Trivia Night Recap July 29th, 2026 – The Simpsons, Indiana Jones, Pokémon, Name that Movie
Wednesday night at Time Rift Arcade got loud, and for good reason. Eighty questions, four rounds, and a room full of teams who all thought they had this one in the bag. We ran The Simpsons, Indiana Jones, Pokémon, and our always-brutal Name that Movie round. Some tables cruised through the cartoons and then hit a wall in the jungle. Others knew every Poké Ball on the shelf but blanked on a 1979 sci-fi flick. Scroll down, see how you would have scored, and find out whether your team has been sandbagging you all along.
The Simpsons Trivia Recap
The Simpsons opened the night easy and then quietly turned mean. Springfield has been on the air longer than half the room has been alive, so nobody expected trouble, and the early questions on Homer, Moe, and the power plant went down clean. Then we started digging into full legal names, family trees, and side characters who barely get screen time, and the pens stopped moving. The illiteracy question in particular caused some heated table debate. Great warmup round, but it separated the casual watchers from the people who own the DVDs
Q1: In the opening sequence, Homer accidentally gets a glowing rod of nuclear fuel lodged where?
A1: The back of his shirt
Q2: One character’s real name is Herschel Shmoikel Pinchas Yerucham Krustofsky. What does he go by in public?
A2: Krusty the Clown
Q3: What word or phrase does Homer often say when he realizes something bad has happened?
A3: “D’oh!”
Q4: What is the full name of Homer Simpson’s father?
A4: Abraham Jebediah Simpson
Q5: What is Seymour Skinner’s job?
A5: Principal
Q6: Who is Mr. Burns’ number one employee?
A6: Smithers
Q7: What similar sitcom had a crossover episode with The Simpsons?
A7: Family Guy (or Futurama)
Q8: Where does Groundskeeper Willie work?
A8: The school
Q9: Which character has the catchphrase “D’oh!”?
A9: Homer
Q10: What is the name of the town’s bartender?
A10: Moe
Q11: Who does Principal Skinner live with?
A11: His mother
Q12: Name at least one of Homer Simpson’s coworkers.
A12: Lenny or Carl
Q13: Bart has a handheld weapon he causes havoc with. What is it?
A13: A slingshot
Q14: What type of jewels are on Marge’s necklace?
A14: Pearls
Q15: Name at least one of Marge’s sisters.
A15: Patty or Selma
Q16: Who is the mascot of Duff Beer?
A16: Duffman
Q17: Who is the owner of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant?
A17: Mr. Burns
Q18: Which character collects Malibu Stacy dolls and runs the fan club?
A18: Smithers
Q19: There are at least two characters besides Maggie who are known to be illiterate. Name at least one of them.
A19: Mayor Quimby or Krusty the Clown
Q20: What pet does Marge’s sister Selma have?
A20: An iguana
Indiana Jones Trivia Recap
Indiana Jones rewarded anyone who has actually sat through all the films instead of just quoting the greatest hits. The whip, the fedora, and the snakes were free points. After that we asked about specific cities, specific character names, and what exactly happens when the wrong guy drinks from the wrong cup. Temple of Doom carried more weight than teams expected. If you knew who wrote the score, you probably knew everything else in this round too.
Q1: What animal is Indiana Jones not fond of?
A1: Snakes
Q2: What is Indy’s official profession?
A2: Archaeologist
Q3: Indiana often carries two weapons with him. One is a pistol. What is the other?
A3: A whip
Q4: What stone does Indy seek in Temple of Doom?
A4: The Sankara Stone
Q5: In which Indiana Jones movie does Indy look into the “Well of Souls”?
A5: Raiders of the Lost Ark
Q6: In what city do Indy and his father’s search for the Holy Grail begin?
A6: Venice, Italy
Q7: What is the name of the Austrian woman Indy meets in Venice who helps him look for his father in The Last Crusade?
A7: Dr. Elsa Schneider
Q8: In Raiders of the Lost Ark, when the Ark of the Covenant was opened, what was the first thing the Nazis saw inside?
A8: Sand
Q9: What sort of hat does Indy wear?
A9: A fedora
Q10: What artifact does Indy seek in The Last Crusade?
