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Draft leaderboard

The show has run 68 movie drafts since July 2020, and 51 of them have a result.

Winners are determined by the audience via polls on Twitter / X. If there was no poll, there’s no winner.

A board captioned “who won?” with free-text replies is not a poll. The other 17 are counted as entered but not as decided.

Win % is wins divided by the drafts a host entered that have a result, so an unresolved draft never counts against anyone.

Avg. share is the host’s mean share of the vote across the polls they appeared in, whether or not they won.

Expand a host for the receipts.

HostWinsWith a resultWin %Avg. share
Sean Fennessey ▾
205139.2%32.4%
Chris Ryan ▾
195137.3%34.2%
Amanda Dobbins ▾
95018%27.8%

Everyone who has drafted

Every drafter, ranked by drafts entered.

Win % is left blank below 5 drafts with a result, where a rate would say more about the sample than the drafter.

DrafterDraftsWith a resultWinsWin %Avg. share
Sean Fennessey68512039.2%32.4%
Chris Ryan68511937.3%34.2%
Amanda Dobbins6750918%27.8%
Van Lathan84016.3%
Mallory Rubin62015.8%
Joanna Robinson52120.7%
Bill Simmons42126.4%
Rob Mahoney42019.6%
Griffin Newman31152.4%
David Sims31016.4%
Tracy Letts32016.2%
Adam Nayman100
Alex Ross Perry11012%
Katie Rich100
Quentin Tarantino110
Roger Avary110
Shea Serrano1107.7%
Zach Baron11027.8%

Closest calls

  1. 01The Oscar Winners 2000s Movie Draft — Sean by 0.2 pts of 3,498 votes
  2. 02The 1993 Movie Draft — Sean by 0.4 pts of 4,187 votes
  3. 03The Paul Thomas Anderson Characters Movie Draft — Chris by 0.6 pts of 2,005 votes
  4. 04The Brad Pitt and George Clooney Movie Draft — Amanda by 1.3 pts of 1,668 votes
  5. 05The 2018 Movie Draft — Chris by 1.6 pts of 6,460 votes
  6. 06The 2016 Movie Draft — Sean by 1.8 pts of 5,038 votes
  7. 07The 1999 Movie Draft — Joanna by 2.1 pts of 5,944 votes
  8. 08The 2017 Movie Draft — Sean by 2.9 pts of 5,314 votes
  9. 09The 2019 Movie Draft — Amanda by 3.1 pts of 11,847 votes
  10. 10The Denzel Washington Movie Draft — Bill by 3.6 pts of 3,389 votes

Turnout

Median votes per poll by year, drafts and poll-era auctions together. A 2020 win and a 2026 win are not the same size of mandate.

20203,477 · 6 polls
20214,687 · 13 polls
20226,303 · 13 polls
20238,366 · 9 polls
20243,804 · 7 polls
20252,259 · 6 polls
2026754 · 3 polls

Auction leaderboard

Twice a year since April 2021 the hosts hold a movie auction: three bidders, $1,000 each, exactly five films apiece, every one of them not yet released, sold to the highest bidder. 12 auctions so far.

Because the films haven’t opened, a poll can only measure hype, and the show has changed how a winner is decided. Through 2023 the audience poll decided it, as with a draft. In 2024 the show introduced pass/fail triggers that qualified a board without ranking it, and no winner was ever declared. From 2025 the year is one season, scored by the hosts’ own points tally the following January — box office, Metacritic and Oscar tiers — and it counts once here, so the two 2025 auctions share one result.

8 of the 12 auction nights have a result under those rules. Win % and Avg. share follow the draft definitions; “with a result” counts competitions, not nights.

HostWinsWith a resultWin %Avg. share
Sean Fennessey ▾
3742.9%37.2%
Amanda Dobbins ▾
2728.6%30.8%
Chris Ryan ▾
2728.6%32%

Canonical movies

The films each host has actually championed — drafted, inducted, ranked, bought — scored by those picks, then re-ordered by how often they bring the film up.

Conversation can re-rank the canon; it can never create it. Expand a film for its receipts.

