Crime Junkie wins the 2021 Ultimate Podcast Bracket

We have a new champion! Crime Junkie is the Ultimate Podcast in 2021.

In our closest championship final ever, Crime Junkie has ended Binge Mode‘s reign as the Ultimate Podcast.

Binge Mode won the title in each of the first two years of our Ultimate Podcast Bracket, defeating Crime Junkie in the inaugural final in 2019. Two years later, Crime Junkie just edged Binge Mode with 52.03 percent of the vote.

More than 113,000 votes were cast in the championship round, and the winning margin was less than 5,000 votes.

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You can listen to Crime Junkie at their website here.

In the third-place match, Pod Save America beat The Bill Simmons Podcast with 67 percent of the vote. You can see a larger version of the bracket here.

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The Ultimate Podcast Bracket 2021: Vote in the championship round!

We’re down to the final two. Vote to determine the best podcast of 2021!

It all comes down to this.

Seeking a historic three-peat in the Ultimate Podcast Bracket, Binge Mode has cruised through the right side of the bracket, winning with at least 70 percent of the vote in each of the last three rounds.

The champs will face off against Crime Junkie once again, which is a repeat of the 2019 final. In that matchup two years ago, Binge Mode won with 59.5 percent of the vote, and more than 130,000 votes were cast in total.

Come back to vote each day for your favorite podcasts. The voting period for the championship round will open on Friday, and run until 9:00 a.m. ET on Saturday. The champion will be crowned in a post on Saturday.

You can see a larger version of the bracket here. Go vote!

CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND:

No. 1 Crime Junkie vs. No. 1 Binge Mode

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3RD PLACE MATCH

No. 1 The Bill Simmons Podcast vs. No. 2 Pod Save America

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The Ultimate Podcast Bracket 2021: Vote in the Final Four!

Vote to determine the best podcast of 2021. We’re down to the Final Four!

We’re down the the Final Four. Two-time defending champion Binge Mode takes on 2-seed Pod Save America in the right half of the bracket, while top seeds Crime Junkie and The Bill Simmons Podcast duel in the left half.

For 2021, the For The Win staff selected the biggest, best and most beloved podcasts from multiple genres, from sports to news to crime, and seeded them based on a variety of factors, from longevity to audience size.

Come back to vote each day for your favorite podcasts. The voting period for the second round will open on Thursday, and run until 9:00 a.m. ET on Friday. The winners will advance to the championship round, and new polls will be opened.

You can see a larger version of the bracket here. Go vote!

SEMIFINAL #1:

No. 1 Crime Junkie vs. No. 1 The Bill Simmons Podcast

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SEMIFINAL#2:

No. 1 Binge Mode vs. No. 2 Pod Save America

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The Ultimate Podcast Bracket 2021: Vote in the Elite Eight!

Vote to determine the best podcast of 2021. We’re down to the Elite Eight.

We’re down the the Elite Eight. Our four No. 1 seeds breezed into the Ultimate Podcast bracket quarterfinals – but there was a surprise result in the Sports region, where 3-seed Men In Blazers took down 2-seed and 2020 finalist The Pat McAfee Show.

For 2021, the For The Win staff selected the biggest, best and most beloved podcasts from multiple genres, from sports to news to crime, and seeded them based on a variety of factors, from longevity to audience size.

Come back to vote each day for your favorite podcasts. The voting period for the second round will open on Wednesday, and run until 9:00 a.m. ET on Thursday. The winners will advance to the Final Four, and new polls will be opened.

You can see a larger version of the bracket here. Go vote!

True Crime region

No. 1 Crime Junkie vs. No. 3 My Favorite Murder

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Sports region

No. 1 The Bill Simmons Podcast vs. No. 3 Men In Blazers

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Culture/Comedy region

No. 1 Binge Mode vs. No. 2 Stuff You Should Know

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News/Science region

No. 1 The Daily vs. No. 2 Pod Save America

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The Ultimate Podcast Bracket 2021: Vote in the Sweet 16!

Vote to determine the top podcast of the year.

All four No. 1 seeds in our Ultimate Podcast Bracket are still alive, but there were a couple notable upsets in the first round. In the True Crime region, 7-seed Up And Vanished toppled 2-seed Your Own Backyard, and could be a tough out for the rest of the crime pods as the tournament progresses.

