Los Angeles might be the very best place on the planet to have a brainpan full of trivial data. I do know this first-hand, having turned a Cliff Claven-esque penchant for ineffective data (Do you know that Jimmy Carter was the primary U.S. president born in a hospital?) right into a run of tv game-show analysis (“Win Ben Stein’s Cash”) and writing (“Twenty One,” “It’s Your Probability of a Lifetime” and “Weakest Hyperlink”) gigs within the early aughts.
In our off-hours, my fellow Q&A colleagues and I hit the native pub-quiz circuit to see if we may leverage frontal lobes crammed with folderol into free drinks, bar swag and bragging rights. We did OK for ourselves, one time coming inside one proper reply of a free steak dinner for the crew. (We misplaced on a query — now misplaced to the ether — about Apollo astronauts.) That’s after I first got here to understand the embarrassment of riches that’s the SoCal trivia bar scene; the right storm of consuming institutions making an attempt to beef up enterprise throughout less-busy occasions (largely, however not all the time, Tuesdays and Wednesdays) and a close to limitless reservoir of quiz-show writers, researchers and contestants (previous, current and potential), all bent on sharpening their wits and plying their pop-culture prowess on either side of the pub-quiz equation.
That’s nonetheless true right this moment, as I found whereas revisiting a few of our favourite haunts and exploring some new ones. The Sunday night time contests at Ye Rustic Inn in Los Feliz, for instance, are hosted by former “Jeopardy!” champion Brendan Sargent (Season 37). Additionally, a current night time at O’Brien’s Irish Pub in Santa Monica discovered a mind belief of that present’s buzzer beaters clustered in a nook, together with Pam Mueller (the School Championship winner in 2000, she’s additionally appeared on “Who Needs to Be a Millionaire” and “500 Questions”), Jerome Vered (whose 1992 and 2005 runs sandwiched a win — adopted by researching and writing gigs — on “Win Ben Stein’s Cash”) and Brad Rutter, who holds the excellence of being the second-highest-earning U.S. recreation present contestant of all time.
The venues and individuals are as random — and as enjoyable — because the questions themselves. On any given weeknight, you could find your self competing in a large barrel (Idle Hour) in North Hollywood, a mock-up of a Tatooine bar (Scum and Villainy Cantina) in Hollywood or a jackalope-themed German restaurant (Rasselbock) in Mar Vista. Likewise, your competitors may develop into some completely unknown rock stars of the pub-quiz world, say, the Quizzlypuffs (the third-highest-scoring pub-quiz crew within the nation based mostly on recreation runner King Trivia’s league play) or a man who appears vaguely acquainted from TV (the actor who performs Jamie within the Progressive advertisements).
With that in thoughts, right here’s a take a look at among the greatest pub-quiz locations I’ve performed at over the past three months. Each one has a bit one thing additional happening — game-wise, food-wise or decor-wise — that may depart you feeling such as you’ve gained. That’s even should you’re ending your night time in 14th place as a result of that one man in your crew thought the Grand Canyon was in Nevada. (You understand who you’re.)
