Recap: The ideal live-trivia audience

What makes for a great live-quiz audience? Quite possibly, I could boil it down to one qualification: They laugh at anything. I know, people who typically laugh at anything are irritating subhuman morons, but when they've assembled at a trivia show, it means they're engaged and having a wonderful time. (Dummies hate the BQT, trust me.) And last night, during our latest Big Quiz Thing spectacular at Harvard Square's Oberon theater, we had perhaps the laughiest (laffiest?) crowd in a good long while. And it was a banner evening for Smart-Ass Points. Presenting some of the many, many excellent wrong-but-funny answers:

Q: In 1972, science-fiction writer Philip K. Dick defined what as “that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away”?
A: Gonorrhea

Q: Twenty-two days ago, a Spaniard defeated a Swiss man in the finals of what?
A: GO BRUINS!!! (or chess)

Q: In 1985, at the very first WrestleMania, Hulk Hogan formed a tag team with what very well-known celebrity?
A: Pee-wee Herman (before shit got weird)

Q: It began in Boston 16 years ago, and it ended in Southern California last Wednesday. What was it?
A: The hipster movement

Q: What four-word Southern-state slogan originated in the 1980s as part of an antilittering ad campaign?
A: Pick That Shit Up!

I know, right? Good stuff.

This is all not to say that everyone in the crowd was just cracking jokes and pounding shots (though there was some of that, too). This was a seriously competitive bunch: Twenty-two teams, with only 13 points separating first and tenth place, and six of them posting a perfect score on the mega-fun "One Letter Apart" video round. (Another great Smart-Ass answer: misinterpreting "pubic/Punic" as "labia/Libya." Maybe you had to be there.) The audio round, "We're Off to See the Wizard" (songs somehow relating to The Wizard of Oz), was a bit trickier, with no one doing better than 18.5 out of 20, and that was the Oberon staff team. B-Cutie Katie said I should've included this song, and perhaps she was right:

As for the finale, glorious returning champions the Monstrous Humanoids, playing with only three members (plus their service-dog mascot providing moral support), didn't even make it in, sadly. But we had our usual friends: the Quips team (this time: Quip the Light Fantastic), the [RECENT DEAD CELEBRITY] Kicks-Ass! squad (Peter Falk last night), and well-leied (seriously) newcomers the Log Ladies. None of the team reps could name the ABC sitcom that references a species of big cat in its title—even though seemingly everyone in the audience yelled the name when I threw it to them—but PFKA! took it with two solid correct answers, culminating with some impressive knowledge about George Armstrong Custer. And thus:
The top ten:
1. Peter Falk Kicks Ass!: Only their second victory after many, many top-three finishes. Dedication pays off!
2. Quip the Light Fantastic/The Log Ladies (tie)
4. The Monstrous Humanoids
5. Show Us Your Tips: The staff team!
6. Nasty Honey Badgers
7. Hot Meat Kettle
8. Ghost Bakery
9. Are You There, God? It's Me, Turgid Minotaur
10. Bob Loblaw's Law Blog

NEXT: We return to Oberon July 25 and August 22, Mondays both. Thanks to my team last night, B-Cutie Katie and DJ Xdon Ricklesx, both of whom will most likely not be there next time. Keep 'em laffin'!