The Ultimate Flavor Tournament is designed to determine the best Turkey Hill ice cream flavor as determined by your votes. Each week we’ll narrow down the field until just one flavor is left standing. We’ll also choose 10 comments at random from all the comments left during the six week showdown and each commenter will receive a one month supply of Turkey Hill ice cream and we’ll choose one lucky comment to receive a ONE YEAR supply of ice cream.

This is it. The last big fight before the final showdown. We started with 32 flavors and now, only four remain. Which two will move on the final round? We asked Ernie that question, and here’s what he had to say about this week’s match-ups:

MATCH-UP #1 – Vanilla Bean vs. Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup
“It’s a rematch of last year’s final showdown! Vanilla won that battle, but there are a lot of Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup fans out there who have been waiting patiently for rematch, and now they have it. Vanilla actually looked somewhat vulnerable during last week’s battle against Dutch Chocolate, so this match-up should be close.”

MATCH-UP #2 – Tastykake Peanut Butter Kandy Kake vs. Light Recipe Moose Tracks
“Here’s the exciting thing: One of these two flavors will be advancing to the final round. No one would have predicted at the beginning of this tournament that either one of these guys would have made it this far, but they did! I’m going to predict a narrow win – probably the narrowest of the entire tournament so far – by Moose Tracks in this one, but I know a lot of Tastykake fans who might disagree.”

In the two-and-a-half years that the Ice Cream Journal has been around, we’ve received almost 20,000 comments from our readers. That’s a lot of comments. You may wonder if it’s even possible for us to read all of those comments, but we do. In fact, many of us in the Turkey Hill offices read the comments and take great delight in hearing from so many fellow ice cream fans. We giggle at some of the funnier ones and pass around some of the most inspirational ones.

We’ll probably comb through those 20,000 comments at some point soon and compile our all time 10 favorite comments. That won’t be easy at all! Speaking of comments, here’s one that was left on our recent entry about seagulls who steal ice cream cones. It has to be one of the funniest comments ever left on the Ice Cream Journal!

MEGHAN S. WRITES:

I must admit, my first reaction was to laugh. Laugh at the man’s horrified expression at the audacity of the birds…but then I had to stifle my giggles and think how I would feel if that happened to me. Truth be told, I did have a similar experience. And this is a little graphic, and a little gross but please don’t judge because it is just a tribute to how much I love my ice cream.

To set the scene, I am sitting on a picnic table bench in the hot August sun at my family’s usual vacation place at the beach. My Dad just treated us all to ice cream for an after lunch treat and I was first in line and first to sit because my family knows my love for ice cream. As I am just about to take my first bite, a white and brown swirled liquid drops from the sky and land in my ice cream bowl. Yes, it was bird poop. I was horrified!! And you may be horrified by this…I scooped the bird poop out of my ice cream, and a small layer underneath and threw it away, then got a new spoon and ate the rest of the ice cream! I wasn’t going to let my ice cream go to waste!!

Now THAT’S a love of ice cream! We’re not sure how many people would have made such a difficult decision, but we applaud Meghan’s quick thinking. (A poll around the office reveals only a few who would have done the same thing.) Thank you for your very entertaining comment, Meghan. And thank you to everyone who leaves comments here on the Ice Cream Journal!

Everyone loves games, right? Especially when you can win free ice cream (or, in this case, a free ice cream cake). To help spread the word about Turkey Hill’s new ice cream cakes, we’ve created a new game on our website involving an ice cream cake (of course) and 75 candles.

The object is simple: Blow out all 75 candles before they melt. But even if you don’t extinguish the flames in time, after each game you can enter to win a free 8-inch Turkey Hill ice cream cake. We’ll give away one cake every week to one person chosen at random, so feel free to play as often as you’d like.

Also, our ice cream cakes are available in several new locations, including Giant Food Stores, Waldbaums, A&P, Superfresh, and Pathmark, with Acme stores soon to be added. We’ll also be adding an ice cream cake locator to our store locator soon!

The Ultimate Flavor Tournament is designed to determine the best Turkey Hill ice cream flavor as determined by your votes. Each week we’ll narrow down the field until just one flavor is left standing. We’ll also choose 10 comments at random from all the comments left during the six week showdown and each commenter will receive a one month supply of Turkey Hill ice cream and we’ll choose one lucky comment to receive a ONE YEAR supply of ice cream.

We’ve reached the halfway mark of this year’s Ultimate Flavor Tournament and just eight of the original 32 flavors remain. As expected, some flavors have shown their dominance in the early rounds to make it to the Edible Eight (Vanilla Bean and Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup appear headed to another finals showdown), but a few flavors – like Caramel Cone Chaos and Junior Mint – have surprised everyone by beating some tough competition to make it this far.

