Let’s get ready to Schmoedown!
Wrestling fans and movie fans alike who have never heard of Movie Trivia Schmoedown seem to be living under a rock, because it is something that cannot be missed. This trivia show, presented similarly to WWE, features industry professionals go head-to-head in the ultimate test of movie knowledge. They would be presented with movie-related questions they have to answer, and the question presentation changes with each of the 5 rounds of the match, as does the point value. Such entertainment personalities as Dan Murrell, Kate Ellison, and Chris Stuckmann have made appearances on Schmoedown, and its audience has grown exponentially ever since it started back in 2014.
On Saturday, October 9th, the “shmoes” appeared on stage at the Roulette Intermedium in Brooklyn NY, their stage for the first time since February of 2020, as stated by hosts Kristian Harloff and Mark Ellis. During the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the “schmoes” were forced to adopt a virtual format, holding all of their matches on their YouTube channel. Now that live events are starting to come back, it was about time for the “Schmoes” to do so too! Two events took place, with the first up event being the “Ultimate Schmoedown: Round 2” match between Griffy Newms and Josh Horowitz. Following that was the main event, the “Singles Match” between Chance Ellison and reigning champion, Marisol McKee.
One can tell from listening to the audience members that Schmoedown Live events were sorely missed. There was cheering, chanting, and an irresistible aura of celebration as the contestants took to the stage. What is fun about Schmoedown is how well it captures the bravado and over the top glory of the WWE, and watching the opponents (as well as their trainers) duke it out, is just plain delightful. Anyone watching these matches at home will have a blast, but it feels even better seeing this stuff happen in person. This crowd also got to chant their love for Meryl Streep, who just happened to be on their wheel of categories! (Now imagine how crazy the crowd went when it actually landed on Meryl Streep…twice!)
Presentation aside, the quality of a trivia show can only be determined by the quality of the questions, and the ones in this show are top-notch. The topics included Pixar, animated films, and even a slate of questions dedicated to parody films. The hosts make it clear to the audience not to shout out any answers to help participants, no matter how tempting. In addition, if the point gap is big enough, an opponent can be beaten by a “knock-out.” Horowitz found out the hard way as Newms, sporting a vibrant Pixar-oriented jacket, crushed him in round 2 with a slew of Pixar questions, winning at 17-6. Thankfully, audience members got to see Ellison and Mckee go the distance for all 5 rounds, with Mckee winning at 21-20, thus retaining her title.
Be sure to check out Movie Trivia Schmoedown on their website, www.theschmoedownlive.com, where you can also look up their schedule of live events, as well as their social media links!
