Wednesday Game Recaps

As the end of the Summer Fling season draws closer, Wednesday’s game of Pour House Trivia welcomed 113 teams across 14 venues:

FIRST ROUND:

With very few surprises to open our game, many teams rolled through questions concerning the Designated Hitter, the state of Montana, and this current TV show which will soon introduce a ‘Juniors’ edition:

A whopping 24 teams began their night with a perfect first round score.

SECOND ROUND:

We broke out the string quartet for Wednesday’s audio clue, as we asked our teams to identify classical renditions of “Blackbird” by The Beatles, “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars, and “Smooth Criminal” by Michael Jackson.  Later, we discussed the film work of Colin Firth, the recipe for a souffle, and the failed Gunpowder Plot involving the infamous Guy Fawkes:

Five teams swept the second round, with each of those five teams heading into halftime with a prefect score of 72 points!

HALFTIME:

Car logos and NFL quarterbacks were the topics from Wednesday’s halftime page.  With an overall average score of 18.2 points, we saw 13 teams notch a perfect score of 20 points.  Here is Wednesday’s leaderboard at the break:

• Unfrozen Caveman Lawyers (Clover Theater):  92
• ChunkyLover53@aol.com (Memories):  92
• It’s Mueller Time (Quinn’s on the Corner):  91
• Kitten Mittens (Quinn’s on the Corner):  91
• My Black Hole Just Exploded (Lost Dog Cafe):  91
• Southern Comfort (Clover Theater):  91

THIRD ROUND:

Wednesday’s second half opened with this Three Clues question:

CLUE 1: A brand-name candy introduced in 1924 with seven flavors such as lemon, lime, coconut-pineapple, and butterscotch.

CLUE 2: A bullet with a soft nose that expands upon impact to cause a gaping wound.

CLUE 3: On the “Flintstones”, the Great Gazoo often used this phrase to refer to Fred and Barney.

Only nine teams picked up bonus points by remembering this candy brand:

Next, we stumped most of our teams with a question regarding composer George Handel (or as he was originally known, Georg Händel), before closing with a look at the current remake version of the 1970s film “Papillon”, the video game “BioShock”, and the Jack Kerouac novel “On the Road”.  Kitten Mittens (Quinn’s on the Corner) and Witiots (Nido’s) were the only teams to run the table in the third stanza.

FOURTH ROUND:

The final round began with a rather interesting question on the subject of classic rock:

–> Topping the charts in 1972, what song holds the distinction of being the longest song to reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, with a running time of eight minutes and 37 seconds?

With just under half of our teams answering correctly, this question wasn’t excessively difficult, but dozens of incorrect answers were accompanied by nine-point wagers!  Some teams were very confident with incorrect answers such as “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” (which is actually TWICE as long at just over 17 minutes) and “Stairway to Heaven”.  Despite its iconic status, “Stairway to Heaven” never reached the Billboard Hot 100 chart because Led Zeppelin’s manager refused to release the song as a single, which was a requirement at the time.  It turns out the correct response was “American Pie” by Don McLean.  Other final round topics included prime numbers, Benadryl, and this famous match race held at Pimlico in 1938:

While most teams knew that Seabiscuit won this match race, only 13% of the field earned bonus points by knowing that War Admiral (the offspring of Man O’ War) was defeated that day.  As a result, only Unfrozen Caveman Lawyers (Clover Theater) and ChunkyLover53@aol.com (Memories) posted perfect scores in the final round.  These were your highest scoring teams after four rounds of play:

• Unfrozen Caveman Lawyers (Clover Theater):  165
• It’s Mueller Time (Quinn’s on the Corner):  165
• Kitten Mittens (Quinn’s on the Corner):  165
• Worst of All Time (Quinn’s on the Corner):  161
• Math is For Boys (Memories):  159

WEDNESDAY’S FINAL QUESTION (34.7% success rate):

–> After a 20-year absence, which country’s delegation was finally allowed to be seated in the U.N. General Assembly in 1994?