Once again, we turn to the Ice Cream Professor himself, our very own Ernie, for an analysis of this week’s four heavyweight match-ups.

MATCH-UP #1 – Dynamic Duos Caramel Cone Chaos vs. Tastykake Peanut Butter Kandy Kake
“Look out everyone, DD Triple C means business! No one would have predicted the Caramel Wonder would have made it this far in the tournament, but here he is and Kandy Kake is going to have a real fight on its hands. This one will be close.”

MATCH-UP #2 – Vanilla Bean vs. Dutch Chocolate
“Talk about a classic showdown! These two faced off early in the tournament last year and vanilla won 1,108 votes to 823 votes. But Dutch Chocolate has been training hard in the off-season and is more than ready for a rematch. I think this might be Chocolate’s year!”

MATCH-UP #3 – Limited Edition Junior Mint vs. Light Recipe Moose Tracks
“Moose Tracks is the last Light Recipe flavor standing in the tournament and, to be honest, I think they’ll win this round and advance to the Frosty Four. But don’t rule out a last minute comeback by Junior Mint. That’s one flavor that doesn’t like to lose!”

MATCH-UP #4 – Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup vs. All Natural Mint Chocolate Chip
“So far in the tournament, both of these flavors have won their match-ups by considerable margins. That means we’re in for a fight, which means I’m going to stay out of this one and let the chips (and cups) fall where they may.”

There’s nothing like a nice stroll on the boardwalk on breezy summer day. The waves crashing against the shore. Kids playing in the sand. How ‘bout an ice cream cone to sweeten the memory? Double fudge with sprinkles? No problem!

Now we’re back on the boardwalk, cone in hand, just soaking up the sun and – HEY! THAT SEAGULL JUST STOLE MY ICE CREAM!!

Laugh all you want, but that’s exactly what happened to the people in the series of photos on this website. Actually, you can’t help but laugh when you see these photos. Those birds know a good thing when they see it! But I’ll bet none of the people in these photos were laughing when their treat was nabbed right out of their hand by a flying ice cream thief!

Someone here on the Turkey Hill Team – who shall remain anonymous to avoid further playful taunting by co-workers – has elected to give up ice cream for the annual 40 day and 40 night marathon of temptation known as Lent.

We don’t know about you, but if you work in an ice cream factory, giving up ice cream for a month-and-a-half can be, well, extremely difficult. Especially when you enjoy at least four bowls a week like this person does. (Voting in the Ultimate Flavor Tournament was pure torture for them.)

It’s also not easy when the Turkey Hill employee break room has a chest freezer full of free ice cream, including many of the newest flavors (some of which haven’t even been released yet). Yes, the next 25 days – or 2,160,000 seconds according to this person – aren’t going to be easy at all. Good luck brave soul. We’ll eat an extra bowl of Moose Tracks for you at lunch!

The Ultimate Flavor Tournament is designed to determine the best Turkey Hill ice cream flavor as determined by your votes. Each week we’ll narrow down the field until just one flavor is left standing. We’ll also choose 10 comments at random from all the comments left during the six week showdown and each commenter will receive a one month supply of Turkey Hill ice cream and we’ll choose one lucky comment to receive a ONE YEAR supply of ice cream.

Round one of the Ultimate Flavor Tournament is in the books and after more than 40,000 votes, the 32 starting flavors have been narrowed down to the Sweet Sixteen. There were definitely some close battles last week, but there were also some blow outs, as in the case of Vanilla Bean easily defeating its Cookies n’ Cream challenger by a 2-to-1 margin.

To break down the action, we turned to our own Einstein of Ice Cream, Ernie, for his opinion on this week’s match-ups.

MATCH-UP #1 – All Natural Mint Chocolate Chip vs. Root Beer Duetto
“Mint Chocolate Chip is probably the most overlooked performer in this contest. It’s a really popular flavor and I expect it to put up a fight deep into this tournament. Look for a win for Mint in this match-up and another great battle next week.”

MATCH-UP #2 – Light Recipe Extreme Cookies n Cream vs. Dynamic Duos Caramel Cone Chaos
“Caramel Cone Chaos is the youngest flavor remaining in the tournament, but I don’t think Triple C has the experience necessary to take down the “Extreme Dream” in this round.”

MATCH-UP #3 – Vanilla Bean vs. Raspberry Duetto
“Okay, I just feel sorry for Raspberry Duetto this week. I mean, it fought hard in the first round and beat Cherry Duetto. Cherry! That’s not an easy flavor to beat. And then it has to face the reigning Ultimate Flavor Tournament champ in round two? That’s harsh.”

