Points for consistency

After two months on hiatus for retooling, pub quiz team Burrito Lockdown returned to action tonight. Featuring the debut two promising rookie members, Jesse and Eric, we took the pub quiz world by storm. With Jason and my enormous gaps in sports, music, and biblical knowledge filled, we jumped out to an early lead. We dominated the first five sixths of the contest, which included the General Knowledge, Music ID, Match Singers To Causes of Death, "Firsts and Lasts," and IDing Celebrity Photos sections. Then, in an Icarus-style fall from grace, it all went to hell.

I don't know if it was the alcohol, the cockiness of our insurmountable one-point lead, or maybe the tiny bug that flew into my beer was actually a CIA drone carrying some kind of brain-numbing drug, but the final grab-bag round completely stumped us. Between the four of us we couldn't name Cindy Sheehan (until after we handed in the answers and someone reminded me of her first name, at which point I felt like kicking myself), the 49er's player who died last week (despite Jesse working at the 49er's home games), Joseph Stalin (as the TIME man of the year in 1939 and 1942 - I stupidly guessed Hitler. In retrospect, he wasn't really at his best in 1942), or the name of the Desperate Housewives star that was recently engaged (though I'm actually kind of proud I don't know that one). With that we plummeted out of first place all the way out of desirable prize territory into third, where we "won" another round of beer swag. If bars get anywhere near as much swag as I do, I'm sure they were pretty relieved to get rid of some of it.

So Burrito Lockdown has now placed third twice consecutively. As Jesse points out, we were on the winners' podium both times... but I expect more from a team with as cool a name as Burrito Lockdown.