We battled questions about reality TV shows, sugarless gum, authors, diving spots, celebrities, chemical formulas – and Shakespeare-inspired musicals – in a recent virtual trivia game. How’d we do? Not bad, actually! We didn’t come in first place or anything really exciting like that, but…yeah!

Here were our questions:

Round One

1) TV Shows – A Japanese TV series that debuted in 2001 with a title meaning “The Tigers of Money” is a precursor to what ABC reality TV series that has aired 13 seasons since 2009? My trivia pardner Mike had the correct guess here.

2) Advertising – What brand of sugarless gum has featured advertisements in which a British woman wearing all white shows up to otherwise “dirty” or awkward situations? Those ads were funny!

3) Authors – Author Colson Whitehead has been awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction twice, in 2017 and 2020. Name either of the novels for which he won.

NERD POINT: Name both.

Thank you whichever trivia host shared this as a clue before the game, otherwise we would’ve had NO clue! Didn’t get the bonus, though.

4) Diving – The Yonaguni Monument is an undersea rock formation and popular diving spot that is located off the coast of islands belonging to what country? The name was enough of a clue for us on this one.

Mystery One

Among the following movies from the same director, choose the one the was the FIRST to be released.

M1. Alfred Hitchcock – Vertigo, Rear Window, or The Birds

M2. Steven Spielberg – Munich, Schindler’s List, or Hook

M3. Jane Campion – Bright Star, The Piano, or The Portrait of a Lady

M4. Hayao Miyazaki – Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away, or Princess Mononoke

Got all of these correct, though we were nervous about the Hitchcock one. My “Jimmy Stewart was in that one” logic prevailed for our guess on this one. Although he was in more than one of these, so I guess we got lucky? And the last one was all Mike (he knows more about anime than I do).

Round Two

5) Celebrities – In 2017, Beyoncé gave birth to twins—a boy named Sir and a girl given what four-letter name, after a notable Persian poet and scholar? We incorrectly guessed “Siri” as the girl in this union. Miss. But would anyone be surprised if she actually named one of her children Siri?

6) Formulas – H2SO4 is the chemical formula of what highly corrosive liquid?

7) Coaches – In 1921, Fritz Pollard became the first Black head coach in the history of what major sports league when he was appointed co-coach of the Akron Pros? Miss, we went with Jackie Robinson’s sport.

8) U.S History – Defined by the Flag Act of 1777, one of the earliest designs for the American flag with 13 stripes and 13 white stars on a blue field is named for what woman, although she probably did not create the first version? One of my trivia acquaintances of auld likes to joke about these types of super easy questions…yup, a social! Every team knew this.

Mystery Two

We missed #1 and #3.

We had 45 points going into the final and were in fourth, tied with one other team.

Final Category – Musical Adaptations

West Side Story, which is an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, was nominated for but did NOT win the Tony for Best Musical. Name 2 of the 3 musicals based on Shakespeare plays that DID win that award, doing so in 1949, 1972, and 1998.

Our team is NOT generally good with Tony winners, but we still managed to get this. You kind of had to think differently about one of these plays.

As always, Go Pods, and stay classy, Scar!