# Episode 156. Thrilla in Sternilla hype: Zach vs. Keith

**Source:** Pinball Profile  
**Type:** podcast_episode  
**Published:** 2018-09-25  
**Duration:** 22m 21s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.pinballprofile.com/episode-156-thrilla-in-sternilla-hype-zach-vs-keith/

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## Analysis

Jeff Teolis hosts a live pre-match hype episode for the "Thrilla in Sternilla," a charity head-to-head pinball competition between elite players Keith Elwin and Zach Sharp on Deadpool Premium, streaming live on Deadflip. The event benefits Project Pinball and Path of Play charities, with a playful banter between the competitors about their rivalry, Zach's recent finger injury, their experience on the game, and upcoming Pinball Expo events. Jack Danger (Deadflip host) discusses the stream format and competitive structure.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] 67 Deadpool launch parties have been held, breaking the previous record of 63 for Iron Maiden — _Zach Sharp discussing Deadpool launch party numbers with Jeff Teolis_
- [HIGH] Keith Elwin won Pinberg this year and recently won Cleveland Pins show — _Jeff Teolis references Keith's recent tournament wins; Keith confirms_
- [HIGH] Zach Sharp has recently become a father (son named Benson) — _Jeff Teolis offers congratulations to Zach; Zach confirms happiness about it_
- [HIGH] Keith plays Deadpool at Stern approximately a couple times per week for the past three months — _Keith Elwin directly states this when asked about his experience with Deadpool since joining Stern_
- [HIGH] Zach and Keith have met in Chicago Pinball Expo finals three out of the last five years, with Zach winning once and Keith winning twice — _Zach Sharp provides specific record of their head-to-head matchups at the expo_
- [HIGH] Zach Sharp is Vice President of IFPA — _Jeff Teolis references Zach's role when discussing IFPA statistics_
- [HIGH] The original event was delayed one week due to Zach's finger injury ("Pinky Gate") — _Jeff Teolis references the delay; Zach clarifies it was an index finger, not a pinky_
- [HIGH] Both Zach Sharp and Keith Elwin now work at Stern Pinball — _Multiple references throughout to them being in 'the office' together and Jack mentioning 'when I was poking around in the back room where I shouldn't be'_
- [HIGH] Chicago Pinball Expo is happening September 17-20 and will be a Stern Pro Circuit event — _Zach Sharp provides date and details about expo; mentions factory tour availability_
- [HIGH] The match format is called 'DEADPOOL' (similar to 'HORSE' in basketball), with each player proposing objectives to complete — _Jack Danger explains the competitive format in detail_

### Notable Quotes

> "The one thing everyone wants to see is the best players in the world beat the crap out of each other in pinball. And this is the best way to make this happen."
> — **Jack Danger**, early in episode
> _Describes the appeal and purpose of the competitive event format_

> "Zach's career is over. He had a kid. It's over."
> — **Keith Elwin**, mid-episode
> _Playful competitive banter about Zach becoming a father affecting tournament availability_

> "He spit in my lunch the other day, yeah. I left my food in the microwave, and he just spit in it. I saw him."
> — **Keith Elwin**, mid-episode
> _Humorous description of office tension between competitors_

> "The best way to get him is early in the morning when he isn't warmed up."
> — **Keith Elwin (referenced)**, mid-episode
> _Competitive insight Keith has previously shared about vulnerability timing_

> "Everything's going well with Benson? Oh, it's awesome. Good. No, we're very happy."
> — **Zach Sharp**, mid-episode
> _Confirms satisfaction with recent fatherhood_

> "I tried to get Iron Maiden. Zach cried foul, so we're playing on neutral ground."
> — **Keith Elwin**, late-episode
> _Reveals negotiation about game selection and mutual agreement on Deadpool as compromise_

> "My style doesn't support, you know, run and gun, which you need to do for this format. So it's going to be interesting."
> — **Keith Elwin**, late-episode
> _Keith acknowledges the head-to-head format plays to different strengths than his usual style_

