WSOP ME: Is playing crap cards the norm?

So, I just watched the ones with Hatchem and Negreanu on the featured tables, and holy crap. Is having 4-5 people see the flop with mostly crap cards the norm?

I was just amazed what people were calling with. Not just low semi-suited cards, but things like A4 that are incredibly likely to be dominated.

Is this the norm or is this a "only hands that made TV" bias? I get Negreanu playing crap cards, his reading skills look beyond belief and the big stack bullying at times, but it seemed like a lot of smaller stacks and amateurs were in it too.

Oh, a raise in front? Hell yea, I'm seeing the flop with Q9o!

[AtlasRaised]

I didn't play in the M.E. or watch it very much, but play during the other WSOP tournaments seemed extremely tight/passive for the most part.

ME is much more deep-stacked so I can see where the difference might come from.

[GTL]

In the beginning stages of the tournament this was the norm at many of the tables I was at. During day 2 and 3 play tightened up considerably.

[Ignignokt]

Normally 3 to 4 out of those 5 players are just plain bad poker players. They won the online equivalent of Powerball (cheap donkaments) to get the seat in the first place, then they read the first chapter of HOH before they got bored and decided to rely on the mad skillz that got them there in the first place.

From what I've heard, the mantra of most ME players was "hit the board (or get dealt overs) then push."

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During day 2 and 3 play tightened up considerably.

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???

Play went so fast they skipped a day. People were worried Day 2A eliminations were going so fast that all the 2B players would tighten up so more of them would advance to Day 3. (That proved not to happen, though.)

Maybe people tightened up in terms of playing fewer hands, but if that was so, they seemed to want to play for stacks with the hands they DID play.