Recap: Summer. Fun. And yes, spectacular

Aloha! Thanks, everyone, for being part of the summer fun that was tonight's Summer Fun Spectacular. 92yTribeca is a lovely venue, and we had a great time there, though I agree, the sight lines aren't the greatest in BQT history. (But I was right about the lemonade, wasn't I?) Maybe tossing around the beach ball wasn't the best idea ever, but I continue in my goal to make the Big Quiz Thing more like a Phish concert.

Some behind-the-scenes details: The video round, the Trivia Color War (various traditional color-war games, each adapted into a trivia question), took a lot of work, and while I think the end product was a touch convoluted, I was happy with it. The integrity of the structure held, all the facts were appropriately factual, and everyone humored me during the Team Cheer question by singing the theme song to Cheers (we didn't have to levy anyone with the -1,000 points demerit). As for the general color war we played throughout the evening, congratulations to Team Blue on the somewhat meaningless victory. Behold their prize; we'll be giving away more at future BQTs, for future reasons.

The audio round, Sounds from the Beach, was slightly plagued with technical glitches (fine, more than slightly), so it fell to me, Quizmaster Noah, to sing some of the clips. I did my best, though I apologize to any Katy Perry loyalists out there for being unable to sing "California Gurls" and resorting to merely a string of insults. Like she cares.

Finally, the big Three-Way Finale: We had perennial champs Gerard Depardouche, perennial not-so-champy Fat Kids, and apparent newcomers (though their Three-Way rep, Chris, had been with us before) Bobbi Eden's Twitter Followers. It was tense, since Buck of the Douche blazed into the lead with the figuroutable "Q: The Houston Astros play their home games at Minute Maid Park, which was renamed in 2002, from what suddenly unfortunate name?" But then the Fat Kid cruised to victory on two straight right answers, finishing with "Q: What 1986 summer movie was featured the final performances of both Orson Welles and Scatman Crothers?" And that's how we play it.

Standings:
1. Fat Kids Lower the Bar
2. Gerard Depardouche
3. Bobbi Eden's Twitter Followers
4. Jefferson Davis Starship
5. The Enola Gay Agenda (Now with Less Gay!)

That's it for July, folks (except for a crapload of private parties, and this). We're back at Crash Mansion August 16, then (probably) (Le) Poisson Rouge August 30. Keep up with the calendar. And definitely get ready for September 27, when we'll be at the Highline Ballroom for The NYC Clash of the Trivia Champions. Registration will be happening any day now here. Stay cool.

Yes, there is a NOT-SO-SECRET SECRET CLUE

Oh no, it is not limited to Mondays, no, sir. We do have a Not-So-Secret Secret Clue for tonight's Summer Fun Spectacular. (And while the clue itself has nothing to do with summer, the question—as are all the questions tonight—is summerrific.) Here we go…

"Block Sender"?

A-ha! 7:30 tonight at 92YTribeca, just below Canal on Hudson Street. Buy tickets now!!!

Massive live-comedy prize haul this Wednesday!

That's an awesome title, isn't it?

As I've told you again and again, this Wednesday is a special Big Quiz Thing, the Summer Fun Spectacular, at 92YTribeca (buy advance tix here). When we booked the date, the venue generously agreed to kick in for the prize stash, and they weren't kidding: We'll be giving away a pair to each July show in the venue's "Comedy Below Canal" series. Fourteen tickets, people!

The complete details are here, but that's two tickets each to two editions of the News Distillery (like a live Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, starring friend of the quiz Alison Rosen), two nights of RISK! (a great storytelling series, one episode featuring another FOQ, Christian Finnegan), three Comedy Below Canal stand-up showcases (one features Leo Allen, a criminally underrated stand-up), and one Channel 101 (fake-pilot screening series, produced by yet another FOQ, Tony Carnevale; I think you can tell by now that I use the word friend in a somewhat loose sense, but they have all at least played the Big Quiz Thing at some point, so there). The dates vary from July 8 through 29, but it's well worth coming back to 92YT—the all-dairy café has some damn fine lemonade.

