Photo by Lucie Monk
Mike Hatfield, host of MonkeyBR trivia in Baton Rouge, serves patrons of The Bulldog with weekly doses of head-scratching questions.
The Baton Rouge trivia host with the most
In an age where most people depend on smartphones to instantly answer random questions that pop into their heads, participating in a round of trivia at a local bar—armed with nothing but the knowledge contained inside the brain—can be a humbling, yet invigorating, experience. For more than five years, Mike Hatfield has helped make pub trivia possible in Baton Rouge.
Hatfield remembers the first time he played bar trivia at Hooters on College Drive more than five years ago. “I had a friend on our team who incorrectly answered a question about the pope. We still make fun of him for it,” he said. Hatfield later began to deejay Fox and Hound Bar & Grill’s monthly service industry night party with a bingo theme. He diversified the party by adding trivia, and the response was overwhelmingly positive. When patrons said, “Forget the bingo, we want trivia!” Hatfield’s second career was born.
Hatfield, a New Orleans native who came to Baton Rouge to attend college at LSU and never left, managed area Blockbuster Video stores for more than twenty years. But he found himself in the middle of a corporate downsizing about five years ago. Hatfield used his six months’ severance pay to invest in some new audio equipment and decided that if he hustled, he could turn his trivia business into a fulltime job. Today his company, MonkeyBR, hosts Let’s Get Quizzical Trivia Nights at seven local bars.
A few weeks ago Hatfield celebrated his five-year anniversary manning the microphone every Wednesday night at Port Royal—also known as The Pirate Bar. “[Their patrons] might be one of my favorite groups of people,” he said. “They are just a fun, eclectic bunch.” By far, Monday nights at The Chimes by campus draw the largest crowds with more than thirty teams of between two and seven players.
Over the course of his trivia career, Hatfield estimates that he has asked almost twenty thousand questions, twelve thousand of which he has written himself. “I start by using trivia books as inspiration. More of a jumping off point—an inspiration to research more questions,” he said. Questions from other games generally translate well to the pub quiz arena. “Trivial Pursuit questions don’t work. They are too vague,” he said. “And everyone watches Jeopardy and knows the answers.”
Despite all of the fact checking, the occasional contentious question still surfaces. “I once asked an anatomy question that left both a veterinarian and doctor mad at me. I got badgered on Facebook about it for over a week,” he said. Hatfield admitted that it is hard to pinpoint a favorite question after all of these years, but a good standby is “What is the name of a plastic tip on a shoelace? Answer: an aglet.”
Hatfield works hard to balance questions between the different age groups and genders that play. “But I really like the general knowledge questions that make people think. I wrote one recently that asked how do people from Kentucky pronounce the name of their state capitol? Louis-ville, Lou-ville or Lou-i-ville,” he laughed. “The answer is Frankfort.”
Patrons select their own teams and name themselves. Most choose quirky pop culture references like The Chicken McThuggets, Tastes Like Kevin Bacon, or The Little Lebowski Urban Achievers. “Some do try to push the envelope and the bounds of good taste with their name,” Hatfield said, “but it’s all in good fun.”
Once the teams have assembled, the questions begin. Hatfield usually hosts random knowledge trivia, so questions run the gamut from history to film to sports. The harder questions are assigned higher point values. Depending on the venue, one round is between ten and twenty questions. At the end of the round, points are tallied and prizes are awarded. “Usually we give away bar tabs and tickets to shows at the Varsity Theatre, but we have had tournaments where we have given away Nintendo Wiis, televisions, and $500 cash. Recently, we have even had Willie Nelson and Snoop Lion tickets,” he said.
When asked about cheaters, he shook his head: “We get them every once in a while, but we have a man on the floor who watches.”
There is a certain type of unlikely cheater. “You would think it would be the young players in big groups,” he said, “but it is older white men playing by themselves that you have to watch.”
In April, MonkeyBR will host Hatfield’s favorite themed trivia weeks—Mustached Heroes Trivia Week. Every question will involve a facial-haired do-gooder. He is also planning more citywide tournaments at Quarters on Sherwood Forest Boulevard. For those new to the trivia scene, Hatfield extends a warm welcome. “Remember: you have nothing to lose. Trivia is free and always will be,” he said.
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Let’s Get Quizzical Trivia Nights
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