> "I'm going to invite Josh over here so he can trash talk while he's trying to concentrate."
> — **Keith Elwin**, mid-episode
> _References using Josh Sharp (Zach's brother) as psychological tactic_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Jeff Teolis | person | Host of Pinball Profile podcast; moderates the live hype episode |
| Jack Danger | person | Host of Deadflip streaming channel; organizing the broadcast of the Thrilla in Sternilla match |
| Zach Sharp | person | Elite competitive pinball player; Vice President of IFPA; employee at Stern Pinball; recently became a father (son Benson); competing in charity match against Keith Elwin |
| Keith Elwin | person | Elite competitive pinball player; recently won Pinberg and Cleveland Pins show; employee at Stern Pinball; competing in charity match against Zach Sharp |
| Deadflip | organization | Pinball streaming platform/channel hosted by Jack Danger; broadcasting the Thrilla in Sternilla event |
| Stern Pinball | company | Major pinball manufacturer; employer of both Zach Sharp and Keith Elwin; Deadpool game will be used in the match |
| Deadpool Premium | product | Stern Pinball game; recently launched with record 67 launch parties; will be used for the Thrilla in Sternilla head-to-head match |
| Thrilla in Sternilla | event | Charity head-to-head pinball match between Keith Elwin and Zach Sharp on Deadpool Premium; benefiting Project Pinball and Path of Play charities; streaming on Deadflip September 26 |
| Project Pinball | organization | Charity beneficiary of the Thrilla in Sternilla event; accepts donations via projectpinball.rallyup.com |
| Path of Play | organization | Charity beneficiary of the Thrilla in Sternilla event |
| Chicago Pinball Expo | event | Major pinball industry event September 17-20; Stern Pro Circuit event; features factory tours and head-to-head bracket competition; where Zach and Keith have frequently met in finals |
| Iron Maiden | product | Stern Pinball game released in 2018; previous record holder with 63 launch parties; considered by Keith as alternative game for match but rejected by mutual agreement |
| Josh Sharp | person | Zach's brother; competitive pinball player; Keith joked about inviting him to trash talk during the match |
| George Gomez | person | Stern Pinball designer; discussed Iron Maiden development; mentioned by Jeff in context of game testing |
| IFPA | organization | International Federation of Pinball Players; Zach Sharp serves as Vice President; maintains competitive rankings and statistics |
| Bowen | person | Competitive pinball player; mentioned as finalist against Zach in recent head-to-head challenge in Chicago |
| Pinball Profile | organization | Podcast and media outlet hosting this live episode; has Facebook group and website at pinballprofile.com |
| Papa Pinball | platform | YouTube channel streaming this live episode; has live chat with community members like Dr. Curlytech |
| Mike Primo | person | Producer helping with production; mentioned as assisting from Toronto |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Competitive head-to-head pinball match (Thrilla in Sternilla), Elite player rivalry and interpersonal dynamics between Zach Sharp and Keith Elwin, Deadpool Premium game performance and launch success, Charity fundraising for Project Pinball and Path of Play, Live streaming and content creation in pinball (Deadflip platform)
- **Secondary:** Chicago Pinball Expo upcoming event and Stern Pro Circuit, Stern Pinball workplace culture and employee competition, Tournament formats and competitive strategy differences

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.82) — Enthusiastic, playful tone throughout. Friendly competitive banter between players and hosts. Genuine excitement about the event, stream quality, and charity component. Some mock tension between competitors adds entertainment value but remains good-natured. Community engagement and support is evident.

