Answers at the end.

Plans can really turn on a dime when you’re a trivia junkie!

It all started innocently enough. Plans “were” to play a music quiz game at Corner Brewery with my “trivia pardner slash husband.” But…he changed his mind about wanting to go out on a cold night. Though ironically he sort of did end up going out anyway 😂

Our music team’s “fearless leader” Kim S. was unable to come out for this music game, so we thought we’d try soldiering on without her. But I decided trying to do a music game solo wouldn’t be a great idea (I do have my limits when it comes to trivia)!

Then I stroked my non-existent beard and thought a bit…

“Huh…if I’m going to be doing trivia battle by myself tonight, why not do a general knowledge trivia game – instead of music quiz?” After all, my chances at prizes and knowing some answers might be a BIT better!

Truth be told, I’m lucky if I know 20 percent of the questions thrown at me in a typical music quiz game. Olivia Rodrigo? Sabrina Carpenter? That girl whose name sounds like “Eyelash?” Honestly I can’t pick their voices out of a lineup, they all sound the same to me. Mostly mumbled autotuned garbage (more about autotuning in a bit). If it’s a guy singer, is it Ed Sheeran, Drake, or that overly tattooed guy? Is there really a difference between them? What’s “techno rap?” “Bro country?” Unless it’s classic rock, disco, or anything 30 years ago or older, I’m usually a loss at knowing much about it. If it’s too autotuned, you’re too old! And yes, I’m too old to be bothered to care about current music (shakes fist and cane).

If you have to ask what a music genre is, chances are you’re not going to know the answer to the question about it!

Despite my cold feet about wanting to play a solo music game (hey it really was cold), I was really itching to get out of the house, so I quickly considered my options at around 6:30 or so. A 7 p.m. My Trivia Live game in Ann Arbor would not really be possible, not enough time to get ready and drive out there. But a 7:30 Sporcle Events game close to me? That might work!

My husband “Ubered” me to the game so I wouldn’t have to worry about parking or walking in the cold.

Since I’m not partaking of alcoholic drinks at the moment, I ordered an “apple mule mocktail” and was pleasantly surprised at how tasty it was! What’s in an apple mule you ask? Cider, ginger beer and lime juice (garnished with a dehydrated apple slice). They served it in a classic copper mug so I could at least “look” like I was drinking a real adult beverage!

Seriously, I picked a great time to decide to not have alcohol – there are so many great drink options for sober folks now – I mean besides an overly dusty and skunky O’Doul’s that’s been sitting around in a bar fridge for three years or more!

About the game! It wasn’t the most competitive trivia night in the world! Only a handful of teams decided to brave the cold, but by some strange magicks, I wound up finishing first for the night with one $20 gift card.

Here were our questions:

Game One/Round One

1 Giving – What branch of the U.S. Armed Forces has run its annual Toys for Tots program since 1947?

2 Parliament – The parliament of the United Kingdom consists of three parts: the monarchy, the House of Commons and what upper house?

3 Movie Cameos – What singer-songwriter is shown holding two margaritas during his brief cameo in the 2015 film Jurassic World?

4 Science Words – What seven-letter word, which in physics can describe the smallest amount of energy, is also used for a type of computer that relies on entangled atoms and superpostions?

Mystery Round One – Visual

Bear with me – URL was not given out to the players, so I did my best with screenshots in two parts:

Totally screwed this up. I put the city instead of the state for #1 and even though I knew the answer for #3, I put it down in the wrong order…total mystery round FAIL! 😂 Glad I didn’t have a team in tow to make fun of me for this (a team probably would have helped me not fuck this up). Oh well!

Round Two

5 Teams – The Utah Royals, Washington Spirit and Houston Dash are professional teams that play which sport? Miss.

6 National Parks – Lake Louise and Moraine Lake are popular tourist desitnations in what Canadian national park, located in the Rocky Mountains of western Alberta?

7 Soundtracks – The first winner of the Grammy Award for Best Rap Song was what single, orignally released on the soundtrack of a 2002 film? Yay I got a music question right about a song that was recorded within the past 30 years 😂

8 Wages – Within five, how many U.S. states have a minimum wage below ten dollars per hour as of 2025? Miss.

NERD POINT: Which U.S. state has the highest minimum wage, at $16.66 per hour? Miss and miss.

Mystery Round Two – December People

Give the first and last names of the people described by the following clues, all of whom have initials made up of letters found in the  word “December.”