We saw a wide array of various answers on this question, but just over one-third of the field earned points with the correct response of South Africa.  Congratulations to Unfrozen Caveman Lawyers (Clover Theater), It’s Mueller Time (Quinn’s on the Corner), and Witiots (Nido’s) for earning the Perfect 21 on Wednesday night.  A special recognition goes out to It’s Mueller Time (Quinn’s on the Corner), who set an all-time PHT record for the highest score recorded by a team that did NOT win its game.  After losing on the tiebreaker, the team had to settle for second place despite scoring 177 POINTS!  Here is your final Wednesday leaderboard:

• It’s Mueller Time (Quinn’s on the Corner):  177
• Kitten Mittens (Quinn’s on the Corner):  177
• Unfrozen Caveman Lawyers (Clover Theater):  173
• Amigos (Clover Theater):  172
• Rick and Morty (Kildare’s Pub):  170
• Witiots (Nido’s):  170
• We No Fing Suck (The Tavern):  163
• Donner Party (Nido’s):  160
• FIVE TEAMS TIED WITH 158 POINTS

WEDNESDAY’S WINNERS:

Valley Grill in Middletown, MD:  Shakeweight  (Next week’s first category: Ohio)

Lost Dog Cafe in Arlington, VA:  My Black Hole Just Exploded  (Next week’s first category: Overseas U.S. Air Force Bases)

Wednesday’s game of Pour House Trivia welcomed 106 teams across 14 venues:

FIRST ROUND:

Teams hoping for a perfect opening round quickly saw their hopes dashed on the first bonus question of the game.  After most of the field earned wagering points on a question about Salt Lake City, we offered two bonus points to any team that could give us the city’s current population (rounded to the nearest 100,000).  Only nine teams picked up this bonus, with virtually every team estimating beyond the correct answer 200,000.  Next up, a question about this poisonous fish:

We continued with a Three Clues question about the letter K and closed on the topic of lacrosse.  Once again, a difficult bonus question was included here, as only 13% of the field knew that the University of Maryland holds the NCAA record for most combined national championships in men’s and women’s lacrosse.  In a rare occurrence, the first round did not yield any perfect scores.

SECOND ROUND:

Wednesday’s audio question featured the film work of Oscar winner Kathy Bates, as we heard clips from “Misery”, “Titanic”, and “The Blind Side”.  Other second round topics included Australia’s Great Emu War, the stories of Rudyard Kipling, and the philosohpical concepts represented by this symbol:

With a trio of easier bonus questions, we saw eight teams earn 36 points in the second round.

HALFTIME:

Celebrities bearing the initials ‘J. T.’ were featured on Wednesday’s halftime page, which yielded ten perfect scores and an overall average of 15.3 points.  Here is Wednesday’s halftime leaderboard:

• Fat Kids Are Hard to Kidnap (Valley Grill):  89
• Kitten Mittens (Quinn’s on the Corner):  88
• Fan Club (The Tavern):  88
• We No F’ing Suck (The Tavern):  87
• Irish Beer Mafia (Barefoot Bernie’s):  87

THIRD ROUND:

Third round topics from Wednesday night included U.S. Governors, the range of singing voices, and this science question which proved to be the most difficult wagering question of the night:

–> Similar to an isotope, which type of molecule has the same number of atoms and molecular formula as another molecule, but has a different atomic arrangement and thus a different chemical structure and properties?

Only 24% of the field responded correctly with isomer.  We closed the third round with the most difficult bonus question of the night, which was asked in the form of a Triple 50/50 question about alcoholic drinks.  In spite of its name, a Dirty Dr. Pepper is actually a non-alcoholic beverage, mixing the brand name soda with coconut syrup and lime juice:

With just six teams picking up these final two bonus points, we did not see any perfect scores in the third round.

FOURTH ROUND:

After the 6-4-2 question quizzed our teams on the actors who have portrayed John Lennon, we began the final stanza with a three-part question in the category of Also a Broadway Musical:

1)  This type of product is sold under brand names such as Redken Forceful 23 and Paul Mitchell Freeze and Shine.

2)  A Canadian NBA franchise relocated to this U.S. city in the early 2000s.

3)  This is the title of the first track from Pearl Jam’s debut album.