A10: The Holy Grail
Q11: What is Indy’s father’s name?
A11: Henry Jones Sr.
Q12: What is the name of Indy’s sidekick in Temple of Doom?
A12: Short Round
Q13: What university does Indy teach at?
A13: Marshall College
Q14: In most of the films, what group or organization is Indiana Jones fighting against?
A14: The Nazis
Q15: In Raiders of the Lost Ark, what does Indy use to replace the golden idol?
A15: A bag of sand
Q16: Who composed the music for the Indiana Jones movies?
A16: John Williams
Q17: What does Indy’s father call him throughout the series?
A17: Junior
Q18: True or False: when Donovan drinks from the grail, his body is restored to health.
A18: False. He dies.
Q19: What kind of creature does Indy fight in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull?
A19: Giant ants
Q20: What is the name of the bar Marion Ravenwood owns in Raiders of the Lost Ark?
A20: The Raven
Pokémon Trivia Recap
Pokémon was the most polarizing round of the night. Teams with anyone under thirty at the table ran the early questions without breaking a sweat, since Pikachu-era knowledge covers a lot of ground. Then we went from Gen 1 into the deep water: newer designs, weird abilities, franchise history, and the current National Pokédex count. A few tables nailed the first Pokémon ever designed, which is always fun to watch. This is the round where knowing the anime and knowing the games are two completely different skills.
Q1: What Pokémon is Team Rocket’s mascot? He is one of the only Pokémon who ever speaks something other than his own name.
A1: Meowth
Q2: This Pokémon is the successful duplicate of the Pokémon Mew.
A2: Mewtwo
Q3: This newer corvid Pokémon appears to sport a set of shiny black armor. Its knightly appearance and dark luster strike fear into its foes.
A3: Corviknight
Q4: Who was the protagonist of the Pokémon animated series and manga from its conception up until 2023?
A4: Ash Ketchum
Q5: What is Charmander’s most evolved form?
A5: Charizard
Q6: These Pokémon were the failed byproduct of the experiments done to clone Mew. They can transform into any Pokémon.
A6: Ditto
Q7: What year did the Pokémon animated series premiere in the United States?
A7: 1998
Q8: This extremely sleepy Normal-type Pokémon is known for napping in very inconvenient places and blocking paths. It can digest massive amounts of food without any issue.
A8: Snorlax
Q9: What popular fluffy Pokémon can evolve into eight variations of itself depending on the conditions it is evolved in?
A9: Eevee
Q10: What is the spherical object you catch Pokémon in?
A10: A Poké Ball
Q11: What is the name of every nurse at a Pokémon Center in the anime?
A11: Nurse Joy
Q12: What is the high-tech, portable electronic encyclopedia used in the Pokémon franchise to record and track data on different species of Pokémon?
A12: The Pokédex
Q13: What Pokémon hides its true form with a shoddy disguise because its real form is too scary?
A13: Mimikyu
Q14: What is Pokémon short for?
A14: Pocket Monsters
Q15: What was the first Pokémon ever designed?
A15: Rhydon
Q16: When Pokémon was first released, how many Pokémon were there?
A16: 151
Q17: What is the name of the criminal syndicate in the Pokémon universe led by Giovanni?
A17: Team Rocket
Q18: What is it called when a fully evolved Pokémon is given a stone that allows it to temporarily evolve an additional time in battle?
A18: Mega Evolution
Q19: As of the current generation (Generation 9), how many Pokémon are in the National Pokédex?
A19: 1,025
Q20: What Pokémon can cloak its true nature until it is hit for the first time?
A20: Zorua or Zoroark
Name that Movie Trivia Recap
Name that Movie closed us out and did the most damage. Twenty plot descriptions, mostly from the 80s and 90s, ranging from all-time classics to films that got one theatrical run and vanished. Harrison Ford showed up more than once, which helped nobody as much as you would think. The comedies and the Christmas entries were gettable, but a couple of the sci-fi deep cuts wiped entire tables. Everyone got the last one, though, and everyone said it out loud in the accent.
Q1: 1993: a respected doctor is wrongly accused of murdering his wife and escapes custody to find the real killer while being relentlessly pursued by a determined U.S. Marshal. Starring Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones.
