So the DC trivia scene, or perhaps, I should say Arlington trivia scene (though it used to be part of DC..you say tomato, I also say tomato because we agree and are cool like that), is a bit different. We’ve chosen an irish pub and with 50+ teams each night, there’s a bit more competition. Plus, most of the “make or break” questions are geared to those from bygone generations. (i.e. I really need to get my dad to join the team). But the DC fiasco hath grown in size. From what was just four in Boston, has become eight. Two teams, that’s right! two teams baby!

We’re still in our infancy–getting our feet wet, if you will. But we’ve found that “Saucy Cupcakes” has been the team name with the most luck. (We have the Beegs to thank for that one.) Anywho, Saucy Cupcakes’ biggest victory was out-scoring our sister team, Porkchops (cue the “extra gravy”).

The next date is set for August 11. In this epic battle of meat vs. sweet, who will  come out on top? Will either be on top enough to score the best? Have these questions all be euphemisms for something else? Only time (and perhaps Eric’s mom) will tell…

The evening started off slow and looked like it would end in misery. Ben and Eric were the first to arrive as Aaron finished up after a late night at work. Questions were missed, second guessing resulted in wrong answers and impending doom was all that was foreseeable.

As the evening progressed things started to pick up. Bonus rounds were tackled with easy and the last two rounds ended in a perfect score. The final round approached with two remaining questions. We answered the first one correctly and charged forward into 6th place, a far cry from last. The last question was asked and the looks of frustration could be read on the faces of our challengers. We made our wager and moved up to 4th place. It wasn’t enough for a prize, but enough to re-kindle the confidence we needed for another challenge we will face another week.

We missed the first question but were able to regain our composure on the next one by identifying one of the two songs that has the same melody as “The Alphabet Song”. (Twinkle away star..twinkle away!) Anyway, we did pretty well but at CitySide, you have to be pretty durn near flawless if you want to place. Alas, we weren’t. Our little missteps here and there were enough to keep us within striking distance but only if other teams faltered—which they didn’t. Poo.

But lest ye think the night was a complete failure—think again! While we didn’t finish in the top three, we were deemed “Favorite Team Name of the Night” by the lovely hostess. This is the second time the Fiasco has received this honor! (Our first was for “Under Hillary’s Desk”) Oh yeah, baby! What we lack in random knowledge, we make up for in questionable creativity.

Next week: We rally big time to take on Al at Our House. This is especially sentimental for me, for it will be my last trivia fiasco in Boston for awhile But never fear, the fiasco will soon become a bi-city ordeal. Striking fear in the hearts of rival trivia teams in our nation’s capital as well.

Le Lohan’s Fiasco

Still, unflustered, we trekked all the way to Jamaica Plain and found our trivia solace at Jeannie Johnston’s. We feared we would be late, but luckily, the first of our motely crew to arrive befriended a very kind gent who was playing under the name of “Dull Pencil”. Thus the fiasco joined forces with this kindred (and very intelligent) soul, and we were well on our way to victory!

We were answering questions left and right. Sometimes up and down. Halfway through we were joined by a really cool lady– Also a saavy trivian, the kind of person you could write a book about ‘cuz you know she has the best life stories. Anywho, long story short: at the end of it all, we were tied for first! Yeah buddy! Of course we lost it in the tie breaker when we slightly overestimated the student body population of Mt. Holyoke. Ah well, second prize ain’t that bad.

Afterwards, we spent the prize on a round of drinks with our newfound comrades in random knowledge. Cheers to the Dull Pencil for accepting the Fiasco when other’s turned their backs!

Final Questions:
1. What city has gone the longest without winning a title in the four major sports? A combined 123-year streak. (Answer: Cleveland)
2. What college was founded by Mary Lyon in 1837 and was the first of the seven sisters? (Answer: Mt. Holyoke…which you might have gathered from the tie-break reference above) 

We started strong, stayed strong and lived strong. (Lance would be proud.) Overall, we only missed two or three questions and managed to bid wisely enough to stay in the top 3. Yes, our knowledge of Sylvia Plath’s unconventional (and unconvectional–since convection ovens weren’t around then) death, actor’s who portrayed law enforement characters and random golf tournaments propelled us to glory. The glory of third place, which, in our humble and unbiased opinion, yielded the best bounty–pristine glass goblets with which we can drink our fill of the frothy riches of life.

It was our first *true* victory, totally earned on our own merit, and quite a stepping stone for our little team of non-ivy league graduates. Sometimes you’re in the zone, and this time, not only were we all up in it, we even knew the flavor. Call us butter, cuz we’re on a roll!

Molly Ringwald info:

IMDB Info

 Info on the movie where Molly’s panty fiasco occurs

Or “Don’t drop the soap, ‘cuz we’re coming from behind.” Which is exactly what we did! Yes, amid a bit of controversy, we managed to rise, Phoenix-like, from the ashes and rally our way into third place and secure some really nifty Miller-lite T-shirts. Many people participated in the fiasco this week. So many, in fact, that we had to split into two separate (but equally fiasco-tastic) teams—those Under Hilary’s Desk and the don’t-drop-the-soapers. We all performed well, though the Soaps took the early lead. However, come half-time, all but two of the soaps defected!

