My team finished second in the most recent Williams Trivia contest. Normally, the team that wins the contest writes and runs the next contest. However, the May contest was won by a one-man team, who just informed us he won’t be running the January 2013 contest.
So we are stepping in. Trouble is, we have less than 3 months to prepare 100+ on-air questions, 8 hourly bonuses, and 2 super bonuses.
If anyone has any questions / ideas for the contest, please post 'em! To get an idea of what we are looking for - there are tons of old contests at the above link, but the following question is considered the gold standard for style and cleverness:
Q: What product advertises that it “whitens teeth and freshens breath”?
A: Milk-Bone dog biscuits!
Anyone who supplies a question/bonus will be given credit for it. Thanks!
These are really good! I’m thinking about making “Famous Lasts” and perhaps “Ex Jocks” into hour bonuses, so we will need 40-50 questions to do it.
I also like the other Thomas question. I might take the others if needed.
The best on-air questions have some sort of hook, where ideally there’s a half-remembered fact that takes effort to think up, or something that makes you go “Wow!” when you hear the answer. Currently the way the game is played, you can use the Internet for solving on-air questions as well as the bonuses, but if you do so for the bonuses (“Boni” in Williams Trivia parlance) you only get half-credit. Of course, it’s self-reported so you CAN cheat, but since normally the “prize” for winning is the honor of writing and running the next contest, people tend to be honest.
Mauna Kea. While Mt. Everest is the highest mountain, with a peak elevation of 29,035 feet, Mauna Kea beats it by having 13,796 feet above water and an additional 19,680 feet below water, for a total base-to-peak height of 33,476 feet. If they stood next to each other, Mauna Kea would beat Everest by about 3/4 of a mile.
What modern word comes from the lower liberal arts disciplines of grammar, rhetoric, and logic, referred to in Latin as the “three roads”?
Trivia. From the Latin tri, three, and via, road. Funky, huh?
I’m not sure how multi-media you are, but how about the musical category “Hey- Isn’t That the Same Guy …?”
The idea is, play either a soundbite or a piece of a performance video from two different groups that each have a common member.
Sonny Geraci sang lead on two big hits by two different “One Hit Wonder” groups. Play snippets or a video clip oif the following two songs and ask the contestant to name the groups.
“Time Won’t Let Me” by the Outsiders and “Precious and Few” by Climax
Ed King played lead guitar for two very popular and VERY different groups. Play soundbites or video clips of the following songs and ask the crowd to name both bands.
[spoiler] “Incense and Peppermints” by the Strawberry Alarm Clock and “Freebird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd
Paul Carrack sang lead on big hits by three different groups. Play soundbites/clips from the following three songs and ask the crowd to name the three groups
“How Long” by Ace, “Tempted” by Squeeze, “The Living Years” by Mike + the Mechanics
You get the idea, and can probably come up with numerous other examples.
What King was President of the United States? Gerald R. Ford was born Leslie Lynch King, Jr. His mother remarried 2 1/2 years after his birth and he was called after his stapfather. He was never formally adopted, however, and he did not legally change his name until December 3, 1935.
After 3 years in the military and 6 years in the minors he made his major league debut and hit a home run in his first at bat. He appeared in 1069 more games over a 20 year period and never hit another homer. Who is he?
Hoyt Wilhelm
He won an Academy Award in his first appearance on the big screen and did not appear in another movie for 34 years. Who is he?
Harold Russell won Best Supporting Oscar for best years of Our Lives in 1946
After winning an Honorary Oscar in 1972 for making motion pictures the art form of the century he won an actual Oscar (shared) for Best Motion Picture Score in 1973 for a movie that was more than 20 years old. Who is he?
Charlie Chaplin won the Oscar with 2 others for Limelight (1952) which was not released in Los Angeles until 1972 making him eligible for the award in 1973.
I really, really appreciate everyone’s efforts. That said, it’s infinitely better to have a question where the answer gets a reaction of “Damn, I knew that!” or “That’s interesting!” rather than “Who cares?”
So while “Who is the only person to win an Oscar for playing somebody who won an Oscar?” or “Who is the only American to be governor of two different states?” works for this format, “Who was the last Chancellor of Germany before Hitler?” just doesn’t. Interesting facts about people we know, or answers that are surprising, will always trump questions with answers 99.9% of people will have to Google. I’ve been playing this format for 21 years, so I know it takes some getting used to.
Thanks again. Despite the above, I am very appreciative of every post!
What TV sitcom, past or present, has aired the longest?
The Simpsons, 21 seasons and still counting.
Based on Nielsen ratings, what is the highest rated show of all time?
Final episode of MASH.
If King George the III, against whom the U.S. fought for Independence, ever needed to remember the number of yards in a mile, he just had to remember the year he attained the throne. What year?
