`Please see the comments for additional notes about this game.
We took a couple of weeks off from our Original Gravity Brewing Co. trivia games, but just couldn’t pass up the chance to return on Thursday for the Sporcle Live scene hosted by Lauren! For one, the weather was nice and mild. Two, you’d be hard-pressed to find a much more mellow trivia scene than here! There’s always a decent trivia crowd here, but it’s never TOO crowded. And if you f— up a question for big points, chances are a team sitting down from you at the bar probably did the same thing! Speaking of big point misses (ahem), I made plenty of those while playing solo in game one! My trivia “comrade” Dave joined in on the fun toward the end of game one, and since we won a $10 gift card in game two, I’d say two heads were better than one on this night! Except if they’re attached to the same body – but that goes without saying! I decided to keep this game “off the record” for league purposes since we’re just playing for fun this season rather than a tournament spot (yes really). We finished with 120 points overall, which would have put us in second behind Big Heads Big Hearts, who finished first with 129 points (they must’ve managed to make one large point miss fewer than I did, LOL).
And the questions…
Game One
1. Snacks – what snack has “flavor blasted” varieties including “explosive pizza,” “nothing but nacho” and “monstrous mozzarella stick?” 10
2. ’00s Music – what song by Flo Rida was a 2008 #1 hit and involved dancing in a club? I must be old, because when I think of a person named Florida, I think of the TV series Good Times. Ugh, miss for 2.
Esther Rolle as “Florida” on Good Times
3. Queens – Name any one of the years that Elizabeth I reigned as the Queen of England. Managed to get it by two years, but for only 3.
4. Winners – What Division I school has produced the most individual Heisman Trophy winners? I had a good idea because this was the Facebook clue, but I’ve been burned by being too confident on these sometimes…so I only wagered 4 on it.
5. Card Games – What Mattel card game features 162 cards, 12 each of numbers 1-12 including 18 “wild” cards? Big miss for 9 (I hear other teams wagered big and missed this one too).
6. Origins – What term commonly used in a business setting describes a discussion meeting but is derived from a Native American term for social games or ceremonies? Social for 6.
7. Camps – Before space camps opened in Florida and California, what U.S. state was the first to offer space camp programs at the Space and Rock Center? I had a “problem” coming up with the correct state (ahem), miss for 8.
8. Actresses – What actress’ highest-grossing films include Couples’ Retreat, Bad Moms and Frozen? 7
9. Sleepers – In Washington Irving’s story Rip Van Winkle what major war does this character sleep through. I was very, very careful how I worded my answer to this question because of an incident in another trivia game last winter at Oscar’s where teams were not initially given points for not being specific enough (though the host later gave the points back). Got this for 5.
10. TV Actors – Nathan Fillion has appeared in at least one season of three different TV series. Name two of those series – and the third for a “nerd” bonus. I named one series in which he appeared for part of a season, and one of the correct ones. Sadly, I thought of another series after I handed in my slip (had Dave arrived a little sooner I think he would have known this series). Oh well…just playing for s&gs, right? 🙂 Miss for 1.
Nathan Fillion as “Caleb” on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which was one of the series I put down (he only appeared in a partial season so my answer was not correct). His character was evil…and misogynist. After Buffy kills him with a sharp pointy thing, she says, “He had to split.”
Mystery – Before and After
1. Paid subscription service offered by a company headed by Jeff Bezos and name for a line of longitude
2. 2007 Andy Samberg film where he plays an amateur stuntman and singer whose first #1 single was Maggie May
3. Federal holiday established in 1863 by Abraham Lincoln and actress whose Academy Awards for acting were for the movies Gaslight, Anastaia and Murder on the Orient Express
4. Rapper who recorded the 1990 album To The Extreme and viral social media trend intended to raise awareness for ALS
Missed #3, and got #4 correct at the 11th hour. I honestly didn’t know this trend was supposed to raise awareness for anything!
Scores: 10 teams, scores 19 to 61, Alcovolics in first. I was in seventh playing under the name “It’s a shoe burning, Charlie Brown.” This is Sparta was ahead of me with 48; and Big Heads Big Hearts was tied for fourth with one other team with 51 points.
Final category – ’80s Music
In 1983, Billy Joel released three singles that that reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.
Name any one of those three singles, one of which is also the title of the album containing all three songs.
Thankfully the album name I came up with was correct, I was worried it was an album that was released later. Got this, but I f—ed up too many questions for big to land in the “winner’s circle!” Tiebreaker had to be decided between Big Heads Big Hearts for second, which asked what year Henry I began his reign as the King of France. Big Heads’ answer was closest, so they got second. Alcovolics got first.
And here’s something really odd…almost a year ago to the day THIS was a final question:
Between 1975 and 1995, the words “Storm”, “River”, “Street”, and “Houses” appeared in the titles of #1 albums released by what artist?
Some of you will see what these two questions have in common! I mentioned having this similar question a year ago to Dave and that it was the night I had my first first-place solo sweep. he said, “Maybe lightning will strike twice.” Nope…it didn’t! Still weird that these two similar final questions were almost exactly a year apart!