The second clue threw some teams for a loop, thinking that “Chicago” or “Oklahoma City” was the correct answer.  Could there possibly be another Tony Award-winning musical named for a city with an NBA team?  Well…  yes:

Unbeknownst to many teams, the Memphis Grizzlies were once based in Vancouver.  More than a dozen teams missed their nine-point wager on this question, while only eight teams picked up bonus points by also knowing the Pearl Jam song “Once”.  Later, we looked at the French city of Marseille, the career of Hank Aaron, and these comic strip characters:

Even with a relatively easy closing question concerning British actor Eddie Redmayne, we did not see any perfect final round scores.  These were your highest-scoring Wednesday teams heading into the final question:

• Kitten Mittens (Quinn’s on the Corner):  159
• Dave Martinez School of Management (The Tavern):  158
• Flight Level Awesome (Belles’ Sports Bar):  157
• We No F’ing Suck (The Tavern):  156
• Half Baked (Delirium Cafe):  156

WEDNESDAY’S FINAL QUESTION (81.7% success rate):

–> The success of the first vaccine created by Dr. Jonas Salk was announced on April 12, 1955, a date which marked the tenth anniversary of whose death?

The history buffs were out in full force, as more than three-quarters of the field answered correctly with Franklin Roosevelt.  Congratulations to Fat Kids Are Hard to Kidnap (Valley Grill) and Dave Martinez School of Management (The Tavern), who each recorded the Perfect 21 with correct answers on all wagering questions.

• Dave Martinez School of Management (The Tavern):  169
• Fan Club (The Tavern):  167
• Half Baked (Delirium Cafe):  166
• Kitten Mittens (Quinn’s on the Corner):  165
• Cake or Death (Delirium Cafe):  165
• Blind Squirrels (Memories):  165
• It’s Mueller Time (Quinn’s on the Corner):  164
• Franconia Hair Cemetery (Quinn’s on the Corner):  164
• Gerbil Heads (Memories):  164
• Flight Level Awesome (Belles’ Sports Bar):  163

WEDNESDAY’S WINNERS:

Valley Grill in Middletown, MD:  Fat Kids Are Hard to Kidnap  (Next week’s first category: “The IT Crowd”)

Lost Dog Cafe in Arlington, VA:  My Black Hole Just Exploded  (Next week’s first category: Triple 50/50 – Cubs or White Sox)

Wednesday’s game of Pour House Trivia welcomed 118 teams across 16 venues:

FIRST ROUND:

After opening Wednesday’s game with a look at the film career of Jackie Chan, we continued with a surprisingly difficult question in the category of U.S. geography:

–> Which U.S. state capital lies just 12 miles west of its home state’s border with Wisconsin?

Both Minnesota and Iowa lie along Wisconsin’s western border, but Des Moines is basically in the center of the state.  Just under half of our teams responded correctly with St. Paul, Minnesota:

Next up, we asked about the life of gangster Al Capone, but only 15% of our teams earned bonus points by knowing that his business cards listed his occupation as a “furniture dealer”.  Sure he was…  Though we closed the round with a relatively easy question on sports venues, only one team escaped the opening stanza with a perfect score: Kitten Mittens (Quinn’s on the Corner).

SECOND ROUND:

Karaoke music returned to the PHT audio question on Wednesday, as teams were asked to identify instrumental versions of “With Or Without You” by U2, “The Bad Touch” by The Bloodhound Gang, and “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen.  The second round also included the most difficult bonus question of the first half.  After most of the field responded correctly on a question about the chemical element lithium, we offered two bonus points to any team that could also name the element’s atomic weight (rounded to the nearest whole number):

Apparently, all of the chemistry majors are hanging out at Valley Grill in Middletown…  Across the board, only nine teams earned bonus points with the correct answer of seven, but four of those teams were playing at Valley Grill.  This bonus question was the only sticking point for most teams, as only four squads turned in perfect second round scores: Fat Kids Are Hard to Kidnap (Valley Grill), Areola Grande (Valley Grill), Something About Llamas (Valley Grill), and Math is For Boys (Memories).

