This year’s senior class’s game of Spoons has come to an end! With a winner shining through after five rounds of hard gameplay, let’s review what occurred in the last week of Cherokee High School’s 2023 game of Spoons. 

Going into the final week, the rules were very different from the previous weeks of Spoons this year. This week, none of the nine players that remained received targets. This eliminates the rule that a predator can only get their target’s spoon, making the game a free-for-all. The goal of the last week was to get as many people out as possible before the time window ended. Players were given a two-day time window, and whoever stole the most spoons would win the game. If it ended in a tie, the window would extend to a third day to ensure that only one person won the game.

By the end of the time window on February 7, two players were tied for first place. Each player had two “kills” for the fifth round by 11:57 PM, but just a minute later, Paige Jackson eliminated her third person and won the game. Jackson is rumored to have ended the game with ten total eliminations. 

When the game first began, Jackson had “decided to play for fun simply because my friends were doing it. I am a competitive person, but never did I think I would actually win.” She went on to add, “It was a super fun game in the beginning but by the last week it got pretty stressful so I’m relieved it’s over.”

The last five weeks were long for all players that made it past the 4th round, and Jackson was no exception. As the number of players dwindled down, Jackson’s strategies began to shift to ensure she made it as far as possible.

“In the beginning, I thought the most important thing was not telling people who my target was so they had no chance of finding out I had them. But, as weeks went on I realized how helpful my friends could be. By the last week, I was asking all my friends about classes they had with my targets in order to find out any information.”

Of course, the last five weeks were not all smooth sailing for Jackson. There were many close calls for her in the fourth week because “one of my close friends had me as their target. I had to avoid them during the week which was tough because she knew my normal schedule.”

“My best piece of advice would be to not trust anyone. So many people lie about who they have so it’s hard to trust even your closest friends.”

Along with ending with a winner, the final week was full of other exciting gameplay. One of these events includes a teacher telling two players to play rock paper scissors to determine who gets to steal the other player’s spoon. One came out victorious while the other wasted four weeks of hard work. This proves that anything can happen while playing the game of spoons.

Congratulations to Paige Jackson for emerging victorious amongst approximately 280 other players, and congratulations to the other eight players who made it to the final round! These players risked friendships, waited hours to get their targets, and successfully avoided their predators to make it as far as possible, and their peers recognize their hard work. Look out Cherokee, the Class of 2024 is up next year!