### Signals

- **[community_signal]** Deadflip streaming platform and Jack Danger hosting increasingly prominent role in pinball competitive spectacle and content creation; leveraging live-stream format to elevate player competition and charitable component (confidence: high) — Jack Danger describes bringing 'cameras,' multi-angle setup with playfield cameras, player reactions, timers for legitimacy; Jeff references 'watching you on nightly basis every weeknight' on Deadflip
- **[competitive_signal]** Head-to-head competitive format (DEADPOOL scoring system) is emerging as new tournament format; requires different strategic approach ('run and gun' style) distinct from traditional pinball competition; Keith notes this format may not suit his usual play style (confidence: medium) — Jack Danger explains the format; Keith expresses concerns about fit with his playing style; Jeff notes it's an intensive, urgent format with less trapping
- **[event_signal]** Thrilla in Sternilla charity head-to-head match officially scheduled for September 26 on Deadflip, featuring elite players Keith Elwin vs. Zach Sharp on Deadpool Premium with donations to Project Pinball and Path of Play (confidence: high) — Direct confirmation from Jack Danger, Jeff Teolis, and both players; link provided at projectpinball.rallyup.com; format and game selection detailed
- **[market_signal]** Chicago Pinball Expo (Sept 17-20) remains central hub for Stern and industry; designated as Stern Pro Circuit event; features factory tours and competitive bracket with significant attendance; positioned as continuity with historical pinball infrastructure (confidence: high) — Zach Sharp emphasizes expo's historical importance to his tournament career (started 20+ years ago in youth division); notes it's 'the original expo'; plans for factory tours and Pro Circuit bracket confirmed
- **[personnel_signal]** Both Zach Sharp (IFPA VP) and Keith Elwin are now employed at Stern Pinball, creating internal office dynamics and friendly competition; they work in same location and interact regularly (confidence: high) — Multiple references to them being 'in the office,' Keith mentioning he 'spit in Zach's lunch,' physical office setting during interview with visible tension/playfulness
- **[personnel_signal]** Zach Sharp recently transitioned to fatherhood (son Benson born recently), potentially affecting tournament participation frequency and availability; referenced as possible factor in competitive standing (confidence: high) — Keith jokes 'Zach's career is over. He had a kid. It's over.'; Jeff offers congratulations; Zach confirms 'everything's going well with Benson'; acknowledged as legitimate life change impacting competition
- **[announcement]** Deadpool Premium has completed major launch phase with record-breaking 67 launch parties (surpassing Iron Maiden's previous record of 63), indicating strong market reception and distributor engagement (confidence: high) — Zach Sharp confirms '67 launch parties, all the launch parties... still ongoing'; Jeff Teolis references this as beating Iron Maiden's 63 launch parties record for Stern

