Let’s Save Endangered Trivia From Bad Taste

Trivia has been delivered a new low blow. It’s called Who’s Left Standing.

NBC is trying (I guess they are). But please………what is this? A poorly executed rendition of my old fifth grade spelling bee or what?

Let’s get one thing straight: I really like Ben Bailey – the popular driver of the Discovery Channel’s Cash Cab. NBC has stripped him of his laid-back demeanor and forced him (he appears so highly scripted) to take on a program ripped off from the first reality program transplanted to the U.S. from Israel. Dropping losers through a trap door has its appeal, but not when you’ve got to figure out an answer to a question with a painfully simple answer – helped along by the fact one or more of the letters in the spelling of the answer is given to the contestants – the contest shortly becomes difficult to embrace.

Here’s a sampling of the brain-crunching challenges:

“Name of the Internet search engine or Chandler's name on "Friends"? 

Hint & Answer:  _ _ _ G

Perhaps you had to take a few second to gather your thoughts. Google, Yahoo, Dogpile, Lycos, Ask.com, etc. There isn’t one that ends in “G” – except one. Even in a crunch, there are only so many all-purpose search engines for you to consider – especially ending with the letter “G.” Even a novice could eventually (within 20 seconds) come up with “BING.” Couldn’t they.

The show is promoted as “fast-paced trivia.” That’s a fact: it is fast in the delivery of questions that come right off the kindergarten crib list. It has the speed of diarrhea on a first date.  Ten people taking on a challenger (known as “the hero”) sounds challenging and fun. Selecting your competitor sounds like good clean mental combat. But standing with a straight face, getting all twisted up in the belly and feeling overly nervous when dealing with a question such as:

What Biblical figure said: “The truth shall make you free?”

Hint:  J_ _ _ S

Seriously, is there really a trivia atheist, Methodist, Muslim, Buddhist or whatever who couldn’t answer this one?

And keep in mind: if the “hero” knocks off the ten challengers, they “could win” $1 Million. That’s the motivation.

Oh, if Allen Ludden’s ghost and the ghost of Jeopardy past go together for a drink, I can only imagine the talk. Holy Betty White!!! This show had potential, but it is just too damned boring. Fast-paced, “Yes.” Boring, “Yes, yes!!” Insulting, “Yes, yes, yes!!”

With this said, let’s light a universal candle and say a silent prayer that trivia won’t be killed off by this attempt on the part of NBC to recognize that there are huge profits to be made through the exorcising of useless information (and I don’t mean the evening news).

So, let’s take on some examples of a more elevated form of trivia challenge. We call it Guerrilla Trivia. Let’s see how you do (and I sincerely wish you the best).

Here’s how you might want to test yourself:

1)    Get an egg timer or set your smart phone for 30 seconds.

2)    Read the following question, start the timer and fairly attempt to answer the questions.

3)    “YES,” you may go out into the ether and search for the answer. You just might find what you’re looking for. Keep in mind that each second searching is a second removed from your time to answer.

In a short time, Guerrilla Trivia will be going live on your computer (that is, if you register). Then, the timer will be built into the tournament and rigidly enforced.

Also, keep in mind that Guerrilla Trivia requires, along with quick response (lowest time wins), correct spelling is mandatory. Spell it wrong – lose the question and get penalized.

Here are today’s sample questions:

QUESTION:  When first put into place, “Opportunity” was expected to provide photographs for no longer than 90 days.  However, as of September 2006, it had continued to take and transmit photos for well over ten times that amount of time.  Where was Opportunity located at the time?

 QUESTION:  After the words "acts which have stained the game" appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, the man who delivered them died the same week.  Name this man for whom it appears that the Sports Illustrated “jinx” proved fatal. And, who was he talking about?

Answers below the Ape...

Answer 1:  Mars

NOTE:  NASA's twin robot geologists, the Mars Exploration Rovers, Opportunity and Opportunity, launched from Earth on June 10 and July 7, 2003. Their mission was to search of answers about the history of water on Mars. They landed on Mars January 3 and January 24 PST, 2004. They took thousands of photographs, including the one here:

Answer 2:  Bart Giamatti and Pete Rose 

NOTE:  Baseball Commissioner Bart Giamatti, was quoted on the cover of Sports Illustrated (April 17, 1989) Pete Rose was banned from baseball for life for “acts which have stained the game.” Some people feel that appearing on the cover of the magazine creates a jinx, which can (in the estimation of many) ruin careers, cause accidents, and in the case of Giamatti, premature death. Giamatti died of a sudden heart attack within a few days of the publication of the magazine issue. Rose went on to charge high figures for his autographs.

Don't forget to check out the links to our web site and learn more about upcoming contest times and rules You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter for daily updates and fun facts as well as learn about opportunities to win some fabulous Guerrilla Trivia T-Shirts.