Editor’s note: What you are about to read was 100 percent written by a human. Any usage of AI was for simple fact checking only and if used for creating images I’ll clearly state as much when I do.
Most of our trivial pursuits as of late have been last minute decisions for my husband and I. This most recent trivia night was no exception!
I have a different schedule than usual this week, so I jumped at the chance for a rare Tuesday trivia game, so we picked the spot closest to our home. Which was McShane’s Pub in Ypsilanti.
The Tuesday scene is mostly the same as I remember, there were maybe 2-3 teams missing that we’d seen at previous Tuesday trivia nights. There was also a team playing that I hadn’t seen playing there for a couple of years.
So try to beat them then? 🤔
Just three points divided the top three teams!
Which team wound up on top? You’ll have to read on to find out!
Ah I’m not going to make you do that much work! It was us!
My husband Mike was undoubtedly the MVP of this game. 😊
Here were our abbreviated questions:
Round One
Birds – What black bird is scared off by using a clothed straw stuffed figure guarding cornfields?
Music – Which band’s 1978 hit song begins with “Do you remember…the 21st night of September?”
Recent Sports – What Spanish speaking country beat Argentina 1-0 in extra time in July, 2026 in the FIFA World Cup?
Round Two
Sweet Treats – A Philadelphia candy maker first sold a three-colored treat called “chicken feed” in the 1880s that is now commonly called what?
Documentaries – What Michigan native made his directorial debut with a 1989 documentary called Roger and Me about the effects of the auto industry decline in Flint, Michigan? I actually recognized many of the spots in that documentary when I saw it, and had family members living nearby at the time. So yeah that’s a hard one for me to rewatch for sure!
I have recently started revisiting Flint again (not just for occasional music trivia nights), though it’s always hard seeing how it’s declined. The entire factory complex where my dad worked for years (Buick City) is…a vast concrete wasteland now.
Yes we’ve all heard the Flint water jokes 😩
There are some good reasons to visit Flint. For one, the Farmer’s Market is actually a must-visit! The partial indoor and outdoor venue has a great selection of local produce and pretty much everything from gifts, clothing, jewelry and even vintage vinyl. There is even live music. If you want a drink, you can even visit their rooftop open-air lounge called Market Tap. I haven’t checked it out yet, but it’s on my list of things to do!
We recently learned that there is a board gaming store nearby called The Great Escape, so we’ll definitely be back to check them out occasionally!
Night Sky – What name is given to the full moon closest to the Autumnal Equinox which rose on September 26 of 2026?
Round Three
Recent TV – Which Vince Gilligan series with a one-word title taken from a dollar bill motto earned an Emmy for outstanding lead actress in a drama series for Rhea Seahorn?
Art – What 1930 Grant Wood painting depicting a farmer and his daughter won a $300 prize and became instantly famous at the Art Institute of Chicago?
Short Stories – What lanky school teacher is chased by the Headless Horseman in the Legend of Sleepy Hollow?
Halftime
Category: Park It
Name four of the five most visited US national parks as of 2025.
Hint? Isle Royale isn’t one of them! It would be on the “least visited” list. Which I’m now curious about which ones would be on the “least visited” list!
Had the question asked to name four of the five least visited national parks, here’s what those would be for 2025:
Kobuk Valley, AK (7,786 visitors); Gates of the Arctic, AK (11,907 visitors); Kobuk Valley, AK (17,233 visitors); Lake Clark, AK (18,505 visitors) and Isle Royale, MI (29,091).
There was some explanation as to why Lake Kobuk was listed twice, something about seasonal remote monitoring adjustments.
Where was I? Oh yeah halftime. We got all of those correct.
Scores at the half:
Two Guys/One Answer, 30; Maddie Platers, 31; Lab Geeks, 32; Rather Be At, 33; For the Love of Bourbon, 34 and Not Dead Yet/Jackie Daytona and His Normal Human Trivia Team (us), 37.
Round Four
Explorers – I always dread this category. We almost always f— this up and put Magellan down when Magellan isn’t the answer, or don’t put Magellan when Magellan is the answer. Curse you, Magellan!
What Spanish explorer’s surname is also the name of Panamanian currency? He was the first person from the Americas to supposedly see the Pacific Ocean.
Mike wrote down the answer before Stacy finished reading it and handed it in. Helps that he lived in Panama for two summers in the early 1990s (as an Army brat while his dad was stationed there). He said that the first summer he spent there was better than the second summer. To which I said “The sequel is never as good, is it?”
And now for our first miss of the night…
Fashion – What luxury fashion house founded in 1837 is best known for its Birkin bags and silk scarves?
Gee let me look at that purse sitting next to me and see what brand it is 😂.
Miss.
I had to do a Google search to make sure I spelled the bag name correctly. I learned that one cannot just walk into this fashion store and buy one of their bags straight up without first establishing a purchase history and a relationship with a sales associate. So it’s easier to buy a car!
You also get entered into a lottery just for a chance to be entered into a “leather appointment” slot.
Imagine blowing off work because you have a leather appointment! People who can afford these bags probably don’t have to hold down real jobs 😕
Maybe not all devils wear Prada, they also wear…this brand! Too much drama for just buying a damn handbag!🤪
Festivals – What German country hosted its 191st Oktoberfest celebration in 2026, which lasted into actual October? This festival originated from a wedding held in 1810.
Round Five
Wordplay – Which word is a “contranym,” which describes something that can both be split apart and to cling closely?
Glad Mike thought of this answer, it would have stumped me.
Hockey – Jordan Staal won the 2026 Conn Smythe Trophy after leading what team to its first Stanley Cup victory since 2006?
We used our “answer of the week” freebie to get our points without having to answer correctly. I guess some smarter teams saved their chance for the next question…
Fall Colors – Which specific pigments do many trees actively produce just before the leaves turn red? The only teams getting their points for this one used their answer of the week option to do so. We already used that option, so we straight up missed this for two points.
Round Six
Chemistry – What Noble Gas discovered in 1898 has a name derived from the Greek word for “hidden” and has nothing at all to do with Superman?
Technology – Which web browser debuted under the name Phoenix in 2002, was later renamed “Firebird” but changed its name to what current name to avoid copyright infringement?
Letter Links – What three letter word can be added to the words pump, nap and bump to create new words? So happy Mike is great at these “word” questions! He didn’t fail me here…
Scores heading into the final:
Two Guys, One Answer, 50; Lab Geeks, 56; Maddie Platters/Not Dead Yet (tied), 63; Rather Be At, 67; In Bourbon We Trust, 68 and Jackie Daytona (us), 69.
Final Category – At the Orchard
Released by the University of Minnesota in 1991, what apple variety was originally slated to be completely discarded but is now the official fruit of Minnesota?
I knew this variety was fairly recent – I hadn’t even heard of it until 10-15 years ago – and recently read that it is very difficult and picky to grow, which explains why it is more expensive than other apple varieties. We bet all but one point on our wager.
Final scores: Rather Be At (third), 127; For the Love of Bourbon (second), 131 and Jackie Daytona (us, first), 137.
Unsure if our trivial pursuits are done for the week.
As always, Go Pods, and stay classy, Jim the Vampire!
Answers
R1 crow, earth wind and fire, spain
R2 candy corn, Michael moore, harvest moon
R3 pluribus, American gothic, Ichabod crane
H smoky mountains, Grand canyon, Yosemite, Zion, Yellowstone
R4 Balboa, hermes, munich
R5 cleave, hurricanes, anthacyamines
R6 krypton, firefox, kin
F honeycrisp
R4
