The crisp, arctic air that covered the greater Apple Valley area on Wednesday night definitely kept some trivia regulars at bay; I would assume most were comfortably laying on their couch in a leopard-print snuggie, feverishly thumbing through endless pages of their most recent almanac, and studying hundreds of profiles on imdb.com. Yeah, it was a wee bit slow this past week, and yours truly was still recovering from a pesky “vertigo” sickness I was lucky enough to contract, but those who showed up took full advantage of the smaller competing field. My guys from the School of Norm were a prime example of this, as they all overachieved and placed first with 21 points - earning each member a shinny gold star by their name. “21 points was enough for first place? Seems kinda low…” you smugly remark. That is so like you. You see, this week the questions were exceptionally random, and the image round absolutely punished a few teams. Including a depleted and dejected “The Symbol.” So back off. Team Ramrod, though missing a few members (15), was right behind the first place team, finishing off with a second place total of 20 points. Although they had to accept second, they did win the coveted “most awkward conversation between host and competing team” award, which gives them monster bragging rights. Well done. It should be mentioned that 5 teams were within two points of second, and, of course, plenty of other teams fell short by an embarrassingly enormous amount. I’m sure those teams will be back next week to redeem themselves and set the record straight…I’ll be there to watch them. Will you?  

First: The School of Norm - 21

Second: Ramrod - 20

Most Annoying Illness of the Week: Vertigo - 8 Spilled Drinks