Hilarity ensues. That particular phrase has its roots in the description of comedic action for a theatrical plot when writers are synopsizing a scene for which they have no details, but the established patterns of the characters ensure that their actions will have comedic conflict. However, it also happens to mirror life. After all, as Darwinian as it may sound, when one sets a rambunctious dog among a group of laid back cats, the outcome is predictable. Why is it relevant? As a quizmaster, I have observed that when presented with subject matter quite out of the range of experience to whom it is being asked, the question cannot be adequately pondered, and the resulting guess... Well, hilarity ensues. For example;
If the title, Chief Mouser of the Cabinet Office was not known as the one of the freebie questions of the week by a new team, then the answer Pussy Galore is a good guess. Some 'Sex and the City' viewers might think Kim Cattrall is a better candidate for Governor than Cynthia Nixon. And in a town where show biz ain't the raison d'etre, it is easy to confuse the phrase "martini shot" with "money shot".
Now, Quizmaster Lou has had an interesting run of tie breakers lately. In recognition of this phenomenon, he has perverted, er, modified a musical classic. With apologies to Bock and Harnick, I give you... Tiebreaker!
Tie Breaker, Tie Breaker,
break me a tie,
bust me a draw,
lay down the law
Tie Breaker, Tie Breaker,
Look at your set,
And break me a perfect tie!
Tie Breaker, Tie Breaker,
I'll bring the beer,
You bring the quiz,
Enchantingly dear.
Bring me a tie I'm longing to break,
Don't make my victory ache!
Well... Let us close this nonsense with a parting shot from Thor Heyerdahl, who said, "Progress is man's ability to complicate simplicity." Have a great weekend everybody!
* Won Tiebreaker
Unbelievable! Fantastic! Momentous! Historic! Quizmaster Lou is beside himself (usually, actually... perhaps that explains why I'm always writing about myself in the third person?) with excitement as this particular circumstance has never come across his desk before! In an unusual alignment of cosmic chance, we have our first ever (in my experience, anyway) THREE WAY TIE! You heard it, folks. At the end of Round 7, the Ninja Turtles, Blood, Bath & Beyond and the Bumble Bees all finished with 61 points! The tie breaker was much anticipated as the three teams threw their darts at the target number of how many milligrams of caffeine were in a standard can of Red Bull. Blood, Bath & Beyond landed closest, nailing the First Place prize, with Ninja Turtles and Bumble Bees winning second and third respectively.
Welcome to newbie team, the Snowmen, who remained cool under fire as they competed with the seasoned regulars. The Rockefellers win most improved team award while the Bastard Barristers get the Prodigal Son Mention. For the rest, who landed just outside the winner's circle, you've got to watch those Double-or-Nothings!
Awesome rating for the quiz writer/s! The Round 3 Theme round was this quizmaster's fave. It allowed ole Lou the chance to flex his thespian muscles, quoting from 1984, Of Mice and Men; And, waxing nostalgic about his youth in the new wave 80's. (Yes, I actually sported a rattail, wore parachute pants and sprinted about L.A. on a silver Vespa! We were young, once. And punks...)
This week's parting shot comes to us from JFK, who poignantly said, "As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."
Have a wonderful week, everyone!
* Won Tiebreaker
The teams at the Lion & Crown Public House in Watter's Creek appreciate the hard questions. They may not like them half the time, but they appreciate them. Getting a flavor for the taste of the crowd, when the diversity of knowledge spreads evenly, the challenge is immensely more palatable. And so it was last night at the old L&C with everything from history to math, all cleverly interspersed among the question sets.
Perhaps the funniest moments were during the Visual Round Two, which this week challenged the players to identify famous people named Guy. And a varied lot it was, with Guy Fieri and Guy Fawkes in the same line up. (Well done, Quiz Writers!) The absurd and the desperate bubbled to the surface when the players couldn't put their finger on the correct name and started coming up with the likes of THAT GUY, BRITISH GUY, JAZZ GUY, SAME GUY, GUY SMITH, and GUY GUY... Style points were given for fun (but do not count towards winning, alas.)
Twelve teams showed up and, as usual, three walked away with the top prizes. But what was interesting was that two teams were celebrating birthdays, which forced Quizmaster Lou to sing Happy Birthday... Twice! It was when Kito the bartender shouted out after my second, painful rendition that it was his birthday as well that I had to put my foot down. (There's only so much torture you can put your audience through!) Special mention to the Rockerfellers (a cute couple whose moniker is derived from the famous Center where their marriage proposal was made,) who came in late at Round Four, but wanted to play anyway because they enjoy the fun of the quiz!
Shredder Squad (one of the birthday groups) showed up in force, their presence dominating the pub hall as well as their knowledge, Double-or-Nothing'd twice successfully into first position for most of the night, until they were unceremoniously unseated by Royal Flush in Round Six and maintaining their lead by a single point! (That's real drama, man!) So, the Squad got second and the scrumptious Pickles on a Plate took third.
Quizmaster Lou's parting shot this week comes from Winston Churchill, who quipped, "I am ready to meet my maker. Whether my maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter." Have a great weekend everyone!
* Won Tiebreaker
