I decided to casually “sit in” on a My Trivia Live semifinals game on a recent brisk, sunny fall afternoon at McShane’s Pub in Ypsilanti.
I sat at the bar and played along just as if I was really having to answer the questions “for reals.” Scout’s honor – I didn’t use my phone to look up any answers!
Someone sitting by me got a bloody Mary that looked delicious, and I was sitting there with my sad zero alcohol beer which gave me an idea – why not marry the two drinks in a swift Vegas like shotgun ceremony?
Had I been playing “for real,” I would have wound up in a tie with the By Our Powers Combined team, since we had the same scores heading into the final and I would have wagered it all (they wagered zero).
Had I been playing for real I would have bumped out a team that ended up advancing.
Here were the questions, I took pictures of each one so they are in their entirety here for a change!
Round One
Drinks – Though she later claimed she disliked it, what child star has a nonalcoholic drink of ginger ale and grenadine named for her?
Funny, I saw some “Dirty Shirley” canned cocktails in a store after this game.
Shouldn’t they call those “Judy Garlands” instead? Sorry Judy Garland! I should NOT be making fun of your substance abuse struggles! I know MGM brass really were the cause of so many of your problems by making you take all of those pills to pep ya up – and put you to sleep. Child actors were not treated like children back then, but like miniature adults. Beat me in St. Louis as punishment for this, Judy Garland!
Does Judy Garland have a drink named for her? And no I don’t mean sleeping pills chased with whiskey (SORRY)!😂
Speaking of musicals (ahem):
Musicals – Singing “You’ll Be Back,” Jonathan Groff originated the hilarious role of King George the Third in what hit Broadway musical?
Holidays – On what date does U.S. Thanksgiving fall in 2026? I based my guess on thinking I knew what date Halloween was on this year and bam I was right!
Round Two
Shopping – Around 2009, to showcase its wider variety of goods, what two words were dropped from the name of the retailer now called Burlington?
Artists – Living from 1860 to 1961, the renowned folk artist born Anna Mary Robertson was better known by what name?
Recent Movies – The title of what 2026 live action/animated film reflects the lawsuit filed at the movie’s beginning? I really want to see this when it streams for free!
Round Three
A 1900 hurricane and flood that took place in what city is still the deadliest natural disaster in the history of the United States?
Late Night TV – Until he left the show in 2014, what comedian’s late night talk show featured a robot skeleton named Geoff Peterson? Miss, I went with Conan O’Brien.
Conditions – Affecting up to one in 123 males, Daltonism is another word for what condition?
Halftime – George Washington’s cabin included just four original members: Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of War, and Attorney General. Identify the four men who first held those positions.
I picked one correct guy. I blame PBS. Had they allowed me to watch that Washington documentary without paywalling me 😩. I still want to see the rest!
Halftime Scores: I didn’t write down every single team’s score:
Spacecats, 26, Happy Accidents/me, 28; Better Late than Pregnant, 30; By Our Powers Combined, 32 and Maddie Platters, 36.
Round Four
Native Americans – Used by some American indigenous peoples in sacred gatherings, the calumet is another name for a highly ornamental ceremonial what? Miss.
Literature – What John Steinbeck novel, a modernized telling of the Cain and Abel story, was not a critical success when it was released in 1952? Miss.
Cable TV – Who is the only remaining SportsCenter anchor from 1979, the show’s first year, to still be with ESPN? Miss.
Round Five
Canadian Capitals – Identify either capital city of a Canadian territory with a color in its name. At least a couple of people I play with regularly would have helped me here. But I missed it on my own.
Documentaries – The epidemic of gun violence and the active shooter preparedness industry are covered in a Peabody-winning HBO Max documentary titled for things offered post tragedy? My husband would have known this, so another question where a teammate would have helped.
Metals – Frustrated when they failed to extract copper from a deceptive ore, 15th century miners in the German state of saxony called what metal “devil’s copper?”
Round Six
Sports – A standard men’s field lacrosse team has how many players on the field at one time? My guess was correct for the women’s version 😢
Movie Words – What word in Chinese folklore for a kind of demon harmful to humans got a lot of play in the movie Gremlins? Yay some points in the second half!
Same Name – What word for a shiny, sugary coating on top of a doughnut means “to praise excessively” in current slang? Miss. I didn’t even try by this point.
Scores heading into the final: Keeping Up with the Joneses, 28, Suck it Trebek, 31; me/32; ???, 33, Spacecats, 34 (tied with me); ???, 50; Happy Accidents, 53; Better Late than Pregnant, 62; By Our Powers Combined, 64 and Maddie Platters, 70.
Final Category – Song Secrets
Stevie Nicks agreed to a 50/50 royalty split on her hit song “Stand Back” with which other artist, who inspired the track via a song Nicks heard on the radio, played uncredited synthesizers in the studio, and then abruptly left “as if the whole thing happened in a dream?”
Yay I remembered reading about this story about 10 years ago…I knew this and would have bet all of my 32 points.
Final Scores: Happy Campers, 53; By Our Powers Combined, 64; Spacecats, 65; Maddie Platters, 70 and Better Late Than Pregnant, 123.
Had I been actually playing, I would have been tied with By Our Powers Combined and Happy Accidents would not have advanced.
Maybe we’ll actually try qualifying for semifinals in this trivia league again someday. But it doesn’t look like we’ll be able to commit to weekly games here in the coming weeks. We’ll still play occasionally enough to (hopefully) keep us in drink money at the very least!
It’s not likely that I’ll be at the finals next weekend. But I’m not saying that I won’t be there either!
Good luck to all of the teams who made it to the finals Saturday, October 10 at Aubree’s in South Lyon!
Special shout out from me to the Spacecats team, whom sadly lost one of their very dedicated longtime players Francis a few weeks ago. I’d like to think that he will be with them in spirit at the finals game and he’d be pleased that they made it to the “big dance.” RIP Francis, it’s so strange and sad not seeing you at trivia games anymore 😕
As always, Go Pods, and stay classy, Henry Knox!
Answers:
R1 shirley temple, Hamilton, November 26
R2 coat factory, grandma moses, coyote vs. acme
R3
Galveston, ferguson, color blindness
Halftime: Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, Edmund Randolph, Henry Knox (y’all have to figure out which one was which, but those are all of the correct names).
R4
Pipe, east of eden, Chris Berman
R5
Whitehorse/Yellowknife, thoughts and prayers, nickel
R6
10, mogwai, glaze
F: Prince
