Why is it so difficult to give the HT? He is the one who posted it first? You are making the rules very subjective. What if someone posts while you are preoccupied and then the second post when you are bored? That makes no sense at all.
This is news? HTs are completely subjective as is any prize given for HTs, there are no rules here, it's a perk. Some people got prizes at 10 HTs, others at 100, others not until 500.
Just read the HT Wiki to see how subjective it is.
IMO had the previous thread said $19 Nest/Ecobee in the title then there would have been a MS post on it before. By nature IMO is subjective.
Either way, this isn't the correct thread for this discussion.