We got back into the trivia “saddle” Wednesday at the Wurst Bar after taking last Wednesday’s game off because of the heavy snow. We were in first heading into a tough final question about someone who got married in 2010, but did not come up with the right bride’s name, so no prizes. Still nice to have a game with 60-plus points after logging scores of 47 and 49 in our past three games! Committee thinking killed us on the halftime round about retailers as well, but otherwise there were many, many good fist-bump moments all around! Special thanks to Joel for joining us last night, it worked out particularly well since one of our regulars John was absent for his birthday celebration (Happy Birthday)! I received a text from Joel shortly before the game asking if there was trivia…but of COURSE there is trivia! Come on out and play! And here…we…go!
Round One
1 Spokesmen – What actor, who appeared in the films Fight Club, Interview with the Vampire and Se7en, also appeared in 1986 advertisements for Pringles? 5

Eating Pringles is pretty sexy, apparently!

2. Insurance – Which sports athletes have the option to buy Hole in One insurance? 3
3. Soft Drinks – What Detroit-based multi-flavored soft drink company does the duo Insane Clown Posse prefer? We discussed two different Michigan-based multiflavored soft drink companies, picked the correct one. This prompted a convo about juggalos, lol…
Round Two
1. Comic Books – What comic book writer created Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate? 5
2. Advertising – What cat food brand was featured in a commercial depicting a cat meowing four times repeatedly? Disturbing factoid about me, I used to eat dry cat food when I was really, really little..actually sat right on the floor and ate it out of the bowl. SO, SO GROSS! I guess it was entertaining to the adults or something. Again, GROSS! Who knows what kind of crap was in cat food way back then, not to mention eating out of the CAT’S BOWL! CATS LICK ALL OF THEIR BODY PARTS! Pardon me while I go throw up a little in my mouth just thinking about this (LOL). Yes, we got this…
3. Star Wars – We were a little worried about this category considering the tough, tough questions we heard a couple of weeks ago at a Sporcle Live “Star Wars” theme night! Thankfully this question and the bonus question were both easy (for us, anyway): What actress played Padme Amidala in Star Wars Episodes 1-3? For the bonus points, what was the last name of Leia’s adopted parents on Alderaan? Got the points plus the bonus.
Round Three
1. Lunchtime – The first licensed lunchbox character was what cartoon animal? Discussed two possibilities, picked the right one.
2. Geography – In what modern day country would you find the ancient city of Timbuktu?
3. Weather – A nine-year-old girl and her pony were consumed by what weather phenomenon occurring in 1955 but miraculously survived with only minor injuries? So far perfect scores on all of these. Like Michigan weather? Just wait! THAT will change!
Halftime – Name four of the five top retailers based on 2016 sales according to the National Retail Federation.
We talked this one to death [possible spoilers ahead, do not read on if you don’t want any hints]. I wanted to put a grocery chain and was questioned whether it was considered “retail,” Brad wanted to go with a members-only outfit and was talked out of it. Joel, Mike and Brad all wanted to go with a department store, even though I said, like in that annoying Amy Winehouse song, “No, no, NO!” So we did not go with mine or Brad’s guesses (which were both correct), and we wound up putting down one department store chain anyway (though for the record, I knew it was wrong). Disaster. Only got one of these right. One of the drug store chains we put down would have been in the top five a year earlier. The only one we were all in agreement about was the #1 retailer, which every team in the bar probably got correct. Now where’s that $16,99/1.75 liter of vodka from Costco that we’re saving for Christmas Eve? Sigh…
Halftime Scores: Twelve teams, scores 26 to 35, with One is the Loneliest Number in first. We were in third with 32 points, right behind Do These Protons Make My Mass Look Big, who had 33.
Round Four
1 Groups – What group was called Kara’s Flowers from 1994 to 2001 until they renamed in 2002? Newsletter bonus, 6.
2. Designers – What fashion designer is credited with marketing the first A-line and the first pencil skirt? I really, really racked my brain on this one. I KNEW it was a designer favored by a certain former first lady of Argentina, and when the answer was revealed, I was like, “Dammit, dammit dammit.” His name’s in the lyrics one of the songs from “Evita!” The song is called “Rainbow High,” for inquiring minds, or musical theater aficionados! As some of you know, I know most of those songs by heart! Dammit! One of our only game misses besides that dreadful halftime round, which I will not speak of again! Miss for 2.

My attempt to describe a pencil skirt and a-line skirt to my male trivia teammates…note, I am NOT the team artist!

3. Norse Mythology – Iin Norse mythology, the burning rainbow bridge is also known by what name? Mike’s big #triviagasm moment here…
Round Five
1. Army Divisions – What division of the U.S. Army is known as the “Screaming Eagles?” Brad was all over this one…5
2. Recent News – As of December, 2017, the Disney Corporation is set to purchased what Manhattan-based multimedia company owned by Rupert Murdoch for $52.4 billion? Way too many hints given with this one…
3. First Ladies – What former First Lady edited Michael Jackson’s 1988 biography “Moonwalk?” Yay me for remembering which first lady worked as a book editor, apparently there were lots of guesses for a different former First Lady.
Round Six
1. Math – What is the next designation after a trillion, which is followed by 15 zeros? 6
2. Fictional Characters – What is the name of the elephant in the popular children’s book series written by Jean de Brunhoff? I loved these books when I was a kid…wow…how odd is it to get a children’s lit question about something I actually read on a trivia night!

Royal elephants with clothes

3. NFL – Ironically, Jim Brown spent his entire career playing for what NFL team? This is exactly how the question was worded, got this…
Only misses of the game so far were eight points in that round which I said I would not speak of again, and the (slaps self silly) fashion designer question! Heading into the final with 66 points, one point ahead of the Protons team, two points ahead of Pants Team. One is the Loneliest Number was in fourth with 61.
Final Category – Celebrity Weddings
What bride’s 2010 wedding is noted in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the most searched celebrity wedding on the Internet, beating Khloe Kardashian’s previous record?
We picked a really, really popular celebrity who was married two years earlier. Apparently quite a few teams picked another Kardashian, though…
Zero betters took the game…
Screaming Eagles, 53; Cash, 56; and Pants, 61.
We’ll be taking a break from trivia until after Christmas. I hope everyone enjoys the upcoming holidays, cheers! Oh yeah..Go Pods, and stay classy, Aristotle Onassis! I read that he had barstools on his yacht that were made of leather from a whale’s scrotum. Your factoid du jour! Would you like to sit down and have a drink on Ari’s yacht????