Did anyone else playing a Sporcle Events trivia game Sunday get a “borders” question correct because of the “Super Troopers” film franchise? 🤔 👮🍁

Like I’ve said in these recaps before – it doesn’t matter HOW you know an answer in a trivia game – as long as you know it! 😂

I made a last-minute decision on a recent balmy December evening – when Michigan temperatures reached into the 50s, to hit up a local trivia scene that I hadn’t visited since March.

My trivia pardner and husband Mike decided that he needed a break from watching reruns of Doctor Who, so he decided he’d squire me to the game.

The result? Very unusual indeed! We managed to get both final questions correct, which is unusual for us – even if we have a real “team” in tow, but we were quite battered by the questions in the regular and mystery rounds leading up to the final questions.

Not that doing that is unusual for us! It happens. Sometimes you just encounter a question set written by someone who doesn’t have your “wheelhouse” in mind!

The Alehouse in Ypsi is a quirky trivia spot to say the least. It’s not every trivia spot you walk into where you get hit up to contribute to the tip jar of a live band before you’ve even sat at the table you’ve chosen!

It’s also not every trivia spot where patrons need a combination to be allowed entry into the public restrooms (the ones downstairs, for inquiring minds). It’s understandable considering the bar’s proximity to the bus depot that they might want to monitor who uses the restrooms!

The tables quickly filled up for trivia after the live musicians scooted out into the rain with their instruments.

At the mic was a newish host Laura, who took over for longtime host Emily in the past couple of months. Apparently she owns a poetry book that was asked about in the game that we knew nothing about!

If we’re not gonna know an answer, it’s good that someone else did!

Another thing we were a big “duh” on knowing during the game was a visual mystery round showing aerial views of football stadiums. 😔 We just didn’t have the right “sporty” blend of players. Just before we battled this round, I joked, “Now it’s time for a mystery round that we’re probably going to f— up.”

I know you all are just dying to know what other questions we missed during this game, aren’t you? Well read on!

Game One/Round One

1 Gaming – On a standard six-sided die, when a five is face up, what number is face down?

2 Borders – What U.S. state borders Massachusetts, New York and the Canadian province of Quebec?

3 1990s Movies – Name one of the two films released in the 1990s that feature both Julia Roberts and Richard Gere.

NERD POINT: Name both.

We got one not both.

4 U.S. History – In 1775, who was appointed to be the first postmaster general by the Continental Congress?

Mystery Round 1 – Visual

This is two screen caps put together which is the only option I had, so hope you guys can see this!

We really, really tried on this. But we named teams, not stadiums. We would have gotten one correct had team names been accepted.

This was one of many instances where a mystery round killed our game! Sometimes you just aren’t lucky 🍀

Round Two

5 Math Words – What is the six-letter word for the point of intersection between the axes in a coordinate system? Miss. We needed math teacher Kim S. to help us here!

6 Music Videos – This was an audio question about a song in Grey’s Anatomy we’d heard before but couldn’t name, so we missed it. If you scroll down to the end for the answers, you’ll see what song this was!

7 Ingredients – In Indian cuisine, potatoes and what other vegetable are essential to the dish aloo gobi? Miss, we guessed chickpeas (which would be declicious with potatoes).

Just when we thought we wouldn’t get any questions correct this round…

8 TV Settings – What animated TV series that debuted in 2005 is set in the fictional town of Langley Falls, VA?

Mystery Round 2

Fill in the Blank

Fill in the blank with the “S” word that completes the title of a book that hit #1 on the New York Times best-seller list in the decade of the 2020s (combined print and e-book).

M1 It (BLANK) with Us by Colleen Hoover

M2 While Justice (BLANK) by Stacey Abrams

M3 Funny (BLANK) by Emily Henry

M4 Onyx (BLANK) by Rebecca Yarros

We didn’t know any of these but at least tried guessing. By guessing we guessed one correct and got the right verbs – but not verb tenses – for two others. So only two points this round!

😔

Maybe we should’ve stayed home? 😂

We were second from the bottom in standings among eleven teams with 32 points going into the final. 24 Hour Brunch was in first, Quiche La Poodle was tied with No Talent Ass Clowns with 49 points and were in second.

