[pdf of arbitration decision](https://www.washingtonpost.com/documents/a68b42f4-d5dc-4ff9-b34e-84d52fa3fc32.pdf?itid=lk_inline_manual_11)
Looks like it was just a poorly designed and/or administered contest.
Although I figured this Zeidman guy was going to be a democrat shill, a bit of research suggests that he's conservative and anti-woke.
https://unofficialbird.com/bob_zeidman
https://www.amazon.com/Animal-Lab-Bob-Zeidman-ebook/dp/B09HHMW3BB
https://web.archive.org/web/20220215024244/https://whiterosemagazine.com/reality-competition-tv-the-real-america/
https://www.theepochtimes.com/search/?q=zeidman&t=ai
(post is archived)