Click here for more photos of the event's CHAMPS on Facebook!

 T hey would not back down at Cardinal Rule, they would stand their ground! Yes, as we returned to the Original Home of Trivia Club we found a familiar sight! Last Place Team welcomed a new room of unfamiliar faces to test their mental metal against, and not just on any night but on the night that they would surpass the Electric Mayhem on number of events participated at for third all-time at Cardinal Rule, after thirty-five straight appearances, and as a team of family!

Last Place Team held court after the first round, Trivia Classic with a good lead on newcomers and immediately entertaining Spyci Boi in second. The Boi had a two and a half point lead on TK421 in third, while Better Late Than… rounded out the field!

With new teams brought a renewed unpredictability to Cardinal Rule! Game Show Games began Countdown Takedown and a TOP TEN for Last Place Team! Better Late grabbed eight points, TK421 grabbed six points, and Spyci Boi were mildly excited with four points. Survey Says shifted things with a TOP TEN for TK421, while Better Late grabbed another eight, Last Place Team nabbed six points, and the Boi found two good points. Things were about to heat up for the Spyci Boi however, as a face-off between them and Last Place Team, left Last Place Team with ten points and Spyci with TWENTI POINTS! Yes, rare max grab had brought Spyci Boi back into contention, though Last Place Team still held a six point lead.

This made Tri-Pardo as always an important round going forward, not just for the top teams but for the field! Spyci Boi made a deal for fifteen points on the first category, while Better Late Than… rolled a critical hit one-handed, yes twenty points for the second category, before TK421 rounded things out with another fifteen points for the third category. This meant that fifty big points were up for grabs in our trip of Pardo questions.

Last Place Team would then HIT FOR THE TRIP and grab those fifty points, while Better Late Than… would nab thirty-five points, finding themselves in second for the first time on the night. Spyci Boi wouldn't be too far behind, grabbing twenty points after there two fifteen point answers cancelled each other out. Speaking of which, TK421 would step forward would also answer twice but find those answers cancelled out!

This meant that heading into the Finale, Last Place Team had the lead, but not a mathematical lock on the lead. Spyci Boi had kept pace, though Better Late had passed them by just two points, better late than never in this case. With the Finale it was all hands on deck, with half a point left on the deck by TK421, and all the points wagered by Spyci Boi, while Better Late and Last Place Team each left a single point on the line!

With all the potential ways the Finale could shake out, it proved quite tricky for the field. Tricky enough that of the four teams, only one was able to answer it correctly. Zigging when you expected them to zag, and finishing the night with 123 points, FIRST-TIME GOLDEN VHS Champs, BETTER LATE THAN…!

10/04/17 POINTS TABLE

TEAM	CLASSIC	CT	SS	CB	PARDO	WAGER	FINALE
Spyci Boi	14	4	2	20	20	(60)	0
Last Place Team	20	10	6	10	50	(95)	1
Better Late Than…	7	8	8	4	35	(61)	123
TK421	11.5	6	10	0	0	(27)	0.5

Congrats to our first and Golden, Better Late Than… and thank you to everyone who came out to Cardinal Rule to go all-in for the gold! We'll see you next WEDNESDAY in celebration of our 500th edition of Trivia Club in our history. For a show that featured fifteen events in our first twelve months, it's baffling and beautiful that we're clipping by 500 at a weekly pace in 2017. Thank you, 2017 has been one surprising milestone after another.

Click here for more photos of the 100th event's CHAMPS on Facebook!

 I t was time to celebrate 100 events at Hitch this Monday. Just because the fourth annual Christopher Hitchens Cup had come to an end, did not mean that we weren't ready and looking to celebrate! 100 events had only been matched at Cardinal Rule and Lou Dawgs, and thanks to the bi-weekly nature of Hitch the location had reached this milestone in approximately the time that Cardinal Rule had taken to get to 200! We were wildly proud of the accomplishment, those triple digits, and could not have done it without you.

Thank you to the Ghost Creek Drinking Society, the Toliet Roll Barbies, Da Beers, The Man with the Candy, Sackvillains, SHARK, 2 in the Pink 1 in the Think, Wookiee of the Year, The 5 Neat Guys, Good Folks from Laramie Cigarettes, PETE!, Trusty Rumpets, M. Night Shaym-Aliens, Bob Loblaw Law Blog, Tiny Tim’s… and the friends of Tiny Tim's..., 5 Fast 5 Furious, and most recently the Fighting Mongooses. Really the list goes on and on. Both its own friendly ecosystem and a testing ground for all of Trivia Club, Hitch has grown and changed and Trivia Club has grown and changed as well, and made all the better for it. How instrumental is Hitch? Before Hitch we had audio clues, but the visual presentation is because of the east end.

Trivia Classic saw the Fighting Mongooses surprised not only by a tough first round but also by their spot at the top! Good Folks from Laramie Cigarettes were tied for second with their long time compatriots at Hitch, Wookiee of the Year! In fourth place, just two points off the lead were the now reigning Christopher Hitchens Cup winners the M. Night Shaym-Aliens, better known as the 88% X chromosomed and wonderfully feminist Femme Night Shaym-Aliens! Rounding out the field, six points of the lead, was Lt. Dance’s very own Estelle Getty Lee!

