Perhaps a Nice Salad With Your Monday Night Trivia?

The first full week of the fall kicked off with 64 teams enjoying Monday night trivia at eight different venues.  Let’s check out the recaps as Season XVI rolls along:

ROUND 1:

Monday’s first round opened with a question on the largest U.S.-based airline named for a Greek letter (Delta) and the recent surprise appearance at the 2017 Emmy Awards from this former government employee:

We closed with this question in the category of Actors & Their Roles:

–> Which fictional character was portrayed by George Reeves on television and by Christopher Reeve in films?

For both of these men, this was certainly their most significant acting role:

But we stumped more than a few teams with the follow-up bonus questions, asking for the 2006 feature film which centered on the untimely death of actor George Reeves.  Only nine teams were able to come up this relatively obscure film to earn those two points:

This final question was the primary sticking point for many perfect rounds, as only seven teams ended the first stanza with 36 points.

ROUND 2:

Monday’s audio question included another edition of karaoke music, with most of our field having no trouble recognizing the instrumental versions of “Nothing Else Matters” by Metallica, “Wonderwall” by Oasis, and “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke.  We continued with a question on this technological innovation from the sporting world:

Exactly one-quarter of our teams earned a two-point bonus by knowing the name of the Florida racetrack which first used this innovation: Hialeah.  Just as in the first round, we saw seven teams record a perfect second round score.

HALFTIME:

Monday’s halftime page dealt with football movies, and our teams proved that they were well-versed in this cinematic genre, as 14 teams notched a perfect score of 20 points, with an overall average of 17.3 points.  Here are Monday’s top overall scores at the halftime break:

• Kitten Mittens (Cheesetique):  92
• Are You Smarter Than a 3rd Grader? (Cheesetique):  92
• Gap Band (Hershey’s):  91
• Gorillas with Machine Guns (Il Forno):  90
• Leprechauns (Greene Turtle):  90

ROUND 3:

Monday’s second half opened with a question regarding a peace treaty signed in 1979:

We continued with a question on U.S. Geography, asking for the three most populous states whose names respectively begin with the letters ‘A’, ‘M’, and ‘W’.  Among all of our questions on Monday night, this one provided the most discussion (and perhaps, the most arguments).  Sure enough, 18% of our teams did earn their wagers AND a two-point bonus with the three correct answers of Arizona, Michigan, and Washington.  After a quick snack with “The World’s Original Malted Milk Balls” (Whoppers), we closed the round with the most difficult bonus question of the night:

–> Kobe Bryant is the most recent recipient of the NBA’s MVP Award who is NOT currently active nor in the Basketball Hall of Fame.  There are three other players who share this distinction, all three winning their MVP awards in the 21st century.

Just under half of our teams were able to name two out of three correct answers to earn points here, but only FOUR teams also snagged the two bonus points with all three correct answers: Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, and Steve Nash.  Not surprisingly, the third round did not yield any perfect scores on Monday night.

6-4-2 QUESTION:

The six-point clue on Monday’s 6-4-2 question presented a more cerebral question that usual:

–> The creation of which reference book spawned from industrialist Hugh Beaver, who became involved in an argument concerning Europe’s fastest game bird while on a 1951 hunting trip?

Exactly one-quarter of our teams earned the full six points here with the correct answer of the Guinness Book of World Records.

ROUND 4:

Monday’s final round began with a question on this recent sitcom:

We continued with one-two punch that sent most of our teams to the canvas, starting with this query in th cateogry: of International Landmarks:

–> What is the more common name of the Cathedral of the Virgin of the Intercession on the Moat, built on the chief marketplace of Moscow on the orders of Ivan the Terrible?

While most of our teams knew which landmark we were talking about (“you know…  that Russian one with the onion domes”), many had trouble remembering the actual name of the cathedral in Red Square.  Only 27% of our teams earned points with the correct response of St. Basil’s:

We followed with the rather unpopular category of Romantic Art, mixing a little ancient history in with this stumper:

–> Created by Jacques-Louis David, which 1787 painting depicts the culmination of a trial which took place in 399 B.C.?

While this might be a no-brainer for the art history majors in the crowd, only 19% of our teams earned points with “The Death of Socrates”:

Just as in the third round, we did not see any perfect scores during Monday’s final stanza.  Here are Monday’s top scores after the final round:

• Kitten Mittens (Cheesetique):  162
• Gorillas with Machine Guns (Il Forno):  161
• Killer Snails (Hershey’s):  161
• Aces (DRP):  157
• H.R. Puff ‘N’ Stuff (DRP):  156
• Westward Ho (Morgan Inn):  156

MONDAY’S FINAL QUESTION (34.1% success rate):

–> This edible plant is most often cultivated for its leaves.  However, its name is derived from the Latin word meaning ‘milk’ because of the milky juice the plant secretes.  What is this plant?

Just over one-third of our teams answered Monday’s final question correctly with lettuce (which sports the scientific name of Lactuca sativa).  Thanks to a difficult final round, we did not see any teams score the Perfect 21 on Monday by answering correctly on all wagering questions.  Here are your top overall scores:

• Gorillas with Machine Guns (Il Forno):  164
• Killer Snails (Hershey’s):  164
• Virginia Garden Club (Cheesetique):  162
• Kitten Mittens (Cheesetique):  161
• Sullivarks (DRP):  159
• Westward Ho (Morgan Inn):  157
• Morgan Station (Morgan Inn):  156
• Fan Club (Hershey’s):  155
• Del Ray Dummies (DRP):  154
• Cerebral Cinco (Cheesetique):  154

TONIGHT’S WINNERS:

DRP in Alexandria, VA:  Sullivarks  (Next week’s first category: Radiohead – AUDIO)

Greene Turtle in Hagerstown, MD:  That’s a Niner  (Next week’s first category: “Wheel of Time” novel series)

Morgan Inn in Woodbine, MD:  Westward Ho  (Next week’s first category: Old Testament Prophets)

Hershey’s Restaurant in Gaithersburg, MD:  Killer Snails  (Next week’s first category: “Weird Al” Yankovic – AUDIO)

Uno Pizzeria in Frederick, MD:  Tequila Mockingbird  (Next week’s first category: “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World”)

Cheesetique in Arlington, VA:  Virginia Garden Club  (Next week’s first category: U.S. Virgin Islands)

Adam & Eve Gastropub in Frederick, MD:  Dead Starks

**  PLEASE NOTE: TRIVIA AT ADAM & EVE WILL BEGIN AN IMMEDIATE HIATUS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE  **

Il Forno in Frederick, MD:  Gorillas with Machine Guns  (Next week’s first category: Finish the List)