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## Transcript

 it's time for another pinball profile i'm your host jeff teolis you can find our group on facebook we're also on twitter at pinball profile emails pinball profile at gmail.com Please subscribe on either iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Don't forget to check out our website, pinballprofile.com. This is a special edition. We are live on YouTube on Papa Pinball. Thank you very much for joining us today. We've got a special treat, a pregame hype. A fight is going to be happening tomorrow, a match of some sort. We all love great matches. You think of some of the legends, you know, Muhammad Ali. You think of Rocky Marciano. You think of Mike Tyson, Jerry Springer, all great fights that we enjoy. It's happening tomorrow on Deadflip. and we're going to bring on the host of Deadflip right now. Jack Danger joins us from Chicago. Hello, Jack. How are you? Hey, buddy. How'd you get this number? What's going on, man? Magic, magic. We're excited about this big thriller in Sternilla tomorrow. It's going to be happening. You're bringing it together on Deadflip. How did this all start? Just really, I think it was like an internal thing on Zach and Keith's end that they just wanted to do something big for some of these charities, and they picked their respective charities, and we're just going to duke it out. And the one thing everyone wants to see is the best players in the world beat the crap out of each other in pinball. And this is the best way to make this happen. They're going to have a little head-to-head action. And I believe there is a link for people to also donate to the prize pool as well so that we can get that up there as far as that dollar amount is concerned. But, yeah, they hollered at me when I was poking around in the back room where I shouldn't be. And they're like, let's do this charity thing. And I'm like, I'll bring some cameras. I want to see you guys fight. Yeah, go to projectpinball.rallyup.com and you'll find out about the Thrilla at Sternella, the live charity battle that's happening tomorrow, Wednesday, September 26. This is a dream match, too, if you think about it. Two former number ones, two of the greatest players of all time in Zach Sharp and Keith Elwin. This is going to be unique. And maybe you can tell us a little bit about the format we're going to be seeing tomorrow on Deadflip. Yeah, totally. So we're going to be playing on Deadpool premiums, I believe. And what we're going to do is the head-to-head format where you're going to see both players' playfields on either side of the screen. And then up the middle, you're obviously going to see their screens and then, you know, a player cam for reaction. And they're going to be going through different objectives on how to beat each other. It's going to be sort of like playing horse. Zach's going to be like, I want to play, you know, first to finish a mode. And if he wins and Zach doesn't, Zach gets a D. We're playing Deadpool, not horse. So it's going to be a pretty long stream. Some of these objectives go pretty quick, but Deadpool is a long word compared to horse. So it's going to be fun. We're going to have timers on screen to make sure everything's legit. And then at the end of it, you know, the winner doesn't get punched in the arm and then money goes to a good cause. Yeah, you're right. The money is going to be donated to charity, the winner's choice, too. So we're looking forward to that. I wonder what kind of prep these two have had. I mean, we'll get to the contestants very, very soon, but I'm just kind of curious if they're looking for the other person's weakness. I would personally just watch the stream of when you were on because you've played the longest game of Deadpool I've seen anywhere on a stream. I got yelled at to stop playing. They're like, you're done. Stop it. Shut it down. Hopefully, you know, they're mean mugging each other in the office and, you know, throwing stuff, leaving nasty notes. But all in good fun, all for a good cause. But, you know, Zach is recovering from an awful pinky injury. So, you know, we'll see what happens. We shall see indeed. Jack, we'll look forward to tomorrow. And to find out more about Jack Danger, you can go to Deadflip. You can also check out the latest copy of this. We've got this brand-new magazine here. It is Pinball Magazine No. 5. And where is he? Right there. You can see Jack right there. On the cover. On the cover of the magazine. And there's a centerfold of me in here somewhere. I might have noticed Wayne Nevins and Annette Johnson and Scott Denisey. But, yeah, yeah, you're on there too, Jack. Like, it's great. Thanks, Jeff. I appreciate it. All right. Hey, good luck tomorrow. We'll be watching Dead Flip again. The time, the location, tell us where. You can find that at twitch.tv forward slash dead underscore flip on Twitch. And the