I’d be lying if I said Tuesday was the first time I’d ever played a trivia game staged in a tent! The first time I’d played “tent” trivia was last summer, when Kimberly, Mike and I played a My Trivia Live game in a beer tent at the Canton Liberty Fest. It was a very windy day, so we put in more effort keeping score slips/score sheets/papers from blowing away than answering the questions (which thankfully were very, very easy). Speaking of Kimberly, she has told me some stories about some kind of trivia tournament that happened on a Detroit riverboat years ago, which was sadly before my team was involved in trivia. Something about a keg being decimated? I don’t know all of the details, but it sounds like it was a wild boat ride!  Fast forward to Tuesday night, I hit up a “new” Sporcle Live trivia scene at Cultivate Coffee & TapHouse, which was staged in a heated tent out back. The tent accommodated about 10 picnic tables, and some random smaller patio tables for players. Three propane heaters were set up along the center of the tent. The one closest to the door of the tent stopped working toward the end of game one, though several different people tried fiddling with the switch/connections to make it work. The trivia players at Cultivate, however, were a hardy group – rather than say “screw this cold” and move inside the nice warm building, they opted instead to put on their winter coats and soldier through the trivia! I was warm enough in a T-shirt and a lightweight hoodie, though I did put the hood on when it got a bit drafty (I was under the delusion that doing this might make me look more creepy like the Unabomber and thus help “psyche out” the competition, lol). Yeah…that doesn’t work with the bright hoodie I was wearing! Mental note, wear the black one next time – and don’t leave the sunglasses at home 

Things have changed quite a bit at Cultivate since it first opened in 2016, taking over the old Ted’s Electric spot on River Street near Sidetrack and the Ypsilanti Food Co-Op. When they first opened, you could get beer/cider or coffee and other hot drinks, and just a small assortment of food (a food truck would occasionally be commissioned on busy nights). Now, they have a craft cocktail menu (starting at $10), and an expanded food menu (I usually don’t eat during trivia games, so I can’t provide a food review…). I only had one beer while I was there, just because I was too lazy to go inside and wait in line (plus I didn’t have anyone to guard my table for me), so I had the River’s Edge Irish Red, which was…decent! They have some beers under the “Cultivate” name as well, which appear to be brewed in conjunction with other nearby breweries. The Cultivate Coffee Stout is made with coffee roasted in house at Cultivate in conjunction with the Drafting Table Brewing Co. in Wixom, for example…

I didn’t do TOO terrible in the game, which had more than 20 teams in the mix. Despite not handing in three slips in game one (I didn’t know trivia was outside until after the game had started), I was in the middle of the pack going into the final in that game, and was in the top 5 going into the final in game two. Didn’t get either of the finals right  The top score heading into the game two final was only 49 points, so it was apparent that teams had a rough time with that question set! A political quotes question proved to be kind of a groaner, with a lot of teams picking the wrong “old fart” candidate (as I did as well). Oh well, I was mainly there to scope out the trivia scene, and I’m not sorry I did! If you’re looking for a change of scenery with trivia and have a love of the outdoors, look no further than trivia at Cultivate on Tuesdays! I’m not ruling out playing here again, though a weekly commitment is unlikely.

Now that I’ve gotten this sad attempt at a Yelp review out of the way (which I’m providing as a courtesy to readers who have never visited this place), how about the questions? Here…we…go!

