NOTE: answers are at the way bottom of the blog. I’m no longer putting them in the comments. Change for 2025!

We continued to ride what is seeming like a “hot streak” in our pub trivia pursuits at a recent Sporcle Events trivia game. We managed a perfect game in game two, and won a tiebreaker for first place! Our score was 131 points overall, and our game 2 score was a sexy 69!

Though we’re not really gamblers at all – as in going to casinos to do anything but work -(husband’s college job) or use the restroom (yes that happened once near Petoskey) – we have seen a lot of movies about casinos! So we know all hot streaks eventually come to an end. But three consecutive weeks of first place trivia prizes? Add to that winning a cash prize in a money game in December?

Uh, OK! That’s cool! Sometimes we get lucky!

After what 2024 threw at us – unemployment, deaths in the family, another family member getting COVID and annoyances with getting a new toilet installed?

We’ll take it!

Below is a guy you don’t want to find out about casino cheats:

We know better than to get too excited or cocky about our good luck! I mean, come on…it’s not like we haven’t watched any movies about casino gambling, where some lucky high-roller has his or her luck run out in some unceremonious way, which may or may not involve the loss of money, life, limbs or all three things (though not necessarily in that order). Maybe even a freshly dug hole in the Nevada desert with your name on it. Or if you’re a grifter caught red handed in the Martin Scorsese film Casino, you might find your “good” hand in the grips of a vise!

We had just four players on this frigid January night – myself and my husband Mike, our longtime friend and trivia compadre Brad, and Andrew, our newest “cult” member. We’ll call him our “man in black!”

Here were our questions:

Round One/Game One

1 Books – What 1818 gothic novel by Mary Shelley was originally published anonymously when she was 20 years old?

Host Leif offered a bonus point if we knew the whole title of the book, which we did…

2 Music Terms – What two-word term from the Italian meaning “first lady” refers to the leading woman in an opera, usually a soprano?

3 Bones – The mandible is also commonly knows as the lower what?

4 MVPs – In 2009, Hideki Matsui became the first Japanese-born player to win the World Series MVP, doing so with what team?

Mystery Round One

Category – Change a Letter

The correct answer to each clue is a two-word phrase where the two words differ by only a single letter.

M1 A candle’s primary ingredient is stuck in an ongoing military battle

M2 A large spotted cat is wearing a skin-tight, one-piece garment covering the torso from the top of the thighs to the shoulder

M3 A benevolent ruler to his people

M4 Sodium chloride is 50 percent off for a limited time

Got all of these.

Round Two

5 Movie Years – What 1982 film, set nearly 40 years in the future, has a 2017 sequel set in 2049, as referenced in its title?

NERD POINT: Who directed this 1982 film?

Got the points and the bonus.

6 TV Years – What Netflix series debuted in 2016 with an episode titled “Wolferton Splash,” set around 70 years in the past? Miss, we picked the correct ethnicity of the series, wrong series.

7 Capitals – What European capital city is located mostly on the island of Zealand, and partially on the island of Amager? Another miss, we were torn between two countries, one of which was correct, just picked the wrong one.

8 Monuments – What monument at Arlington National Cemetery was unveiled in 1921 with an inscription that partially reads “known but to God?”

Mystery Round Two – Before and After

Combine the two clues to form a single answer. Answers may share a word, part of a word, or a syllable.

M1 Reality series that orignally featured Adam Richman taking on various eating challenges AND the opening song from the 1962 musical Oliver!

M2 Disney animated film set in the land of Kumandra AND type of insect that includes meadowhawks, darners and skimmers

M3 Country whose capital city is Bangkok AND Toyota four-wheel drive model that has been produced since 1951

M4 Signature McDonald’s hamburger introduced nationwide in 1968 AND the title character of the Shakespeare play that also features a character named Duncan

Missed #s 2 and 3.

Beers for Queers were in first with 54, Hotter Than Mordor was in second with 51, My Type on Paypah was tied with Your Resume Sucks and Miranda Kerr Had a Few Kids I Think? in third with 50 in a three-way tie. We were in sixth with 46 points behind three teams tied with 47 points each – 24 Hour Brunch, DFTSY Bartender and Smells like Poutine Spirit.