MATCH-UP #4 – Peppermint Stick vs, Limited Edition Junior Mint
“It’s the battle of the mints! I’m actually stumped on this one. It could go either way. I’ll flip a coin. And the winner is…wait, where’d my coin go? Oh well, may the best mint win!”

MATCH-UP #5 – Light Recipe Moose Tracks vs. Limited Edition Gertrude Hawk Box of Chocolates
“The Moose is loose and it’s not going to let a box of chocolates get in its way! (Even one as delicious as Gertrude Hawk’s.) I predict we’ll be following this set of tracks deep into this tournament.”

MATCH-UP #6 – Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup vs. Eagles Touchdown Sundae
“Okay, now we’re separating the contenders from the pretenders. These are two powerhouse flavors with something to prove and nothing to lose. Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup finished second in last year’s tournament. Could we see an early round upset by the Eagles? Maybe.”

MATCH-UP #7 – Dutch Chocolate vs. Light Recipe Banana Split
“Author Michael Levine once wrote, ‘Chemically speaking, chocolate really is the world’s perfect food.’ What Michael meant to say was, Dutch Chocolate will win this match-up easily.”

MATCH-UP #8 – Tastykake Peanut Butter Kandy Kake vs. Orange Cream Swirl Frozen Yogurt
“Both of these flavors are a lot fun, so I know that no matter who wins, we’ll have some excitement in the next round. The only question is, how long can a frozen yogurt flavor compete in a tournament dominated by ice cream heavyweights?”

A couple announcements in this post. First of all, welcome to all of our new readers who have visited us over the past week to vote in our second annual Ultimate Flavor Tournament. The tournament is shaping up well and we’re so happy to see so many new voices in the comments here on the Ice Cream Journal. Keep the comments coming!

Also, those of you down South will be happy to hear that we’ve recently inked a deal with Bi Lo grocery stores to carry Turkey Hill ice cream in their locations throughout North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia. Our friends at Bi Lo should start stocking Turkey Hill products very soon, so keep an eye out for them!

Finally, how ’bout this beautiful spring weather we’ve been having lately? The sun has been shining here in Lancaster County, and even though it’s been chilly on a few days, you can definitely tell that spring is in the air!

It’s true that food stylists – those who arranged and photograph food for those tempting photos you see in ads and in restaurants – sometimes create ingenious concoctions to stand in for the real thing under the hot lights of the studio.

Mashed potatoes are sometimes substituted for ice cream. So are recipes involving shortening and confectioners sugar. But when it comes to photos used in advertising, the Federal Trade Commission has deemed that real ice cream must be used in ice cream ads. However, if the ads are for the ice cream cone or a hot fudge topping, a phony ice cream concoction can be used.

So what’s being used in the photo below: Real ice cream or an imposter? We’re not sure, but it sure looks good!

Six weeks. 32 flavors. One winner. That’s the Turkey Hill Ultimate Flavor Tournament and it’s about to begin. Starting today, we’re pitting 32 of our best ice cream flavors against each other to determine which one has what it takes to take home the title of the “Ultimate Flavor.” Last year, Vanilla Bean was crowned the winner. Who will win it all this year? The power to decide rests with you!

Here’s how it works: Each week will feature a different series of match-ups, all voted on by you (see the polls on the right). We’ll start with 32 flavors (the “Thrilling 32”) and narrow the field down every week until one flavor, as determined by your votes, is crowned the champion. Of course, there will also be prizes. At the end of the tournament, we’ll give away a free one month supply of ice cream to 10 commenters chosen at random and one lucky reader will receive a ONE YEAR supply of ice cream.

To help make sense of it all, each Monday here on the Ice Cream Journal Ernie will be offering expert analysis of predictions for each match-up. Starting right now!

THE DUETTO MATCH-UP – Mango Duetto vs. Root Beer Duetto
“An exotic tropical flavor versus an all-American classic? This is what the Ultimate Flavor Tournament is all about. I see a win for Mango here, but it won’t be as easy after this round.”

THE DUETTO MATCH-UP (PART 2) – Cherry Duetto vs. Raspberry Duetto
“Two fruit flavors, but only one winner. That’s too bad, because both are great. This could go either way, the but traditional Cherry might have the edge here.”

THE LIGHT MATCH-UP – Light Recipe Extreme Cookies ‘n Cream vs. Light Recipe Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
“I’m an Extreme Cookies ‘n Cream fanatic. Everyone knows that. But up against Cookie Dough? That’s a tough one. Alright, I’ll go with the Cookies. Is anyone surprised by that?”