M1 Actor who was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as Solomon Northrup in 12 Years a Slave

M2 Comedian and actress who married Portia de Rossi in 2008 and hosted a self-titled talk show from 2003-2022

M3 One of the original Kings of Comedy, along with Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer and D.L. Hughley

M4 Model who released an essay collection titled My Body in 2021 which appeared on the New York Times Best Sellers List

Missed #s 3 and 4.

Scores heading into the final: Two’s Company/Unconcious Collar, tied with 33; Never Tell me T The Odds (me), 39 and Brick Dick Energy, 43.

Final Question Category – Casino Games

With jackpot odds of one in nearly nine million, what common casino game is considered to carry the worst odds, featuring a house edge that can be as high as 40 percent in some casinos?

I wagered just five points on this…unsure if any teams besides first won a prize in this game.

Our host Sherlyn gave the hint that the game is also a non-casino game.

Game Two/Round Three

9 Novels – What 19th-century English author wrote the novel Wuthering Heights, which critics first called “savage” and “impossible” before it became a classic of English literature? Yay I guessed the correct sister!

10 Viral Videos – This was an audio clip, sorry don’t have enough information to turn it into a “words” question. It was the question on which the FB host clue was based.

11 Rich Places – What state is home to both Loudoun County and the independent county of Falls Church, the two richest counties (or county equivalents) by median household income?

12 Thriller TV – The Netflix sci-fi mystery thriller series Dark, which aired three seasons from 2017-2020, centers on time travel in a small town in what European country? 

Mystery Round Three – Albums

From the following list of seven albums, choose the four that were recorded by 2025 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Soundgarden. 

Badmotorfinger, Binural, Down on the Upside, Facelift, Louder than Love, OK Computer, Superunknown

I chose two correct albums, four points.

Round Four

5 Video Games – What long-running video game series that combines the IPs of Disney and Final Fantasy, along with other Square Enix games, was pitched in an elevator?

NERD POINT: The first game in this series was released for what specific console?

Nope and nope for me…

6 War History – During World War 2, British mathemetician Alan Turing helped decode encrypted messages produced by what German enciphering machine? Miss.

7 Fish – What type of fish gets its name from the Middle English words meaning “holy” and “flatfish,” since it was often served on Catholic holy days?

8 Energy Bars – What company introduced the Luna Bar in 1999 as a line of nutrition bars marketed toward women?

Mystery Round Four

Movie Franchises

Name the film franchise based on the subitles of some of the movies in the series.

M1 The Meltdown, Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Continental Drift

M2 Welcome to the Jungle and The Next Level

M3 The Last Knight, Age of Extinction and Revenge of the Fallen

M4 Their First Assignment, Back in Training and City Under Siege

Scores heading into the final: Brick Dick Energy, 28; Never Tell Me the Odds (me), 42; Two’s  Company, 44; and Unconscious Collar was in first with 46.

Final Question Category – Podcasts

Did y’all know that I’ve NEVER listened to a podcast? Maybe I would if I had good earbuds or headphones or something that lets me listen without bothering everyone else (hey Christmas is coming, if anyone wants me to listen to their podcasts, they know what to get for me)! Beats by Dre or bust! Are those still cool and overpriced? I am so out of touch with pop culture – I don’t even know if I can use “Six Seven” properly in a sentence! By the time I figure that out, the crazy kids will figure out some other phrase to confuse me! It’s a conspiracy!

OK, here’s the question (good thing this is not a podcast because it’s wordy and I’d pass out trying to read it):

Apple’s list of the ten most popular podcasts of 2025, based on listenership, includes the Joe Rogan Experience, the Mel Robbins Podcast, Huberman Lab, the Ezra Klein Show and six others whose titles do not include the name of their hosts. Name two of those six podcasts.

No teams got both correct podcasts. I bet zero this time around and woot got first place, Two’s Company was right behind me by one point.

I doubt I’ll be playing here again anytime soon, I don’t usually have Monday evenings free. Our next trivia outing is a My Trivia Live game Thursday, then a couple of Sporcle Events Globe Games this coming weekend.

As always, Go Pods, and stay classy, Emily Bronte!

Answers

R1 marines, house of lords, Jimmy Buffett, quantum,

R2 soccer, lose yourself, banff, 22/Washington

M1 MA,Utah, Indiana, FL

M2 chiwotl ejiofor, Ellen DeGeneres, Bernie Mac, Emily ratikowski

F

keno

R3 Emily Bronte, 40, VA, Germany

R4 kingdom hearts, enigma, halibut, Clif

M3 badmotorfinger, down on the upside, superunknown, louder than love

M4 ice age, Jumanji, transformers, police Academy

F the daily, crime junkie, dateline NBC, smartass, call her daddy, this American life