For 2021, the For The Win staff selected the biggest, best and most beloved podcasts from multiple genres, from sports to news to crime, and seeded them based on a variety of factors, from longevity to audience size.

Come back to vote each day for your favorite podcasts. The voting period for the second round will open on Tuesday, and run until 9:00 a.m. ET on Wednesday. The winners will advance to the Elite Eight, and new polls will be opened.

You can see a larger version of the bracket here. Go vote!

True Crime region

No. 1 Crime Junkie vs. No. 4 Anatomy of Murder

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No. 3 My Favorite Murder vs. No. 7 Up And Vanished

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Sports region

No. 1 Bill Simmons Podcast vs. No. 4 Talk Is Jericho

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No. 3 Men In Blazers vs. No. 2 The Pat McAfee Show

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Culture/Comedy region

No. 1 Binge Mode vs. No. 4 You’re Wrong About

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No. 3 This American Life vs. No. 2 Stuff You Should Know

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News/Science region

No. 1 The Daily vs. No. 5 Today, Explained

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No. 3 Planet Money vs. No. 2 Pod Save America

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The Ultimate Podcast Bracket 2021: Vote for your favorite podcasts!

Vote to determine the best podcast of the year. Can Binge Mode complete the three-peat?

It’s time for the third annual FTW Ultimate Podcast Bracket. For 2021, the For The Win staff selected 32 of the biggest, best and most beloved podcasts from multiple genres, from sports to news to crime, and seeded them based on a variety of factors, from longevity to audience size.

Come back to vote each day for your favorite podcasts. The voting period for the first round will open on Monday, and run until 9:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday. The winners will advance to the Sweet 16, and new polls will be opened.

Binge Mode enters the 2021 tournament as a two-time defending champion, but 2020 finalist The Pat McAfee Show is back as a No. 2 seed in the Sports region. Could this be the year a True Crime podcast takes the crown? You can see a larger version of the bracket here. Go vote!

True Crime region

No. 1 Crime Junkie vs. No. 8 The Opportunist

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No. 4 Anatomy of Murder vs. No. 5 Dr. Death

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No. 3 My Favorite Murder vs. No. 6 Criminal

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No. 2 Your Own Backyard vs. No. 7 Up And Vanished

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Sports region

No. 1 Bill Simmons Podcast vs. No. 8 Spinsters

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No. 4 Talk is Jericho vs. No. 5 Takeline

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No. 3 Men In Blazers vs. No. 6 Shutdown Fullcast

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No. 2 The Pat McAfee Show vs. No. 7 Jalen & Jacoby

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Culture/Comedy region

No. 1 Binge Mode vs. No. 8 Higher Learning

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No. 4 You’re Wrong About vs. No. 5 Still Processing

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No. 3 This American Life vs. No. 6 The Breakfast Club

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No. 2 Stuff You Should Know vs. No. 7 Office Ladies

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News/Science region

No. 1 The Daily vs. No. 8 The Argument

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No. 4 Chapo Trap House vs. No. 5 Today, Explained

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No. 3 Planet Money vs. No. 6 Waveform: The MKBHD Podcast

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No. 2 Pod Save America vs. No. 7 Hidden Brain

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Ultimate Podcast Bracket 2020: Vote for your favorite podcast

We have 32 podcasts squaring off in a March Madness-style bracket. Vote for your favorites!

The FTW Ultimate Podcast Bracket is back for its second annual iteration. It’s time for some Pod Wars.

Last year, Binge Mode made a major run from the 4-seed, upsetting big names on the way to a title win over Crime Junkie in the final. We’ve rewarded Binge Mode’s excellence last year by bumping them up one spot, to binge ma 3-seed. Why? We like when they’ve got something to prove. Also we forgot them when doing the first two seeds, and I was too lazy to go back and change it.

When it comes to seeding, we’ve used the scientific “glancing at the Apple Podcast charts and then also just putting in stuff we like” method. If we left off your podcast, don’t be too offended. I left off my own podcast. See? I hate myself as much as I hate you.

The polls will close at 10 a.m. ET the following day, and new matchups will be posted at 10:30-ish. If I’m late, just chill. Give me some time. Updating these Illustrator files can be a bear, and it’s a whole thing, and this is a made-up podcast bracket.

OK! Now vote!

True Crime Region

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Sports Region

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Culture / Comedy Region

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News / Politics Region

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