37th annual world's largest trivia contest begins Friday in Stevens Point

BYLINE: By ROBERT IMRIE, Associated Press Writer

DATELINE: WAUSAU Wis., April 3, 2006

Ken Zwickey and the Amherst Whale Watch his "semi-serious" team for the self-proclaimed world's largest trivia contest have been busily preparing for the 37th annual competition that begins Friday in Stevens Point.

There was the trip to Madison to check out nearly 300 reference and resource books from a public library. 

And his brother taped six hours of television so he could fast forward through the shows and just study the commercials and make notes about them.

"He asks a lot of advertising-type questions," said Zwickey, referring to Jim Oliva, the 60-year-old trivia contest mastermind affectionately nicknamed "The Oz" from the "The Wizard of Oz" because he's the all-knowing, the all-powerful and the final say on any grievance over a question and answer.

Amherst Whale Watch 20 hardcore members and 30 others of less dedication is playing in its 21st consecutive 54-hour marathon of the mind, Zwickey said.

"Why do you keep playing? How can you not? It gets in your blood," said the 54-year-old self-employed businessman from Amherst. "It becomes almost an obsession. When you are watching movies and you are watching TV or you see something unusual, you just have a tendency to take notes and write it down and save it."

The theme for this year's contest "Trivia 37: The Odd Contest" was chosen in part because the contest indeed is odd, Oliva said.

"And what better way to salute some great stars of the past and today," he said. "Certainly, 'The Odd Couple' was one of the funniest plays, movies and sitcoms ever written. And, for those of you out there who have ever lived with a roommate, you know just how odd it can be."

Nearly 500 teams with about 12,000 players, some traveling from across the nation to Stevens Point, a central Wisconsin city of 24,400 people about 35 miles south of Wausau, are expected to compete.

The contest involves eight questions read every hour on WWSP, the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point radio station. Contestants search books, the Internet, movies and other sources for answers to obscure questions.

There are also music questions that include sound bites from songs, and a "Trivia Stone" treasure hunt that sends players through the city looking for various clues visible in road signs, yards and landmarks to retrieve stamps worth points.

Here are two questions that didn't make the cut this year:

What is the last month, date and year that Adrian Monk claims that he spilled something? Answer: Jan. 12, 1999.

What is the name of the fictional Icelandic competition which is best described as racing on snow wearing a case or box of paper on each foot? Answer: Flunkerton.

"You are going to be answering some of the toughest questions you have ever faced in your life," Oliva said.

Oliva promises a surprise, too.

"They are going to get a little treat along with their registration booklet, a little something for them to chew on," he said. "It will be part of the contest."

And will a tradition the first answer being Robert Redford continue?

"I hate giving away answers," Oliva said, growling. "For some reason, the way I understand it, the first answer always seems to be Robert Redford. I don't know how that happens. Some little gremlin comes in and changes the first question every year, I guess."

Zwickey's team, composed of brothers, cousins, in-laws and friends from college, finished 74th last year with 4,270 points. The winning team, Work The Net, tallied 10,630 points.

"If you want to be a top 10 or 20 team, you have to prepare pretty much year-round and be heavily preparing right now," Zwickey said. "We don't. We are kind of a semi-serious team."

His home becomes trivia headquarters for the weekend.

"There's tents all over my yard," he said. "Our house becomes a trivia house. We have to move furniture around and rearrange things and bring bookcases from out of the basement and arrange books."

Playing is fun and there are lots of memories, he said.

He remembers one question asking what MAVO stood for. No one on the team knew. But they offered an answer after a brainstorming session Monsters and Vampires Organizations.

"We got it right just by guessing," he recalled. "It was a huge point question and everybody just goes ballistics. You couldn't believe it. It was just a stab in the dark but everybody contributed to that."