Just a thought but would it perhaps be worth a shot to replace the "highest-scoring loser" rule with a "smallest margin loser" type situation instead? I feel like sometimes voting quantities can oscillate which might make it unfair to future scoring, but if there's a closer match then that seems more likely to indicate preference etc. Dunno if that makes sense but thought I'd voice it anyway.
What you have described in the Desolation Quest method of choosing the least worst loser. I would have used that here but you saw how the moaning minis and michaels started kicking off when I tried to enforce Rule #3. Imagine if I tried enforcing a 'smallest margin loser' rule..? ''ooooh, oooooh,
that's not how selectiveMemory did it ooooh oooooh, that's not how
we do things in Wimbledon Wrong oooooohh." Not worth the hassle mate, plus as Nags said it would mean he goes through and no one wants to see that happen.