I have lots of different catchphrases I like to hurl out on trivia nights (and afterwards). Like: “Everything happened earlier than you think,” “Everything is bigger in Texas,” “When you think you know a number add or subtract some to that number,” and the one most relevant to the game we most recently played:

“It doesn’t matter how you know an answer as long as you know it.”

Are you reading this – TV producer/writer/cowboy Taylor Sheridan?

If I were to run into you right now, I’d tell you the story about how one of my players knew an answer in a trivia game because of a scene in “Yellowstone!” And the question had nothing to do with the TV show itself!

I know, I know…if you’re one of the fans of this show, you most likely tune in to absorb the awesomeness of Kevin Costner – whom I hear is no longer involved in the series – or to check out how the character Beth Dutton constantly emasculates every male person she speaks to (especially her brother Jamie).

But…there are other reasons to tune into the series, too! Who doesn’t like watching horses galloping around on untamed landscapes, seeing ranch hands rib each other and seeing villain after villain eventually go to the proverbial “train station?” For those of you not in the “know,” the train station does not have actual trains!

Some viewers whom are into men like the rough and tumble no-nonsense head ranch hand Rip, yet others into guys may be more into John Dutton’s more sensitive youngest son Kayce Dutton. There are also plenty of “buckle bunnies” to provide entertainment, there is something for everyone! So much embellished denim!

There was one particular scene in Yellowstone that made my husband Mike’s eyes light up when he heard this question in the category of “Same Name:”

What five-letter word describes both something that is easy – and a part of a saddle?
He said he remembered a scene involving young ranch hand Carter being coached in horseback riding and …saddle stuff. He specifically remembered him being told to “blank” the saddle.

Too bad we didn’t have the same luck answering a question about an animated Disney film that became a Broadway show and had no clue how much a postage stamp costs these days! We also missed a couple of halftime answers and a question about amusement parks that I can’t quite recall at the moment (it’s in my notes, read on and I’ll have it later).

As for the game, we managed to finish first for the night, winning a $30 gift certificate to McShane’s Pub. We had three players for this game – me, Mike and our longtime friend Dave, whom was a great help in the category of music divas and disgusting fermented Asian beverages (to each their own)!

Here were our very, very abbreviated questions:

Round One

Video Games – What video game has a maximum of 3.3 million points and features the characters Inky, Blinky, Pinky and Clyde?

Kid Lit – What food item is constantly being offered in the popular Doctor Seuss book Green Eggs and Ham?

Entertainers – Which pop diva released a country album in 2024 called Cowboy Carter and also a line of whiskey called Sir Davis? Dave said he noticed me giving him a desperate sidelong look when we had this question as if to say “If you don’t know it, the rest of us won’t know it.” Thankfully he knew it!

Round Two

Science – What mineral can you add to water to make it denser and make things float easier?

Slogans – What branch of the military uses the slogan “It’s not just a job, it’s an adventure?”

Cats – I didn’t get this question down in its entirety, but they wanted the name of a breed of hairless cat. Since our host determined that there were too many different correct answers for this, all players received credit for their answers. We almost went with “reverse Himalayan” as a a joke, but clearer heads prevailed and we put in a desperate guess of “Rex.”

Round Three

Presidents – What president created the Department of Homeland Security?

You’ve Got Mail – As of October 2024, how much does a standard “forever” stamp cost? Miss. Funny we get a question about mail the same day I decided to go through a backlog of junk mail at our house! Paperless world indeed! 🙂

Same Name – What five-letter word describes both an easy task and a part of a horse’s saddle?

Halftime – We Make Stuff

When given a list of products, identify the U.S. state that produces the most of the products.

H1 Maple syrup, gallons

H2 Cranberries, in barrels

H3 Grapes, in tons

H4 Chestnuts, by acreage

We missed #2 and #4.

We were in second out of ten teams at the half with 30 points playing under the name Bastard Squad, ahead of us was a team we were all too familiar with playing under the name Nope, who had 31 points.

Round Four

Amusement Parks – What is the name of the geodesic structure at Epcot Center in Walt Disney World? Miss, we guessed “Tomorrowland.”

Famous Paintings – In what painting were the people modeled after the artist’s sister and the family dentist? Good guess by Mike.

Broadway – What was the first Broadway adaptation by Disney based on an animated film? We incorrectly guessed Peter Pan, which although much earlier than the correct one, it wasn’t a Disney theater production (that’s how it was explained to us). Oh well…we tried!

Round Five

Drinks – Originating in China, what fermented beverage is made of spices, black tea, juice and is slightly effervescent? Dave was all over this, apparently he likes drinking the stuff. I guess you either really love this stuff…or you’re like the team that was beating us at the half…

Nope! I remember my husband trying to get me to drink it when I had a hangover the same day as a beer festival. Sadly the only thing that cured that hangover was drinking a beer made with coffee! Perked me right back up!

Toys – What line of Japanese toys launched in 1974 featured stuffed monkey toys that were featured in a short lived Hanna-Barbera cartoon in the 1980s?

Racing – What since renamed NASCAR event involved someone stealing a pace car in 1986 before being stopped after 100 miles? We used our “word of the day” to avoid having to answer this…

Round Six

Actors – What actor holds the Guinness record for most stunts performed by a living actor?

Measures – How many feet are in a fathom?

Birds – What bird carrying an olive branch is commonly used as a symbol of peace? I joked that I wanted to put in “cassowary” as our answer (which is anything but a peaceful bird). Seriously…you should check out this bird if you have a zoo nearby to see one. They are truly “angry birds!” They are kind of scary!

We were in first going into the final with 60 points, just three points ahead of the second place team that had Ypsi in their name (did not get their name all down).

Our category was: Animal Kingdom

Which insect has been documented as flying 35 miles per hour, according to the Smithsonian, and is considered the world’s fastest flying insect?

We got this and held onto first place (wow getting an MTL final question right IKR)!

We tentatively have a midweek game planned next week if we can summon at least a few players to help us out. Otherwise we may call it off.

As always, Go Pods, and stay classy, Mary Martin (who played Peter Pan on Broadway).