Curtis Earth Presents: The First Trivia Olympics

Saturday night at Alois' Ballroom in Bube's Brewery marked the first ever Trivia Olympics in Pennsylvania History. Eleven teams from my shows, Billy Warmth's shows and trivia old-timers combatted for cash (and bragging rights). It was a fun night of trivia, jumbles and tune-naming. Thanks to the original master trivia host, Curtis Earth and his able assistant. Mr. Shifferstein, for an evening of merriment and laughter. (Stay tuned to this blog for an exclusive photo-expose of Mr. Shifferstein's after show activities). Also, thanks to Luke and K.T. for all their hard work, Billy Warmth for emceeing and taking all these pictures, and J for handling the sound system. Great job, one and all!

Marge, with ten + years of trivia playing under her belt, has assembled the crack team known as Out of the Vortex. They won the $100 prize for first place.

One Banana, two Banana...

...three Banana, four!

Kim and Justin sport their vintage Electric Yellow Brain Banana Polo Shirts from back in the day. Their team morphed into the Electric Learning Brain and Friends and took fifth place.

The Bananas were hoping for an Art on Wood trifecta, since they won the Billy Warmth paperweight and the Curtis Earth self-portrait (pictured). They failed to get the elusive Mike Horn spatula, however.

Jay explains the Lethal Amoebas' game-winning strategy to Lorraine. They placed third.

I believe this was Lisa's first taste of the Curtis Earth Experience.

Senor PP claimed 50 bucks by capturing second place.

Members of Nobody Expects the Spanglish Inquisition (Ben and Autumn), Dust (Sue and Lisa) and Nothing But Babaganoosh (Chris and Smiller) joined forces to become Up Past 10. They placed sixth.

I can name that tune in one note!

"Hi! We're K.T. and Luke. We'll be your servers for the evening." And a fine job they did, too!

The Unit Two Meltdown Crew is deeeeeeeep in thought, on their way from second to seventh.

Raise your hand if you're sure.

Laura (on the right) was one of the original trivia players from Curtis' Holiday Inn days of the early nineties. Her current team, the Toxic Olives, placed fourth.

Representing the Lititz VFW, Steve, Don Sheila and Marla (AKA We're Here for the Beer (and Cookies)) were treated to their first taste of trivia, Curtis-style.

John sports a vintage Earth shirt while Mark tries to explain trivia to newcomers Anthony and Nikki.

Kathy and her daughter Kelly do a Vulcan mindmeld to come up with the correct answer.

VFW Tournament Final Results

Going into the final night, it was a dead heat between the Chicks and Dicks and the Posse. The "heat" part of that sentence caught on for the Chicks, but "dead" described the Posse's chance as they spectacularly crashed. That allowed Room 2 to move up in the ranks to take second, while Dennis and Melanie's team's momentum from last week continued and they took third. Woo-hoo! The Beer and Posse teams, tied for fourth, wants to know if they get to pick the food przes for the next tourney.

1. Chicks and Dicks 278 pts.
2. Room 2 262 pts.
3. D&M 252 pts.
4. The Posse 247 pts.
4. We're Here for the Beer 247 pts.
5. The B52s 229 pts.
6. Nix Lix 210 pts.

Cal and Ted are at a loss to explain their team's spontaneous combustion.

VFW: Stepfathers Triumph!

Congrats to Matt and Josh and all the Drunken Stepfathers who managed a perfect score in the picture round and went on to win by 7 points over the Chicks. Room Two came in third and the red-hot D and M + 2 team took fourth. There was a tie for fifth with Team Lame and We're Here for the Beer, so we have three themes: the Sopranos, the movies of the brother/sister team of John and Joan Cusack, and the songs of Johnny Cash. Congrats also to newlweds Steve and Darla and also to Chris Ivey and Julie - (does anyone think that "Julie Ivey" sounds like it belongs in the Maresy Doats song?)

Bubes: Damn, I Feel Like a Nutsack!

Tonight's competition was pretty fierce and the stakes were high as it was the last night of the April mini-tournament. The 'Sacks managed to maintain their lead and claimed victory. They will be treated to a lasagna dinner at the infamous Hornswylde Mansion in beautiful downtown Lancaster. Joe also managed to win his first Captain Jack-off, besting the Flaming Moe-rons for first. Discovery Channel placed third. Congrats to the 'Sacks and see you at the Mansion!

