FAQs
Some of the hot topics of frequently asked about - from how to pronounce "archipelago" to how to handle hecklers, inclement weather, and other things directly pertaining to Hosting. Refer to the Company Miscellany for info on your employment more generally.
- How do I decide if this answer is right?
- How do I pronounce this?
- There's a tie for first, what do I do?
- Cheating Cheaters and the Suspicion Thereof
- How do I suggest questions?
- Trivia is supposed to start, but there are no (or few) teams?
- What if the site tells me they want to cancel a game/make a schedule change?
- A Holiday is coming up - is trivia cancelled?
- How do I look up my scores from a past game?
- Handling Hecklers
- Icky Team Names
- Dealing with Difficult News Events During a Trivia Night
How do I decide if this answer is right?
Leniency and Accuracy
Sometimes it is tricky to determine when to give full or partial credit for an answer that doesn't perfectly match what our Editorial team has provided. How strict should you be?? Isn't this a test about facts?
Don't sweat it too much! It's trivia! We trust you. You got this.
You have three key resources:
- the internet: teams are not allowed to use their Google, but you definitely can!*
- the colleagues: reply-all to the question email thread (and monitor the conversations happening there), or head to the #content channel in the Host Slack.
- the vibes: trust your instincts! Is the challenge from a team you know and trust? Is it something you just "feel" is more fair to credit or not? You're the one on the scene, so you get to decide.
Trivia Mafia has a phenomenal Editorial team, and each question is fact-checked and reviewed in a group. And yet, we sometimes make mistakes! You have the power to make the judgment call in the moment. Always ensure that teams have a chance to come up and talk to you about answers BEFORE winners are announced! If you can't grant them the point and the team wants to complain, point them to the Powers That Be to continue airing grievances.
Sometimes you decide that “subwoofer” is worth half a point, even though “woofer” was the only answer listed in the app.
Sometimes you decide, no, “entymology” is exactly halfway between the correct answer of "entomology" and a wrong answer of "etymology", and gets no points.
Sometimes a team points out that “the fast and furious 9” is basically the same as “F9" and you can give them full credit!
Do we require the full name?
In general, we follow Jeopardy! rules that Last Name Only is sufficient, unless there is plausible confusion. Kennedy, Roosevelt, Jones, Hepburn - there are multiple famous people with those last names, so they should include the first name.
EXAMPLE: Team answered "Kardashian"; official answer was "Kim Kardashian." We recommend a half point for “Kardashian.” However, it's zero points if they say "Kourtney" instead of "Kim" - because just “Kardashian” was generally right but “Kourtney Kardashian” was specifically wrong.
As much as possible, alert teams when you're looking for a full name when you're reading the question! Sometimes, that's a hint in and of itself.
Do we count off for spelling?
It is official Trivia Mafia policy that spelling does not count unless it’s explicitly stated in the question--if the answer is “Alpha Centauri” and a team writes “Alfa Centari,” that is a correct answer. (We actually prevent autocorrect in the app, so it is really not worth marking those mistakes wrong.)
How often should we be lenient, or give out half points?
Hoo boy, this is tricky! You, as the host, are in the best position to decide how much leniency your teams need. On the one hand, it is a competition, there are prizes on the line, and it’s your job to take it seriously without actually being too serious. There are a lot of teams out there who enjoy good stiff competition, and who would find an overly lenient night not to be fun. On the other hand, we need people to come back and play again.
Two things to keep in mind: We are here to have fun, and people need to feel heard.
This is why it’s so important to make sure that there’s an opportunity between reading the answers and announcing winners for teams to bring up any points of contention! (To be clear: the customer is not always right. Technically, players aren’t even our customers, actually, they’re the consumers of the product we sell to the venue… so stay diplomatic, and trust that we have your back on whichever decision you make.)
And: Most teams don’t win. We have data on nearly 200 games each week (and thus 200 winners) with something like 1,700 teams reported. So why are over 1,500 teams playing every week that don’t, and probably never will, win first place?As always, note your habits in your ICOE, so that a sub will know where you tend to fall on the strict/lenient scale, to meet player expectations at your site accordingly. Being consistent and being fair can be hard to balance alongside being fun. But we can do hard things.
*Use the internet, but not AI.
