Flunked, Not Expelled: Evolving Kickback Schemes?

“Didymos” on the AE BB reports on email correspondence with the “Expelled” producers concerning pre-release screenings. Apparently, they have tightened up signing up for the few remaining screenings. But another aspect to the promotion was revealed as well:

Thank you for your interest in Ben Stein’s Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. If you have signed up for the Expelled Challenge then this is how it works.

Organize a group ticketing event at your local theater and take your group to see the film. Once your group has seen the film, collect the ticket stubs from everyone that went with your group. We will provide and address to mail those ticket stubs along with the name of your group, the date, time, and location of when you went to see the film. The group that responds with the most ticket stubs will be given a $10,000 grant.

This sounds like a different kickback scheme than what has been offered before as a kickback scheme aimed at Christian schools.

Welcome to the
Expelled Challenge web site
where, as a Christian school or a Christian home school group, you will have a chance to win up to a $10,000 donation while educating your students, parents, and staff of the controversy that is surrounding the Intelligent Design and evolution debate. This is an extremely important project for those of us who believe our world was designed by a creator and not an act of random chance.

What is the Expelled Challenge?

To engage Christian schools and home school groups to get as many students, parents, and faculty from their school/group out to see Ben Stein’s new movie Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed (opening in theaters April 2008).

# Here are some suggestions as to how to do that: Organize a school field trip and invite parents to attend as well.
# Offer extra credit to your students to go on their own time.

What is the reward?

The reward is two-fold. First, your students will encounter firsthand the debate between Intelligent Design and evolution, and also the importance of knowing what you believe and standing firm in what you believe. Second, by collecting the ticket stubs from your students, faculty, staff and parents, you could be eligible to win a $10,000 donation.

Each school/home group that registers through the link below and submits their ticket stubs will be eligible for a donation as funds permit, but the school that submits the most ticket stubs will win a donation of $10,000!

Please click on the link at the bottom of this page to register your school to take the Expelled Challenge and tell us how many ticket stubs you think your school will submit. Registering is very important as only schools who register will be eligible for donated funds. Please note, if funds are available, they will be given according to the order in which the schools are registered. Deadline for registration has been extended to April 18th, 2008.

Click Here to REGISTER NOW!

The “Expelled Challenge FAQ” has been altered. The listing of amounts schools can earn based on number of ticket stubs turned in? Gone. It appears that there is a directional evolutionary trend toward dwarfism in this kickback scheme. The FAQ emphasizes the tenuous nature of the kickback funding, as it it comes from a third party source and is not controlled by the promoters who are running the scheme:

Q: How are the funds for the donations being provided?

A: Being that this film is viewed as history changing, funds have been provided by the Faith and Arts Community Endeavor project, specifically for Christian schools, organizations, and groups to encourage them to see the film and engage these Important issues.

Q: Will all schools who submit their ticket stubs be given a donation?

A: The goal of the project is to help Christian groups be able to see the film. Funds for the Expelled Challenge will only be distributed to those who register through the Expelled Challenge website you were just on and on a first come, first served basis in the order in which they were registered. Bottom line, funds are limited – register as soon as you can!

All indications are that funds behind this are not just “limited”, but are almost non-existent. I’m sure that they will pony up that “winning” $10K chunk to a Christian school, but if your group is not confirmed to be a Christian school, or comes in 10th place instead of 1st, or signed up just before the movie opening, don’t get your hopes up for anything but a “Thanks for participating in the Expelled Challenge! We regret…” letter.