I know that I’m not the only one who’s been itching for interaction since COVID started (and honestly, as an extrovert, I generally itch for interaction anyway). Back in July of 2021, I joined an axe league to get a bit of social interaction, and that has been great!

But then, one day a few months ago, I happened to see that our local brewery was having an Office trivia night and the itch started up again. I just had to go! I texted my best friend and had her and her boyfriend came meet me and kick some trivia butt. We had all seen the Office numerous times and were fully intent on winning. Of course, we didn’t even come close, but as per usual, my memory came in handy (there were several questions, however, where my bestie’s boyfriend led us astray…I have forgiven, but I will not forget).

Since then, my friends and I have tried to go to as many local trivia nights as we can under the team name The Glumps (yes, this is a ridiculous inside joke). We’re still waiting on Catherine to buy us t-shirts. We actually won Will Ferrell trivia back in August! 

Tonight, I’m going with some friends and Dan to try and pull out another win. To celebrate our triumphant return, I wanted to write a blog post about all of the types of questions you may be asked at a trivia night.

The Misfire

Ever had one of those questions where you’re just so sure of the answer but it turns out that you were completely and utterly wrong? Where you just know with all of your little heart that you have the right answer, only to be crushed when you learn that you didn’t and completely screwed over your team? Yeah, sometimes that happens! Don’t let it get you too down and lose focus. You’ll get a question that you actually know eventually!

The “I Know That One!”

There’s truly no feeling like being able to answer a question in trivia that no one else on your team was able to answer. Everyone has different strengths on the trivia team, and when yours finally comes up, it’s magical. It’s a thrill unlike any other. Just make sure that it doesn’t go to your head and you start thinking you know things better than your other resident experts. Just because you know all the sports-related questions doesn’t mean that you know movies better than the person on your team with a movie podcast. Stay in your lane!

The “Why Do I Know That One?”

They say that you remember everything you’ve ever seen and heard, it’s just unlocking those memories that’s the challenge. These questions truly prove this point as soon as they’re asked and you realize that you know the answer for some reason. When did you learn that information? High school? College? While you were still in diapers? And who told it to you? Who knows! Don’t question it and reap the rewards!

The “Who Would Possibly Know That One?”

Questions in this category are pretty much only answered correctly by the subject matter experts, everyone else is just guessing blindly. Who would possibly know Britney Spears’ first husband’s mother’s maiden name? No clue, but you’re going to just write down “Smith” and pray.

The Question Where You Give a Joke Answer

I don’t know about you, but at our trivia nights, the team that gives the silliest, most absurd answer to a question will sometimes get a prize. Even if this isn’t the case for you, there are plenty of questions thrown out there where your team doesn’t even have a feasible guess, so you might as well share the funniest answer you can come up with. Now’s your chance to get silly and creative. Don’t waste it!

The Softball Question

Sometimes, the emcee just has to throw a softball out there so that even the worst teams can get a point or two. Even if your team hadn’t been able to get any right thus far, at least you know that a triangle has 3 sides and red and blue makes purple. Just don’t second guess yourself if the question simply seems too easy. Wait, blue and purple make mauve, right?

The 50/50

Okay, so the split doesn’t necessarily have to be 50/50 exactly, but you know those questions. Your entire team has a few guesses (and they are damn good guesses, too), but which guess is the right one? They all could be right for different reasons, so you’re just going to have to flip a coin or roll some dice or play rock-paper-scissors to decide.

The Phone-a-friend

Okay, so any trivia that’s worth a damn won’t let you use your phone, especially nowadays where you could Google literally anything. So technically, you wouldn’t be able to actually “phone a friend,” but that doesn’t mean you can’t regret not bringing a certain friend along. You know, that friend who works in a lab and knows all of the elements on the periodic table? Leaving any subject matter expert out of the trivia team means that you might be sacrificing a few points. These questions especially will have you kicking yourself for not bringing along your science whiz (or at least paying attention in 10th grade Chemistry).


Wish us luck tonight at trivia! Cross your fingers that we take home another trophy (or, in this case, another $15 gift card). Are there any types of questions I missed? Let me know in the comments!

Photo by Growth + Co. on Unsplash