Hello, blog readers! A player on another Sporcle Live team was FAR more of an eager beaver than I and got the questions from tonight’s tournament typed up a lot faster than me! So with all of that said, you guys all get to see this recap early! I am not posting it on Facebook until Monday…Following this blog has its privileges!

Going into this game, we were all a bit on edge! We were placed in a booth, and even though it would comfortably seat six people, at least a couple of us weren’t so comfortable having to sit on a three-person seat! For game one, I was, as the Stealer’s Wheel song says, “Stuck in The Middle…” I decided by the end of this game that I was mad as hell and I wasn’t going to take it anymore!

Who knows what 1976 Academy Award nominated film this quote is from?

OK, I wasn’t REALLY that upset, but I decreed that there would be a change in seating arrangements going into the second game! Brad was sent over to the other side with Dave and Evan, and Mike and I shared the three person bench. It worked out well, since both Mike and I had writing duties and we kind of needed the elbow room.  We also wanted to sit where we could see the questions on the screen. Even had we been seated at one of the regular tables, it wouldn’t have been ideal, since the regular tables were much smaller than the tables in the six-person booths. Even though none of us would have been “landlocked” like Moldova (or Niger, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Chad, Austria, Bolivia…you get the drift) there would not have been ample table space for writing notes. Six of one, half dozen of the other?

Game One
1. Video Games: What role playing game released in 1995 features a red spiky haired title character who communicates using facial expressions as well as characters named Marl, Frog, and Robo?
Miss for 2.

2. Lifetime Achievement: The Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Award for Lifetime Achievement is awarded at the Golden Globes. In 1962, at age 39, who became both the youngest recipient as well as the first female winner of the award?
I really, really, really wanted to wager 10 on this. But I was overruled. We only wagered 7. Jesus, I just READ about this actress within the past couple of weeks!

3. #1 Hits: What rap artist had two songs spend a total of 14 consecutive weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2002? This includes a three week period where one song ranked at #1 and the other ranked at #2.
Miss for 9. Ugh….

4. Civil War: Name the three Union states that sent at least 300,000 soldiers to the US Civil War, more than any other state.
A LOT of debate here. I thought of an East coast state that was pretty darn populous at the time, then Brad mentioned the name of a particular pro sports team from one of the states, and we went with that state, which wound up being correct. Got this for 4.

5. Business News: On July 26, 2018, what company was sued by its founder several weeks after he had resigned as chairman?
Dave demanded the big slip here, got for 10.

6. Elements: Because of the diversity in colors of its salts, which element, atomic number 77, is named for the Greek goddess of the rainbow?
Heartbreaking miss for 9.

7. College Sports: As of 2018, there are three schools that have made the College Football Playoff only once and lost their only game. Name two of these three schools.
Miss for 3. Managed to get 1.

8. Emmy Awards: Two shows, one on FX and the other on NatGeo, have had their second seasons nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited Series. Name either of the real life people who were the subjects of these shows.
I actually knew this Emmies answer. Sorry, that’s how I think it should be spelled. Also Grammies (another blog topic entirely). Got this, but we only wagered 1.

9. Islands: The Dodecanese, Cyclades, and Sporades are all island groups belonging to what country?
Got for 8.

10. Literary Settings: Yoknapatawpha County is a fictional Mississippi county was created by what 20th century author and serves as the setting for many of his novels and short stories?
I knew this one for 6. Redemption! I blew a literature question for big points in the last league championship. Sometimes my lit degree pays off on trivia nights (LOL)!

Mystery Round: Given a US highway, a college or university, and a professional athlete, two share a US state. Give the item that does not share that state. For the pro athlete, the state is where his team currently plays its home games.

I’m going to be honest here. I didn’t fully understand this mystery round. But enough of my players DID understand this…

1. I-81, Harvard University, Chris Sale
2. I-70, Case Western Reserve University, Jack Eichel
3. I-25, Oral Roberts University, Von Miller
4. I-35, Brigham Young University, Donovan Mitchell

Missed #1.

Top five going into game two: What the Shibboleth, 54; Eberwits Featuring the No-Talent Ass Clowns, 55; Prune Tracy/One is the Loneliest Number, 56; and Money Badgers, 59. We were a bit behind the herd with 42 points.