Needless to say, we tried to merge the teams since 4 plus 2 would equal the team limit of 6. But alas, the rules prevented it. However, since neither team seemed to have the points to place near the top 3, and because the hostess liked our team name…and possibly because it happened to be one of the member’s birthday, the trivia gods smiled upon us and thus we became one trivia team nation, Under Hilary’s Desk, indivisible, with ice-teas and Bud lights for all. (Except for Eric who got a Guiness).

Once we were reunited, we forged our way into placing territory. Armed with knowledge of White House Staffers and the shoes that OJ Simpson wore (Sorry, “allegedly wore”…if he did it), we headed into the final battle tied for third place. Easily we defeated the first question by knowing that Ghana was the team to oust the US in the last World Cup soccer tournament. The shirts were ours to lose. And while some may say our answer to the last question was iffy (They were looking for “Equal Rights Amendment” and we offered a small dissertation about gay rights and the struggle for the minority to stop the Man from keeping ‘em down), the lovely trivia hostess, touched by the cleverness of our name and a willingness to honor the bday boy, accepted our answer.

And the heaven’s parted and the choirs of angels sang out: Behold! Ye Panty Fiasco hath wonneth a prize! Rejoice and be merry. And so it was. And so we did.

Until next time, when the PF attempts to win in a more clear-cut manner, you will find me drinking a Miller Lite, in my snazzy new t-shirt. And you’ll really have to find me..they only had XXLs so I’ma swimmin’ in it.

Some sites of interest:
Hilary Info
A wide variety of desks
Dont’ drop this stuff!

With the smoothness of a Jell-O pudding pop we were off and in second place at the end of the half. Our new venue seemed to bring new fortune and we were poised to take our first victory.

The second round commenced and we began to falter. The questions were more obscure. Who was this new trivia jockey and where did she get her wealth of trivia knowledge from? As luck would have it we were pushed out of the ranks of the winning. We would not be deterred. We knew we will have to return next week and rise to the challenge with a new muse to guide us through the treacherous waters of the knowledge sea.

One of the rumors that has surfaced about this elusive fiasco is that Ben was able to pay homage to one of his favorite movies by correctly and gallantly identifying the movie that Alec Baldwin narrated but never appeared in. (The Royal Tennenbaums, if you were curious).

Perhaps one day, one of the two fine young gents who undertook this fiasco will emerge and shed light upon what really happened that evening in what was an apparently pretty good showing for only having half the team. Until the day of enlightenment, the Peter O’Toole Panty Fiasco shall remain a mystery.

But the real Peter O’Toole doesn’t have to:
Wikipedia Info
IMBD Info
Some random fan’s Peter O’Toole Shrine   

 Roger Clemens was our fiasco-ee du jour. Much like him, we started out strong and on the right “team” if you will. After the first round we were but a mere point away from the lead and sitting nicely in 3^rd place (especially after digging deep and rocking the “Literature” Bonus). After that, it all fell apart. It was a swift plummet from top to settling amongst the dregs. Though we didn’t finish last, I suppose we can say that much. The questions were tough and most random. But our downfall was that during the clutch questions, we’d narrowed our choices to the right one and the wrong one—and always picked the wrong option (Ahem, Clemens). Our cookie crumbled; Our Sweet went to Low; Our pie went to mud; Our brownies were blonde.

(Off topic: Say you were walking down the street with your chums, perhaps after a night of drinking/dancing/some sort of revelry, and chanced upon a Styrofoam container—like one that you would get at a restaurant to bring home food—filled with brownies and cookies. Would you eat said brownies? Does it make a difference if you were outside a hospital when you found them? If your answer was anything besides “Hellz Yeah’ and “No”, you’re wrong and get no brownie points. Nyuk nyuk.)

In other trivia news, we may be changing our venue as Monday night was starting to become tough on the fiascoer’s schedules. We’d like to stick with Al, not just because he’s awesome, but because we need to redeem ourselves. So, don’t be surprised if you spot a fiasco at the Tam on Tuesdays. Or perhaps we will try out a Stump! Trivia (copyright/trademark something here) venue. Though after the way they ditched us with no warning when we went to the Thirsty Scholar, I don’t know if our hearts can heal so easily.

Final Question: In 2002, what movie was nominated for 10 Academy Awards but won none of them?
(Answer: Gangs of New York.  Yes, that was one of our choices…and we didn’t go with it. CLEMENS!!!)

 Clemen’s info:

Wikipedia Info

Boo.

We had our usual team back together again. There was definitely a better feeling at the end of the night compared to the last fiasco. And the post-trivia musings of life and the world as we know it over a round Brubaker’s premium beer always make the night worthwhile. (Also another perk to Our House —they have Sam Adams Cherry Wheat on tap. Well, they didn’t this night but usually they do. Extra points in my book for having the Best. Beer. Ever.)

Next week: we study and propel ourselves into proper nerddom.

Final Question: What month derives its name from the Latin word meaning ‘purification’?
(Answer: February. See, we were thinking November, as in “nouveau” or “novae”—meaning “new”. However, dictionary.com tells me that it’s named for the Latin word “novem” (meaning nine) since it’s the ninth month of the early Roman calendar. Fine.)

Al Sharpton Info:

Wikipedia Site
Talk Net Home

“We have defeated Jim Crow, but now we have to deal with his son, James Crow Jr., esquire” -Al Sharpton