Note: The photos and video links can be found here, as well as the answers to these.

Saturday night, 12 of us gathered for a Sporcle Live “trivia hunt.” There was a $1,000 top prize for the fastest team (more about that in a bit). Our players included me, Kimberly, Mike, Kevin, David C., Sam, Brent, Kirsten, Kevin’s sister Karen, Cathy F., Kim’s 12-year-old daughter Lily and Stacy L.

This was a trivia contest unlike any other I’d ever participated in over the past nine years of playing competitive trivia in pubs (back in the long, long ago) and more recently, virtually. Throughout all of that craziness included hundreds of “regular” pub trivia games and 20 some-odd trivia “tournaments,” both regional and statewide. All of those games required me and my teammates to remember key things for answers, or team up and come up with answers.

This time, it was completely different! In this trivia hunt, we were allowed to look up all of the answers and use whatever resources we had on hand. In addition to having a laptop to look up the answers, I also had a paper map of the United States (which actually came in quite handy), a Holy Bible my grandmother gave me for Christmas when I was 7 (ya never know), and a notebook I’d recently started filling out with some of my “lists,” including state capitals ranked by population, states ranked by population, U.S. presidents and vice presidents (along with the years they served), states in order of statehood dates, etc. That notebook also came in quite handy! Referring to notes and a paper map was much faster than a bunch of keystrokes!

We got 24/25 correct, missing #3.

I only answered TWO of these questions, though I provided a little “assist” for question #2. So I can’t really comment on any of these questions other than the two I answered (which were numbers 5 and 25). The team turning in all 25 answers the fastest was the one taking home the cash. Here were the questions:

1. In the American version of the game show Cash Cab, contestants have a “double or nothing” option at the end of their ride with a video bonus question. The contestant that holds the record for most money won on a single ride answered their video bonus question correctly. What was the answer to their video bonus question?

2. This is the story about the third ever woman to go into outer space. In 2013, a female solo artist released a song with that space pioneer’s name in its title. There is only one word in the lyrics to that song that contains the letter’ X.” That word that includes an ‘X’ is also the name of a song title from a British musician whose last name begins with the letter N. That song was that musician’s second single in the UK. The first single of their career was on the same album, and it has a four-letter title. What is the four-letter title of that debut single? Kim’s 12-year-old daughter handled this question, I just provided a little “assist” by confirming that song name (teamwork)!

3. Exactly two days after the photo in the link below was taken, an alternative-rock band released their fifth studio album. That band has also made at least one appearance as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live. What is the most recent song that the band has played on an SNL episode? (Meaning if they played more than one song in that episode, it would’ve been the last one played).

4. While there is more than one NHL team that has won exactly four Stanley Cups, only one of those teams shares its name with a school that fields a men’s Division I basketball team in the NCAA. Let’s say you’re a student at that university. Let’s also say you live at the Land’s End Apartments, which is about a 15-mile drive from campus (give or take). On your way home from class one day, you’re feeling “historic.” You realize your commute each day brings you past a World War II aircraft carrier, so you stop to check it out. As you tour the ship, one of the first things you learn is that it had a very colorful nickname. What is the colorful nickname of that ship?

5. There is only one US state flag to have the word “Battle” written on it somewhere. What is the least populous state to border that “battle” state? My notebook and map enabled me to come up with this very, very quickly (no such quickness on the other one I worked on, which was 25).

6. Solve this gaming math problem the way your elementary teacher taught you. The number of pieces in the game Perfection + The number of cards with a “7” on it in a standard Uno deck + the number of playable “Destination Ticket” cards (see note) in the original US Ticket to Ride game * The age of the 2019 Fortnite World Cup Solo Champion (Age at the time they won) Note: Playable ticket cards have two cities on them along with a potential point value – we are asking how many of these cards there are, NOT how many total cities there are)

7. Quick Note: Two rough ones back to back. The show in question is The Neighbors. Remember, we asked about it’s initial run during it’s FALL season. During it’s first episode, Suburgatory aired after it. During the rest of it’s fall run, it was followed by Modern Family. Nashville aired after it later the following year. As did Shark Tank for those that answered that.

