QUIZ RECAP

This game was one of those mega-events at the Tam O'Shanter; the sort where it feels like there were a million teams playing (18 in the course of the night, though not all finished) and one couldn't help but wonder how so many people were able to fit in so small a place.

The first handout round proved to be difficult for most teams, many of whom were tricked by the first picture, errantly putting Barbie as the answer rather than the correct Skipper.  Not every team was fooled, though, such as our defending champion team The Mules, who doubled down successfully.

As the game continued, scores remained high especially that of The Mules.  However, when the Drinking Round arrived, it was other teams who distinguished themselves.  In honor of Oksana Chusovitina, an Olympic gymnast who has competed in the Games so many times that she's even done so under the flag of the USSR, I tasked teams with naming the former republics of the Soviet Union.  Incorrectly, (extra) humble Quizmaster called the result for Bananas Foster before being quickly challenged by the General Washingtons -- both teams had in fact answered 15/15 correct, and that jolly fool Michael Miller, Qzmstr., had simply read Estonia, a correct answer, as Bosnia, which is incorrect.  Following a tie-breaker in which these two were required to answer closest to the population of the USSR when it dissolved (293 million), the Washingtons were closest by a margin of roughly 70 million.  So strangely, the team with the American name won the round about Communism!  It takes all kinds...

At this time, a few teams checked out - this many teams in such a small space requires a lot of repetition of questions to make sure that everyone hears, meaning a long game, so it's natural that not everybody stays so late on a school/work night.  To the brave survivors, the potential beginning of a dynasty was observed, as The Mules won first place for the second week in a row (interestingly enough, they won it on the same question -- name the 9 original SNL cast members -- that they won their very first game with about 14 months ago)!