In honor of her birthday, Helen's (that's her in the center) teammates called themselves "Helen's Big Ones." In fact, Helen suggested that the wild card question be her bra size. That's Chuck Norris on the right with the neck problem.

The Tornadoes are a relatively new regular team at Bubes' (although MJ is a seasoned trivia vet), but have quickly become a force to be reckoned with. They once again came in fourth and chose the original Jaws movie as their theme for next week. Cheap Date, AKA Jim and Jay, chose the TV series Get Smart as their pick.

I guess I have to be Benson, after all, as the Bears pulled ahead of the Olives in the tournament and claimed second place: a cookout at the Mansion.

The Olives stumbled a bit on the last round, but still had a grand time. They (or at least some of them) love Kay and Ray's Extra Dark Chips. Coming in third for the April tournament, they will enjoy a pizza party at the Mansion.

Bubes Tournament Final Results

1. The Nutsacks 290 pts.
2. Dead Bear Baby in a Jar 253 pts.
3. The Toxic Olives 249 pts.
4. The Wise Men 243 pts.
5. Team Discovery Channel 242 pts.
6. The Tesla Death Rays 234 pts.

It was the 'Sacks all the way with an impressive 290 points, so the real drama was for second and third. The Olives crashed and burned on the third round of the last game, allowing the Bears to come from behind and claim second. Only two questions behind was the Wise Men, or, more acurately, the Wise Man, since Brent's teammates were AWOL. Brent managed to beat TDC by a mere point. And the Rays made a respectable comeback to place sixth. Thanks to all who made all four shows!

Trivia Olympics this Saturday!

We've decided to change things up this year for Curtis Earth's annual Pennsylvania visit. The buffet is gone and the prizes have increased dramatically! Announcing (drumroll, please.....):

The First Ever Pennsylvania Trivia Olympics!
Grand Prize: $100 Cash!
Second Place: $50 Cash!
(Bubes gift certificates for other places)

This Saturday, April 29th 8 P.M. - 10:30 P.M. (doors open 7:30 P.M.)
The Alois Ballroom, upstairs at Bube's Brewery
Admission: $5.00, collected at the door

Snacks (chips/pretzels etc) will be at the tables and a bartender or two will be on duty. We're doing away with the buffet this year so that we can concentrate on good old-fashioned trivia.

Of course, I heartily recommend that you make a night of it, come early and dine downstairs in one of Bube's restaurants (The Bottling Works, The Catacombs or Alois's).

Billy Warmth is promising to bring some of his trivia teams from the Barn Door, Celi's and the Villa Nova and he claims that they will kick the butts of any teams from Bubes or the VFW.

Prove him wrong, folks, prove him wrong!

Thanks and hope to see you Saturday!
-Mike

(PS - If you know that you are definitely coming, please send me an e-mail so we can get an idea how many tables to set up. Thanks again!)

VFW Tourney Leaders, Week 3

The hard-charging Chicks and Dicks have now tied the Posse for first. With the B52s having an off night, three teams now move up in the standings:

1. The Posse 204 pts.
1. Chicks and Dicks 204 pts.
3. Room 2 196 pts.
4. We're Here for the Beer 190 pts.
5. D&M 189 pts.
6. The B52s 185 pts.
7. Nix Lix 165 pts.

Bubes Tourney Leaders, Week 3

The Nutsacks widened their lead over the Olives and the Bears remain in third place, but Discovery Channel and the Wise Men are less than one fourth-round question away from them. And don't count out the Rays!

1. The Nutsacks 226 pts.
2. The Toxic Olives 204 pts.
3. Dead Bear Baby in a Jar 190 pts.
4. Team Discovery Channel 187 pts.
5. The Wise Men 186 pts.
6. The Tesla Death Rays 179 pts.

VFW: We Are the Champions!

