We don’t know if there was some lunar event that we didn’t know about or just another sign of the apocalypse, but…

We logged what was close to an all-time high score (for us) in a recent Sporcle Events game!

We earned 131 points for the night and had a perfect game two – and two first-place finishes – one of which was a tiebreaker!

The only topics besting us on this chilly spring evening were Dua Lipa and luxury department stores.

I mean…if you just took a look at us – Mike and I in our “Michigan camouflage, aka flannel, and Brad in a whimsical custom Grateful Dead sports jersey – you would be right to think:

“What the hell would these obvious walking and talking fashion cries for help know about fashion – or luxury shopping?”

And we wouldn’t fight you! 😭

It was great finally finding a decent local trivia spot for us to bring at least three playas!

My husband and I hold down the fort in countless trivia games with varying degrees of success – and failure.

Having a third man – aka Brad definitely helped us greatly!

The three of us have been playing trivia games together – on and off – since 2012. We’ve done so in regular games  and tournaments in both Sporcle Events and My Trivia Live games all over the Ann Arbor and metro Detroit area.

It’s just been difficult to find a local spot that we all agree upon. We are a finicky bunch!

Maybe we’re just not too picky about what outfits we put on to go out 😂

Before this intro becomes longer than a Yes song or Pink Floyd song intro, his about some questions already?🤔

Game One/Round One

1 Stocks – What Ohio-based company trades on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol WEN?

2 U.S. History – THe house of abolitionist and women’s rights activist Lucretia Mott was a stop on what organized network of secret routes and safe houses for freedom-seeking slaves?

3 Mountains – The highest point in South Dakota is  part of what isolated mountain range that extends into Wyoming and gets its colorful name from its appearance from a distance?

4 Curses – What National League team was the subject of the “Curse of the Billy Goat,” which was allegedly placed during the 1945 World Series? The franchise would not reach the World Series again for 71 years.

Mystery Round One

National Cocktail Day

Just as an idea as to how immature we all are – especially when we all get together… 🙄

My husband Mike said “He said ‘cock'” after the host read the category. My response was “He also said ‘tail.'” It’s only funny if you’re us – and you’re there! Otherwise it’s cringe city 🤣

I did not get the slides for all of these, so I’ll do my best to recreate it (especially since I can’t recreate the upcoming visual round).

Match the following lists of cocktail components to the cocktails.

Cocktail names – Tuxedo, Paloma, Mojito, Garibaldi

Components –

1 Freshly squeezed orange juice and Campari over ice

2 Gin, dry vermouth, orange bitters, maraschino and absinthe

3 Tequila, grapefruit soda, lime juice

4 White rum, sugar, lime juice, mint

Doesn’t #3 sound like a “Long Drink” except with tequila instead of gin?

Damn, since I’ve stopped drinking, I’m gonna have to find a good way to make zero proof  (also zero sugar, zero fake sugar) versions of these for camping trips. I do so love a challenge 🤔

I mean except just by opening a can of Fresca or Squirt – maybe spring for AF gin? A non-drinker’s gotta have some fun and drink interesting tasting stuff, too! Challenge accepted…

Zero misses so far. Wait for it!

Round Two

5 Hit Songs – Dua Lipa has released two songs with one-word titles that have reached the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100. Name one of those two singles.

NERD POINT: Name both top 20 singles.

6 Animals – The largest living species of frog, reaching lengths of up to 18 inches, is named for what biblical character?

7 Shopping – In the 1970s, what luxury department store headquartered in Manhattan began using its iconic designer shopping bags called Big Brown Bags, Medium Brown Bags and Little Brown Bags? Miss. Picked wrong store.

What would a team with players like us know about “luxury” department stores? We’re more JC Penney or Kohl’s…maybe Macy’s if they have a winter vest on a good sale like they did last Black Friday than…the store that they wanted!

Also I’m not sure if this store has ever been in Michigan. But what would I know about this Sex and the City type knowledge?

8 2026 Movies – What fictional company completes the title of a film co-produced by Warner Bros. Pictures Animation that is scheduled for release in August 2026 – Coyote vs. (BLANK)?

I thought they shelved this one years ago. Does this mean they’ll also take Batgirl off the shelf too?

Mystery Round Two – Visual

Did not get the URL for this mystery round and our bar did not display the questions on a screen, so no photo for you all, either. It was kaleidoscope images of characters from Popeye, Rugrats, a show about two kids who build awesome stuff on school vacation and the Flintstones. So a good cross section of cartoon characters that both younger people and old geezers like us would know!

We were tied for second out of nine teams with 46 with Are We Not Doing Phrasing Anymore? And Quizzie McGuires, while Stiff Tutu was in first with 50.

Final Question Category

Historic People

On December 31, 1999, Time magazine recognized Albert Einstein as the Person of the Century, while Mahatma Gandhi was one of two runners-up. What politician, the only three-time winner of this accolade, was the other runner-up?

