Between bars and network television, trivia has become America’s new pastime. People seem to like proving their knowledge in a competitive, fast-paced environment.
But is it the challenge of answering questions at a quick pace that gets people excited about trivia, or the growing popularity of local bar trivia with friends?
NBC’s new multi-platform trivia show “The Million Second Quiz” is all about the competition. As the show airs, viewers can play along on their smartphones with an accompanying application.
Local trivia host Michael Hatfield has seen the trivia craze grow tremendously in Baton Rouge since he began emceeing the competitions six years ago. Bar trivia took off, he said, after other businesses saw the success of The Chimes’ Trivia Night.
But Hatfield said he doesn’t see a parallel between trivia players of TMSQ app and players at trivia nights. Although he gets some die-hard trivia fans, he said most of his customers are casual players who are fans of the bar, more so than trivia.
Today, he runs “Let’s Get Quizzical” Trivia Nights, hosted by MonkeyBR.com, at The Chimes on Highland Road, The Cove at Citiplace Court, Port Royal on College Drive and The Bulldog on Perkins Road.
From University students to professionals, it’s the atmosphere of the night that draws a diverse crowd to trivia, he said. Over the years, Hatfield said he has seen many new friendships develop and even one marriage proposal.
“Trivia is a good conversation starter and breeds discussions, leading to more interactions with friends,” Hatfield said. “You can’t really get that [interaction] sitting around a bar playing phone apps.”
Interdisciplinary Studies senior and regular player of TMSQ Olivia Bullard said as a fan of trivia, she decided to download the app after seeing a commercial for the television show. Her favorite element of the app, she said, is its direct connection to the show.
The show is played 24 hours a day for close to 12 days, though only an hour of live trivia is shown on TV. But most viewers have found the show’s rules too complex, possibly explaining its declining viewership.
With viewers’ knowledge and attention spans pushed to the limit, it seems the key fans of the series are the players of the show’s trivia app. The app crashed during the show’s debut episode, and Host Ryan Seacrest later explained that it was due to overuse.
Currently ranked No. 18 in free apps on Apple’s App Store, TMSQ app has gained fans in trivia enthusiasts. But some, like Bullard, believe playing trivia alone on a phone against a random opponent is not the same experience as trivia nights in local bars.
Bullard said although she enjoys playing trivia on the app and following along with the show, she prefers the “fun atmosphere” that comes with bar trivia.
“The environment of bar trivia beats playing on the app,” Bullard said. “Even if my friends and I lose in a bar, we are still having a good time and enjoying each other’s company.”
So when the countdown clock strikes zero during The Million Second Quiz’s finale Thursday, the winner will reportedly leave with the largest cash prize in game show history. Winners of local bar trivia, on the other hand, leave with gift cards or free drinks, at best. For trivia fans like Bullard and Hatfield, it’s not about the prize, it’s about the experience.

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