The big news of this night of competition was the stellar performance of the dynamic duo of Dennis and Melanie, better known as D and M! As far as I can remember, it is the first time that they have taken the trivia crown, besting the Chicks and Dicks (second), Room 2 (third), Lucky Star (fourth) and We're Here for the Beer (also fourth). The picture round finally did not do them in. Congrats also to Steve and Darla, who are tying the knot this weekend. Steve chose "western movie actors of the 1950s" as his team's theme and Lucky Star chose a topic that we might know a little about: beer!

Bube's: It's the Pitts

After battling a nasty case of food poisoning, most of this week was a blur. If I recall correctly, tonight was our tribute to the twin cities of Pittsburgh and Florence, Italy. Brent's knowledge of Iron City beer could not help the Wise Men this week, though. And the Unit 2 Meltdown Crew recruited two trivia newbies, but failed to place. The night belonged to Fun with Dick and Nutsack, as they continued to dominate the April mini-tournament. Team Discovery Channel placed second and the Olives were third. The fourth-palce Tornadoes chose Shania Twain as their theme and the fifth place Death Rays chose food science. Favorite team name of the night: If Love Is Free, Why Do I Pay Alimony?

Glassmyers Debut Show

Stan and Yvonne, owners of Lititz's oldest restaurant, love trivia so much that they opened up Glassmyers after hours on Thursday night for the debut of a monthly Earth Trivia show. The teams enjoyed the traditional four rounds, along with slices of pie and mugs of coffee in a smoke-free environment. The Breakfast Club led the competition after a bad first round and Team Cindy, Terri and Don were the comeback kids as they roared up from last to second place in the final round. Stay tuned to this webspace for an announcement when the May show will be held.

John is ready for April showers with his prize from the Trashbag of Deelite, while Cindy says that the City Slickers are Number One. In reality, they were Number Four, and got to choose one of next month's themes: Seinfeld.

Don, joined by teammates Cindy and Terri, displays his transfat-free, MSG-loaded box of Hamburger Helper.

The Breakfast Club displays their first prize gift certificate while Yvonne wonders which one is Emilio Estevez.

Mark and Sheila, AKA Brainless, chose Get Smart as their theme for next month.

Damion goes digital!

We here at Earth Trivia are big fans of acoustic wizard Damion Wolfe. For those of you who haven't listened to his cds yet, you can now purchase individual tracks at Soundclick.com by going here.

Lititz VFW

It was a Dots-free night as players tested their knowledge of Las Vegas and Penn State football. We're Here for the Beer, with almost newlyweds Steve and Darla took fifth and chose the Boston red Sox as their early wedding present. The Chicks brought along Yvette, their secret weapon from California and captured fourth. They chose the King of Queens as their theme. The B52s continued their streak, once again cozy in their new third place position. Room Two, AKA Tess Tickles took second as the Posse with their own secret weapon Kirk, took first. Aw Shit had an off night, as Sludge and Roaddog took off before we could sing Happy Birthday.

April Tourney Leaders, Week 2:
1. The Posse, 140 pts.
2. Chicks and Dicks, 134 pts.
3. The B52s, 131 pts.
4. Room 2, 127 pts.
5. We're Here For the Beer 125 pts.
6. D & M, 115 pts.
7. Nix Lix, 114 pts.
8. The Hackers, 112 pts.

Bube's: J's Final Pour

Tonight sadly marked J's last evening as our bartender, as he decided to try new experiences after nine years behind the bar. He has always been the number one supporter of the Bubes trivia show, helping Curtis, Michelle, Chris and especially technologically-challenged me through the years. Happily, J will remain in the area and promises to continue playing trivia, so beware! You can also catch him hosting Barcrawler Karaoke at Bubes every Sunday night with Big Bald Sean - soon to be expanding to other nights. And watch this website as we may see J become the next member of the Earth Trivia host family! J, thanks again for all your support.

Nate, AKA the Olive Kid, celebrated his team's choice of "hats" as one of this week's themes by dusting off his cowboy hat, which he hadn't worn since his "Urban Cowboy" youth. his team came in second, bested by a mere point by a team of teachers known as "When's June?" The Nutsacks came in third, followed by the Fool Monkey and the Bears. Next week's themes are two cities: Pittsburgh and Florence, Italy.

