QUIZ RECAP

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...

That's the every present motto of a little King Trivia game growing in Culver City at Rocco's tavern.

In the middle of the summer, heatwave time in Los Angeles, 13 teams came on out, and not 6 that grew to 9, but fell back to 7, but in the end 13 teams answered 1 round of questions. But 13 here for the entire go -- came to play. QB jersey numbers, the Unauthorized Biography of Charles Barkley, and knowing that French Guiana is in South America and not attached to France, that's what separate the money winners from those that just had themselves a winning good time.

Mr. T says Curlin is Cool...Fool was tired of all finishes other than 1st, and put a stop to it, with a resounding 6th round successful double up, sneaking past early game front-runners Philosophical Distinction, and holding off late-game upstarts Salty Crew.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to a no empty table, bursting at the seams game of King Trivia at Rocco's on Monday. Come join the fun...

QUIZ RECAP

Started from the bottom, now we're here... A cold LA day in January, with 5 teams, one of them being the Rocco's staff has transformed into a hot July evening with 14 teams, a full bar, and bustling game of trivia.

Way too many questions, you must think I trust ya - You searchin' for answers, I do not know nothing. The game featured 7 teams spending 5 rounds within 10 points of one other. So many questions, successful doubles, unsuccessful doubles, missed opportunities to double...

Came up, that's all me, stay true, that's all me, no help, that's all me, all me for real. Regulars versus Rookies had another chapter, but for the majority of this one - veterans ruled. It was head to head, wire to wire: Paddington Kills versus Mr. T Says...Curling is Cool, Fool! (who, by the way, lived the gimmick, as the two of them went curling this past weekend - I saw the pictures to prove it). Paddington opened a big lead on T, but a successful double pushed it back to a 3 points game..

Higher powers taking a hold on me. What Happened Last Night, new entrants to the Rocco's fun -- finally let their gambling team leader take hold on things (he was even identifying bands on the between rounds/questions music playlist), and with only 3 questions missed over the final 4 rounds - propelled themselves into a 3rd place finish.

I go 0 to 100, real quick, real quick. Philosophical Distinction steady, but slow building all game long, unsuccessfully attempted a 2x or nothing on the connection round, but came right back and successfully put down a matching round double that VAULTED them into a 2nd place finish.

They got enemies, got a lot of enemies, got a lot of people tryna drain them of this energy. Even on a record night for team entry, Paddington Kills rose above, always holding at least a share of first place, and coming through with a thrilling 3 point victory to take the night.

Oh, and starting each paragraph with a Drake lyric? That's because, like the lives of a millennial, our game came down to a Drake album. Round 5, Philosophical Distinction, in the midst of a perfection double or nothing run, misidentified the Drake album at question, and that one answer was the difference between successful and unsuccessful, and ultimately the game - it was that close.

You know when that hotline bling, that can only mean ONE thing...

Until next week....

QUIZ RECAP

For those dedicated fans of the MTV cult classic reality series, The Challenge (formerly Real World/Road Rules Challenge) and its various incarnations, famously including Rookies vs. Veterans -- you will appreciate the live version taking place at Rocco's in Culver City each Monday night.

Our version is Staff vs. Regulars vs. First-Timers. Each Monday, our stable of regulars show up for a weekly battle royale -- Mr. T Says Curlin is Cool, Itty Bitty Ditty, Paddington Kills, Area 51, et al, but a new pattern is emerging -- as each week, we draw in more and more first timers who are giving our regulars a fight to the round 7 finish. And now the staff is back and playing.

Like MTV regular Johnny Bananas, whenever podium prizes are handed out, Mr. T Says is always somewhere to be found, riding a second round successful double or nothing straight to a 3rd place finish, keeping the word "veterans" in Rocco's vernacular for one more week.

But, this week it was a Rookie tug-of-war -- the topically named Justice Kava-hell-nah led for most of the game, until the game of baseball reared its head, and the Masseusers hit a proverbial trivia grand slam on the handout round, garnered 20 points, and powered to the championship.

Here's the twist -- when either of these teams return, they will become the Regulars, the student will become the teacher, and a new crop of first-times will be on hand to dethrone the locals...

See you on the next episode of The Challenge: King Trivia Style.