This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Trivia Groups Springing Up All Over Metro Region

Area residents say they love to compete in weekly trivia matches at a favorite bar or restaurant.

A relatively recent phenomenon in Livingston County — and all over southeastern Michigan — is the number of trivia groups that have sprung up.

These trivia groups compete against one another at local bars and restaurants for various prizes — and to call themselves trivia champions.

In eastern Livingston County, My Trivia Live, owned by Cathryn Neracher of Canton, and the newest kid on the block - i smart Trivia, host trivia contests at several area locations, in in Hartland and in Green Oak Township.

Find out what's happening in Brightonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Started one year ago ago by entrepreneurs Scott Wiitanen and Kenny Privett, i smart Trivia now has about a dozen locations in Livingston, Wayne, Washtenaw and Oakland counties. However, four more venues are scheduled to start in October in Howell, Brighton, Whitmore Lake and Okemos. 

"We've seen the growth of trivia over the years," says Privett. "The others are very straightforward, (whereas) we incorporate technology by using (large screen) TVs and wireless buzzers," he says.  

Find out what's happening in Brightonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

, in the Green Oak Village Place Mall on U.S. 23, is a host of i smart Trivia on Tuesday nights. The control panel used by the DJ has a game show setup not unlike TV's "Jeopardy".

In i smart Trivia, there are several categories of questions instead "Jeopardy's" answers. The first team player to press the buzzer shouts out the answer, whereas in My Trivia Live the answer is written down on a piece of paper and submitted to the DJ (called a TJ, or Trivia Jockey), who tabulates the results while a song is playing. 

Lauren Koloszar, her husband Jim and son Austin, all of Genoa Township, comprise "Special K", a team which wins frequently at BoomTown.  

"It's the satisfaction, it's the competition," Lauren Koleszar says, when asked why the family plays trivia every week.  "We like the pop culture stuff."

"We're a very competitive family, so we end up competing against each other," said Austin Koleszar, 16 and a junior at Detroit Catholic Central High School. "And, if we have a good night, we get to come back practically free," stemming from the gift certificate given to the winning team. 

Prizes vary according to the restaurant or bar, regardless of the type of trivia played. At on Old U.S. 23 in Brighton Township, first place is good for a $30 food certificate at the restaurant, second place gets you a $20 certificate and it's $10 for third place. At BoomTown, the winning team receives a $15 certificate towards meal purchases there. 

Bahama Breeze, a team that competes in My Trivia Live at Memories, has all the accoutrements one would want, and more, in a trivia group. The team has two blow-up, plastic palm trees it places on its table and if it's warm weather, members are decked out in their trademark Hawaiian shirts, with leis around their necks.   

"It's just fun," said Bahama Breeze team member Claudia Sexton of Brighton Township, who is on the team with husband Bob Sexton, a retired Fowlerville school teacher. "I think it's somewhat challenging, and (a case of) how much fun we have with our theme. We love the camaraderie."

Those interested in joining a local trivia club should visit i smart Trivia online or My Trivia Live online for schedule information. Joining a trivia club is free of charge; members only pay for food and drink at the bar or restaurant where they play.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?