I recently caught up with Bern Samko of Plush Toys Of the Apocalypse.She made TOTW in Week 11 and Week 12. She has played numerous friendlies that I have been a part of as well as other online games. One of the best was the Big Quiz Thing food quiz where I had the pleasure of playing with her, Jayanthi, Mykal and Taryn.
Rich: You made TOTW in Week 11. Was that your best score ever? What did you like about the set? Also you got 16(7) in the cup Week 1. Which question caused you to miss the full house?
Samko: The Week 11 TOTW was a complete surprise. I played well, but Josh Heit was the real star of our team that week with 21(6) and I certainly didn’t think my 11(5) was exceptional. My favorite pairs in that set were the sideline reporters and the short scrabble words. It definitely wasn’t my best score ever, which was a 17(7) way back in season 7. I’ll never forget it because the answer to my last direct was “Georgetown” and I said “Jonestown”. Two very different things! In the recent cup match, I missed the Aarne-Thompson Index, which I do not at all feel bad about.
Rich: How did you first get into trivia as a hobby?
Samko: I watched Jeopardy! for as long as I can remember and started going to pub trivia regularly once I got to grad school. For a long time I had no idea there was an actual hobby one could make out of it, and it was several years before I found out about LearnedLeague (which I joined in 2017), and later Apocalypse Sports Trivia, which brought me a whole new community of people.
Rich: How did you first get into OQL?
Samko: I heard about it from a LearnedLeague discussion group I was in. I signed up as a scratch player, and the rest is history. Jayanthi, Josh, Paul and I have been together since the beginning.
Rich: What other OQL versions do you play and do you play other trivia leagues? If so, which is your favorite?
Samko: I’ve played most of the other OQL versions, at least off and on: Connections, ICC, Pop Solos, and regions. That doesn’t really leave time for anything else, and the original OQL is still my favorite. I really enjoy the team aspect.
Rich: What are your other hobbies?
Samko: I love to knit and crochet. Socks are my favorite, but I’m also really into teaching myself complicated techniques, which means I finish something about once a year! I’m also a national-level fencing referee, which takes me all over the country (and occasionally to Europe) most weekends. I fence myself, too, but very poorly.
Rich: What is the trivia scene like in your city? Is there a bar/restaurant where you play on a regular basis?
Samko: Unfortunately, I don’t know! I almost never go. If anybody has Boston-area suggestions, though, I’m down to give them a shot.
Rich: What is the dining scene like in your city? Which is your favorite cuisine, beverage, and eatery?
Samko: I’m always partial to neighborhood restaurants. My absolute favorite restaurant is a tiny Italian place (Molinari’s) that was right next to my old apartment. We got takeout there at least once a week during the lockdown phase of the pandemic, and sitting at the bar watching the cooks make the pasta dishes is one of my favorite dining experiences. I’m very lucky to live in Boston because Italian and Vietnamese are two of my favorite cuisines and we have tons of both. My favorite beverage will always be Polar seltzer.
Rich: What sports do you follow, who is your favorite team and athletes?
Samko: Honestly, I’ll watch any sport, to the point that I have a favorite biathlete. Growing up in Massachusetts, though, the Red Sox were my first love. I was a huge fan of Nomar Garciaparra and was devastated when his 30-game hit streak ended the day I went to my first game at Fenway. I've also been a Celtics and Patriots fan since childhood. No favorite Pats, but Jrue Holiday has been extremely underrated on this Celtics team. In adulthood, I’ve picked up the Las Vegas Aces, Liverpool FC, and Tampa Bay Lightning as my teams. I have season tickets to the New England Revolution, and I’m a part owner of Detroit City FC.
Rich: What is your best sports moment as a player and a fan?
Samko: My favorite memory as a Red Sox fan is from the 2004 ALCS. I was taking a night class at a local high school and everyone stayed in their cars in the parking lot with the radio on until the last possible moment. We got inning by inning updates over the PA system. There were a couple of times when I was driving when David Ortiz hit a home run and everyone on the road started honking in celebration. It was a great community moment. I’m not a good enough athlete to have any memorable moments as a player!
Rich: The 2004 ALCS is still painful for me as a Yankee fan.
What was your Jeopardy! Appearance like and have you tried out for other game shows?
Samko: I taped my Jeopardy! episode when I was 22 and in my first year of grad school. I don’t remember much because of the adrenaline, although I know I had a lot of trouble with the buzzer. There will always be part of me that wishes I went on when I was older and more seriously into trivia — I just know more stuff now! — but it was really a blessing because I didn’t feel any pressure at all and I’m so grateful for the opportunity. Now, as a real adult, I have no desire to be on TV. Reddit and twitter weren’t really a thing when I was on Jeopardy! and there’s just no need to know what people on the internet think of me!
Rich: If you could have dinner and play trivia with any five people from history, dead or alive, whom would you choose?
Samko: I’m going to answer this with absolutely no thought to the strengths of this hypothetical trivia team: Eleanor Roosevelt, Jane Addams, Julia Child, Empress Sisi, Simone de Beauvoir.
Rich: What is your favorite place to visit in the USA and international?
Samko: I lived in Berlin for a year, and that will always be my favorite international city. My hottest travel take is that Bratislava is my second favorite city I’ve been to. Within the US, I love a good road trip. I don’t even care where we’re going! All the parts of the country I’ve seen are beautiful in their own way.
Rich: Have you ever been to Geek Bowl, SporcleCon, or Trivia Nationals? If so, how was it?
Samko: I just went to my first SporcleCon last month. I’ll definitely be back! It was absolutely wonderful to meet so many people I’ve only seen on zoom. Special shout outs to Jayanthi, who I’ve played with for four years and hadn’t met in person, and my Battle of the Brains team The Daniel Cohen Seltzer Experience, but everyone I talked to was lovely.
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