time I wrote down somewhere, it's on that thing. I literally have, I can't remember. What time is it? Is it like four? Is it like seven? It's probably four o'clock. Okay. Oh, my God. You know what? Here's what we're going to do. You're going to, Zach knows the answer to this. The girl will be set up. Don't worry about it. We'll figure it out. Jack, best of luck to you. And Deadflip, always great to talk to you, buddy. All right, brother. Thank you, man. Well, now we go to the contestants. And, you know, Jack mentioned some of the delays that got us here. This was actually supposed to be a fight last week. But there was this little thing called Pinky Gate. Let's bring on the contestants right now. We go live to Stern Headquarters. Zach Sharp and Keith Elwin. Hello, boys. How are you? Tired. Right? Now, I'm just judging by looking at you. There's some uncomfortable laughs there. I'm seeing maybe some big concerns about everything on the line tomorrow. We'll start with you, Zach. We talked about pinky gate. Was this a pre-excuse? Was it a stall tactic? Some people have played with a torn meniscus and a sword through their arm and still fought through it. What is this about pinky gate with you? I don know what you talking about It was an index finger not pinky Okay And that makes a big difference My fingers are fine It go time Keith it took an extra week Yes Do you have a feeling that maybe he went and talked to Tanio? Maybe, hey, can you give me a secret code or something? What have you heard? Yeah, I caught them doing that. I caught them doing that. I knew there was something there. Keith, I've watched Zach. I've seen him number one. I've seen you number one. I think of this year and I saw you at Pinberg on the stage winning it all. It was such a fantastic run that you had this year. Zach's been there a few years ago, also a Pinbird champ. I wonder if this is a way of somebody who's the director of marketing to maybe try to squeeze in that current limelight. Do you get a sense of that at all, Keith? Zach's career is over. He had a kid. It's over. That is a good point. Congratulations, Zach. Yes, young Benson, congrats to the Sharp family. That is obviously a big deal, and you'll probably play less tournaments. But Zach, Keith's the guy who's semi-retired, and he's just back to number two again. And one Pinberg just won the Cleveland Pins show, so he doesn't use excuses like young families or anything like that. What's your excuse? I'm related to Josh, maybe? I don't know. I'm going to have to go with that for sure, actually. I was wondering, Keith, tomorrow maybe if you see Zach ahead, are you going to play sound effects of a baby crying, and maybe he'll be thinking, oh, it's Benson or Josh, and get him off his game? I'm going to invite Josh over here so he can trash talk while he's trying to concentrate. Okay. You know, it is going to be a lot of fun tomorrow, the Thrilla in Sternilla. And what's with the glasses? Do I have to put on my shades too here? What are those tints there? I'm not hiding bags under my eyes. For all the people betting out there, you want to bet behind this horse. I've often wondered why you're doing this match. Keith, you can beat anyone. Why don't you pick on someone your own size? You know, Zach's not a fallen star by any means, not a child star. I don't want to put that out there, but, you know, this is a guy who's obviously trying to reclaim whatever was once there. You know, you got a job at Stern shortly after Zach got a job at Stern. I'm seeing a pattern here. Yeah, well, I got to show him his boss. That being said, what is it like in the office since this has been announced? Has there been some tension there at Stern between the two of you? Have there been, like, just subtle glances, yeah? Hey, what's up? What's up? He spit in my lunch the other day, yeah. I left my food in the microwave, and he just spit in it. I saw him. Dr. Curlytech's watching live on Papa Pinball right now on YouTube, and he's saying, Keith, you're rocking in your chair, you're playing with the balls there, and you're reminding people of Kingpin. There's nothing that can get under your skin on this. It's a normal day in the office. It's what I do. Well, we're trying to get some insight in here. Is there a side bet between the two of you for what happens maybe to the winner or to the loser? Does the loser have to shave his beard or something like that? No beards will be harmed. From the stream. But we won't be able to dye our beards for a month. What about this? Should Zach win? What about maybe babysitting for a few weekends? Keith, would you be up for that? Should you lose? Jeff, I think we lost him. We're going to go back to Jackie standing by. So we're going to fill some gap time and hopefully the boys can come back. Okay? Sorry about that. Thanks. Mike Primo helping us also here in Toronto, too. We appreciate all the production. Jack's