Recap: Mom v. Dad

So yes, I wasn't kidding: Two of the teams at tonight's barn-burning BQT at Oberon were led, respectively, by your quizmaster's mother and father (Meshugenah and Not Your Demographic, both very accurate team names). Ultimately, Dad's group beat Mom's squad by a single point, though they both racked up a few solid Smart-Ass answers. I guess this is how they keep it spicy after 44 years.

Post-show, Mama and Papa complained, er, told me they thought it was an especially tough show tonight, and I agree…to a point. The video puzzle, "Crisp Game Arena (a.k.a. Recipe Anagrams)," was tricky, but what I like about that kind of game is how it has multiple entry points—if you're a food expert or an anagram junkie, you had a shot. Though apparently, almost none of you were familiar with this delight…

Skordalia: garlic, olive oil, potatoes. The name is an anagram for "Alias: Dork." Yum.

Though I absolutely cop to the audio round, "Can I Ask You One Single Question?," being an especially tough one, since there are only so many ways to assembled ten songs whose titles form a coherent question, and those ways are all challenging. But you seemed to love it anyway, and six of you got the bonus question, knowing that it's seven hours later in Istanbul. You Boston crowds, you truly appreciate quality. (And man, you folks really, really know about Beavis and Butt-Head's T-shirts. College towns, I tell ya.)

AC/DC and Metallica. Not Glass Tiger and Loverboy.

And, oh, the finale. The usual Oberon nerds: returning champs My Quips Don't Lie, and perpetually hot on their heels Bil Keane Kicks Ass and the Monstrous Humanoids. The best and the brightest, though none of them seemed to remember this guy…

Still, Michael took it by knowing all (well, some) about our 20th President. Hooray for recycling from our Historically Historical Spectacular!
The standings:
1. My Quips Don't Lie
2. The Monstrous Humanoids
3. Bil Keane Kicks Ass!
4. Commerce, Education and Shit, I Can't Remember the Third One
5. Zombie Brain Trust Fund Supports DJ Run DMX
6. Just the Tips
7. The Answer Is Dave
8. Percocet-Fueled Honey Badgers
9. Down Goes Frazier
10. Unpronounceable Symbols

NEXT: In December, we're trying a Sunday—the 11th (partly because we got some private-party business that Monday). Then January it's the 16th, and on Presidents' Day (2/20), we're bringing back the Hail to the Trivial Presidential Quiz Spectacular. Party time.