Game Show Games then gave a battle for pooooints in Countdown Takedown, as Estelle Getty Lee grabbed the first TOP TEN of our second round, while Wookiee of the Year juuuust missed the mark! Survey Says then saw the Fighting Mongooses net the TOP TEN, with the third guess, after the Femme Night Shaym-Aliens and Good Folks netted themselves six and eight points respectively! Finally Estelle Getty Lee finished off an ace second round, holding on as the last team standing in Combo Breakdown for FIFTEEN POINTS… outlasting the Good Folks from Laramie Cigarettes who themselves picked up five points. This saw Estelle Getty Lee jump into the lead by two points, with the Fighting Mongooses very close behind them!

Tri-Pardo on this night then became Quad-Pardo because in celebration of our ONE-HUNDREDTH event we were making our Pardo round a super-sized affair! The first category was rolled by the Fighting Mongooses for sixteen points, while the second category was rolled by Wookiee of the Year for thirteen points, and the third category was rolled for another thirteen points by the Good Folks from Laramie Cigarettes! Finally, our fourth category for the first time at Hitch was chosen by the Femme Night Shaym-Aliens, repeat Golden VHS winners at Hitch, who rolled 18 points for the fourth question! This meant that for the first time, and with four rolls, the third round was worth SIXTY POINTS!

With those points on the line, the Fighting Mongooses grabbed sixteen points from the first question! Both Wookiee of the Year and the Good Folks from Laramie Cigarettes got the first and third questions correct, but the fourth question incorrect, for a total of eleven points! Finally, grabbing points from the first and second, and first and third respectively... for TWENTY-NINE points, Estelle Getty Lee and the Femme Night Shaym-Aliens!

Finale ahead of them, this meant that Estelle Getty Lee had cemented their lead ahead of Good Folks from Laramie, Fighting Mongooses, and the Femme Night Shaym-Aliens! Fighting for the threepete, of course, the Shaym-Aliens had grabbed ahold of second place, but Estelle Getty Lee now had an eleven point lead before the last question. They also got to pick the Finale, and in making the deal they chose wisely!

In this 100th event special FINALE, all teams went ALL-IN... ALL... save for the Fighting Mongooses who at the very least knew they didn't have the lead, so they wagered nothing and hoped for the best!

On this night, the M. Night Shaym-Aliens would not cap off their spectacular Christopher Hitchens Cup run in September with the 100th victory to begin October. Like the Fighting Mongooses before them, they had been held from a threepete, but had finished as runners-up!

Winning their FIRST GOLDEN VHS at Hitch, and SIXTEENTH overall, winning the TRIPLE CROWN as a result... and as an added bonus, like Treasure Butt at Cardinal Rule and We H8 Brittany at Lou Dawgs before them, winning their first Golden VHS at the location on the 100th event... LT. DANCE, better known as ESTELLE GETTY LEE!

• 7 points – cold open
• 5 points – reoccurring (Jeff Sessions)
• 5 points - kiss
• 3 points – “LIVE FROM NEW YORK…!”
• 5 points – sketch (Alien Abduction)
• 5 points – reoccurring
• 10 points – causes break x2 (Ryan Gosling, Aidy Bryant)
• 7 points – pre-taped sketch (Levi ‘s Woke)
• 7 points – Weekend Update
• 5 points – reoccurring (Angela Merkel)
• 3 points – 10 to 1 sketch (Papyrus)

• 7 points – cold open
• 5 points – reoccurring (Sarah Huckabee)
• 5 points – sketch (Alien Abduction)
• 5 points – reoccurring (Agent Morris)
• minus 2 points - breaking
• 5 points – sketch (Henrietta & The Fugitive)
• minus 2 points – breaking
• 5 points – kiss

• 10 points – monologue
• 7 points – pre-taped sketch (Levi’s Woke)
• 5 points – sketch (Henrietta & The Fugitive)
• 3 points – 10 to 1 sketch (Mickey’s Endzone)
• 5 points – singing/dancing
• minus 2 points - breaking

• 5 points – sketch (Terrezano’s)
• 3 points – 10 to 1 sketch (Papyrus)
• 3 points – 10 to 1 sketch (Mickey’s Endzone)
• 5 points – dancing
• 5 points – causes break (Kenan Thompson)

• 5 points – sketch (Alien Abduction)
• 5 points – reoccurring
• 3 points – sketch V/O (Levi’s Woke)
• 3 points – 10 to 1 sketch (Papyrus)

• 7 points – cold open
• 5 points – reoccurring (Trump)
• 3 points – “LIVE FROM NEW YORK…!”