8. “Around Odd Egg” is an anagram of the make and model of an American SUV. The name of the plant where this vehicle is currently produced shares its first word with the surname of a former US President. Take note of the month and day that that President passed away. What other former US President was born on that same month and day (but not year)?

9. The picture (the one with text) is from an author’s debut novel. In 2016, the New York Times printed one of this author’s poems on an entire page. Based on the number of letters, what is the longest word in that printed poem? (Not including any contractions).

10. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, two of her Prime Ministers had the same first and last initial as the President of the United States in office at the time. The younger of these two PMs was born exactly one day after the writer of an iconic song that hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the 1980s. This chart-topper was covered by a singer who used an alliterative stage name. That singer’s actual last name is shared with the last name of a fictional teen character from a musical that won a Tony award for Best Musical. Name the musical.

11. In the (third) picture shown below, you’ll find a portion of a theme park’s map. That theme park is right near the banks of a river. If you were to enter the river at that point and float south just short of 100 miles, you’d end up in a city that is one of the five largest cities in its state. What current morning show anchor for a national network program grew up in that city (though he/she was born in a completely different state)?

12. Of the 12 Apollo astronauts that have set foot on the moon, one shares their last name with a 56-year-old woman who is the owner of a major zoo. That zoo publishes a magazine that you can subscribe to. What is the name of that magazine?13. You have a crucial business meeting today! You’re headed to the headquarters of the company that uses the music linked below in one of their games. And just because we wanted to, we sped up the tempo of the music considerably. You have a new game idea to pitch this company! Once you arrive, they suggest getting to know each other first over lunch. After all, the restaurant is just a short walk from the office. They suggest the “Sexy Fish,” but the “Tiger Tagliatelle” is calling your name. What restaurant, presumably with a Beatles inspired name, are you about to give your proposal at?

14. Well, your business proposal in Question 13 didn’t go well. Time to update your resume and find a job. There’s no time to “Runaround.” You apply for a job at the following company:-The company shares its name with a collection of short stories (though they present their name slightly differently). Looking for “Evidence?”-Clean Lingo is an anagram of the company’s founder’s first and last name.-The company is headquartered in a state that has at least one Ivy League college.-You’re fascinated by the fact that one of the company’s products once searched the Great Pyramid in Egypt and managed to “Escape!”What company did you apply for a job at?

15. Let’s reminisce about the great road trip of 1993! You’re a huge Canadian Football League fan, and you decided to hit the road to see a game in person. You weren’t a fan of cold weather, so you headed to the most southern team’s home stadium in the league. You also aren’t a fan of long drives, so you opt to fly instead. When you arrived, you thought it was cool that the airport’s 3-letter IATA airport code was the same as the initials of an actor/actress who portrayed the title character in a mid-80s TV sitcom. Name that sitcom.

16. Ouch! It’ll really hurt if you miss this one. This 2017 photo from the UK might appear to be a birthday party, but they’re actually celebrating the 10-year-anniversary of something that ended up making them a lot of money. What is the boy with the red arrow’s first name?

17. GME, AMC, NOK, BB! Hold! To the Moon! Let’s start a new stock trend. We all need to buy stock in the following company:Part of the company’s name is shared by a one-word-titled movie that received exactly 10 Oscar nominationsThe company’s 2-letter NYSE ticker symbol is the same as the initials of a former US President.Among the various products this company makes, one of them has an exclusive flavor at Olive Garden restaurantsWhat company are we all buying stock in?

This was the last answer we came up with, and all ended up teaming up on it. It was probably the hardest question we had this night.