A1: The Fugitive
Q2: 2005: Will Stronghold attends a special high school for those with superpowers, who are divided into heroes and sidekicks. However, Will is the only one who has not developed any powers yet.
A2: Sky High
Q3: 1979: a spaceship crew discovers a mysterious vessel hovering near a gigantic black hole and encounters a brilliant but dangerous scientist aboard.
A3: The Black Hole
Q4: 1994: the history of the United States from the 1950s to the ’70s unfolds from the perspective of an Alabama man with an IQ of 75, who yearns to be reunited with his childhood sweetheart, Jenny.
A4: Forrest Gump
Q5: 1984: a Detroit cop named Axel Foley takes an unofficial vacation to Beverly Hills to solve the murder of his friend, finding a very different environment with the police of that town.
A5: Beverly Hills Cop
Q6: 1984: a joint USA-Soviet expedition is sent to Jupiter to learn exactly what happened to the Discovery and its HAL 9000 computer. Europa shows signs of life in this sci-fi odyssey.
A6: 2010: The Year We Make Contact
Q7: 1987: a sci-fi comedy in which Lone Starr and his sidekick Barf must rescue a princess to keep Dark Helmet from stealing all of the air from planet Druidia.
A7: Spaceballs
Q8: 1988: a New York City cop played by Bruce Willis tries to save his wife and several others taken hostage by terrorists during a Christmas party in a Los Angeles skyscraper.
A8: Die Hard
Q9: 2005: planet Earth is destroyed to make way for a hyperspace bypass. Arthur Dent is the only human to survive by hitchhiking on a Vogon spacecraft with his alien friend Ford.
A9: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Q10: When Santa falls off the roof of Scott Calvin’s house, Scott picks up a card and inadvertently becomes the new Santa Claus.
A10: The Santa Clause
Q11: 1939: starring Judy Garland, this movie adaptation of a famous story was one of the first films ever shown in color. A girl named Dorothy is transported by a tornado to another reality and must find her way back.
A11: The Wizard of Oz
Q12: 2004: Ella is under a spell to be constantly obedient, a fact she must hide from her new stepfamily in order to protect the prince of the land, her friend for whom she is falling.
A12: Ella Enchanted
Q13: 1997: the U.S. President, played by Harrison Ford, must save himself and his family when Air Force One is hijacked by communist radicals with them on board.
A13: Air Force One
Q14: 1993: starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, a recently widowed man’s son calls a radio talk show in an attempt to find his father a partner.
A14: Sleepless in Seattle
Q15: 2008: Will Smith plays a drunken wannabe superhero who always causes disaster when he tries to help people using his super strength.
A15: Hancock
Q16: 1987: two newly paired cops played by Mel Gibson and Danny Glover who are complete opposites must put aside their differences in order to catch a gang of drug smugglers.
A16: Lethal Weapon
Q17: 2009: a zombie movie in which a shy student trying to reach his family in Ohio, a gun-toting bruiser played by Woody Harrelson in search of the last Twinkie, and a pair of sisters striving to get to an amusement park join forces in a trek across a zombie-filled America.
A17: Zombieland
Q18: 1998: a retelling of the Cinderella story, this time played by Drew Barrymore, with Anjelica Huston as the evil stepmother.
A18: Ever After
Q19: 1989: a science fiction mystery following an air crash investigator who uncovers a plot by people from the future to harvest passengers from doomed aircraft.
A19: Millennium
Q20: 1987: a romantic comedy adventure. A bedridden boy’s grandfather reads him the story of a farmboy-turned-pirate. The most famous catchphrase is “My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”
A20: The Princess Bride
Could your team have survived the last round?
Big thanks to every team who showed up, argued with each other, and shouted answers across the room. That energy is exactly what makes Wednesday nights work. If you scrolled this far and found yourself answering out loud, you already belong here. Trivia Night runs every Wednesday at 6:30 PM at Time Rift Arcade in Bedford, and it is free to play. Grab a table, grab a drink, and bring the friend who remembers every movie from 1987. Next week’s topics are a surprise, so come ready for anything.
