Editor’s note: Please see comments for a little more about this game that I did not want to include in the game recap but felt needed to be said…

A duo of ‘Pods plus a “loaner” visited Oscar’s Sports & Grill in Saline for its Sporcle Live scene Saturday. On this second visit to this bar this season, it proved to be the most “profitable” with us winning one first place and one second place gift card, 136 points for the night, first place in the bar. I narrowly missed out on a second place prize when I played solo Thursday at Original Gravity (my fault for trying a “strategic wager”), so it was kind of like redemption, in a way! Us winning game two was kind of hard-won, with us turning in our slip at the last second. Clearly our efforts on that question paid off! Speaking of questions (some of them may be abbreviated)…
Game One
1. Titles – “Il Duce” was the title of the leader of what country from 1925 to 1945? 10
2. Getaways – Two-hundred eighty-four days, two months and 19 days was the amount of time the title character is stranded on an island in what 1719 novel by Daniel DeFoe? After we’d written down the answer, Evan asked us, “So was it kind of like Cast Away then?” Well, kind of! But instead of hanging out with Wilson the volleyball, he had “His man Friday.” 9
3. Animal Movies – In the 1944 film National Velvet based on the novel of the same name, what kind of animal is the focus of the book’s events? FB clue, 8.
4. Control – In May, 2018, what video game console maker announced that they developed a new adaptive controller for players of all abilities/disabilities? Miss for 1.
5. Prequels – Norman and his mother Norma run what business? 7
6. It’s About Time – In 2012, what politician became one of the first two women admitted to the Augusta National Golf Club? Miss for 2.
7. RIP – The tiny African country of Mauritius was home to what animal that went extinct in the 17th century? Are you reading this, Brad? An extinct animals question (yes we were super excited, lo)l! If you’re an animal concerned about whether you’re going extinct or not, consult this handy chart below (made by my husband Mike almost a couple of years ago). 6

What facts can you rattle off about Mauritius? Originally colonized by the Dutch (the assholes who killed off the dodos), Mauritius was later colonized by the French, and lastly, the British.  After being passed around like a cheap hooker by three different countries for more than three centuries, Mauritius gained its independence in 1968. Named for Maurice, Prince of Orange; it’s also a sovereign African island nation in the Indian Ocean. Maybe you even know its capital is Port Louis, and its languages include English and French. Did you also know that musician Jean Roussel is also a Mauritius native? He is best known for working on a few Cat Stevens albums in the 1970s and also with the rock band The Police. He played keyboards on “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic.” Now you know one more thing about Mauritius (that will probably never, ever get asked in a trivia game).

This happy fellow is musician Jean Roussel. Wouldn’t he be a great Hagrid (that hair)?

8. Rock Bands – Lou Gramm, Ian MacDonald and Mick Jones were founding members of what rock band? 5
9. Mountains – At more than 18,000 feet, Mount Elbrus is the highest peak in what country? It’s always best to not get us talking about mountains, because sooner or later, the conversation will turn to Mount Everest being practically covered with human waste and corpses…(it really is, BTW – more than 200 corpses). And some of the corpses are used as waypoints! How do you know when you’re close to the summit of Everest? When you’ve passed by “Green Boots!” He even has his own wikipedia article! 4
10. Weirdness – What American brand founded in 1918 and made famous in radio, TV and comic books was founded by a man with the first name Robert? For an extra “nerd” bonus, in which U.S. state was the first of its museums opened? Got this for 3, missed the bonus.
Mystery – Movie Music – Given the name of the song, the artist and the release year, identify the movie in which the song was used.
1. “I Will Always Love You,” Whitney Houston, 1992
2. “The Power of Love,” Huey Lewis and the News, 1985
3. “Independent Woman Part I,” Destiny’s Child, 2000
4. “Everything is Awesome,” Tegan and Sarah, 2013
Got all of these, though almost missed #3.
Scores: Ten teams, scores 24 to 64, with Better Late Than Never in first. We were in second with 63, and three teams were right behind us with 62, including One is the Loneliest Number and More Beer Less Pants (do not know which other team was tied with them for third). All we need is a sweet final question category to have a shot at a prize, right?
Final Category – 2010s Reality TV – And I’m going to let Charlie Brown speak for me here…

What series of reality TV shows, focused on the lives of musicians, performers, managers, and record producers, has aired on VH1 since 2011, the original of which was set in New York, with spin-offs set in Atlanta, Hollywood, and Miami?
Evan made a decent effort here, but we opted to only wager two points, which would have put us in first if the first place team wagered zero and we got it. But would have been bad news if one of the third place teams wagered full points and got it. Fortunately, neither of these things happened – only one team managed to get this right, and they wagered zero.
Final standings: ‘Pods, 61; BLTN, 64.
Game Two
1. Books – What four-word phrase is used by multiple characters both in the 1996 film Jerry Maguire and in the book by the same name? 10
2. Voiceovers – Walter Cronkite, Dame Judi Dench and Jeremy Irons have all served as narrators of the Walt Disney World attraction Spaceship Earth in what specific Disney park? Mike had the right instincts here for 3.
3. Coaches – What former NBA player served as head coach for the New York Knicks from 2014-2016? Miss for 1.
4. Governors – Bobby Jindal was the first Indian American governor in the U.S. having served from 2008 to 2016 in what southern U.S. state? 9
5. Candy – What small, crunchy candy sold by Nestle typically comes with two different flavors per case, which is divided into two parts? 8
6. Websites – Within two, in what year was Craig’s List and Angie’s list founded? 4
7. Theme Songs – Audio clue of ’90s series, miss for 2.
8. Game Math – How many possible unique combinations are there for the weapons, rooms and characters in the standard edition of “Clue?” Miss for 5.
9. Featuring – What 2015 hit song by Taylor Swift featured Kendrick Lamar as a guest singer? Evan: “I know my Taylor Swift songs…” (and we don’t want to know why, lol…), 7.
10. Neighborhoods – Logan Circle, Capitol Hill and Georgetown are among the neighborhoods in what U.S. city? I was worried about this category, but this was a nice easy question to end this round (whew), got for 6.

Got all of these…funny, I brainfarted in a trivia game about the woman in #2 a couple of years ago (never again)! Photo tie in…
Scores: Seven teams, scores ??? (did not hear low score) to 58, with Better Late Than Never in first again. We were in second (again) with 55.
Final Category – “Newish” Countries
Of the 15 independent countries that have formed as a result of the breakup of the U.S.S.R. in 1991, name the one that comes first alphabetically AND the one that comes last alphabetically.
Mike and I really went to work here. We were obsessed with naming all 15 of these countries (well, Mike was), and one of the ones I listed starting off Mike said wasn’t part of the U.S.S.R, and we found out after we handed in our slips that it actually was. It didn’t affect us coming up with the two correct answers, but it gave Mike the #15 country on his list he needed to ease his mind (this was his trivial “white whale,” lol).
Game winners: MBLP (69, moved up from fifth), ‘Pods, 75.
Our regular game Monday at Powell’s Pub will be canceled for Memorial Day. Will we hit up a wild card trivia spot on another night? Maybe! Or maybe not…Our next regularly scheduled game will be Thursday at Original Gravity, so check in for that recap next Friday. As always, Go Pods, and stay classy, Benito Mussolini!