‘Brown Clown’ goes ‘opposite’ to win $100K booby prize in Circa contest

Fittingly, Cleveland restaurant owner John Teel, using the alias “The Brown Clown,” placed last in a record field of 5,817 entries in the Circa Million NFL handicapping contest.

“‘The Brown Clown’ is being a lifelong Browns fan, and if you are a fan, you’re kind of a clown,” said Teel, 62. “It seems like the fan comes last.”

After years of suffering as a Browns fan, Teel was finally rewarded for losing in the Million, in which contestants pay $1,000 per entry and make five weekly NFL picks against the spread. He earned $100,000 for winning the last-place booby prize after finishing 27-61-2 ATS (30.7 percent).

Circa Sports paid out a record $20.3 million to Million and Survivor contest winners, many of whom were presented with oversized checks Friday night during an awards ceremony at the D Las Vegas.

In keeping with booby-prize tradition, Teel was first handed a tiny personal check on stage before being presented with his own oversized check.

“This was my first time in the contest. It was so fun and the money helps,” he said. “What I really enjoy is it’s a lot of juice for not a huge amount of money.”

Lose to win

Teel teamed up with a friend on three Survivor entries.

They were eliminated from the $14.3 million contest in Week 3 by — you guessed it — the Browns, who lost 21-15 to the Giants as 6½-point home favorites.

“Somehow they found a way to lose and knock me out,” Teel said.

Cleveland helped clinch last place in the Million for Teel, who made the Browns +18 one of his selections in Week 18. They failed to cover the biggest point spread of the season in a 35-10 loss to the Ravens.

Teel went 1-4 in Week 18 to win the booby prize by a half point (one point for a win, half-point for a push) over entry Talley’s III (28-61-1), which won $50,000 for second-to-last place.

His other losses were on the Chiefs (+10½, lost 38-0 to Broncos), 49ers (+4½, lost 47-24 to Cardinals) and Vikings (+2½, lost 31-9 to Lions). His only win was on the Saints, who covered as 13½-point underdogs in a 27-19 loss to the Buccaneers.

“I didn’t know I won until they called me and told me I won by a half-point,” Teel said.

He entered the Million on his own and got off to a terrible start, going 6-23-1.

“I came out trying to pick (winners). I just started out off this year for some unknown reason,” Teel said. “I’m usually a fairly good handicapper, around 60 percent.”

After learning there was a $100,000 prize for last place, Teel said he started trying to pick losers.

“I started actively trying to lose, because I knew I couldn’t win,” he said. “I went opposite. I was picking the winner, then I was betting the loser.

“It’s probably just as hard to pick every loser.”

Teel went 4-10-1 the next three weeks using the opposite approach. He dipped to 10-33-2, which was good for fourth place among the last place leaders midway through the season.

“All of a sudden, I got hot again,” Teel said. “I’ve always been super streaky.”

Teel was 1½ points out of last place entering Week 18, when his Browns helped him seal the worst record in the contest.

Had he went the complete opposite of all his picks, he would’ve finished 61-27-2 (62 points) and tied contest winner Team BP (60-26-4). They would’ve won $750,000 each after splitting the $1 million prize for first place and $500,000 for second.

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on X.