• 5 points – sketch (Henrietta & The Fugitive)
• 5 points – sketch (Terrezano’s)
• 3 points – 10 to 1 sketch (Mickey’s Endzone)

• 7 points – pre-taped sketch (Levi’s Woke)
• 3 points – 10 to 1 sketch (Mickey’s Endzone)
• minus 2 points - breaking

• 7 points – pre-taped sketch (Levi’s Woke)

• 7 points – cold open
• 3 points – “LIVE FROM NEW YORK…!”
• 5 points – sketch (The Fliplets)
• 7 points – Weekend
• 5 points – reoccurring (Guy Who Just Bought A Boat)
• 5 points – sketch (Henrietta & The Fugitive)
• 2 points – swearing (“son of a bitch”)

• 5 points – sketch (Alien Abduction)
• 7 points – pre-taped sketch (Levi’s Woke)
• 5 points – sketch (The Fliplets)
• 5 points – sketch (Terrezano’s)

• 7 points – pre-taped sketch (Levi’s Woke)
• 5 points – sketch (Terrezano’s)
• 3 points – 10 to 1 sketch (Papyrus)
• 3 points – 10 to 1 sketch (Mickey’s Endzone)

• 7 points – pre-taped sketch (Levi’s Wokes
• 5 points – sketch (Terrezano’s)
• 3 points – 10 to 1 sketch (Papyrus)

• 7 points – cold open
• 5 points – sketch (Terrezano’s)

• 5 points – singing/dancing/jazzing
• 5 points – sketch (Alien Abduction)
• 5 points – reoccurring
• 2 points – swear (bitchin’)
• minus 2 points - breaking
• 10 points – pre-taped sketch (Levi’s Woke)
• 5 points – sketch (The Fliplets)
• 10 points – Weekend Update
• 5 points – sketch (Henrietta & The Fugitive)
• minus 2 points – breaking
• 5 points – kiss
• 5 points – sketch (Terrezano’s)
• 10 points – pre-taped sketch (Papyrus)
• 5 points – sketch (Mickey’s Endzone)
• 5 points - dancing
• minus 2 points - breaking

• 10 points – monologue
• 5 points - dancing

HARTMAN TROPHY STANDINGS (as of 43x01)

#	TEAM NAME	∧∨--	HIGH[EP]	HOST	SONG	TOTAL
1	Billion Dollar Murrays	--	94 [01]	0	10	94
2	The Ignorant Sluts	--	92 [01]	0	15	92
3	The Team You Wish You Hadn’t Started A Conversation With At A Party	--	89 [01]	15	0	89
4	Not Ready For First Place Players	--	77 [01]	0	0	77
5	The Party Andersons	--	71 [01]	0	2	71
6	War Horse Can Dance	--	60 [01]	0	10	60
7	Holtzwomenn	--	59 [01]	0	10	59

 S aturday Night Live Fantasy League presented by Trivia Club, is a Fantasy League like no other. Like Fantasy Football for the comedy geek, participants draft cast members and prospective hosts before the start of the season and then are awarded points based of their performance through a scoring system. For additional points, before the start of each episode participants can guess which two songs they think the musical guest will perform. Since the beginning, this television institution has become the first step in the major leagues of comedy stardom, and with over forty seasons of familiar traditions, we’ve found a way to add math to comedy and somehow make that a fun game to play. You’re welcome.

This year, after growth in each and everyone of our first four seasons of the Fantasy League, things took a step back and refocused on the seven teams still participating in the Hartman, including five teams participating in their fifth season. The Five Timers Club includes three-time Hartman Trophy winner Matthew S. and The Ignorant Sluts, myself Russel H. and the Billion Dollar Murrays, Brian E. and The Team You Wish You Hadn't Started A Conversation With At A Party, Kevin M. and The Not Ready For First Place Players, and Rob M. and The Party Andersons!

In constricting the Trivia Club posted results to a single Group, we also double-downed on our support and incentive to any and all who want to "play along at home", with the knowledge that at least some version of the Guest Group, the Poehler Group, and the Rocket Group from Season 42 are still participating in some way, shape, or form! You'll hear how they do at least once or twice, by our season finale!

With all that said, here are the Cast Draft results, and prospective Host Draft results, for the Season 43 Phil Hartman Group!

It should be noted that several rules were implemented this year for our Cast Draft, specifically the Kate McKinnon Rule, and the Alec Baldwin Rule.

TEAM	GM	EP	W	L	T	%	PF	PA	+/-
The Party Andersons	ROB	13	10	3	0	.769	1456	1224	232
War Horse Can Dance	MEGAN	13	10	3	0	.769	1319	1105	214
The Not Ready For  First Place Players	KEVIN	13	7	6	0	.538	1190	1121	69
The Team You Wish You Hadn’t  Started A Conversation With At A Party	BRIAN	13	5	8	0	.385	1273	1359	-86
The Ignorant Sluts	MATTHEW	13	5	8	0	.385	1062	1218	-156
Billion Dollar Murrays	RUSSEL	13	3	10	0	.231	1039	1119	-80
Holtzwomenn	SARAH	13	3	10	0	.231	822	1236	-414