back. Hello, Jack. Hey, welcome back, me. Do you get a sense that maybe Zach doesn't want Keith to talk and maybe being in management at Stern, maybe he cut off his Internet? Is that possible? I'm guessing there was something that wasn't agreeing with Zach and he just sort of flipped the switch, if you will. Yeah. I also like that Zach's wearing sunglasses to sort of hide the fact that his eyeballs are vibrating in fear. Wait, there he is. Somebody cut my Internet. Could it be Keith? Oh, see, we thought it was the other way around. You're saying you're fine, and Keith's back. Keith, can you hear us? Keith is still frozen. This may be reversed. He's still frozen. What have you done, Zach? The fight is tomorrow. He is using Zach's phone. I have nothing to say. What is with the Gary bobblehead? I've got one of those, too, but I'm in Canada, so I have different bobbleheads, like former Mayor Rob Ford of Toronto with a donut, or the current Prime Minister of Canada, Geddy Lee of Rush. That means nothing for anyone on the audio, but we're trying to get Keith back. Okay, Zach, we're looking forward to tomorrow's game. We're going to be seeing Deadpool Premium. That's a game we just saw a lot of the launch parties. There were so many of them, in fact. I think 67, I think you said there was a record beating, funny enough, Keith Owens, 63 that were done for Iron Maiden. Two great games from Stern here in 2018. What are some of the feedback you're getting from some of the collectors and some of the distributors from Deadpool? I mean, it's been all positive. I mean, you said it, 67 launch parties, all the launch parties. I mean, they're still ongoing. I know some people who purchased the LE models. They're doing their launch parties. Oh, look who we have here. Somebody's crappy phone crashed. Somebody's crappy phone crashed. We might see the fight right now. Keith just walked in. They're swinging on each other. I could do everything for him, so I'm going to have to actually connect him back. Wow. Are you guys playing split flip or two tomorrow or what? Maybe. You know, that would be good. Jack, if you're listening, get them to do one game of split flipper, and then you can award points on who blew it. Ah. What's the tougher flipper? There should be a lot of side puts. There should be. Anyway. Make it happen. That's why I've got this pre-fight hype. I know it's not a fight, but for drama purposes, we're calling it a fight. It's a match. And, again, we talked about the great charities involved. Please go to projectpinball Check out the Thrilla and Cernilla if you like to donate for tomorrow live stream too You know Zach while I got you on if we watch what Keith did at Pinberg this year that game he had where he rolled Harlem Globetrotters, sealed the deal, and won in Pinberg. And I think of you in a major. And Harlem Globetrotters was a game that might have been a factor in one of your finishes. Your brother reminded me of that, by the way. I'll never escape me one. but at least you're not showing that footage, so thank you. No, we're not. We're going to show a winner's footage here. This is from this year. Oh, that was a subtle jab. Anyway, no, Zach, Harlem Globetrotters, that's a game that I know you love, I know Keith loves. It's pretty much universally loved by most players and collectors too. What he put on there was just majestic, really, just great flipper skills. Is it a game now, because of your past experience, you look forward to to almost get revenge, or is it a game that you still can't help but think of what happened a few years ago? Oh, no, I love it. I mean, there was a time in the circuit final, I don't know if you remember, even though Keith ultimately won that circuit final, there was a game of Harlem Globetrotters with extra balls where I rolled it four times and I beat him on it. So if you just want to go from a head-to-head Harlem battle, then look no further than that. It's funny you should mention head-to-head. And as we look at IFPA, which you're still the vice president of, as we look at some of the stats, most everybody that's looking right now is looking at you and their match against you, looking against Keith. And most people are in the red when it comes to you too. Keith has the slight edge on you, but Keith might've had a little kink in the armor, as they say, because this past couple of weekends ago, he was in Cleveland. Yes, he won the main event, but for the first time in my career, and I've played Keith a bunch of times, for the first time ever, a lot of us were ahead of Keith in the classics. I don't care that Keith might have only played seven out of a possible hundred games. The point is he let a bunch of us who had never beaten Keith have a free win against Keith. Is that a flaw in Keith's game that you might be able to exploit somehow? I don't know. It depends on which type of Keith shows up. Is it going to be disinterested