The end of this year’s game of Spoons is fast approaching! Week four has been a race to the end that included the implementation of new rules, many players’ Spoons careers coming to an end, and an increased feeling of desperation for those left in the game. 

If you are not familiar with the rules of Spoons, check out an explanation featured in our first week of Spoons article. 

The first week of February introduced an even shorter window of time for a player to obtain their target’s spoon. Players now had a three-day window that started on Tuesday, January 31, and ended on Thursday, February 2. If a player did not get their target out by the end of the window, they did not make it to the fifth week. 

With a shorter time window and only the best of the best left in the game, some players have gone to great lengths to secure their spot in round 5 next week. The best example of this would be a widespread rumor about one player holding a two-hour-long stakeout in front of her target’s house so she could get his spoon when he leaves. While she was successful in stealing the spoon, how long she waited is still highly debated.

On the other hand, a handful of players have decided to gracefully bow out of the competition. The trend of “surrendering” their spoon to their predator has continued into this week due to the increased difficulty of the game. Despite almost making it to the end of the game, these players decided to let their predators make it to the next round.

Students and players are not the only ones who contribute and observe the competition. Teachers and staff have also made a direct impact on the game due to their own classroom rules. One such teacher is Mr. Barber, who teaches Piano Lab.

Mr. Barber believes Spoons is “a good community builder,” and has a “hybrid-spoon free” classroom. “My classroom is hybrid-spoon free, meaning you can not get one of your classmates out, but if someone from a different class comes in and you don’t have your spoon, I’m not going to save you!”

Mr. Barber’s approach is very different from other teachers dealing with the same situation. Mr. Stanley, an Environmental Science and Astronomy teacher, has the direct opposite rules in his classroom. In his class, you are allowed to steal your classmate’s spoon, but players not in his class that period are not permitted to enter his classroom with the intention of stealing one of his students’ spoons. 

Other teachers go even further and ban Spoons in their classrooms altogether. Teachers have the right of way when it comes to spoon-free zones, so it’s crucial that students respect the rules of particular classrooms and utilize the plethora of opportunities to get targets out outside of the classroom. However, potential issues arise when players are not aware of individual teachers’ rules and receive disciplinary actions when they didn’t realize what they did wasn’t allowed. 

This time last week there was a rough estimate of 25 people left in the game. Now it is possible that there are only 9 people left in the game. Based on that, it is confirmed that week five could be the final week of Spoons! 

Good luck to the final few who made it to the fifth week of spoons! As always, our information comes from our interviewees, personal accounts, and resident Spoons expert Jason Buczko. If you have any stories or experiences you want to share for next week’s article, email me at [email protected].