Sean Fennessey’s canon

  1. 01Jaws (1975)24.6 · 8 picks
  2. 02The Departed (2006)21.3 · 7 picks
  3. 03Goodfellas (1990)20.6 · 6 picks
  4. 04Boogie Nights (1997)19.9 · 6 picks
  5. 05Jurassic Park (1993)17.4 · 5 picks
  6. 06The Shining (1980)17.1 · 6 picks
  7. 07Magnolia (1999)16.8 · 5 picks
  8. 08Uncut Gems (2019)16.2 · 5 picks
  9. 09The Godfather (1972)16.0 · 5 picks
  10. 10Toy Story (1995)16.0 · 5 picks
  11. 11Before Sunset (2004)15.7 · 5 picks
  12. 12Dazed and Confused (1993)15.7 · 5 picks
  13. 13Alien (1979)14.9 · 4 picks
  14. 14The Master (2012)contested14.0 · 5 picks
  15. 15Heat (1995)13.9 · 4 picks
  16. 16There Will Be Blood (2007)13.7 · 4 picks
  17. 17Lincoln (2012)13.3 · 4 picks
  18. 18Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)13.1 · 4 picks
  19. 19Eyes Wide Shut (1999)contested13.0 · 4 picks
  20. 20Mission: Impossible (1996)13.0 · 5 picks
  21. 21Babylon (2022)contested13.0 · 4 picks
  22. 22The Godfather Part II (1974)12.9 · 4 picks
  23. 23The Dark Knight (2008)12.9 · 4 picks
  24. 24The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)12.6 · 4 picks
  25. 25Finding Nemo (2003)contested12.5 · 4 picks

Amanda Dobbins’s canon

  1. 01Good Will Hunting (1997)23.4 · 7 picks
  2. 02The Talented Mr. Ripley22.0 · 8 picks
  3. 03Something's Gotta Give (2003)21.8 · 8 picks
  4. 04Titanic (1997)evangelist21.0 · 6 picks
  5. 05The Departed (2006)18.9 · 6 picks
  6. 06Ocean's Twelve (2004)18.5 · 7 picks
  7. 07Ocean's Eleven (2001)18.4 · 6 picks
  8. 08Arrival (2016)17.7 · 6 picks
  9. 09Phantom Thread (2017)16.3 · 5 picks
  10. 10Malcolm X (1992)16.2 · 5 picks
  11. 11The Town (2010)16.1 · 5 picks
  12. 12The Martian (2015)15.5 · 5 picks
  13. 13Skyfall (2012)evangelist15.5 · 6 picks
  14. 14Mission: Impossible (1996)15.0 · 5 picks
  15. 15Michael Clayton (2007)14.6 · 4 picks
  16. 16Moneyball (2011)evangelist14.5 · 5 picks
  17. 17The Godfather Part II (1974)14.0 · 4 picks
  18. 18Frances Ha (2012)13.7 · 5 picks
  19. 19Father of the Bride (1991)13.6 · 4 picks
  20. 20Magnolia (1999)13.6 · 4 picks
  21. 21A League of Their Own (1992)13.5 · 5 picks
  22. 22Parasite (2019)evangelist13.5 · 4 picks
  23. 23Lady Bird (2017)evangelist13.5 · 4 picks
  24. 24The Social Network (2010)13.2 · 4 picks
  25. 25Blade Runner (1982)13.1 · 4 picks

Shared canon

The Departed (2006) · Magnolia (1999) · Mission: Impossible (1996) · The Godfather Part II (1974)

Contested

In one host’s top 25 and never once picked by the other.

Sean, not Amanda: The Master (2012) · Eyes Wide Shut (1999) · Babylon (2022) · Finding Nemo (2003)

The auction ledger

Every auction, every purchase, every price. Three bidders, $1,000 each, five films apiece.

Portfolios flagged “unrepaired” still break that rule in our transcript read and are shown as heard.

The 2021 Movie Auction · April 16, 2021 · won by Sean

Amanda Dobbins · $1,000

Chris Ryan · $275 (725 unspent) · 4 prices not heard

The 2022 Movie Auction · January 21, 2022 · won by Chris

Chris Ryan · $935 (65 unspent) · 1 price not heard

The 2025 Movie Auction · January 20, 2025 · won by Sean (2025 season) · contestedmatches the posted slate

The 2026 Movie Auction · January 14, 2026 · hype poll favored Sean; season not yet scoredunrepaired

Sean Fennessey · $1,076

  • The Odyssey$926
  • The Adventures of Cliff Booth$76
  • Jack of Spades$50
  • The Chronicles of Narnia: The Magician's Nephew$18
  • Dredd$5
  • Toy Story 5$1

Amanda Dobbins · $1,000

Chris Ryan · $245 (755 unspent)

The 2026 Returns Movie Auction · July 2, 2026unrepaired

Amanda Dobbins · $1,110

  • Behemoth$715
  • Wild Horse 9$110
  • Other Mommy$100
  • Minotaur$88
  • La Bola Negra$87
  • Here Comes the Flood$10

Sean Fennessey · $520 (480 unspent)

Chris Ryan · $516 (484 unspent)

Dating advice

What the hosts tell listeners who write in about their love lives — 6 questions answered across 777 mailbag segments, distilled to the rules that keep coming up.

