Ah, it was just like old times in our trivia night at Arbor Brewing Company (Ypsilanti)! We managed decent regular round scores (in second going into game two final), and blew both final questions. Since we’re not playing as competitively this season, that was perfectly OK! We’re not getting into a weekly “grind” at any one Sporcle spot this season, so we’ll revel in the highs and simply blow off the lows. We’ll forgive ourselves for not being more knowledgeable about Julia Roberts films that were released before that one “big” one she did. You know the one…The Happy Hooker Goes Shopping on Rodeo Drive And Falls In Love With One Of Her Tricks? What was the “real” title of that one again? 🙂 We said “farewell” to Joel in this game, who showed up wearing a Hawaiian-style shirt with octopuses on it!

And now, the questions…

Game One

1. Sports Nicknames – What NFL quarterback earned the nickname “Broadway Joe” before he made his Broadway debut in the play The Caine Mutiny Court Martial in 1983? 10

2. Cereal – What cereal comes in varieties including wheat, corn, rice, honey nut and chocolate, among others? 4

3. Spinoffs – Debuting in September, 2018, Mayans MC is a spinoff of what series that ran from 2008 to 2014? 9

4. Assassins – Nathuram Godse is notable for having assassinated what man in 1948? I suggested the correct man right away, but the others weren’t so convinced. Got this, but for only 1.

5. First Aid – Curad and Nexcare are first aid supply brands that complete primarily with what Johnson and Johnson brand? 8

6. Outer Space – In 2015, what NASA space probe became the first to explore the dwarf planet Pluto? Miss for 2 (total misuse of our one point slip earlier…jussayn)!

7. 2000s Movies – T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, VA is central to the plot of what 2000 sports drama film? 7

8. Fragrances – What celebrity is behind the fragrances Born Lovely, SJP NYC, and Stash SJP? 6

9. Islands – The Turks and Caicos Islands are an overseas territory belonging to what country? For an extra “nerd” bonus, what country is closest to Turks and Caicos? Got both for 3 plus the bonus.

10. Same Song Title – K.C. and Jo Jo in 1998 and Foo Fighters in 2002 had hits with songs that share what title? Miss for 5.

Mystery – Add ‘Em Up – the numbers required for the following answers will add up to 52.

1. Tupac was kicked out of the house at what age per his song Dear Mama

2. Sum of both numbers in the title of a 1998 film starring Harrison Ford and Anne Heche

3. Sum of three numbers preceding the word “Contact” in the title of an ’80s PBS series

4. Number that is the base in a hexidecimal system

Got all of these, but had to “deduce” the answer to #1. When we figured out that number, I said, “That’s a decent ‘kicking out of the house’ age.”

Scores – Nineteen teams, scores ??? to 65, with Ennui and some other team using the word “Dead” in their title tied for first. We were in sixth with 60 points.

Final Category – NBA Teams

Among the franchises that currently play in the NBA Eastern Conference, 13 have made at least one appearance in the NBA Finals.

Which of those teams has gone the longest since their last appearance in the Finals?

We went for it and failed. But wagering zero would not have put us in the prize zone (wagering zero on final questions at this bar is a dicey strategy at best with more than 20 teams in the mix, SOMEONE is going to get the final question correct).

Ennui wound up in first with 85 points, there was a three-way tie for second involving this tiebreaker question – “In what year was Trix first introduced?” Unsure who the three teams involved in the game two tiebreaker were.

Game Two

1. ’90s TV – Queen Latifah, Kim Coles, Kim Fields, and Erika Alexander all played main characters on what Fox sitcom that aired from 1993 to 1998? Miss for 1.

2. Landmarks – What serves as a natural landmark along the Oregon Trail in Western Nebraska, standing about 300 feet high? Facebook clue, 10.

3. Commercials – Audio clue of a commercial where a man says the line “I’m just a man with my stocks,” among other lines, got for 4.

4. Math Class – After the number 1, what is the next number that is both a perfect square and a perfect cube? David was sent to take a cold shower for this triviagasm (LOL), 9.

5. Music Videos – Marilyn Monroe’s performance of Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes inspired the music video for what 1985 Madonna single? This was my turn to have a trivigasm, “Gimme the big points slip, dammit!” 8

6. Olympics- Name three of the four North American cities outside of the U.S. that have hosted an Olympics. Name all four for a “nerd” bonus point. Got for 7 plus the bonus.

7. Beer – After Corona, what is the best selling beer outside of Mexico? 5

8. Musical Instruments – Musician and bandleader Benny Goodman was best known for playing what musical instrument? 6

9. Authors – In the 1950s, what author’s works included The Stars Like Dust, David Starr and the Naked Sun and Space Ranger? Miss for 2.

10. Arcade Games – Ryu and Ken are two player-controlled characters in what arcade game that was released in 1987 and inspired a long-running series? 3

Visual Mystery –

Missed #3.

Scores heading into the final: Nineteen teams, scores 27 to 63 with Money Badgers in first. We were tied for second with 59 with one other team.

Final Category – Actresses

Name three of the films that actress Julia Roberts appeared in before starring in Pretty Woman. Sporcle With Tim said he would give teams the “opportunity” to name all three films, but would only officially require two (in case no teams got all three, which no teams did). If teams wanted to put in three guesses, they had to indicate which one they were least confident about. Confused? He basically made a difficult question a bit easier (though it would not help us any).

We wagered 20 and missed. One of our films was released later in the same year as Pretty Woman, though we did get one correct. We just happened to overlook that one “big” movie she was in with all of those other women (curse my lack of knowledge about chick flicks). Oh well…not every story ends with a happy hooker finding love with one of her tricks, after all!

Money Badgers got first and two other teams were tied for second and had this tiebreaker question: How old was John Coltrane when he died? I played along and my guess was only three years off (my reasoning was jazz musicians don’t live long lives, especially if they get into the “junk”). Unsure who won that tiebreaker…

A couple of us “might” be in trivia battle tonight at Original Gravity Brewing Company for a Sporcle Live with Lauren show. As always, Go Pods, and stay classy, Julia Roberts!