HALFTIME:

We all screamed for ice cream brands on Wednesday’s halftime page, which yielded eight perfect scores and an overall average of 15.9 points.  These were your highest scoring Wednesday teams at the break:

• Tokyo Ra (Belles’ Sports Bar):  90
• Fat Kids Are Hard to Kidnap (Valley Grill):  88
• Kitten Mittens (Quinn’s on the Corner):  87
• SEVEN TEAMS TIED WITH 86 POINTS

THIRD ROUND:

Wednesday’s second half began with this Over / Under question, with tonight’s key number being 40:

1)  The number of Heisman Trophy winners that have also won a Super Bowl.

2)  The number of wooden blocks in a standard Jenga set.

3)  The number of U.N. member states located entirely in the Western Hemisphere.

Most teams answered correctly on both #1 (UNDER: nine players) and #2 (OVER: 54 blocks), but nearly the entire field was surprised by the third clue.  While most people think of only North and South America in regards to the Western Hemisphere, there are also ten African nations, three European nations, and two Oceanic nations which fit the description, so the correct response was OVER at 51 nations.  Only 22% of the field snagged those two bonus points.  After visiting topics such as chutney and “American Horror Story”, we asked the most difficult wagering question of the night:

–> Supposedly causing fits of hysteria, the bite of a local wolf spider in a namesake Italian region inspired the name of which upbeat folk dance that is popular in Southern Italy and Argentina?

Only 27% of the field earned points here with the Tarantella.  None of our teams recorded a perfect third round score.

FOURTH ROUND:

The difficult bonus questions continued as we began the final round:

–> A crime defined as the ‘deliberate destruction of public or private property’ derives its name from this group of Germanic tribes that controlled much of mainland Europe in the 5th century A.D.  For your wager, name this group of people.

2-POINT BONUS: This word is the athletic nickname of which Division I university?

The wagering portion?  Easy…  Those were the Vandals.  The bonus?  Rather difficult, as only 13% of the field answered correctly with the University of Idaho.  Next up was a question concerning the Run-D.M.C. remake of the Aerosmith song “Walk This Way”, which once again included a wicked bonus question.  Only 10% of the field could identify “Raising Hell” as the title of Run-D.M.C.’s best-selling album (which included “Walk This Way”).  Finally, we concluded the round with a Three Clues question concerning Starbucks.  Most of our teams learned that a Starbucks cup or logo appears in every scene in the film “Fight Club”:

Once again, there were no perfect scores in the final round.  These were your highest scoring Wednesday teams heading into the final question:

• Tokyo Ra (Belles’ Sports Bar):  158
• Kitten Mittens (Quinn’s on the Corner):  158
• Momentary Lapse of Reason (Bennigan’s – Frederick):  155
• FIVE TEAMS TIED WITH 154 POINTS

WEDNESDAY’S FINAL QUESTION (53.4% success rate):

–> The 1956 wedding of which two celebrities led to the newspaper headline of “Egghead Weds Hourglass”?

Just over half of our teams answered correctly with Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller.  Six teams recorded the Perfect 21 with correct answers on all wagering questions.  Here is your final Wednesday leaderboard:

• Kitten Mittens (Quinn’s on the Corner):  167
• It’s Mueller Time (Quinn’s on the Corner):  166
• Math is For Boys (Memories):  164
• Green Machine (Whole Foods Market):  163
• Mr. A-Hole (Memories):  163
• Momentary Lapse of Reason (Bennigan’s – Frederick):  155
• Momma Lu’s (The Tavern):  162
• Fan Club (The Tavern):  161
• Fat Kids Are Hard to Kidnap (Valley Grill):  159
• Witiots (Nido’s):  159

WEDNESDAY’S WINNERS:

Valley Grill in Middletown, MD:  Fat Kids Are Hard to Kidnap  (Next week’s first category: Neil Diamond Lyrics)

Lost Dog Cafe in Arlington, VA:  Snuk in Her Snizz  (Next week’s first category: World Cup Hosts)

Wednesday night’s game of Pour House Trivia welcomed 108 teams across 14 venues:

FIRST ROUND:

One of the most difficult bonus questions of the night was asked early in the first half, as only eight teams could identify either one of the real first names of these two actors:

Martin and Charlie were born with the real names of Ramon Estevez and Carlos Estevez.  We continued with questions concerning sausages, Christian saints, and the Olympic heptathlon.  Certainly more difficult than usual, the first round yielded just two perfect scores: Kitten Mittens (Quinn’s) and Dave Martinez School of Management (Bennigan’s – Clarksburg).