Round Two
1. Peace: The Global Peace Index measures the relative peacefulness of 163 independent nations. Name one of the two nations that have ranked last (162 or 163) over the last two years.
Got this, but for only 3.

2. Websites: Until 2013, what website used an error screen that included an image of a whale being lifted out of the water, which resulted in the character being known as the “Fail Whale?” Evan with right guess from his ass for 2.

3. People in Government: Which US Cabinet level department has been led by seven different women including Frances Perkins, Elizabeth Dole, Elaine Chao, and Hilda Solis? This department has been led by more women than any other.

Miss. for TEN!

4. Late Night TV: Who hosted the late night show that replaced the Colbert Report in January 2015? This host had previously been a contributor on the Daily Show.
Got this for 4.

5. Champions: At the most recent Winter Olympic Games, the US won nine gold medals, seven of which were in skiing or snowboarding events. Name either of the events in which the other two gold medals were won.
Brad all over this one for 9.

6. Drinks: What beverage brand that uses the term “Naturally Enhanced” has been the target of tweets mocking the perceived lack of flavor in many of its products?

Evan all over this for 8.

7. 2010s Films: What was the highest grossing film at the US box office released in 2017 and is named for a real life city? GOD I AM SO GLAD I BOTHERED TO STUDY HIGH GROSSING FILMS BEFORE THIS TOURNAMENT!
Got this for 6. Dave said I had a “triviagasm” here…

8. Infections: What is the bacterial infection that has a name derived from the Greek for “leather” due to the appearance of the coating on the back of the throat? A vaccine was developed for it during the 1920s and it is one of the illnesses associated with the video game Oregon Trail.
Miss for 6, though we did consider the right answer.

9. Collaborations: Lou Reed’s final full length studio project before his death was the 2011 album Lulu, a collaboration with what rock band?
Miss for 1.

10. State Borders: What is the smallest US state by total area that borders four or more other US states?
Got this for 5.

Mystery Round: Given two songs and a year, identify the movie that came out in the given year in which the musician who sang the two songs appeared. (Yeah…not the greatest description, but we did pretty well).
1. “Express Yourself,” “Frozen,” 1992.
2. “Miami,” “Switch,” 2016
3. “Not Afraid,” “Rap God,” 2002
4. “Rebel Rebel,” “Modern Love,” 2006

Got all of these. Release years of movies is definitely in my wheelhouse, though my teammates helped with the song clues. I’m guessing a lot of teams missed #4 in particular.

God I LOVE this movie about dueling magicians, which some have jokingly dubbed Batman vs. Wolverine. Maybe this should be a REAL movie! Far more exciting than Batman vs. Superman!  I think this guy would have been a FANTASTIC Elrond had the Lord of the Rings movies been made in the 1980s…

Top Teams heading into the final:
Dem Iggs/Homoerotic Trivia Montage, (something between 84 and 87, someone was talking and I didn’t catch their score); ‘Pods (that’s us)/Black Coffee, 88; Tanooki Suits, (??); One is the Loneliest Number, 95; Vandalay Industries, 99; Teamy McTeamface, 104; Better Late Than Never, 105, What The Shibboleth, 107 and Prune Tracy, 112.

Final Category: US Presidents
Final Question: Each of the four given clues have an answer that is also the last name of a US president. Place all four answers in order of when that president served.
1. Last name of the actor who has played characters named Daniel Cleaver, Paul Morgan, and David the UK Prime Minister.
2. A verb meaning “to go through.”
3. Last name of the quarterback who started both Super Bowl XLVIII and XLIX.
4. Book series by Marc Brown which has been adapted to an animated TV series.

We missed #1. Overthought it…

Final Standings: One is the Loneliest Number, 125 ($100); Vandalay Industries, 129 ($150); 134, ($250) Teamy McTeamface; Better Late Than Never, 135 ($750) and Prune Tracy, 138 ($1,250).

And that’s the final “chapter” of this Sporcle Live season! Despite our big point misses, I’m happy with how we all played tonight! Making the top 10 going into the final is never something TOO awful! We will be back at it when the new season begins the week of August 13. Our next trivia game will be Monday for a MTL game at Powell’s Pub for the new season. As always, Go Pods, and stay classy, Hugh Grant!