- Look for an alternative answer note. If you use the app, sometimes those notes don’t show up while grading, so check the spreadsheet or the document.
- Wikipedia. The world is upside down from when some of us when to college, and Wikipedia is now one of the most dependable sources going.
- Google, but scroll past the AI summary at the top of the page. See what a couple websites say!
- Email the host thread asking for clarification.
- Make the player prove it to you — they need to bring up a non-ChatGPT source to you to get points for an alternate answer.
How do I pronounce this?
The Official Trivia Mafia Pronunciation Guide for Words We Use a Lot
Thank you for caring about saying words right. This document contains words we use frequently (as opposed to one-off words) that we’ve heard hosts have a hard time with. Have an idea that should be added? Email Senior Editor Ruby!
Entries are in the following format:
word (link goes to an audio pronunciation): pronunciation guide /International Phonetic Alphabet guide/, (additional explanation of pronunciation) definition
Common words
archipelago: ark-ih-PEL-ah-go /ˌɑɹkɪˈpɛləˌɡoʊ/, a chain of islands
archipelagic: ark-ih-puh-LAH-djik /ɑɹkɪpəˈlædʒɪk/, of or relating to a chain of islands
biopic: BY-oh-pik /ˈbaɪ.əʊ.pɪk/, (like “bio” and “pic” put together), a biographical film
Wiktionary says by-AP-ik is “nonstandard” but listed in some places; you go ahead and say it that way if you want
colonel: KER-nul /ˈkɝnəl/, a military rank below a general
couture: kuh-TOOR /kuˈtʊər/, fashion designers and the high-end clothes they make
coxswain: KOK-sihn / ˈkɒk sən / (like “cocks sin” if you said it fast), the athlete who steers a racing shell
titular: TICH-uh-ler /ˈtɪtʃələr/ or TIT-yuh-ler /ˈtɪtyələr/, of or relating to the title of something, usually the character after whom a work is named (“the titular character”)
posthumous: PAWS-chew-mus /ˈpɒs.tʃʊ.məs/, after death, usually referring to a work published after the author’s death
Names
Janelle Monáe: juh-ENL moh-NAY, /dʒəˈnɛl moʊˈneɪ/, singer songwriter of “The Electric Lady” and “Dirty Computer”
Kamala Harris: KAH-muh-luh, /kɑːmələ/ (like “COMMA-lah” – her stepkids call her “mom-ala” if that helps you) the 49th Vice President of the United States
Kamala Khan: kuh-MAH-luh, /kəˈmɑːlə/ Ms. Marvel from the Marvel comics/MCU
Keanu Reeves: kee-AH-noo reevz, /keɪˈɑːnuː rivs/ Neo from “The Matrix,” John Wick from “John Wick,” et cetera
Madeleine L’Engle: LEHNG-gul, /ˈlɛŋɡəl/, author of “A Wrinkle in Time”
Marquis de Sade: mar-KEE duh SAHD, /marki də sad/, French writer famous for his libertine sexuality (see also Sade, the singer)
Megan Rapinoe: ruh-PEE-noh /rəˈpiːnoʊ/, Captain of the US National Women’s Soccer Team
Nicki (Onika) Minaj: NIH-kee (oh-NEE-kah) min-AZH, /’nɪki: oʊ’ni:kɑ mɪˈnɑːʒ/, Rapper, songwriter, Queen Radio host
Nguyen: WIN /wɪn/ or NOO-yen /nuːˈjɛn/ (you can read more about different pronunciations here; please feel free to say it correctly if your Vietnamese is good!) The most common surname in Vietnam
Sade: SHAH-day [ʃɑːˈdeɪ], a Nigerian-British singer, a smooth operator (see also Marquis de Sade)
Sia: SEE-uh [si:ə] an Australian singer songwriter
W.E.B. DuBois: double you ee bee doo-BOIS, /djuːˈbɔɪs/ Sociologist, founder of the NAACP
Brands/Institutions
Atari: uh-TAR-ee, /əˈtɑːˌɹi/ (middle syllable rhymes with “star”), a video game company
Carnegie: kar-NEH-ghee, /kɑːrˈnɛɡi/ is closer to the original Scots pronunciation and preferred by Carnegie Corporation and Carnegie Mellon; many English-speakers say KAR-nuh-ghee /ˈkɑːrnəɡi/; you can’t really go wrong with either. (Carnegie Hall more frequently uses the second pronunciation, but seriously, either is fine.) The Carnegie family were industrialists, lots of things are named after them, Andrew is probably the most famous one.