Final Question Category – Memory Aids

The phrase “The Silly Monkey Throws Eggs” can be used as a mnemonic device for rembering, in a certain order, the five main components of what aspect of our planet?

We bet it all and got this correct, but it looks like every other team did, too. So much for this being one of those games where we make a dramatic comeback from next to last and finish first!

Game Two/Round Three

9 Logos – A red pegasus is the primary logo associated with what gasoline brand starting in the 1930s, though today they predominatntly use a wordmark? Miss. For SIX. Did I say this wasn’t our game? 🤦‍♀️

10 Albums – I didn’t get this question down word for word, but it was tied into the Facebook host clue about a White Stripes album named for an animal.

11 Basketball Hall of Famer John Havlicek spent his entire NBA career form 1962 to 1978 with what team? We really tried here, I mentioned at least three teams that have “been around forver,” we picked one of those, and in a complete role reversal for how our game was going up until this point – WE GOT IT RIGHT! but for low (can’t have everything)!

And coming up is a gift from the trivia gods 🙏

4 Soap Operas – What prime-time soap opera , which aired on ABC from 1981-1989, was the main competitor to the CBS series Dallas? Yes, Yes YES! More questions like this, please!

Mystery Round 3 – 20/25

Answer the questions that involve the numbers 20 or 25.

M1 What metal is the traditional gift for a 25th wedding anniversary?

M2 The song “25 or 6 to 4” was the first top five hit for what band that was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016?

M3 What woman served in various roles – correspondent, producer and co-host on the ABC news magazine 20/20 from 1979 to 2004?

M4 What NBA player, who ranks third all-time in career three pointers made, wore #20 during his time with the Boston Celtics?

We missed #4. We both guessed Celtic players, we liked his answer than mune, but we were both wrong!

Round Four

13 Planets – From 1990 to 1994, the Magellan spacecraft mapped the surface and took gravitational readings of what planet? Miss.

14 Film Characters – What is the name of the character portrayed by Laurence Fishburne in the Matrix film franchise?

15 Poetry – Indian Canadian writer Rupi Kaur gained widespread popularity after the publication of what 2014 collection of poetry? No clue here, miss.

16 Coastlines – What country has roughly 36 miles of coastline on the Persian Gulf between Kuwait or Iran?

Mystery Round 4 – Add ‘Em Up

Each answer will be a number. Those four numbers will add up to 30.

M1 Atomic number of carbon

M2 Number of stars on the flag of China

M3 Jersey number work by longtime Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken Jr.

This was the sixth sportsball question we had this game! Of these six, we would get one correct.

M4 Number of Academy Awards won by Titanic

This last one and #2 were the only ones of these we got correct.

This time we were in fifth going into the final with 37 points. Isla’s College Fund was in first with 52, along with No Talent Ass Clowns. Team 24-Hour Brunch was in second with 48.

Final Question Category – Soundtrack Hits

Kenny Loggins has been known as the “King of Movie Soundtracks,” with singles from five different 1980s film soundtracks reaching the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 charts. Name two of those five songs.

We quickly came up with two, thought of a third after we submitted our answers. We bet it all and got it correct, and just to prove that this was NOT our game, we actually moved DOWN a  place in the standings! 😂

The two teams that were tied going into this were tied after the final, do not recall who won. 

Our trivia plans for the remainder of 2025 are to play one more music quiz game, and “possibly” one more general knowledge trivia game.

As always, Go Pods, and stay classy, Barbara Walters!

Answers:

r1 two, vermont, runaway bride/pretty woman, ben franklin

r2 origin, chasing cars, cauliflower, american  dad

m1 lambeau, sofi, soldier field, nissan stadium

m2 started, sleeps, story, storm

f atmosphere

g2 r3

mobil oil, elephant, celtics, dynasty

r4 venus, morpheus, milk and honey, iraq,

m3 silver, chicago, barbara walters, ray allen

m4 6, 5, 8, 11

f footloose, i’m all right, meet me half way, nobody’s fool, danger zone