The Empty Chair

You are standing at the podiums when the moderator wheels out one extra empty chair and drops the bombshell: someone invited to defend the opposing side chickened out, and their unsent notes are now on the screen behind you for everyone to attack. The rules just changed on air — each of you must claim or demolish an argument that has no owner, while the moderator hunts for the moment you defend a point you privately hate. The clock on the desk shows four minutes to the vote, the audience is already texting in, and one clean gotcha flips the whole room. Seize the empty argument or bury it — decide now, before someone else does.