Keith? Bored Keith? I've got a chance. Everyone's got a chance. You have a chance. Or is it invested? Dangerous Keith. I've heard Keith say this before and he said this at the circuit finals in Chicago back in March. He said the best way to get him is early in the morning when he isn't warmed up. You're doing an afternoon match. You weren't really thinking about that, were you? I don't know. Have you ever seen Papa Zach play? Who knows what time it is? It could be afternoon, morning, late. I don't know what time it is right now. Everything's going well with Benson? Oh, it's awesome. Good. No, we're very happy. Now, are you going to let Keith talk, or is this just all the Zach show? You know what? Are you logged back down? Yeah. Oh, somebody's back. What? Hey. Hi, I'm Keith Owen, and I'll be kicking Zach Sharp's butt all the way across the factory floor. Jack Owen. All right. Yeah, no, we're going to try to get Keith out. Jack, you can stay on, too. I think we've been the Zach attack. We've got it. Although, one last question for you, Zach, and it's not related to tomorrow. It's about what's coming up in a few weeks, and it's a very, very exciting time in Chicago. The Pinball Expo will be returning the 17th to the 20th, and a lot of people are going to flock there, thousands in fact, and some of us have never been there before. It's obviously very important for companies like Stern Pinball, this whole expo. You're going to have a factory tour as well. Tell us about why people should go to the Pinball Expo and what it really means for Stern Pinball. I mean, it is kind of the original expo. I mean, you go back to even my tournament upbringing. I mean, that's where Josh and I started competing was at Chicago Pinball Expo Youth Division over 20 years ago. And they still have that picture on their website. And they still have that picture on their website, which is pretty awesome. That's like when they give away teddy bears. But no, I mean, you get to have the factory tour here at Expo and we'll have a whole bunch of games on hand. It's a Stern Pro Circuit event. So, you know, make sure you get in the nice line before the sunlight hits that wall of games. And it'll be a giant head-to-head bracket. Not that it's a precedence of previous results, but, you know, Keith and I have met in the finals, I think, three out of the last five years. And I've won once and he's won twice. So we'll see what happens this year. Okay, wow. This tension, this buildup here, tomorrow is almost like a precursor to this. So thank you very much, Zach. We'll let Keith talk for a second. if you'll be kind enough to let him. There he is. Hi, Keith. How are you? Okay. What office are you in now? Not mine. This isn't my office. Are you in the cafeteria? Where are you? They're in the lobby. We're in front of a desk in front of each other. Was there any talk at all about trying to switch the game to maybe play Iron Maiden? Are you comfortable on Deadpool? Yes, yes. I tried to get Iron Maiden. Zach cried foul, so we're playing on neutral ground. Now, neutral ground, though, I did recall hearing George Gomez talk about that. Now that you're there, you might as well utilize yourself, Tim Sexton, Zach Sharp as well, all these great players that now work for Stern. When that game was being developed, you guys also helped test it with that, too. So you're familiar with Deadpool anyway. No, the trick is on any match is say you don't know what you're doing. What do you mean? That gives your competitor a false sense of confidence. So as far as Zach knows, I've never even played this game. I know nothing. I trying to think is there a game that you haven played Or maybe there ones you haven played in years and years but have you ever come across a game in your last two three years of competition where you like I don think I ever played that Not very often but it does happen It does? Usually they obscure motor shows and games that weren't released in this country. But Deadpool, I mean, let's be honest. How often have you played it since you've been there at Stern? I'm imagining a few times. Yeah, a couple times a week for the past three months. Wow. That's great. We're looking online. If anyone wants to shout out, you can do that on Papa Pinball on YouTube. We've got Zach. I can hear him in the background. Keith's with us right now. I know Jack Danger's still online too. The Thriller from Sternilla. I like the concept of this, and I hope you guys do more of this because it's very, very unique. I love what Jack does with the streams. When a game is launched, so many people are viewing and glued to see these great designs. We saw it with Iron Maiden. We saw it recently with Deadpool, and I know we'll be seeing it soon again with Stern. I like that now we've taken it to another level, the different launches of the Pro, the Premium, and we're going to see the Premium again tomorrow. I like this added twist, and