We decided that scores were way too tight to NOT wager on the final, so we…wagered all 15 points.

Final Question Category: Animated TV

In 2021, Variety published a list of the “15 Best New Year’s TV Episodes of All Time,” which includes episodes titled “Re-New Year’s Eve” and “Old Acquaintance,” each from a different animated TV series. Name those two animated shows, both of which premiered on Netflix in the 2010s and have titles beginning with the same letter.

Andrew was all over this (good thing I would have only thought one of them).

I think there were only three teams not getting this correct, so no changes in the standings – Beers for Queers took first, Hotter than Mordor took second, My Type on Paypah took third.

Game Two/Round Three

9 Territories – Washington State was originally going to be named what? Sorry, I didn’t get this in its entirety.

10 Voices – The voice of actor James Earl Jones is heard briefly during the opening of what 2024 films, which is dedicated to his memory?

11 Candy – What brand of candy, manufactured since 1937 and currently made by Hershey in the United States, consists of truncated, cone-shaped chocolates with caramel centers?

12 Moderators – Kristen Walker became the moderator for what long-running NBC talk show that debuted in 1947?

Mystery Round Three – OPE

The correct answer to each clue contains the letters “OPE” in that order.

M1 Last name of Amy Poehler’s character on Parks and Recreation

M2 A figurative or metaphorical use of a phrase

M3 Brand of flavored water that is marketed as containing Gatorade electrolytes, vitamins, and zero sugar

M4 Village that is home to the National Baseball Hall of Fame

Round Four

13 Songs – This was audio, so I’ll do my best to make it a “words” question:

Identify either the artist who recorded the original version of the 1961 song “Stand By Me,” OR the artist who originally recorded “Fast Car” in 1988. I know this question probably makes zero sense as a words question, but trust me, you’re basically answering the same thing (except maybe not so much name that tune-y).

14 Fighting – What mixed martial artist holds several UFC records in the light heavyweight division, including the most title defense, most wins and longest win streak? FB clue.

15 Outer Space – IN 1994, the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 collided with what planet, leaving impact marks on its southern hemisphere that lasted for several months?

16 Characters – What character, also known as Orion Pax, is themain protagonist and primary leader of the Autobots in the Transformers franchise?
NERD POINT: What leader of the Decepticons has been voiced by Hugo Weaving in three films?

Mystery Round Four

Nice teamwork on this one, I think all four of us contributed to getting it right!

We were in a three-way tie for first with 55 points with Your Resume Sucks and My Type on Paypah. 24-Hour Brunch was in second with 52, and Miranda Kerr (yada yada) was in third with 51.

Final Question Game Two:

Category: Music Milestones

Three bands and one solo artist have had a non-greatest-hits studio album spend at least 700 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart. Name two of those four performers, whose albums were released in 1973, 1991, 1991 and 2010.

The 2010 album is the one released by the solo artist.

Got this. Which put us in a two-way tiebreaker with YRS. Host Leif gave us two options – a “standard” tiebreaker, or his “special” tiebreaker. I think the decision was made for the “special” one. Honestly, this was all my husband Mike at this point, he took the reins here (and he was right to do it):

In what year was The Primitive World by Court de Gebelin published? It was cited as being about tarot cards and being the first book about them.

Trust my husband Mike and his weird knowledge wheelhouse to come closest on this and win it.

We’re not making trivia plans this year more than a week or so in advance, but we do plan to play here again next week. Not sure what we’re doing after that. It’s all part of our “Fly by the seat of our pants” trivia strategy!
As always, Go Pods, and stay classy, Megatron!

r1

frankenstein/modern prometheus; prima donna, jaw, yankees

m2

war, leotard, kind king, sale

r2

blade runner/ridley scott, the crown, copenhagen, tomb of the unknown soldier

m2

man vs. food glorious food, thailand cruiser, raya and the last dragonfly, big macbeth

f 1

big mouth, bojack horseman

g2 r3

columbia, mufasa, rolo, meet the press

m3

knope, trope, propel, cooperstown

r4

ben e king/tracy chapman, jon jones, jupieter, optimus prime/megatron

m4

riverdale, fargo, homeland, ozark

f2

pink floyd, nirvana, metallica, bruno mars