Sometimes a pub trivia game isn’t that much different from a game of Russian roulette, especially when a final question category is about one of “those” topics that aren’t very strong for you! There you are, hanging with your teammates, one of whom happens to be Christopher Walken, and there are also a few Viet Cong soldiers there, and they’re slapping you around so much you think you’re in a “Three Stooges” movie. The VC soldiers are ordering you to wear a headband, for some reason – and you’re passing around a revolver, holding it to your heads, pulling the trigger, and passing it on. All the while getting shouted at – in Vietnamese – and slapped in the face by the VC soldiers. Then Robert DeNiro, in a headband, is VERY fed up with being bitch-slapped (seriously, you should see the look on his face when he gets slapped…you wouldn’t want to do this to him, whether he’s acting – or in REAL life!) turns the tables on everyone and…well, I’m not going to spoil anything for people who have not yet seen the 1978 film “The Deer Hunter,” which won the Academy Award for best picture. Actor John Cazale was dying while this movie was being filmed, so his scenes had to be shot first (a very, very sad footnote if you read his bio on imdb or trivia about this film). Mike and I played at Oscar’s Sports & Grill Saturday, finished with a (meh) 95 points for the night, won one $10 prize in game two. Lighter crowds than usual, only three teams played game one, four in game two, congrats to Umpires Strike Back for winning a first place sweep! NBA might not be a “Russian roulette” category for them, but it certainly made us feel like our luck had run out! Bah, we’ll roll with it – we’ve certainly been on a bit of a hot streak with our games lately, have not had a “sportsball” final question for quite a while! And we do have a couple of players who might have been able to slam-dunk that one, had they been there! Getting players to want to play 9 p.m. games out of town is…a bit of a challenge! Read on to find out more about the game…

Game One

1. Mythology – Romulus and Remus in Roman mythology were twin brothers raised by what animal? Wolf, gorilla, elephant or tiger? Multiple choices not necessary, 10.

2. Musicians – John Popper, frontman for Blues Traveler, is known as being a virtuoso in what instrument? As Steve Martin’s character Rigby Reardon said in “Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid,” It’s also “More compact than an accordion…and more powerful than a sleeping pill.”

3. Coins – What building is depicted on the reverse side of a U.S. nickel?

4. Popular Characters – What character was played on film by actors Peter Sellers, Roger Moore, Alan Arkin and Steve Martin between 1963 and 2009? FB clue…

5. Borders – Name one of the two countries sharing a land border with Tunisia, name both for an extra “nerd” bonus point, got both for 7.

6. Criminals – Within one, in what year was Ted Kaczynski, aka “The Unabomber” arrested by the FBI in his remote Montana home? Nailed this one, but for only 3.

7. Sports Awards – The Hobie Baker award is given annual to excellent NCAA players in what sport? Rolled a D4 here, failed for 1. Hey, sometimes the die rolls and coin tosses actually steer us toward the right answers! Not this time…An early tell that this would not be our night.

8. Oscar Winners – What actor/musician won an acting Oscar for playing a transgender woman in the 2013 film “Dallas Buyers Club?” 6

9. Superheroes – What “X-Men” character was born James Howlett? A bit of discussion here, but got this for 4 (this one was tricky because this character was more well known by a different last name).

10. California – With a population of more than 500,000, what city in California is the most populous one that does not begin with the letters L or S? Every team missed this…

Mystery Round – Before and After

M1. Movie featuring character Gretchen Wieners and first charting single by Cyndi Lauper

M2. Athletic nickname for Arizona State University and natural feature in Wyoming featuring a steep rock formation

M3. Game show ending with a “showcase showdown” and a three-sided shape with 90 degree angles

M4. Radiohead debut album and a cereal represented by the mascot Buzzy the Bee

Worst before and after round EVER! Only got #3 correct! Is the Atlantic hurricane calming down, or what? 🙂

Scores: More Beer Less Pants, 53; Umpires Strike Back, 54; It’s a Tentacle Porno, Charlie Brown (aka ‘Pods), 58.

Final Category: NBA Stars (pardon me while I make like one of the “bad” kids in high school, go hide behind the bleachers and have a smoke, lol…yikes!)

John Stockton is #1 in career assists in NBA history.

The next three players on that list are not yet in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Name two of those players. Our bar only had to name one. I wrote down seven NBA players after the category was read (yes, that’s seriously how many NBA players I can name, lol…)

We wagered zero, money went to MBLP (73), Umpires, 74.

Game Two

1. Juice – What company owns and produces V8 vegetable juice? For an extra point, in what decade was V8 first launched? got this for 4, no bonus.

2. ’60s Bands – What woman known for being the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company had a top 40 hit with “Piece of My Heart?” Another “hint” given was that she died at age 27, got this for 10.

3. Universities – What college did Steve PreFontaine attend while training under Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman? This question set is a sportsball lover’s DREAM! Fourth sports question of the night! Clearly we brought a knife to a gunfight on this trivia night! 🙂 Miss for 1.

4. Begins with S – What 11-letter word beginning with “s” describes a fortunate accident or a 2001 film starring John Cusack? 9

5. TV Hosts – Audio clip of guy talking about a reality TV show we recognized, just picked the wrong person….miss for 3.

6. Shakespeare – Complete the phrase Juliet says while looking out of her window at Romeo – “Romeo, Romeo…?” Hint: It’s NOT “did you remember the condoms?”

7. Equator – What is the largest country by area that the equator passes through?

8. Romantic Comedies – “$3,000″ was the working title of what 1990 film starring Richard Gere, because of a transaction that takes place in the film? My comment…”He paid THAT much for her? That will hardly keep her in her coke habit!” We were worried about this category, got this for 5.

9. Anatomy – What is the name for larger of the bones extending from the knee to the ankle, also known as the shin bone? 6

10. Women’s Apparel – What clothing company traded under the NYSE ticker symbol ANN before being acquired by the Ascena Group in 2015? 2, yay I got a women’s fashion correct, when I heard the category I groaned and said, “Look at me! What the hell do I know about women’s fashion?”

Mystery – https://www.sporcle.com/blog/visual/dog923/ Missed #3.

Scores: Four teams, we were in second with 57, I think Umpires had 60 points.

Final Category – ’90s Music

Name two of the five artists or groups responsible for the Top 5 of VH1’s 100 Greatest Songs of the 1990s.

The list was compiled in 2007 and Michael Jackson is NOT a correct answer.

I wrote down two artists that would have been correct right away, but we questioned whether my second one was more popular in the ’80s, so picked someone else – miss.

Standings: ‘Pods, 37; Umpires, 60 (I think that was their score!)

No trivia for us until Wednesday at The Wurst Bar with Stacy, which will be the first game of the new My Trivia Live season. As always, stay classy, you slap-happy Viet Cong soldiers in “The Deer Hunter,” and Go Pods!