SECOND ROUND:

Wednesday’s audio question featured feminine song titles: “Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls, “Amanda” by Boston, and “Barbara Ann” by the Beach Boys.  Our teams performed well with topics such as the Emmy Awards and piranhas, but once again it was a single bonus question that prevented many teams from notching a perfect score.

–> In 1875, Captain Matthew Webb became the first person to swim across what European stretch of water without a buoyancy aid?

2-POINT BONUS: Translated as “the sleeve”, what is the French name for this body of water?

Nearly all of our teams earned wagering points with the correct response of the English Channel, but only six teams earned bonus points by also knowing that the French call this body of water “La Manche”.  As a result, none of our teams swept the second round with a perfect score.

HALFTIME:

Fictional TV towns and four-letter sports team names were the featured topics on Wednesday’s halftime page.  Overall, the average score reached 17.5 points, with 21% of our teams posting a perfect score.  Here is your Wednesday halftime leaderboard:

• Fan Club (The Tavern):  89
• Dave Martinez School of Management (Bennigan’s – Clarksburg):  88
• ChunkyLover53@aol.com (Memories):  88
• Kitten Mittens (Quinn’s):  87
• Southern Comfort (Clover Theater):  87

THIRD ROUND:

We began the second half with a nostalgic look at this record-setting pitchman:

 

Next up, a three-part question regarding U.S. Presidents stumped many of our teams, as we asked them to identify who was serving as Commander-in-Chief during historic events such as the launch of Sputnik, the sinking of the Titanic, and Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo.  As the most difficult wagering question of the night, only 30% of our teams earned points here, with about half of those tacking on two bonus points.  We closed the third stanza with a look at the newest animated TV series from the mind of Matt Groening and the Britney Spears hit “Till the World Ends”.  The third round did not yield any perfect scores.

FOURTH ROUND:

After a quick trip to Boston in the 6-4-2 question, we began the final round with a difficult question concerning playwright August Wilson and his “Pittsburgh Cycle” of plays, one of which was adapted into this Oscar-winning film:

Later, we looks at Three Clues for the word colossus, discussed the derivation of the name Belarus, and enjoyed both a Bloody Mary and a Bloody Caesar.  With a stellar finish, Kitten Mittens (Quinn’s) earned the only perfect score of the final round.  Here is Wednesday’s fourth round leaderboard:

• Kitten Mittens (Quinn’s):  162
• Dave Martinez School of Management (Bennigan’s – Clarksburg):  162
• It’s Mueller Time (Quinn’s):  159
• Nerdy By Nature (Clover Theater):  153
• I Heart Kiwis (Bennigan’s – Clarksburg):  151

WEDNESDAY’S FINAL QUESTION (59.8% success rate):

–> Among the six players to have their numbers honored by the Miami Heat, these two never played for the franchise.  One had his number 23 retired for his “contributions to basketball”, the other had his number 13 honored due to the “large impact [he] had on Miami during his Hall of Fame career”.  Name both of these players.

About three-fifths of the field earned points on the final question with the correct answers of Michael Jordan and Dan Marino.  Congratulations to Kitten Mittens (Quinn’s) and It’s Mueller Time (Quinn’s), who were the only two teams to record the Perfect 21 on Wednesday by cashing in on every possible wager.  This is your final Wednesday leaderboard:

• Dave Martinez School of Management (Bennigan’s – Clarksburg):  174
• Kitten Mittens (Quinn’s):  172
• It’s Mueller Time (Quinn’s):  163
• Nerdy By Nature (Clover Theater):  163
• Unfrozen Caveman Lawyers (Clover Theater):  161
• R-I-P-E-C-T (Quinn’s):  161
• ChunkyLover53@aol.com (Memories):  161
• Shakeweight (Valley Grill):  159
• All Glory to Hypnotoad (Memories):  159
• Olney the Lonely (The Tavern):  157

WEDNESDAY’S WINNERS:

Valley Grill in Middletown, MD:  Shakeweight  (Next week’s first category: West Virginia Counties)

Lost Dog Cafe in Arlington, VA:  Not Quite Dead Yet  (Next week’s first category: “Star Trek: The Next Generation”)

Wednesday night’s game of Pour House Trivia welcomed 106 teams across 15 venues:

FIRST ROUND:

We opened Wednesday’s game with one of the most difficult bonus questions of the night, as only 14% of our teams knew that Bonnie and Clyde met their untimely end in the state of Louisiana.  The opening round also featured questions on world capitals, Bon Jovi, and this device which demonstrates conservation of momentum and energy:

Eight teams ran the table in the first round with a perfect score of 36 points.

