Scroll to the end for the answers.

We played our fourth game of the current My Trivia Live spring/summer season on a recent mild spring evening at McShane’s Pub in Ypsilanti.

As for this season, I’ll say that we’re surviving fairly well so far! My expectations certainly aren’t super high.

We won’t “really” know how we’re doing compared to the other teams until the scores are updated on the MTL web site. In the meantime, we’re just having fun and like plucky characters from a 1970s sitcom, we’re doing the best that we can!

Was “The Incredible Hulk” a 1970s sitcom with plucky characters doing the best that they can? Well, maybe from a certain point of view! We had a question about that character, which almost always makes me think of this:

“Yet another riff on the whole ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ trope!” Venom, Two-Face, Bizarro universe D.C. comic characters, that one Looney Tunes short where Bugs Bunny drinks the potion and becomes a monster bunny – all of them are takes on the 1886 Robert Louis Stevenson novella Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

An AI generator I used actually came up with a good depiction of the Batman villain Two Face when I put in the words “Jekyll and Hyde.” Not bad, illustrator robot thingie! ☺

In a way, aren’t we all a bit like Jekyll and Hyde? Don’t we all have differing faces that we show our co-workers, bosses, loved ones, the general public, probation officers, psychiatrists, prison wardens – what have you? Smile on the outside to hide an inner homicidal maniac inside? Or vice versa? Was Stevenson just doing social commentary when he wrote that story?

On a different note… As for the game, we finished in third with 55 points and a $10 prize. We were just one point behind the second place team which – if I had to guess – knew a bit more about recent chairpersons of the U.S. Federal Reserve than we did!

I’m not sure who the team was who won first – but they played under the name “Boom Pop Kapow, Those are Fighting Words.” Hats off to whomever you were – 71 points is an impressive score!

Here were our abbreviated game questions:

Round One

Animals – What common domesticated animal is said to always land on its feet?

Marvel – Dr. Bruce Banner is the alter ego of which Marvel character?

Religion – The Hindu god Ganesha has the head of what animal?

Round Two

Space – Which planet is second closest to the sun?

Same Name – What word for a strong storm is also a cocktail served in a glass of the same name?

Shakespeare – The musical Kiss Me Kate is an adaptation of what Shakespeare play? Also a 1990s rom-com starring a very cute Heath Ledger! 💕 RIP – nobody played Joker like you (sorry Joaquin Phoenix).

Round Three

Mythology – Who was responsible for bearing the weight of the heavens on his shoulders?

1990s Music – What food item is the name of an album and hit single by the rock band Warrant? That song may have been released in the 1990s, but it was an 80s song in spirit!

Organizations – What did the “Y” originally stand for in the name of the organization YMCA?

Now for the halftime round to f— us properly! Sorry should’ve said [spoiler alert]!

Category – Financial Officials

Yeah, that was what was going through my mind when I heard that category subject! 🤦‍♀️

I left this one up to my trusty teammates Mike and Dave to try figuring out, though strangely, I did manage to name one correct person (but they knew his name already so it wasn’t like I really contributed or helped with anything).

They put a LOT of thought and effort into this, but… we only got two correct people. 😔

Halftime scores:

Titanic Swim Team, 24; Ypsi Starlings, 27; Pursuit of O Snappiness/Beethoven’s Favorite Fruit (tied), 28; Pods (us), 31; Dead Guys, 33; Nope, 34; and Boom Pop Kapow, Those are Fighting Words, 37.

Round Four

Song Samples – What grammy-winning 2019 song samples the sound of an Australian pedestrian crossing signal? Miss (nice try Kim).

Stars – The cluster of stars known as Pleides is located in which constellation? Miss.

Etymology – First used in the 15th century in Middle English, what did the abbreviation Mr. originally stand for? We used our “answer of the day” freebie pass here, though we did consider the correct answer. After two consecutive misses, we didn’t want to take a chance and lose six points.

Round Five

Currents – What is the name of the cold ocean current that meets warmer gulf stream currents along the east coast of North America? Nope…

Playwrights – Who is the only playwright to have won four Pulitzer prizes? Another nope…

Tests – What does a titer test look for? Thanks Dave for saving our bacon here and getting us six precious points! 👍

Round Six

Architecture – Usually placed last, what name is given to the wedge shaped stone that lodges other stones into position?

Animated TV – Originally airing from 1991-2003, what animated show featured Tommy PIckles as a main character?

Measurements – How many ounces are in a pound?

Scores heading into the final:

Beethoven’s Favorite Fruit, 44; Pursuit of O Snappiness, 46; Ypsi Starlings, 47; Titanic Swim Team, 48; Dead Guys, 53; Pods (us), 55; Nope, 56; Spacecats, 57; Boom Pop Kapow – Those are Fighting Words, 71.

Final Category – Advertising

In 1987, what product was featured in the first advertisement showing a woman wearing only a bra?

Kim came up with the correct guess right away, and after some discussion of other possibilities, we went with it and got this correct.

Final scores:

Pods, 108; Nope, 112; Boom Pop Kapow, 151.

Our next trivia outing is TBD, but we plan to be at McShane’s next Tuesday, since I have to work an 11 hour shift on Thursday – so trivia that night is a “nope” for us!

As always, Go Pods, and stay classy, The Incredible Hulk!

r1

cat, Hulk, elephant

r2

Venus, hurricane, taming of the shrew

r3

atlas, cherry pie, young

h

yellen, Howell, bernacke, Greenspan, volker

r4

bad guy, taurus, master

r5

Labrador, Eugene oneill, antibodies

r6

keystone, rugrats, 16

f playtex cross your heart