to be sure.
Geez, our first pumpkin carving contest, and we already have cheaters. Isn't it amazing?
Richard Mitchell @ Oct 31st 2006 12:05PM
Yup, the 47-O-Lantern is the real deal. Just got some photos from the artist. You can now vote with confidence :)
fulci zombi @ Oct 31st 2006 1:49PM
If mine wins I'll post a video of it getting curb stomped once it starts to rot a bit!
Miktroy @ Oct 31st 2006 3:42PM
Hey this is Miktroy, creator of the Photoshopped entry. I'd just like to apologize to everyone. I sincerely was not trying to dupe anyone. I made the mistake of skimming the contest rules and assuming that Photoshopping was allowed (based on Aeropause's last contest). I am sorry everyone. I never meant to cause all of this controversy.
fulci zombi @ Oct 31st 2006 3:40PM
PS- click my name if you want to see 'normal lighting' photos of the pumpkin.
Unless that's against the rules.
In which case, dont click my name.
or something.