We were in a tie for first with Are We Not Doing Phrasing Anymore?

Our tiebreaker asked us how many days FDR was in office.

Our guess came closest, so yay we won!

Game Two/Round Three

9 Dr. Seuss – In a 1958 book by Dr. Seuss, “Gertrude McFuzz” and “The Big Brag” are included alongside what third story with a reptile title character?

10 Shakira performed Waka Waka (This Time for Africa), which was the anthem for what sporting event?

We had an audio clip for this, so you guys are getting more hints than we had! We did get this, though.

11 Film Titles – What 2004 action comedy film starring Jordana Brewster has a title that is pronounced the same as the surname of the social activist who ran for U.S. president five times in the early 20th century?

FB clue, but Brad knew the social activist portion of the question. Don’t you love it when you don’t need the FB hint? 

12 TV Quotes – “Be curious, not judgmental” is a quote falsely attributed to Walt Whitman by the title character on what Apple TV show that debuted in 2020?

Yay the answer was the only Apple TV series we’ve watched! Had to borrow on DVD from the library since we don’t subscribe to Apple TV.

Mystery Round Three

Also in the Kitchen

The correct answer to each clue is also an item that can be found in a kitchen.

M1 Ward, June, Wally and Theodore are the actual first names of members of a classic sitcom family with what last name?

M2 The Oscar-winning 2024 film Flow was entirely animated and rendered using what open-source 3D computer graphics program?

M3 The Mouse King opposes what other title character in an 1816 fairy tale best known today through the adaptation into a ballet? 

M4 Some multi-purpose stadiums built in the 1960s and 1970s, such as Riverfront Stadium, Three Rivers Stadium and veterans Stadium were known by what two-word alliterative term, due to their similarities to each other?

Nice teamwork on this round.

Round Four

13 Abbreviations – Founded in 1936 by Caltech researchers, the JPL is a federally funded research and development center that constructs and operates planetary robotic spacecraft. The “P” in JPL stands for what ten-letter word?

NERD POINT: What do all three letters in JPL stand for?

14 Great Lakes – The world’s largest freshwater dune system, with its tallest dune reaching a height of 450 feet, is located along the shore of which of the Great Lakes?I

It’s cute that Indiana has a national park along their dunes on the same lake. But Michigan wins the dune war!

15 Organizations – What sports organization was founded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver in 1968?

16 Sports Terms – What term for back-to-back-to-back championships is a registered trademark owned by former NBA coach Pat Riley?

Mystery Round Four

“Oh My!”

The correct answer to each question begins with the letters MY in that order.

M1 Jake Gyllenhaal plays what villain in the 2019 film Spider-Man: Far From Home?

M2 Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage were the two main hosts of what skeptical series that ran on Discovery Channel from 2003-2016?

M3 In 1989, the military regime that had seized power in a coup the previous year officially changed the name of Burma to what name that it is known by today?

M4 What team based in Washington, D.C. defeated the Connecticut Sun three times to two to win the 2019 WNBA Championship?

Brad came up with the correct guess for this last one. Good thing, because missing this would have ruined our perfect game up to this point!

We were in first with 55 points, Stiff Tutu was in second with 55 out of six total teams.

Final Question Game Two

Category: North America

There are four U.S. states whose borders with Canada are less than 100 miles in length (including land and water borders). Name three of those four states.

It’s super rare when we get final questions correct at all, let alone get BOTH of them correct in one night!

We finished first for the game and for the night with a total of 131 points. I think the last time we had such a high scoring game may have been the off season in December, 2023 at the YpsiAlehouse. It is a “once in a blue moon” thing for us.

We did have a perfect regular round score in a MTL game in January 1 of 2026 (missed the final q). Perfect scores in MTL games are even more rare –  not only for other teams, but also us! This was a first for us in 10 years of playing MTL games.

This concludes our trivial pursuits for the week. Probably!

We’ll be back at it for music quiz at Corner Brewery next Monday. We’ll be without our “lead singer” Kim, but we’ll hopefully have some very talented backup dancers helping us out!

As always, Go Pods, and stay classy, Eugene Debbs!

Answers:

R1 wendys, underground railroad, black hills, cubs

R2 levitating/houdini; goliath, Bloomingdale’s, acme

M1

Tuxedo is made with absinthe, paloma made with grapefruit soda, mojito made with mint garibaldi made with campari

M2 visual round we had pics of olive oil, tommy pickles, Phineas and Barney rubble

F FDR

R3 yertle the turtle, world cup, debs, Ted lasso

R4 jet propulsion laboratory, lake Michigan, special olympics, threepeat

M3 cleaver, blender, nutcracker, cookie cutter

M4 Mysterio, mythbusters, myanmar, mystics

f PA, NH, VT, ID