SECOND ROUND:

Wednesday’s audio question featured clips from the TV sitcoms “The Dick Van Dyke Show”, “ALF”, and “Community”.  Later, we discussed Haagen-Dazs ice cream and the film roles of Harrison Ford, before closing with a look at the recent name change implemented at this college football stadium:

Four teams posted perfect second round scores: Witiots (Nido’s), In Last Place (Memories), Dave Martinez School of Management (Bennigan’s – Clarksburg), and Unfrozen Caveman Lawyers (Clover Theater).

HALFTIME:

Famous towers and historic quotes were featured on Wednesday’s halftime page, which yielded ten perfect scores and an overall average of 17.5 points.  Here is Wednesday’s halftime leaderboard:

• Dave Martinez School of Management (Bennigan’s – Clarksburg):  92
• Witiots (Nido’s):  92
• Fan Club (The Tavern):  90
• Unfrozen Caveman Lawyers (Clover Theater):  90
• FIVE TEAMS TIED WITH 88 POINTS

THIRD ROUND:

A three-part question on Disney henchmen opened Wednesday’s second half, followed by a question on this tasty DJ:

We closed the third round with a surprisingly difficult question concerning MLB teams:

–> If you were to arrange the 30 MLB team names alphabetically (disregarding geographic locations), four of the last five teams on the list would be members of which division?

Last on this alphabetical list are the Yankees, but prior to that you have the White Sox, Twins, Tigers, and Royals, all of which play in the American League Central Division.  With 31% of our teams earning points here, only one team swept the third round: Horse Tornado (Delirium Cafe).

FOURTH ROUND:

After the 6-4-2 question dealt with the off-screen work of Jeff Goldblum, we began the final round with a question regarding the sportswear brand Adidas.  Only nine teams earned bonus points on this question by remembering the ad slogan “impossible is nothing”.  Next up was a question about this orchestral instrument:

We continued with questions regarding the Battle of the Little Big Horn, Seasonal Affective Disorder, and the many uses of the term foil.  The final round did not yield any perfect scores.  Here is your Wednesday leaderboard heading into the final question:

• Dave Martinez School of Management (Bennigan’s – Clarksburg):  163
• Fan Club (The Tavern):  157
• ChunkyLover53@aol.com (Memories):  157
• Tokyo Ra (Belles’):  156
• FOUR TEAMS TIED WITH 155 POINTS

WEDNESDAY’S FINAL QUESTION (18.7% success rate):

–> In 1969, Catholic bishop William Borders informed Pope Paul VI that due to an obscure church rule, the territory of his diocese had recently grown to nearly 15 million square miles.  In which U.S. state was Bishop Borders’ diocese located?

Just under one-fifth of our teams answered correctly with the state of Florida.  None of our teams managed to land the Perfect 21 tonight.  Here is your final Wednesday leaderboard:

• It’s Muller Time (Quinn’s):  163
• Heavy Metal Parking Lot (Quinn’s):  163
• Dave Martinez School of Management (Bennigan’s – Clarksburg):  162
• I Heart Kiwis (The Tavern):  159
• Fan Club (The Tavern):  157
• Half Nelsons (Bennigan’s – Frederick):  156
• High School Prom (Quinn’s):  155
• Nicolas Cage Fan Club (Valley Grill):  154
• Shakeweight (Valley Grill):  152
• Five Sure (Delirium Cafe):  152

WEDNESDAY’S WINNERS:

Valley Grill in Middletown, MD:  Nicolas Cage Fan Club  (Next week’s first category: “Archer”)

Lost Dog Cafe in Arlington, VA:  My Black Hole Just Exploded  (Next week’s first category: “Jurassic Park” – novel)