USA Todayrecently ran a contest to identify America’s favorite roadside attraction from a list of nineteen finalists. Seizing the opportunity to piggyback on someone else’s idea, Fat Finger ran a poll with the same nineteen attractions.

We expected Fat Finger's results to be different than USA Today’s because their panel is representative, and they weight responses. USA Today’s respondents, on the other hand, were presumably a subset of their readers, and their responses would be unweighted, leaving the outcome susceptible to ballot stuffing.

The results are in, and indeed USA Today's and Fat Finger's are very different. Below is Fat Finger's ranking, with the USA Today's ranking in parentheses. (Note: USA Today did not publish the placements of those that finished outside their top 10.)

So, which are the accurate results?

Certainly not USA Today's. Their winner was Lucy the Elephant. If you've ever been to Lucy, you'll know it's a depressing scene. Some portion of those slumped on benches adjacent to the attraction are folks who crapped out in Atlantic City and are trying to avoid facing up to their family vacationing in Ocean City. The rest are crying kids with melted fudge hands, whose parents won't pay the $4 to go inside.

The only reason Lucy won USA Today’s contest is because of her proximity to NYC and Philly. None of the eighteen other finalists has anywhere near the 22m people within a 2-hour drive that Lucy does, and with local newscasters pumping viewers to support local entrants, USA Today contest was the mother of rigged elections. 

USA Today's rankings are wrong, but are Fat Finger's accurate?

Their metholdogy is sound, and the raw results show the overall favorites to be consistently among the favorites across all demographics, giving extra confidence in the Fat Finger results.

But we have reservations. Fat Finger's #4 ranked Paul Bunyan is a dud. Panelists may have confused it with the very cool Paul Bunyan statue in the movie Fargo, which was made as a prop for the movie, and torn down after. 

Fargo Paul Bunyan, Brainerd, MN: Has ax, will travel.

The actual attraction Paul pales in comparison.

Attraction Paul Bunyan, Bemidji, MN: Ax-less chap, possibly papier-mâché.

Then there is Wall Drug, in Wall, South Dakota, #5 in Fat Finger's rankings. I recommend a trip to South Dakota: Mt Rushmore, Badlands National Park, Crazy Horse Memorial, and decommissioned nuclear missile silos, all great attactions within an hour of Rapid City. 

Decommissioned Minuteman Missile, Wall, SD: Slim Pickens not shown.

On the other hand, just outside the Badlands, sits Wall Drug:

Wall Drug, Wall, SD: A convenience store attached to a McDonald's PlayPlace

The nail in the coffin of Fat Finger's results, is the that the three best attractions, in this expert's opinion, finished as the bottom three of Fat Finger's rankings: 

"Seven Magic Mountains," Henderson, NV. 17th: Built by occupants of nearby Area 51.

Wheat Jesus, Colby, KS. 18th: To paraphrase actual Jesus, the second to last should be first

Prada, Marfa, Valentine, TX. 19th: If there is anything Americans hate, it's a store that isn't open