Every rule carries the tape.

Shared bedrooms, separate interests

You are not looking for a carbon copy of your Letterboxd. Some overlap helps; a person who will actually go see a movie with you is plenty. The rest of their life can be their own. — both

“You can have shared bedrooms, separate interests.”

both · The 900th-Episode Mega-Voicemailbag! · April 21, 2026 ▶ 1:30:20Asked: Zeke, 27, newly open to a long-term relationship, asks Amanda what factors to look for and whether shared film taste matters.

They have to make you laugh

Sean's test beats any taste test. If you have to intellectualize why it works, it probably doesn't; if life is falling in together, that's the sign. — both

“But more importantly than anything, this is something I always think about, is the person has to be able to make you laugh.”

both · The 900th-Episode Mega-Voicemailbag! · April 21, 2026 ▶ 1:32:07Asked: Continuation of Zeke's question about what to look for in a partner and whether shared movie taste matters.

“your life is sort of falling in together”

Sean Fennessey · The "Ask Sean Anything" Mailbag. Plus: The Amazing Life of a Character Actor, with Patrick Fischler. · August 11, 2026 ▶ 38:57Asked: Simon asks how to know you've found someone to love and pursue as a partner, and how Sean knew with his wife.

Asking is the romantic part

Skip the gimmick and the public spectacle. Proposing is already the grand gesture; do it privately and meaningfully, then go to the movies afterward. — Amanda Dobbins

“One of the most romantic things you can do is ask someone to marry you.”

Amanda Dobbins · The "Anything But Oscars" Mailbag! Plus: ‘Hoppers’ · March 9, 2026 ▶ 1:48:20Asked: Dustin bought an engagement ring and asks whether to work their shared love of cinema into a proposal at TIFF.

Not every great movie is a date movie

The hosts have watched relationships end over At First Sight, The Wrestler and Margaret. When a partner who isn't a movie person is visiting, program for them, not for you. — Amanda Dobbins

“I don't recommend screening any of those films for your partner and their visit.”

Amanda Dobbins · 500th Episode Call-In Spectacular! · September 9, 2022 ▶ 46:48Asked: Logan's non-movie-person partner is visiting from Canada; he plans to show them films and asks for the hosts' first-date movie stories.

When rom-coms are the common ground, go deep

Amanda's slept-on canon for couples: Two Weeks Notice, The Cutting Edge, The American President, Dave, Morning Glory, Enough Said, Set It Up, Long Shot, and the series Starstruck. — Amanda Dobbins

“I think Morning Glory is slept on.”

Amanda Dobbins · The 900th-Episode Mega-Voicemailbag! · April 21, 2026 ▶ 57:02Asked: Ben wants five under-appreciated rom-coms to keep sharing movies with his girlfriend, since rom-coms are their common ground.

“Like Starstruck is probably the best romantic comedy that's been made in the last 10 years.”

Amanda Dobbins · The 900th-Episode Mega-Voicemailbag! · April 21, 2026 ▶ 1:00:50Asked: Continuation of Ben's request for under-seen rom-coms to share with his girlfriend; Amanda's list and rom-com discussion.

Your taste is your profile

When a newly single listener asked the show to find her a date, Amanda vetted her picks and Sean green-flagged her taste before a word about anything else. The mailbag ran a dating service exactly once. — both

“This is just like a one-time service that I'm working through, but make the emails good.”

both · One Mailbag After Another, and the Updated PTA Movie Rankings · September 29, 2025 ▶ 1:13:39Asked: Newly single Sharon asks hosts to help find an NYC listener to buy her spare live-show ticket and be her date.

Go deeper

Movie Draftsevery board, with winners

Halls of Fameevery inductee list

Movie Auctionsportfolios and reckonings

Top 5s & 10sranked lists per host

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