2nd Annual JGT Autumn Invitational Starts This Week!

Hard to believe, but it’s that time again! Time to start earning points in the 2nd Annual Johnny Goodtimes Autumn Invitational. Immortality is there for the taking, as the Specific Jawns found out last month at the Summer Invite. They went from being a little known team that played occasionally at the Bards to being International Megastars. Since their win last month, they’ve been feted at numerous international hot spots, being treated like royalty in such exotic locales as Khartoum, Juarez, and even Edmonton.

Speaking of International, we kick off the Autumn Invitational with International Week. All questions this week will come from outside the United States (Unless there’s a question about the International House of Pancakes). Foreign foods, foreign stars, and foreign history will be on tap this week, starting on Tuesday night.

As for the JGTAI, it will operate the same as lthe SUmmer Invite. 8 weeks, with a wild card week at the end. Our big event will take place on Sunday, November 20th. If you’ve got any suggestions for venue and/or band, feel free to let me know and I’ll take it into consideration. I plan to have both booked in the next 2 weeks. Oh, and the first facebook challenge is posted. Get crackin’ and get your team on the scoreboard.

Previous Invitational Winners

Summer 2010–Steak Em Up

Autumn 2010–Exhausted Nihilists

Spring 2011–Steak Em Up

Summer 2011–Specific Jawns

Major Movement on the Power Rankings

An interesting week last week caused a few major shifts in our power rankings.

1. The Jams (Locust Rendezvous). They play the toughest competition on the JGT circuit, and they’ve won 3 straight weeks. A loss by the Steak puts them in the top spot. Last week: #3

2. Duane’s World (Black Sheep). An impressive 30 point win at Black Sheep, but as of late, they’ve been afraid to test their mettle against the Steak. The QCS system takes strength of schedule into account. To be the man, you gotta beat the man, and they’ve gotten a little too comfortable in the friendly confines of their home park. Last week: #2

3. Specific Jawns (The Bards). The only top flight team this past week that was willing to go toe to toe with Steak Em Up, they came from 10 down to knock them off in the 4th round. Furthermore, they won the most recent invitational. Last week: NR.

4. Steak Em Up (Bards). Cruise to an easy win at City Tap, but crash and burn at Bards on Thursday, much to my enjoyment. Last week: #1

5. L. Ron Hubbard’s Diabetics (Ugly American). A narrow win at UA keeps them in the Top 5, but a lot of questions remain. Will Marshall stop being lazy? What are they teaching Bob at Thunderbird U.? And does former Diabetic Gabe still exist? Last week: #5

6. Team Popesack (North Star). They’ve quickly established themselves as the team to beat at the North Star. A win tonight could launch them into the top 5. Last week: #8

7. The Misspellers (O’Neals). Trailing by 15 heading into the final round at O’Neals, they scored an amazing 55-points to score the come from behind win of the week and launch themselves onto the power rankings. Last week: NR

8. Magnus ver Magnusson (Locust Rendezvous). Drop out of the Top 3 at the Vous for the first time in months, dropping them four spots in the rankings. Last week: #4

9. Inglorious Barristers (Locust Rendezvous). An impressive showing this week at the Vous. We’ve just go to see if their hearts are in it for the long haul. Will they make a run at another Invitational invite? Last Week: NR

10. The Savage Ear (O’Neals). As much skill as any team on the circuit, but they just can’t seem to get the whole team together much lately. Chemistry obviously an issue for this squad, but they still nearly pulled off a win last week. Last week: NR

Also receiving votes: Poo Castle, IBM on Your Face, Schaub my Knob, Taking it to the Max, Million Dollar Robot Baby, Tug My McGraw, Why Can’t Us?

If your team made the Top 10, why not click “Like” below and share the good news. You’re famous!

$1 Corn Dogs, $2 Beers, $3 Fries, and Science

Thursday is absolutely a great night to play quizzo. First of all, the specials at both of our bars are absolutely ridiculous. At the Ugly American, they’ve got $1 corn dogs and $2 Lagers. The Bards has $2 Lager Lights. Both bars have started a Thursday night quizzo special of $3 French Fries. And keep in mind, I’ll be giving away free fries at both bars. And both places have great fries. In fact, Philly Weekly called Ugly American’s fries the best in the city.

Furthermore, if you are looking for a win, the UA is the place to go. 4 different winners in the past 4 weeks. Total parity, no clearly defined frontrunner. Action starts at 8 p.m. On to the Bards, where you can strike the power rankings with a bullet if you can knock off Steak Em Up. Instant immortality if you can crush those clowns. Action starts at 10:15. And another science round tonight.

Science, Picture Rounds at Quizzo Tonight

A very cool quiz this week. I’ve been seeing what the guys in Denver have been doing, taking their game to the next level, and it’s making me step my game up. I think this week’s quiz is a really, really good one. A difficult but very cool picture round, and a science round for all you science geeks out there.

We start at the Vous at 6:15 p.m., where we’ve currently got a two team lockdown on first. Can your team make a push for the prestigious JGT Top 10 with an upset tonight? On to the Black Sheep at 8 p.m., where the #2 team in the JGT Power rankings, Duane’s World, hold court. Gonna be a fun quiz, hope to see you tonight!

JGT Power Rankings Return

The Fall Invitational is right around the corner, at which time the numbers will speak for themselves. In the meantime, however, we’re gonna go BCS style and pick out our top teams heading into this week subjectively. Here goes:

1. Steak Em Up. After two wins last week, the most successful team in quizzo history* looks to head into the Autumn Invitational red hot. If anybody needs me, I’ll be rooting for them to lose this week.

2. Duane’s World. Two wins in the past 3 weeks put these perennial powerhouses in the #2 spot. And I’m sure they would have recorded perfect scores those two weeks if Mike Minion had played. If you don’t believe me, ask him.

3. The Jams. This is pretty much a toss up. In the last 6 weeks at the Vous, the Jams have won 3 times and Magnus has won 3 times.

4. Magnus ver Magnusson. The question about the top Rendezvous teams is, “Will they ever participate at an Invitational and prove their mettle against top competition?”

5. L. Ron Hubbard’s Diabetics. The loss of Bob to Thunderbird University and Marshall to the suburbs has hurt this squad, but they proved that they can still bring the pain with an impressive two player win at UA on Thursday.

6. Million Dollar Robot Baby. Over the years, this franchise (formerly known as Narcotyzing Dysfunktion) is the only team that has consistently rivaled the Steak. I don’t know how he does it, but Matt the Peter really knows how to whip this squad into shape.

7. Tug My McGraw. A win two weeks ago at CTH, followed by a 3rd Place finish last week. If this team got a sports fanatic on their squad, I think they could consistently compete with the Steak. Furthermore, team member Chet Bumsted is the only person in Philly with an aloha shirt collection as impressive as mine.

8. Team Popesack. Three wins in the last four quizzes at North Star Bar, they have established themselves as the team to beat at the newest JGT venture.

9. Why Can’t Us. A first, 2nd, and 3rd place finish in the past 3 weeks at Ugly American, this team is always in the mix at UA.

10. Taking it to the Max. A first place finish at O’Neals this past week in their first quiz launched these guys onto the national spotlight. If and when Savage Ear gets off their lazy asses and play quizzo again, it will be interesting to see if they have new rivals.

*which is as much of an insult as it is an honor. What nerds.