The Best Pop Culture Jerks Bracket: Cartman Beat Larry David by One Vote

What would a showdown of pop culture jerks be without one truly jerk move in the Final Four? Early in that round’s vote, it became clear that Shooter McGavin would rout fellow 1-seed Biff Tannen, but on the other side of the bracket, Larry David was deadlocked with the 5-seed who could, Eric Cartman. For hours, the adversaries were split roughly 50-50, but after carefully tallying the votes and diligently following our special election recount protocol, we are stunned to announce that Cartman—freaking Cartman!—edged his way into the Jerks Bracket final … by one vote.

By a final count of 6,541 votes to 6,540, the South Park resident took down the legendary creator of Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Larry narrowly defeated Cartman on X and Instagram, but it was ultimately the poll results on our website that pushed the Comedy Central icon to victory. I’d venture to guess that there has never been a slimmer margin of victory in the history of Ringer pop culture brackets.

Welcome to Jerks Week

There’s nothing quite like a character you love to hate. Ladies and gentlemen, it’s Jerks Week at The Ringer. Vote for your favorite ones in the Best Pop Culture Jerks Bracket, and check back throughout the week for a selection of stories on one of the most underrated archetypes.

Don’t get me wrong: Cartman is no slouch, but there have been some incredibly jerky contestants in this tournament—tricksters Loki and Ferris Bueller were two of my early favorites to win it all. Finding a way to get one extra vote against one of the greatest comedians of all time—someone who many considered a lock for the final after taking out George Costanza, his own creation—may be the jerkiest move so far. Admittedly, I was daydreaming about the shouting match that jerk Hall of Famer Shooter and Larry could have had on the green in the championship—but the end result may be even more intriguing.

Here’s how Shooter and Cartman took down their rivals to reach this pivotal point:

Cartman’s ability to edge out his competition is the real story of this contest. The jerks left in Cartman’s wake—Roman Roy, Gob Bluth, Derek Huff, and Marnie Michaels—ultimately felt like light work. They’re all solid jerks in their own unique ways, but Cartman consistently ran through his challengers. Still, you had to think Larry was the favorite heading into the semis. He humiliated the likes of Dr. Perry Cox and Johnny Lawrence—classic jerks in their own right—but Cartman is simply unstoppable right now. Defeating Larry David is the closest Cartman came to losing, but that narrow triumph is less about the fact that Cartman was in danger and more about just how powerful he’s become.

On the other side of the bracket, Biff Tannen easily dispatched elite contenders such as Ferris Bueller and Kenny Powers, but in the end, Tannen didn’t have enough juice to send Shooter packing. No matter how hard Biff fought—no matter how many times he called Shooter a “butthead”—he was no match for the golf pro. Now, Shooter’s true test arrives. Sure, he can sink the putt—and if he were going up against Larry, the final would have felt like a closer call—but at this point, is this just Cartman’s game to lose?

Still, we have to give some credit to Shooter. The man more than held his own against his competitors—Caillou in the first round, followed by everyone from Bill Lumbergh to the freaking Iceman. And these are serious victories—he had 11,000 more votes than Caillou, took out the Iceman by more than 9,000 votes, and had upward of 5,000 more votes than Biff in the semifinal. It certainly wouldn’t be fair to say he was facing weak jerks. But Cartman took out two of the biggest pricks in HBO history—Larry and Roman.

Let’s just call this what it is: Shooter McGavin is the underdog going into the final. Shooter and Cartman haven’t had a problem bringing in the numbers up to this point, but Cartman’s run is far more spectacular. Shooter may be an all-timer when it comes to being a jerk, but Cartman, just some punk kid in a parka, could end up being his greatest foe.

Maybe this is how the final was always meant to be: the veteran jerk attempting to take on the young gun in training. Does Cartman have what it takes to outclass his elder? That answer is up to you.

Voting on the championship round is officially open. Remember: You can place votes here, on X, and on Instagram until 6 p.m. ET.