Thanks to Team Tran and their kids (who I did NOT offer winner privileges to for a monetary bribe ahead of all the others who worked for it, for the record), we had a full house and loads of fun!
Thirsty Pretzels had an early domination, but were bested by Home Team, the only one who knew his Disney character voice actors and doubled down to prove it. He held that lead up until The Implication snatched it away with a last-minute double down on their lakes and 1st Amendment freedoms. They were also the first to exercise their freedom of KICKING ASS by correctly guessing Hilary Swank at the 8-point clue, getting a free appetizer out of it.
Daddy Down and new favorite love-note-leaving team Naww, That's Fine attempted at a double-down Hail Mary, but to no avail. Zexy Loco Moco also tried doubling down on their horror movie icon connections, but missed it by a smidge.
Most everyone bombed on Hilary Swank if they jumped the gun too early. But I was pleasantly surprised by how many people excelled at their box office flops and gymnastics (I claimed it was the hardest round, but y'all are clearly smarter than me), and excited to see all teams correctly double down on their religious origins. Nothing makes the game more fun and exciting than a bunch of smarty pantses!
Tonight's questions were fun, but definitely challenging. Some answers and a few scores surprised us all! Our top winners had to double their points at least once during the game and not have any double-down mishaps in between.
Highway Stars came super close to a few double-down opportunities, but no cigar. Area 51, who shows up though Tuesdays have proven to be their most challenging nights (thanks for coming to see me anyway! <3), took the risk in Round 5, but was horribly betrayed by Muhammad Ali. And while Home Team figured out all members of the Fellowship with no trouble at all, he was let down by his lack of Richard Branson knowledge.
A couple teams actually could have stood to have me on their team for Round 7, since it was one of the easiest "Lord of the Rings" questions we could have given. And most of you agreed! Home Team, Area 51, nearly impenetrable herd The Implication, and super smarty pants Fat Tire Tuesday all doubled down on their Tolkien characters with confidence, making me one heckuva proud Quizmaster.
Thirsty Pretzels held a brief lead for knowing most of their Film NOLA movies, but their eventual fall to third place wasn't the worst way to end the night. They still scored a free dessert for being the first team to figure out Branson was our Guess Who? dude of the night. (I was only a little sad they didn't share.)
I mentioned to Rockets Red Glare, pre-game, that it was going to be a good trivia night, and the Quizmaster never lies! Our highest score was 80, and our lowest score was 51 (only because of a bad double-down call), which made things suspenseful, yet oodles of fun.
Things got heated between Thirsty Pretzels and The Implication, spending the first four rounds tied up, until the Pretzels' tool connection barely pulled them ahead. But The Implication won a free Recess Room appetizer for being the first to know about Ken Jeong's home life, so technically things still evened out in the end.
The Home Team had a rough start, but in spite of the bleak outlook, secured the majority of his points in the last two rounds by doubling down correctly, taking home the third place ranking. Favorite hecklers Daddy Down had to double-daddy-down on their general knowledge and single-letter element symbols to secure their second place winnings, and they remembered their pen for, like, the third week in a row! A new record! *Nancy Pelosi clap*
Rockets Red Glare came out to be our grand winners tonight, but holy moley, did they have to work for it! They held a strong lead from Rounds 3 to 6, but they didn't double down on their No I in Team round (which was a good call, since they only got 9 out of 10). However, other correct double downs meant they HAD to double down AND remember their pen at the end of Round 7 if they were to be considered tonight's grand winners... and they succeeded!
Boron Radium Vanadium Oxygen, everyone!