Plus, we have the standard $250 cash jackpot, and various summer-themed treats, books, DVDs et al. Plus the first ever Trivia Color War! And, and, and…we're giving away a super-secret very special surprise, just finalized plans. I can feel the tingle of the zinc oxide already…

Recap: Who are these people

Tonight's Big Quiz Thing was especially gratifying, because—and I don't have statistics to back this up—we seemed to have a lot of new people in the crowd. (Normally, the BQT player contingent is about two thirds regulars, an assertion I do have a little bit of evidence to support.) But tonight seemed suffused with newcomers, and not just because it was Rebecca Ikler's birthday and she seemed to have brought along everyone she ever met. It was most obvious during the Big Three-Way Finale, which featured two newish teams, Room with a Vuvuzela (last joke we'll get out of that for the time being) and Not Penny's Boat, alongside the eminently familiar Sugah Titz. And the Titz won, which just goes to show I slant things in my regular teams' favor (KIDDING!).

But I get ahead of myself. As expected, Round 2, "The Museum of Painting Mash-Ups," called upon a different set of knowledge than most BQT games, finally making use of that art history class you took sophomore year for no apparent reason. My favorite is above; I literally squealed when I had the idea (seriously). I liked this Goya–Grandma Moses mash-up a lot, too:


The audio round, "Never Break the Musical Chain," took a lot of work, more than you'd think and more than I'd planned (I kept messing with it to get the right mix of artists). Still, I considered jacking it up to 20 songs, just to prove that I could do it. Ah, maybe some other time—maybe the New York City Clash of the Trivia Champions! (More on that below.) And thank you for appreciating the four-part questions on LIRR stations ("The first person stumbles on a banana peel") and celebrity perfumes; the Big Quiz Thing, the Fragrance, is in the works. In return, do me a favor: E-mail (Le) Poisson Rouge and tell them to bring us back. Demand it!

The standings:

1. Sugah Titz: The Fantastic Fournicators might be the winningest team in BQT history, but I believe Chrissy of Sugah Titz is specifically the winningst woman in BQT history. Impressive.

2. Not Penny's Boat/Room with a Vuvuzela (tie)
4. Squirrels on Film
5. The Fantastic Fournicators: Very proud of this, I am:

6. Birds of Ill Omen/Gerard Depardouche (tie)
8. Jefferson Davis Starship
9. Kathleen Turner Overdrive
10. Strippers for Stephen Hawking

Amazingly, we had no Smart-Ass Points tonight! I was reduced to giving away sympathy pastries to the last-place team! What happened to the funny? Next time…

…speaking of which, the next show is in ONLY NINE DAYS!

Yes, we're doing the Summer Fun Spectacular on Wednesday, July 7, at 92YTribeca. Trivia Color War and lots more; don't forget, this will probably be your last dose of BQT till August. (Unless you want to follow us to Boston; c'mon, road trip!) And get ready for September 27, and the first ever New York City Clash of the Trivia Champions—teams of four, $100 per team, $1,000 grand prize, a cool trophy, tons of glory, at the Highline Ballroom. We make it happen for you.
more details and registration coming soon.

The Summer Fun Spectacular is sunscreened up and on its way!

As mentioned at last Monday's show…the BQT schedule (easily viewable here) is getting a little wacky in the coming months. The fact is, we're busier with private parties, out-of-town events, and babies (for GB and EDP, none for me, I believe). So there will be only one Big Quiz Thing event in July, not counting private ones, not counting ones in other cities, and not counting the monologue I say to myself every morning in the bathroom mirror. Just one BQT, but it's a big'un…

Yes, our first ever Summer Fun Spectacular. What does that mean? All the Big Quiz Thing goodness you know and love, with a summery twist. Questions on beaches, BBQ, losing your virginity, and other July/August delights; EDP may even be grilling invisible meat, and we're trying to get DJ GB to wear a bikini. Plus, the video round will feature the world's first ever Trivia Color War! (Eh, sort of. I've adapted all the familiar Color War activities—Capture the Flag, archery, team cheer—into trivia questions. Lace up your Keds 'cause you'll love it.)

It's all happening at a new venue for us, 92YTribeca, in the gorgeous performance space there (I've done many a movie intro in the screening room, but I've been itching—from mosquito bites, it turns out—to get into the big room). The venue is putting up fabulous prizes, and they have a real excellent café—try to gourmet lemonade, it'll be ever so appropriate.

The nuts-and-bolts can be found here; I'm still working out some little details, but I will certainly plan to see you there. Miss it, and I'll ignore you back at school in September.