If I said Wednesday was the first time I’d ended a day of 500-plus miles of driving with a trivia game I’d be lying! Wednesday marked the first day  Mike and I trekked across multiple states to play in a trivia game at the end of the day! We drove 564 miles from Staunton, VA to our house, which Google maps estimated would take about 9.5 hours. Playing a trivia game after our trip wasn’t even originally planned, I’d told the team they could take that night off and I’d do a makeup game later (which My Trivia Live allows teams to do once per season). As we headed north past Toledo, temptation really started kicking in. The trivia “itch” was beckoning. It just seemed weird to NOT be playing a trivia game on a Wednesday, so I started scheming… “Hey,” I thought to myself. “We might not be able to make our game at The Wurst Bar on time, but if we really want to play, we could hit up the MTL game at Fender’s in Milan – we can make that game on time.” Fender’s is the southernmost MTL spot, and we’ve played there once before. The suggestion of playing at Fender’s was briefly discussed but vetoed, mainly because Mike wanted to stop at home and check on things before heading out to do anything else (he’s SUCH a taskmaster, lol). So we got home after 8, and I posted “Home now” on Facebook. Seconds later John responded to the post, and indicated that he was at Wurst, attempting a solo game, and did we want to come out? I said yes, we’d be heading out there in a bit. We managed to show up on time for the halftime round about wrestlers in movies, which John didn’t really even need our help answering (he did quite well on his own in the first half, for the record)! At the end of it all, we managed to win first place/$30 and were the only team getting the final question correct (which was all Mike, woot). Special thanks to John for attempting to record the first half questions as best he could, please note these WILL be abbreviated! And here goes with the recap of the game that wasn’t even planned…
Round One
1. The Calendar – When is the next leap year?
2. Disguises – What entertainer’s name is attached to novelty glasses that also include a protruding nose and mustache?
3. Cartoons – What cartoon character inspired the Jellystone Park campground chain?
Round Two
1. Vegas – The Cirque du Soleil production Love features the music of what band?
2. Lyrics – What word ends the phrase “I feel” in the REM song “It’s the end of the world as we know it?”
3. Dining Out – What food chain purchased orange julius? For an extra three points, what fast food chain popular in the Pacific and Southwest features the “animal style” method of ordering food? Funny, I was actually thinking about this food chain on the drive home….John missed the first part, did not attempt the bonus.
Round Three
1. Physics – What three laws of motion are described in the equation force = mass x acceleration? And I am not at all sure I have this one right…
2. TV – What variety show comedian was known for a Tarzan-like yell? John missed this one…
3. We literally arrived when this question was being asked, it involved slogans (sorry don’t have this one). But we did get it right.
Halftime – Name the professional wrestlers appearing in the following films based on the release years and titles.
1. 1987, The Princess Bride
2. 1988, They Live
3. 2014, Guardians of the Galaxy
4. 2015, Train Wreck
Got all of these, so 10 points.
Scores: Twelve teams, scores 5 to 40, with team Quick Witted posting a perfect halftime scores. We were in fourth tied with one other team with 33 points, Team Pants was a bit ahead of us with 36 points.
Round Four
1. Firsts – On April 3, 1973, what was Martin Cooper the first person to do? Newsletter clue, 6.
2. Phone Calls – When the first commercial cell phone call was made in 1983, it was between Bob Barnett of Ameritech and the great-grandson of what person, who was born in the 19th century? Reasoned guess here for 4.
3. Stage Names – What 1984 Queen song inspired the stage name of a pop superstar who had their first hit in 2008? And this was the first question they needed me for, got this for 2.
Round Five
1. Oh My – What “Star Trek” alumni released a book called “Oh My: There Goes the Internet” in 2012? 6
2. For the Troops – In 2001, Bob Hope stepped down as the official USO entertained of U.S. troops and turned over the reins to what performer, known for performing in Vegas? A bit of stumbling, but I eventually remembered his name. I kept saying, “The guy who sang (this song).” Mike and John just gave me blank stares, so this was all on me…so thankful I remembered his name! A long day of being in a car does not do the brain any favors, lol! 2 points. Photo tie-in…Matthew Broderick lip synching to one of this performer’s signature songs…
3. Fearless Firsts – Aaron Hughes became the first person to perform what stunt between Arizona and Nevada, receiving a $330 fine? His stunt killed 275 people attempting to perform this prior to Hughes’ success. Miss for 4.
Round Six
1. NBA – Along with Rochester and Syracuse, name one other city with a NBA team making it to finals whose team is now defunct. I made right guess here for 2 (yeah, a sportsball question…IKR?).
2. Jelly Beans – What flavored Jelly Belly was President Ronald Reagan’s favorite?
3. Trees – A genogram is a more detailed version of what kind of tree? Mike with right guess here.
Scores: Eleven teams, scores 35 to 72, with Quick Witted in first.
We were again in fourth with 66 points.
Final Category: Literature
What world leader published the romance novel “Zabibah and the King” anonymously in 2000? This person was leader of their respective country when this was published.
John and I originally talked about one leader, but weren’t really sure. Then Mike suggested the guy we thought would be right…and we were! Nicely done, Mike!
Standings: Team Pants, 63; ???, and ‘Pods, 129. Until next time, which will be our MTL semifinals on Saturday at McShane’s Pub Ypsilanti. We will be one of eight teams (as of now) hoping to advance to the finals Oct. 21! Go Pods!