Danger! Danger! Thursday Trivia!
After our Thursday teams were given the week off for Independence Day, we were back with a full slate of 15 games, welcoming a total of 119 teams.
FIRST ROUND:
We began Thursday’s game by asking our teams to identify either one of the two films which have won the Best Picture Oscar with titles named for cities. The movie buffs in the field had no problem scoring bonus points by naming both “Chicago” and “Casablanca”. Next, we gave Three Clues for the word ‘icing’, discussed King Henry VIII of England, and looked at the two U.S. states whose lowest point is below sea level (California and Louisiana). Twelve teams began their night with a perfect first score.
SECOND ROUND:
Thursday’s second round featured one of the most difficult audio questions of the Summer Fling season. Teams were given the hint that each of the three songs in question featured a two-word title ending with “Me”. We listened to “Kiss Me” by Sixpence None the Richer, “Hate Me” by Blue October, and “Save Me” by Shinedown. Only 22% of the field earned wagering points with at least two correct answers, with just seven of those teams picking up two bonus points by knowing all three songs. We continued with a question in the category of liquor brands, a rather popular topic when teams are choosing their potential five-point category bonus. Those squads may have been regretting that decision after hearing this question:
–> The face of company founder Lars Olsson Smith adorns most bottles of which liquor brand whose annual sales routinely top 100 million liters?
Maybe the name Lars Olsson did not sound as Scandinavian as we thought, as only 13% of the field responded correctly with Absolut Vodka:
After that rough patch, the rest of the second round progressed with few surprises, as the majority of our teams earned points on questions concerning the XFL, the classic TV show “Laugh-In”, and Laika the space dog. Not surprisingly, the only perfect score of Thursday’s second round was turned in by Dave Martinez School of Management (Flower Hill).
HALFTIME:
After limping through the second round, our teams were relieved to find that Thursday’s halftime page was quite easy, as it included a 50/50 round featuring members of the U.S. National Women’s Soccer Team and current female members of Congress. The average score reached 18.7 points, with a whopping 31% of the field notching a perfect score of 20 points. Here is Thursday’s halftime leaderboard:
- Slapsgiving (Cushwa): 90
- Gong Gong and the Butt Demons (Cushwa): 88
- Dave Martinez School of Management (Flower Hill): 87
- Rum Ham (Olde Mother): 86
- Just Good Enough (Champion): 86
THIRD ROUND:
Thursday’s second half began with a three-part question regarding the final works of Ian Fleming, Charles Dickens, and Michael Crichton. We followed with a look at the Carnegie Deli and the music of the Van Zant brothers, before moving on to the most difficult wagering question of the second half:
–> Originally known as the Google Self-Driving Car Project, which brand derives its name from the truncation of its mission: “a new way forward in mobility”?
Only 14% of the field responded correctly with Waymo. The third round ended with a rather difficult bonus question, as only six teams knew that former NBA star Ron Artest (a.k.a. Metta World Peace) played his college ball at St. John’s in New York City. None of our teams swept the third round on Thursday night.
FOURTH ROUND:
Thursday’s final round featured questions concerning Swarovski crystal, the legend of Robin Hood, and U.S. President Woodrow Wilson. The latter also included the most difficult bonus question of the night, as only five teams knew that Wilson was actually called Thomas (and not Woodrow) during his term in office. After performing an Ollie on our skateboards, we closed with a Triple 50/50 question which asked our teams to differentiate between Charleston, West Virginia and Charleston, South Carolia. Two teams ran the table in the final round by posting 36 points: Fan Club (Quincy’s) and Terps (Quincy’s). After four rounds of play, these were your highest scoring Thursday teams:
- Gong Gong and the Butt Demons (Cushwa): 163
- Slapsgiving (Cushwa): 161
- Rum Ham (Olde Mother): 161
- Dave Martinez School of Management (Flower Hill): 159
- Cream Team (Mark’s Pub): 158
THURSDAY’S FINAL QUESTION (46.7% success rate):
–> Filming for which movie began in 1997, the same year that the 1960s TV show on which it was based was set?
Nearly half of our teams responded correctly with “Lost in Space”. Unfortunately, none of our teams earned the Perfect 21 on Thursday night, as every team missed at least one wagering question. Perhaps we should have all ordered a few more vodkas early in the game! Here is your final Thursday leaderboard:
- Slapsgiving (Cushwa): 173
- Cream Team (Mark’s Pub): 167
- F. U. Darts (Mark’s Pub): 167
- Oily Beau Hunks (Jockey): 165
- Uranus Fly Trap (Smoketown): 165
- Rum Ham (Olde Mother): 164
- Big Toe (Olde Mother): 163
- Fan Club (Quincy’s): 163
- 99th Precinct (Smoketown): 163
- Average Joes and Classy Ho’s (Cushwa): 163
- Deck Chairs on the Titanic (Beef ‘O’ Brady’s): 163
THURSDAY’S WINNERS:
Quincy’s Bar and Grille in Gaithersburg, MD: Fan Club (Next week’s first category: David McCullough Books)
Champion Billiards in Frederick, MD: Comfortably Dum (Next week’s first category: Triple 50/50 – Holly Hobby or Strawberry Shortcake?)
Loudoun Kitchen and Bar in Leesburg, VA: Cranius Maximus (Next week’s first category: The Bible)
Smoketown Brewing Station in Brunswick, MD: Uranus Fly Trap (Next week’s first category: “Friends”)
Beef ‘O’ Brady’s in Frederick, MD: Deck Chairs on the Titanic (Next week’s first category: Triple 50/50 – ACC Basketball or Big Ten Basketball?)
Olde Mother Brewing in Frederick, MD: Rum Ham (Next week’s first category: “Lost in Space” – film)
Belly Love Brewing in Purcellville, VA: Chappie’s Revenge (Next week’s first category: Medical Eponyms)
Cushwa Brewing in Williamsport, MD: Slapsgiving (Next week’s first category: “Hot Fuzz”)
The Grille at Flower Hill in Gaithersburg, MD: Dave Martinez School of Management (Next week’s first category: HBO Shows)
The Derby in New Market, MD: Psychos (Next week’s first category: Serial Killers)
Solace Brewing in Sterling, VA: Brown Chicken Brown Cow (Next week’s first category: MLB World Series)
Jockey Bar and Grill in Boonsboro, MD: Oily Beau Hunks (Next week’s first category: Lloyd Dobler)
Fish Market Restaurant in Alexandria, VA: Mighty Mighty Ballstones (Next week’s first category: Obscure Movie Quotes)
Mark’s Pub in Falls Church, VA: Cream Team (Next week’s first category: “Cocktail”)
Guido’s in Frederick, MD: Glow in the Dark Boner Tag (Next week’s first category: Jon Sings The Strokes)