Omaha, somewhere in middle America with Emily

Emily White is a veteran of OQL and has made TOTW 4 times in Season 17. One big highlight was in April of 2024 when she wrote the April Regions friendly and it was playrest by three other players by the name of Emily. 

I met up with her at Omaha Kebabs, an Armenian restaurant to conduct the following interview. 

Tim: You made TOTW in week 7, 8, and9. How did you like those sets and did you Britney anything?

Emily: To be honest, apart from a pair here or there, I don’t really remember sets long after I’ve played them. They must have been in my wheelhouse, though! I didn’t Britney anything in Week 7, but in Week 8, I was lucky to snag the recent Super Bowl MVP pair. I started playing fantasy/daily fantasy football about three years ago, and it really helps the current player names stick in my head. I definitely couldn’t have gotten a Britney on MVPs from even a decade ago, apart from, like, Tom Brady.

Tim: When did you first get into trivia as a hobby?

Emily: So, I grew up as a big Jeopardy! Fan, and I did some LearnedLeague on and off starting in 2015, but I really wasn’t super into trivia until the pandemic. People were hosting Zoom games, and my friend, rowan ward, who I knew from horse racing (I used to work as a turfwriter), was posting about them. Then, I took the J! test on a whim and ended up on the show. After that, the greater trivia world opened up to me through the alumni groups I was now a part of. 

Tim: Besides OQL, what other leagues do you play in?

Emily: Besides OQL, I play LearnedLeague (though currently on a brief hiatus) and QuiP. I also do JetPunk quizzes on the regular (and sometimes Sporcle as well), and I’m an avid NYT Games subscriber.

Tim: How did you first get into playing OQL and what has it been like playing with your current team?

Emily: A few years ago, someone posted about OQL USA in the Women of Jeopardy! alumni group. I was interested, but everyone I knew already had teams they were with. Someone suggested a “scratch team” of people in my same position, and thus, letitsnow was born. (I have to brag now and take credit for the name - I purposefully left it lowercase so it’s ambiguous, tee hee. Also, it made Ken Jennings laugh, so I’m riding that high forever.) 

I absolutely adore my OQL team. I can’t imagine what I’d do without them. They’ve become more than just people I play trivia with - they are friends, and have been a huge source of support for me in some of my most difficult times. They really are the greatest group of gals I could possibly know. Plus, we’re all different enough to bring unique skills to the table. Some are amazing at pop culture, some at art & literature, some at sports - and that’s not even considering the various niche bits of knowledge everyone on the team has!

Tim: Do you play live trivia at any bars or restaurants in your city? What is the scene like there?

Emily: So, I just moved from Delaware back to my hometown outside Omaha, Nebraska. I’m not quite sure what the trivia scene looks like here. I did dabble in live trivia in Delaware a bit, but moved to Zoom only eventually. To be candid, I’m a recovering alcoholic, and since live trivia is, in large part, in bars and pubs, it’s a big trigger for me to go out and do that just for trivia’s sake, when I can just play OQL at home. I would love to see something like “Geeks Who Don’t Drink” - more trivia venues in non-alcoholic venues.

Tim: What is the dining scene like in your city? What is your favorite eatery and cuisine?

Emily: Due to Omaha’s place on the railroads and the meatpacking facilities here, the city is best known for its steakhouses, largely Italian-American. That said, Omaha has a wealth of international cuisines, ranging from quite Americanized to pretty authentic. South Omaha is predominantly Latino, and the restaurants and food trucks there are incredible. North Omaha has great soul food. There’s a fair number of south & southeast Asian and Middle Eastern restaurants as well.

I wouldn’t dare to pick a favorite cuisine! I love so many different kinds of foods. . .though, I will say that Indian/Desi food has a special place in my heart. There’s an Indian restaurant in downtown Omaha called Flavors that has a lunch buffet for a great price, and it’s absolutely incredible - I’ve eaten myself into a coma there many a time. You know you’re getting the good stuff when there’s Bollywood or Tollywood music videos on the TV. I can’t wait to go back there soon!

Tim: What books did you read in 2025 and which was your favorite?

Emily: I’m embarrassed to admit that I don’t read nearly as much as I should, especially since I was the kid with her nose constantly in a book. I’m trying to be better, though! I did pick up The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy on a whim, and I loved it. I’m also a big podcast person, mainly history stuff, like all of Mike Duncan’s work, Behind the Bastards, and The History of English.

Tim:  Have you ever attended SporcleCon, Trivia Nationals or Geek Bowl in the past? If so, what was it like?

Emily:  I have yet to attend a trivia convention. I’m hoping that changes this year, since SporcleCon will again be in the Chicago area! We’ll see how timing and money shakes out.

Tim: What are your top five trivia/quiz highlights both as an individual and as part of a team?

Emily:

Hmm, that’s a tough one! In no particular order. . . 

Winning twice on Jeopardy! and getting invited back for the Champions Wildcard - not just for the achievement, but for the amazing friends I made along the way

1. Winning twice on Jeopardy! and getting invited back for the Champions Wildcard - not just for the achievement, but for the amazing friends I made along the way

2. Any close or consequential game that the Tits have emerged victorious

3. Somehow getting named to TOTW three weeks in a row, which blows my mind

4. The smattering of times I’ve managed to answer a 40-point question correctly in QuiP

5. All of the smiles, laughs and general enjoyment I’ve generated from quizzes I’ve written, from friendlies in OQL to 1DSes on LearnedLeague

Tim: Besides trivia, what are your other hobbies and interests?

Emily: Let’s see - I love to write, and to do research for writing (which also helps my trivia chops). I’m really into both cooking and gardening; I like to experiment with new recipes, especially those integral to various cultures, and I’d like to grow more of my own produce this coming spring/summer. I’m a big animal lover (cats and horses, especially). One of these days, I’d like to get back into riding horses, which I did through my elementary, pre-teen, and early teen years. I’m also growing a fondness for exercise: one of my goals for 2026 is to run a 5K by the end of the year!

Tim: What films did you watch in 2025/2026 and which of them did you want to win Oscars?

Emily: So, just like reading, I’m also bad at keeping up with current films. I honestly saw maybe one or two movies nominated for the Oscars! Right now, I’m more focused on trying to watch all of the yesteryear classics that I haven’t seen yet - stuff from the ‘20s through the ‘60s, mostly. I’ve been flipping through the channel guide on TCM and recording anything that seems relevant or interesting. Some of my favorite films I’ve seen so far this year include The Apartment, It Happened One Night, Gaslight, and Wings (the first and only silent movie to win Best Picture at the Oscars).

Tim: What kind of music do you listen to and what are your favorite bands?

Emily: I know it’s a bit cliche to say that I listen to everything. . .but I really do. On any given day, I’m bouncing from Tchaikovsky to 2Pac to Tame Impala. I grew up in a musical family, so I was exposed to a wide variety of music very early on. My favorite band, though, is Pink Floyd. I got really into them almost a decade ago when I was going through a big life transition. Their music is just so colorful and sonically interesting - just so much emotion in it. I absolutely love everything from their debut through The Wall, and like the stuff afterwards well enough, too. My cat, Roger, is even named after Roger Waters (and his brother was named for Syd Barrett)

Tim: Thank you for your thoughts and I suggest everyone listen to the song "Omaha" by the Counting Crows.