18. Interstate 80, the second-longest primary interstate in the U.S., directly serves the metro area of five U.S. capital cities. We’ll come back to those cities shortly. Let’s pretend you’re a contestant on Wheel of Fortune, and you’ve made it to the final bonus round. You’re given the usual five consonants and a vowel by Pat Sajak. You know you will then get to choose three more consonants and a vowel. You decide to honor the man who Barack Obama said this about: “He arrived in our lives as an alien—but he ended up touching every element of the human spirit. He made us laugh. He made us cry.” You know that that man appeared in a movie with a four-letter name where he was the title character. And you know none of those four letters were given to you as a freebie by Sajak. Those four letters in that movie are the letters you choose on Wheel of Fortune to go along with the free letters you were already given. The bonus round answer is one of those five cities/states that we discovered at the start of this question (i.e., “Austin, Texas”). Which of those cities/state combos have you uncovered the least number of total letters on?

19. If you started in the city with this flag and dug a hole straight through the center of the earth (let’s pretend you don’t melt), which country would you come up in on the other side?

20. What is the only bone in the human body where if you replaced the last two letters in its name, you’d have the name of a current NHL team?

21. Take the last name of the WNBA player who has played in the most career games. Take the last name of the National Security Advisor that served in that position for the same number of days as that WNBA player had games played. The National Security Advisor’s name appears in the name of an artist or group that recorded a song with the WNBA player’s last name in its title. The song was the opening track on a 2016 album of theirs. Name the artist/group AND song title.

22. The river in the following picture is an unofficial border between the MidWest and another portion of the US. The city where the orange arrow is pointing at shares its name with a different city on the east coast. That east coast city has a population over 20,000 people. In that east coast city, an actor was born who is known for playing different characters on TV named Harry. What was the first sitcom he appeared in where his character was named Harry?

23. The following picture is of a Lego set. In what 2018 film did the female character pictured in this set appear?

24. What a dud of a Super Bowl this year, eh? The image linked below contains logos (or portions of) that have been used by two different companies that ran a Super Bowl commercial this past Sunday. What movie did the respective stars of each of those commercials appear in together?

25. This is a love story. It’s Valentine’s Day weekend, after all. Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson recently split up (not really, but let’s pretend), and Tom is on the lookout for love. Tom calls up the woman he appeared in two movies with, which were released around 3.5 years apart. Those movies were not a part of the same series and both movies were released after 2000. This woman is Person A in our question. That actress is happy to hear from Tom, but she’s not interested. She says, “Hey Tom, what about Person B? The first sequel I appeared in was with her, and you also appeared in a movie with her in the mid-2000s.” Tom agrees and gives Person B a call. She is happy to hear from Tom but isn’t interested. She says, “I should introduce you to my friend Person C. She sang at my wedding, but she’s better known for her 1983 chart-topping single.” Tom gives Person C a call. She’s happy to hear from Tom but isn’t interested. Person C tells Tom, “You know when I performed my hit single at the Grammy’s, I met Person D. He had just won the Grammy for Best Comedy Recording earlier that night. I learned he’s an excellent matchmaker. Give him a call!” Tom gives Person D a call and asks if he has any love leads. Person D tells Tom, “You know I don’t, but I know who might. I was in a movie in the 90s with Heather Graham and Person E. He’s a well-known matchmaker. Give him a ring.” Tom is feeling dejected, but he gives Person E a call. Person E says, “Tom! Yes, I know the perfect person for you. Let me set you up with Person F! I was in a movie where I played an architect, and Person F was in it with me. She played a character named Trisha. And even better news, I already texted her, and she’s interested in going on a date with you.” Tom and Person F go to an Al Green concert for their date. They go on several more dates and they fall in love. The End. Who is Person F?

It’s amazing I came up with the right answer to this, since I failed to come up with correct persons A, B and C. Thankfully I came up with the other correct people (and am a big fan of a movie featuring persons D and E, and am a HUGE fan of actor E)! This was definitely an “algebraic equation” with words if I ever saw one! We had fun, even if it was a bit…chaotic at times! I had to turn down the zoom chatter a couple of times (a can’t hear myself think kind of thing, nothing personal). As always, Go Pods, Sparty On, and stay classy, Annie Potts (I thought she was person B).