Game Two
1. ’90s Movies – What 1997 British comedy film featured six unemployed workers who team up for a strip tease act? 10
2. Funk – Audio clue of a 1986 song, had to name the artist. Lyrics include “Put your hands in the air like you don’t care…” Got for 9. Funny, we had another song by this artist in a recent “name that tune” game but I didn’t recognize it as being from that artist.
3. Same Name – What city in Japan was the host of the 1972 winter Olympics and shares its name with the oldest Japanese brewery? For a “nerd” bonus point, in what year were the first ever Olympics held in Japan? On the right track, but missed the bonus, got the main question for 8.
4. Title Characters – What 1984 Charles Dickens book’s full title is The Personal History, Adventures, Experience and Observation of (name)? Fill in the blank. Nope for 3.
5. Animals – Great horned, snowy and long-eared are all types of what animal? 7
6. MLB Players – What man who spent 50 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates as both a player and coach was the first to his signature engraved on an official Louisville Slugger bat? Miss for 1.
Johannes Peter “Honus” Wagner, looking like he’s going to f— you up in this photo, ahem…He was later nicknamed “The Flying Dutchman,” and was born to German immigrants in Carnegie, PA in 1874. He dropped out of school at age 12 to work in coal mines. He was one of the first five inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame. He was both a National League batting champion and RBI leader, and his #33 has been retired. He played with the Pirates from 1900 to 1917, and was a coach for the same team from 1933-1951.
7. Rich People – What third wealthiest person in the world is the current CEO of Berkshire Hathaway? 6
8. Kids’ TV – What TV series airing from 1994 to 1998 featured Ron and Natalie Daisy, their kids and a full- bodied puppet frog? Full bodied puppet frog? Why the hell didn’t I watch this? Sounds wild! 🐸 Miss for 2. Never heard of it.
9. Video Games – Within one, in what year did Sega Genesis release its first gaming system in the U.S.? Hit it dead on for 4.
10. Rocks – Six Grandfathers was the name of a rock formation given by the Lakota Sioux before being defaced by the U.S. government in 1927 and is better known by what name today? Thought about two possibilities on two different ends of the country, but picked the right one for 5 based on having an idea where the Sioux were located.
The “Six Grandfathers” prior to its defacing by that bastard Gutzon Borglum. I think I like it better this way! Better than those giant stone heads staring at me (so creepy). I have NO desire to ever visit this national monument, even me being as much of a nerd about presidential stuff as I am. My niece visited this place a few years ago with her parents and also visited a memorial nearby for the Battle of Little Big Horn. She learned that General Custer lost a…(ahem) vital body part to the Indians that day. That’s a fact she will NEVER, ever forget (kids are so impressionable, aren’t they)?
Visual Mystery –
Missed #2 though I did think of the right Disney film! I mistakenly thought the film I was thinking of was fully animated and didn’t have real people in it (d’oh)!
Scores – Ten teams, scores ??? to 58, with Big Heads Big Hearts in first. We were three points behind with 55, and This is Sparta one point behind us with 54.
Final Category NHL
Only one NHL team has lost in the Stanley Cup Finals more than once in the last twenty years. Name that team, which also won the championship twice in that time.
Ugh…we wagered zero, and stepped outside to chat a bit. Did not even bother handing in our slip. When I came back inside and asked who the game winners were, Lauren said, “You guys got second place.” Uh, OK? I know it’s not the BEST way to win a gift card, but any beer money’s better than none! BHBH also wagered zero on the final and got first.
And thus ends this game recap of a game that didn’t technically happen since you won’t see our score posted on the OG trivia page! If the next game at Powell’s is canceled as it’s rumored to be for Monday Night Football, then our next trivia outing will be Wednesday at Arbor Brewing Company (Ypsilanti) for a very “special” one-time engagement. Joel will be setting up shop in San Francisco soon and we wanted to give him a bit of a send off (you are truly the sanest member of the ‘Pods, Joel – we shall miss you)! Don’t miss him TOO much! He will still be around occasionally to visit his three grandchildren! All of that said…as always, Go Pods, and stay classy, Gutzon Borglum! AND George Custer!
hebspeaks 
I am almost sorry I decided to keep this game “off the books!” Had I signed in as a league team, we would have placed second, which would mean Big Heads Big Hearts and This Is Sparta would be in a tie for first rather than BHBH still trailing them by three points. See what happens when I try to do something nice? The road to hell is paved with (you know the rest)! They still have plenty of weeks to battle it out – and I will be playing in some of these games! Unofficially, at least! 🙂 Also, I find the “jockeying” that trivia players do for prime bar seats quite amusing! I have to do a bit of that myself to snag the “corner” seat I like…there was a lingering couple occupying the two seats I wanted to use for Dave and I and they just WOULDN’T leave! They were nice and all…and even tried to help with the Flo Rida question. But I couldn’t stop eyeballing their seats that I wanted! I don’t like being “landlocked’ at a bar, makes it hard to get up to hand in answer slips! Also guy sitting next to me was grooving a bit too much on that Earth, Wind and Fire song “September.” He practically turned the place into a karaoke joint! And I was the one who requested that song (LOL)!