Game One
1. Oscar Winners – In 2010, Katherine Bigelow became the first, and currently only female winner of an Oscar in what category? Special thanks to Scott for supplying this question…I would have gotten this for 10 had I heard it! 
2. Retirement – Ethel Andrus founded what organization in 1958 as a means of helping older people stay active? Thanks Sporcle With Tim for spotting me this one!
3. First Albums – What rap artist’s first albums were The College Dropout, Late Registration and Graduation? This was the first question I heard, but was unable even to give a low point answer since I was still getting signed in/finding a place to sit, so no points. Would not have known the answer anyway…
4. Borders – What is the largest country by area bordering Hungary (there are seven nations that border Hungary)? Miss for 5.
5. Sports – Not to be confused with a Marvel character, what is the name of the computer system used to track the trajectory of balls in sports? I realized after the fact that this was the FB clue, though I didn’t want to risk big points coming in late to the game, so only got this for 4.
6. Italian Food – What Italian dish is made with veal shank and translates to English as “hollow bone?” Nope…NOT my wheelhouse! We used to have an “Italian Stallion” playing with our team until he moved away! Miss for 1.
7. Intelligence – What test is named for a British scientist and determines whether a machine has sufficient intelligence to distinguish it from a human? 10
8. Horses – Filly is the name for a female horse under the age of 3. What is the name for a female horse older than that? 9
9. Sitcoms – Name either sitcom featuring actress Charlotte Rae where she played the character Edna Garrett. Name both for an extra bonus point. Got for 8 plus the bonus.
10. Games- What board game has fast-paced varieties called rapid, blitz and bullet? Big miss for 7. Honed too much on the word “bullet” and chose a popular train-based board game instead. Ouch! Not a good ending for a round where I was already handicapped!
Mystery – This day in history
On this day in…
1. 1852 – Anti-slavery novel featuring the character Simon Legree was published
2. 1999 – First Legoland opened in which U.S. state
3. 2009 – Movie “bromance” starring Jason Segel and Paul Rudd released
4. 1990 – L.A. Lakers retired number 33 in honor of what player
Missed #2, picked a state with a really, really big mall instead of correct state.
Scores – Twenty-one teams (I think…), ranging from 20 to 64, with team Charlie in first (I didn’t write down their whole name). I was in ninth with 40 points.
Final Category – Presidential Candidates
William Jennings Bryan was a Democratic U.S. presidential candidate three times, losing to two different people. Name either of the two Republican presidents to whom Bryan lost a presidential election.
I picked a candidate close to the right guys initially, then went with a guy much, much too late. Miss…wagered 20!
Game winners: Crybabies, ($10 gift card); Trust No One, ($15 gift card).
Before game two started, Sporcle Trivia Nights With Charlie said, “I kind of have a feeling everything is going to break today.” One of the propane heaters had stopped working, and he reported that Excel had also stopped working, and said he’d have to tally everyone’s scores by hand. I told him he was a “pioneer” for hosting outdoor trivia, lol!
Game Two
1. Slogans – Back in 1994, what company launched its second global image advertising campaign with the slogan “Where do you want to go today?” I remembered having this question before, but still wasn’t confident to go more than 3 (got it).
2. Actors – What actor won the Oscar for best supporting actor in the 1993 film “The Fugitive?” 10
3. Money – In 1943, to conserve metals during wartime, pennies were made of what metal and covered with a thin layer of zinc? Miss for 4.
4. Observances – In which month is Confederate History Month celebrated, along with National Poetry Month and Jazz Appreciation Month? The crowd groaned when Charlie said the words “Confederate history.” Strangely enough, those were the words I needed to help me come up with the right answer…(so I guess thank you ghost of Robert E. Lee)? Got for 2, usually I’m awful at these “months” questions…
5. Mountains – Mount Whitney is the tallest mountain in the lower 48 states and is located in which U.S. state? For a nerd bonus, come within 1,000 feet of Mount Whitney’s elevation. I went way too low, missed the bonus, got for 9 points.
6. Political Quotes – What presidential candidate said: “I want you to know that also I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent’s youth and inexperience?” Big miss for 8.
7. Fables – Which of the following is NOT an Aesop fable? The Grasshopper and the Ant, The Princess and the Pea, The Boy Who Cried Wolf, or the Tortoise and the Hare? 7

One of my absolute favorite “Looney Tunes” shorts…”The Tortoise and the Hare.”

8. Surgeries – In 1984, newborn “Baby Fay” received what transplanted organ from a baboon? 6
9. Book to Movie – A 1961 novel by Wilson Rawls inspired what 2003 movie starring Kris Kristofferson and Dave Matthews about a a who who trains two hunting dogs? Apparently a lot of teams in the room were excited to hear this question…I was excited that I still had a one-point slip to use! No…clue…whatsoever. Miss for 1.
10. Games – What Hasbro game title comes from the Swahili for “to build?” 5
Visual Mystery –

Missed two of these, since I handed in my slip last second, I’m not even sure which two I missed! Along with Charlie and his Excel woes, I had my own “technical difficulties,” as this page didn’t load for me right away. Maybe a little more time would have helped me get more than two of these right (who knows)? I wound up using almost every possible second before having to hand in my slip.
Charlie had to read the scores out of order, but 49, 48, 46, and 44 were the highest scores I wrote down. My score was read as 44, though I think I may have had 46 (did not dispute this, I think I may have flip flopped a couple of the visual round answers).
Final Category – Basketball
Opted to wager zero on this…let’s see…me playing solo? Sports final? Uh, yeah!
Two different private universities have won the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball tournament since the tournament expanded to include 64 teams. Name one of those two private universities.
Good news is I did put down a private NCAA university with a women’s basketball team. Just not the right one!
Didn’t write down the game winners, but both teams managed to get this!
Well that’s all she wrote! As always, Go Pods, and stay classy, Ronald Reagan! I’ll see y’all in the next game recap (makes poor attempt at winking) Oh, OK…next recap will be posted on Friday!