QUIZ RECAP

Tuesday, February 26, 2019: Killarney's. It was a cool, balmy night with
a hint of rain in the air as I hustled my PA and kit into the cavernous,
faux Irish pub. A big place, it was half full of people when I came in.
Smiling, expectant faces looked up in recognition as I made my way towards
the stage. They knew I was here for their entertainment and the hopes of
winning a prize. I nodded confident acknowledgement as I passed. My name's
Lou. I'm a Quiz Master.
It was going to be a busy night. The Not Safe For Work gang had shown
up. Their team was so large they could dominate with sheer numbers. They
sat like Zapata's army, whooping it up as they swilled their brews. It was
then that I noticed it. No music. Niko had wisely turned it off. I sighed
in relief. I wouldn't have to pull double duty, racing to the Musak volume
controls between sets. No one seemed to notice. Good old Niko. A friendly
giant of a man with a soft spoken demeanor. He and Rick worked the bar to
perfection. Rick was new, but an experienced hand, gregarious and handsome
with a great, bushy beard, in which he kept a pen. I wondered what else lived
in there, but didn't care. Rick was all right.
The usual suspects were there along with a couple of newbies, all wanting
a chance at the spoils that Quiz Master Lou could give them. It was a
great responsibility. I often wonder how I got here. Oh, yeah. I drove.
It was quite a quiz. I knew things were going to be weird when the entire
crowed corrected me that I had the wrong FB question in the General Knowledge
Round. I cursed my quiz overlords in California and myself for not having
caught the blunder, but the good natured Jean-Marie came to my rescue with
the KTPQ Newsletter on his cell phone. There were some other "incidents"
that evening. Such as the team who guessed Tom & Jerry's instead of Ben &
Jerry's. Or the wag who tried to get Taming of the Screw to fit into the
Find-the-Connection round's motif. Nevertheless, it all turned out okay.
The Allen Fairview Chamber Friends came out of nowhere to catch first place
with two consecutive double-or-nothing's in the final two rounds. The NSFW
gang got themselves organized and won second. Tequila Mockingbird, cool,
calm and quiet, like professional hitmen, took third.
It's all in a night's work for me. The life of a Quiz Master is a lonely
one, but it has its rewards. Until next time...

QUIZ RECAP

Killarney's was happening last night with the local teams being augmented
by a couple of newbies. Well, one was not too newbie, having played at
Killarney's before under the moniker Two Girls and a Guy Walk into an Irish
Pub... This time, they changed their name to the much more quizzy sounding,
The League of Extraordinary Guessers and registered their team. The newest
newbie registered themselves as The Accidents, giving us nine competitors
on what was to be an evening of fierce gamesmanship, desperate double or
nothing's and some delicious homemade banana pudding! (Another mysterious
Pickles on a Plate birthday. Don't ask.)
Kudos to our quiz writers out in LaLa land, who came up with some fascinating
minutiae for our brains to ponder. Quiz Master Lou wondered if David Berry,
Jr. was given the Clockwork Orange treatment when made to view Bambi? The
Picture Round was especially noteworthy as the definition of "dragon" got
stretched like taffy, but we appreciate that the number five choice was
broadened to just allow Godzilla as an answer, despite the fact that the
creature pictured was Ghidorah, three headed monster from outer space! (Who
just happenes to resemble a 3 headed dragon - with no less than nine films
in which he appeared! Ahh, Quiz Master Lou was first terrified by same as
a ten year old boy sitting in a darkened movie theatre on a Saturday after-
noon. But, I digress...) Our prize for best wrong guess goes to those
rascally Poonswagglers for throwing caution to the winds and completely
missing Eragon by substituting A Very Brady Christmas!
The evening finished up with the resident champs, Tequila Mockingbird,
sauntering over the finish line for first with Wossamatta-U making a startling
come-from-behind leap into second. Third place was an exciting tie breaker
twixt Blood, Bath & Beyond and Pickles on a Plate, which the latter won by
getting closest to the number of days JFK was in office.

That's all the fits that's news to print. Have a great week!

QUIZ RECAP

Quiz Master Lou's got a new bag! Spotlight on the Teams! In an effort to give back to those who make it happen, Quiz Master Lou is going to shine a light on the people who play King Trivia Pub Quiz. An interview of sorts, I passed out a short questionnaire (5 questions) to each team to find out a little bit about them. Here are their answers...

This week's spotlight is on: The Poonswagglers

Team Captain(If there is one): All Others (by specialty if applicable): Kandi Anderson Jason Anderson Bill Anderson Sherry Kirby Priscilla Anderson Susie Anderson Lourdes Morales

How did your team get its name and what does it mean?
We make home made wine. The wine we made directly before the first night of trivia was called Poonswaggle.

What is your favorite (or top favorites) Round in the King Trivia Pub Quiz? (General Knowledge, Picture Round, Theme Round, Guess Who?, Find-the-Connection, Hand-Out or Round Seven) and why?
Find-the-Connection and Guess Who.

What was your most memorable moment during a King Trivia Pub Quiz?
Great victories when you've debated and convinced your teammates to use your answer... And you're right!

What, if any, are the benefits of playing trivia games in pubs?
Fun! Fun! Fun! Networking and real social interaction. Meeting new people!

Is life pre-destined or do things just happen randomly? And; What changes would you like to see?
Less movie questions! Some nights seem like they are 30% to 50% movies, actors, etc. More music related trivia! Lyrics! Audio clips! Name that song!

Quiz Master Lou's Wrap-up:

The Poonswagglers always bring their enthusiasm to the game and stick it out to the bitter end whether they're winning or not. On several occasions, I have stayed after the quiz and spoken to them on many subjects, from conspiracy theories to Shakespeare. I recently found out they belong to a theatre group called ACT (Art Centre Theatre). They generously invited QM Lou to one of their productions a few weekends back, a melodrama called The Villain Wore a Dirty Shirt. You know, one of those matinees where the audience is invited to cheer, boo and throw popcorn at the cast. Well, in one scene, the Sheriff reads a wanted poster, listing all the aliases of the posted criminal. And guess what one of those names was? Quiz Master Lou! I have been immortalized on stage! The Poonswagglers are a great bunch and we look forward to seeing their happy faces at the pub for years to come.

Feb. 12 Game Highlights: Wassamata-U took home the gold (inside joke, don't ask!), Seal Team 3 finally got a win with 2nd and the above featured Poonies won a hard fought tie breaker with Tequila Mockingbird for third. Welcome to newbies Here for the Beer, Drunk Unicorns and Sh*t, I Don't Know!

Look for more Spotlights to appear intermittently here in the future! Have a great week and weekend, everybody!