The very first episode of Aqua Teen Hunger Force that I watched had me hooked forever. Frylock, Master Shake and Meatwad – a box of French fries, a milkshake and, well … a wad of meat, respectively – were playing “Trivia Night” at a bar, and always getting second place, most likely because Meatwad thought that the answer to every question was “The Backstreet Boys.”

The show pretty much mirrored my college days in Gainesville, when we’d assemble a trivia night dream team and head to the Mellow Mushroom on Monday nights to battle for a $50 bar tab. And we would get second place almost every time (except for one glorious night – it was our “drinking beer on the roof of Shawshank Prison” moment).

So, when I heard that the Hooters on 23rd Street does Trivia Nights on Wednesdays, added to the fact that a bunch of my college friends were in town for the holidays, naturally we were ready to bring it, just like in the old days. It was on.

Trivia Night started at 7 p.m., so Team More Cowbell showed up around 6:30 p.m. and started off with a couple pitchers and 50 hot wings – half naked, half breaded. There were plenty of TVs set up for us to watch Boise State’s attempted comeback against Boston College while we waited for the trivia to start. The waitresses really gave the extra effort as well; nobody at our table ever touched a pitcher, and no one ever had an empty glass.

The trivia questions featured a broad range of topics ranging from sports (name the NBA player who retired in 1999 without fulfilling his dream to play his final game naked) to board games (name the six murder weapons in Clue) to personal health (how long do you have to wait after getting a tattoo to give blood). The only problem was that there were only 12 questions before the “Final Jeopardy” style last question. The entire trivia game only lasted an hour (as opposed to the 26-question marathons that we were used to), but I was told that the games could possibly go longer in the future.

How did Team More Cowbell finish? Second place, of course. It happens every time. But imagine our surprise when Michelle, the scorekeeper, delivered a $25 gift certificate to our table. That’s right, second and third place win something as well.

Overall, everyone had a good time. You can rarely go wrong with Hooters wings and $5.99 pitchers of Miller Light or Coors Light, and even if you aren’t a trivia master, you will still have a good time with your friends. Even the ones that think all the answers are “The Backstreet Boys.”

Hooters Restaurant
676 W. 23rd Street, #B
Panama City, FL 32405
(850) 873-9993
panamacity@hootersonline.net