THE LIGHT MATCH-UP (PART 2) – Light Recipe Moose Tracks vs. Light Recipe Strawberry Cheesecake
“These Light Recipe flavors are a force to be reckoned with and these are two full-flavored heavyweights. I’m going out on a limb here and picking Cheesecake to upset the very popular Moose Tracks.”

THE LIGHT MATCH-UP (PART 3) – Light Recipe Banana Split vs. Light Recipe Skinny Minty
“The Light Recipe line is so robust, we had to add a third match up this year. This one features two lesser known flavors, but they’ve got a lot of heart and potential in this tournament. Who will win? It’s just too close to call.”

THE SPORTS MATCH-UP – Eagles Touchdown Sundae vs. Phillies Graham Slam
“Play ball! Yeah, that’s more of a baseball phrase, but both of these Philly flavors are going to put on a great show in this round. The Eagles scored a late touchdown to win this match-up last year, but I predict the Phillies’ World Championship will propel Graham Slam to a win this time around.”

THE PINT-SIZED STUFF’D MATCH-UP – Tastykake Peanut Butter Kandy Kake vs. Snyder’s of Hanover Chocolate Pretzel
“Good things come in small packages. If you don’t believe me, check out our Stuff’d line-up. Here’s two of our finest pint-sized treats going head-to-head, but only one will win. I’m going with Kandy Kake here, but I have a feeling Chocolate Pretzel will prove me wrong.”

THE DYNAMIC DUOS MATCH-UP – Caramel Cone Chaos vs. CocoNutz!
“This is a new flavor category for Turkey Hill and some might say the Duos line-up has an unfair advantage because they’re actually two ice cream flavors in one package, but I don’t think that’s the case. They’re rookies in this tournament and they’ll have to pay their dues. As for these two, CocoNutz! has an explanation point in its name, so you know it’s playing to win.”

THE YOGURT VS. SHERBET MATCH-UP – Orange Cream Swirl Frozen Yogurt vs. Fruit Rainbow Sherbet
“These are the only two non-ice cream flavors in the tournament and it’ll be interesting to see how far the winner of this match-up makes it. But I think there’s a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow in this match-up. Look for sherbet to win and potentially beat a few ice cream competitors in this tournament.”

THE LIMITED EDITION MATCH-UP – Gertrude Hawk Box of Chocolates (January) vs. Coconut Cream Pie (February)
“If you were lucky enough to try both of these flavors when they were out earlier this year (or still have some in your freezer), you know that this is a tough match-up. I’ve tried them both, and I still can’t predict a winner here.”

THE LIMITED EDITION MATCH-UP (PART 2) – Junior Mint (March) vs. Fried Ice Cream (April)
“Here are two more Limited Edition flavors and they couldn’t be more different. One’s a minty candy favorite and the other is a sweet Latin treat guaranteed to end any meal on a good note. I’m rooting for Fried Ice Cream here, but Mint might have enough power to emerge with a win in this one.”

THE PREMIUM MATCH-UP – Vanilla Bean vs. Cookies ‘n Cream
“Now we’re getting to the power players in this tournament. Last year Vanilla Bean won it all and I expect it to go far again this year. Sorry Cookies ‘n Cream, you’re not going to make it past the first round.”

THE PREMIUM MATCH-UP (PART 2) – Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup vs. Butter Pecan
“CPBC finished second in last year’s tournament, right behind Vanilla Bean. Look for another run at the title from this strong contender, which mean Butter Pecan will be defeated easily in this match-up.”

THE PREMIUM MATCH-UP (PART 3) – Dutch Chocolate vs. Party Cake
“This is an odd match-up. A traditional favorite like Chocolate against a wacky newcomer on the ice cream flavor scene. Party Cake has a lot of followers, which is rare for such a new flavor, but I don’t think it’ll be enough to take down this classic.”

THE HOLIDAY FLAVORS MATCH-UP – Egg Nog vs. Peppermint Stick
“Christmas has come and gone, but these flavors are so great, we had to include them in the this year’s tournament. I’d be happy to find either one in my stocking, which is why I can’t really choose a winner here. Okay fine, Egg Nog by a reindeer’s whisker!”

THE ALL NATURAL MATCH-UP – All Natural Mint Chocolate Chip vs. All Natural Coffee
“Sales of our All Natural line-up benefit the Lancaster Farmland Trust, and you can’t argue with that. As for which of these two charitable treats will win in the first round, I have to go with Mint Chocolate Chip.”