we didn't see this with Iron Maiden, probably because no one wanted to play you, but I like that we've got two of the best players ever going at it, and I hope we can see more of this. You must like it. Yeah. Any chance to defend my stern crown? If Zach wants to play me on Kiss, we'll play Kiss. There's kind of an internal competition here with the arcade games. So if Zach wants to play out a challenge, let's go. I like that. Now, Keith, I don't remember. I know Zach won the head-to-head challenge. The one that just happened in Chicago. You remember it was he and, I think, Bowen in the finals. And so he's got some experience in the head-to-head format. Is that a format you've played before? I think there's only been a couple. I don't know if you've played in it. No, you haven't. I have not. It's definitely different because my style doesn't support, you know, run and gun, which you need to do for this format. So it's going to be interesting. I'm not worried. I've got to tell you, I'd only played it once before, and it was at the Stern Pro Circuit, and I was thinking, I don't know if this is my style as well. I don't know if I'm going to enjoy it. Once I played it, I was hooked. It is different than we play normally, but it's fun. It's intense, and someone like you and Zach, you're not going to be watching each other, looking on the other person's game to see where they're at. You're just going to be focused on your thing. The sense of urgency is certainly different. There's a little less trapping going on and kind of more playing on the fly. There might be some good kicks in his direction, but no. I'm not going to watch. You've got the height advantage, too. His short little legs aren't even going to reach you, let's be honest. Wow. Wow. We want to know. He's sitting right here. Went over his head, like most things. Nothing goes over his head. Dr. Curly Tech wants to know, will there be a referee tomorrow? Maybe the Tim Rant may be doing the stripy black and white. Oh, man. Do I need a referee uniform? I'll get right on it. Jack, you're great at doing the dead flip streams, obviously. And I think we certainly watch you on a nightly basis every weeknight. But, I mean, that Deadpool costume, you rocked that. Batman 66, let's talk about that. Are you available for parties? Oh, man. If you can buy me the costumes, I'm all over it. Because I return those things the second I use them. Sorry to the next person. Yo, they take them back, so give me my money. We'll move on to the next one. One item not to donate to kids. Yeah. Hey, Keith, I know this from Josh Sharpe. Maybe Zach's into it, too. I know Josh is really big on watching the TV show Big Brother, and they always have these challenges, too. You like it, too, Zach? Okay, he's nodding. You like it? Oh, yeah. You know, when they have a head-to-head competition, they have people do something if they lose. And a lot of times maybe it's slop for a week or the famous unitard. Can we maybe do that for even a second on the Thriller from Sternella? Some sort of, no? I have an assortment of one of these I can bring if you want. There's got to be something. Some walk of shame. They've never been washed, so that's even worse. We have a certain threshold of charity donation. All this kidding aside, that is what this is about too. This is a great promo piece for Stern Pinball, a great chance to show Deadpool Premium, two of the greatest players in the world, playing this wonderful game, the Thrilla at Sternilla. I hope there is more of this. I really appreciate Deadflip and Jack Danger bringing this tomorrow. We will watch the stream. And again, with the charities like Project Pinball and Path of Play, it's going to be a great event. So thank you very much, Jack, for doing this. Thank you, Zach. Thank you, Keith. I hope you guys have a good night's sleep. I don't know what kind of tactics you guys are going to have, maybe like 4 a.m. phone calls to wait. people off or whatever. I love it. I'm bringing a baby monitor to the tournament. Oh, perfect. It's great to talk to both of you as well as Jack Danger. All the best. We're going to sign off now and thank you very much for watching. Thank you, Jack, as we promote the Stern Thrilla from Sternilla. It's going to be a lot of fun with Keith Elwin. Zach Sharp tomorrow on Deadflip. We appreciate Mike Primo putting this together. our fine producer. Thank you very much, Mike. That is it for me. We will do this again, and thank you for watching Papa Pinball live on YouTube. This has been your Pinball Profile Live. You can find our group on Facebook. We're also on Twitter, at Pinball Profile. Email us, pinballprofile at gmail.com. Please subscribe on either iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. And check out pinballprofile.com. I'm Jeff Tills.

_(Acquisition: groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 40c4ba63-aa7d-4f8a-99d4-2a34b23d2e5d*