April Tourney Leaders, Week 2:
1. The Nutsacks, 144 pts.
2. The Toxic Olives, 133 pts.
3. Dead Bear Baby in a Jar, 131 pts.
4. The Wise Men, 128 pts.
5. The Fool Monkey, 115 pts.
6. Team Discovery Channel, 112 pts.
6. Tesla Death Rays, 112 pts.

Peter Cottonsoftail wishes you and yours a very merry Easter! (This message has been brought to you by attitudealley.com.) This gentleman was one of a horde of Harley enthusiasts who took over the balcony and part of the front for most of tonight's show. He won a pair of pink bunny ears from the Trashbag of Deelite and proudly wore them the rest of the evening.

A New Trivia Show!

Here's some exciting news: I have a new trivia venue: Glassmyer's Restaurant in downtown Lititz. This is a special, once-a-month show at one of Lititz's legendary establishments. Glassmyers has been a Lititz institution for over 50 years and features an old-fashioned ice cream fountain. It's just a Wilbur's Bud toss from the square, directly across the street from the Lititz Springs park. Owners Yvonne and Stan are avid trivia players at the VFW and wanted to share the fun with their customers, opening up at night just for trivia. Our first show will be this Thursday, April 13th and it begins at 7 P.M. Due to limited seating capacity, reservations are required and teams can have a maximum of four players. Call Yvonne at 626-2345. Glassmyers is a smoke-free and alcohol-free environment.

Earth Day 2006: April 29th!

It's a sure sign of spring when the swallows return to Capistrano, all the families return to Rita's for a free cone and the one and only Curtis Earth returns to Bube's for a special show upstairs at Alois's at Bube's Brewery. Save the date: Saturday, April 29th, doors open at 7 P.M. Details to come!

VFW: New Fuzzies

The Foreplayers returned from their winter hiatus just in time for the start of the April mini-tournament. Tonight, Dennis and Melanie could have used their Steve McQueen fan friend, but he was nowhere to be found. Instead, it was a victory for the Chicks and Dicks, followed by the Posse, the B52s (who are getting comfortable in their new favorite spot, third place). We're Here for the Beer captured fourth and chose the city of Las Vegas as their theme, followed by the Hackers, who chose Penn State Football. Special thanks to Cindy for providing new fuzzy prizes and best wishes to Anne of the Posse.

Leaders, Week 1:
1. 71 pts Chicks and Dicks
2. 69 pts. The Posse
3. 65 pts. The B52s
4. 63 pts. We're Here for the Beer
5. 60 pts. The Hackers
6. 58 pts. D & M
6. 58 pts. Room 2
8. 53 pts. Nix Lix
9. 52 pts. El Dorado
10.51 pts. Team Lame

Bube's: And They're Off!

The April mini-tourney got off to a rousing start with a major comeback by the Barry Bonds Steroid-Infested Yet Shriveled and Impotent Little Nutsack team. They had their worst first round ever, only getting four points, but bounced back with a six-point victory. Dead Bear Baby in a Jar Too Electric Boogaloo are determined to have me play Benson to their Tates, so they took third. The Wise Men made it a balcony trifecta, taking second. The Olives took fourth and chose "hats" for their theme, and the Rays took fifth and chose "Belgian Beers." Everything else is just a blur (I really need to write these things earlier.)

Leaders, Week One:
1. 75 pts The Nutsacks
2. 69 pts The Wise Men
3. 64 pts Dead Bear Baby in a Jar
4. 60 pts Toxic Olives
5. 58 pts Tesla Death Rays
6. 56 pts Bookends
6. 56 pts Team Discovery Channel
8. 55 pts Bang
8. 55 pts We Love Boobs
10.54 pts Why Does It Burn When I Pee?
11.51 pts The Stonecutters
11.51 pts The Tornadoes
13.47 pts The Fool Monkey

April Mini-Tournaments Announced

To celebrate the month of April, I will be conducting month-long mini-tournaments at both Bube's Brewery and the Lititz VFW. Whatever team has the most cumulative points at each venue will be treated to a dinner for four (possibly more) prepared by renowned chef Michel Horncois at the esteemed Hornswylde Mansion in beautiful downtown Lancaster. Menu to be determined (but I hear he makes a mean tuna and macaroni and cheese casserole).