Duquesne University: doo-KAIN /duːˈkeɪn/ a school in Pittsburgh
Dufresne (as in Andy Dufrense from “Shawshank Redemption” follows the same pattern; doo-FRAIN)
Jägermeister: YAY-ger-my-ster /ˈjeɪɡərmaɪstər/, a German aperitif
Reuters: ROY-terz /ˈrɔɪtərz/, a news agency
Places
Côte d’Ivoire: KOHT dih VWAR, /ˌkoʊt diˈvwɑɹ/, the French name of the Ivory Coast
Mojave: moh-HAH-vee, /moʊˈhɑːvi/, a people from the Southwestern United States and the places named after them
Sioux City: SOO /su:/ A city in Iowa
Same pronunciation for Sioux Falls, South Dakota
All Caps – Do I Say The Letters??
ABBA: AB-uh, not ay bee bee ay, '70s Swedish pop band
A$AP Rocky: AY-sap, not ay ess ay pee, rapper
H.E.R.: HER, not aitch ee ar, current guitarist
GZA: GIZ-uh, not gee zee ay
NAACP: en double-ay see pee, not NAK-puh
RZA: RIZ-uh, not ar zee ay
Sports Leagues: say the letters in general! MLB = em el bee, NBA = en bee ay, NCAA = en see double-ay or en see ay ay, etc
There's a tie for first, what do I do?
Tiebreakers
Tie scores happen. This adds an element of suspense and drama!
Don't panic.
After you're done scoring and reading answers, let teams know they have a tie to break for X place. (You only need to do this if the tie affects a prize, but some hosts enjoy running tiebreakers for any place. Poll the players by applause before you take the time to do the latter, because not everyone has the patience for it.)
Call up ONE representative from each team, and say, “I will ask you a question that has a numerical answer. Keep your answer to yourself until you [whisper it in my ear/write it on this piece of paper]. Whoever guesses closest to the real answer wins!” No phone a friend option - that rep is on their own!
We don’t follow The Price is Right rules (closest without going over) - it’s just who is closest.
Once you know who wins, announce the new rankings into the mic. Award the prizes at the teams' tables when you get a group photo.
In the App
This section gives you the complete rundown on doing a Tiebreaker! Essentially, the App will show you on the leaderboard where there are ties to be resolved, and help you do it right in that interface.
On Pen and Paper
The tiebreaker questions are listed at the end of the Question Sheet and Doc. You will have to write down their answers and do the math to determine who is closer. Again - remain calm! Pull up the calculator on your phone if you don't feel confident in your ability to scribble it out in front of a crowd. Remember that five seconds in reality can feel like a million years when you're on the spot, but it's not worth rushing and making a mistake.
Keep in mind that for each two teams with the same score, the loser will get bumped down a place.
So, two teams tied for third will end up getting third and fourth place (meaning, one won't get a prize) - many a host has accidentally given a prize to a team that didn't actually win one!
Cheating Cheaters and the Suspicion Thereof
If Team Apple accuses Team Berry of cheating, you should take the allegation with a grain of salt, but always in good faith. Ask for specifics about why they are concerned, and then determine the best way to bring it up with Team Berry. If prizes have already been handed out, you'll have to keep an eye on them next time they're in.
If you think a team might be cheating, be straightforward about talking to the team about it. One of the upshots of doing table touches is that you make yourself known on the floor, can look over their shoulders, and can ask people about their team name, and ask, "wow, how did you know that?" Stay curious over suspicious.
To be clear: a perfect score is not, in an of itself, grounds for suspicion.
All of our questions are gettable, and some people are really smart and really good at trivia! That's, like, the whole point of Jeopardy! And, not for nothing, many of our players are into the same shows and Reddit threads that our Editorial team is!
However, a team might have just one bad actor (even unbeknownst to the team). Hosts can restrict the app to one device per team, and police phone usage more strictly — some hosts have even asked teams to leave their phones behind if they go to the bathroom!
Hosts can also reiterate on the mic the "Use your noodle, not your Google" policy, and make comments about the sad and pitiable people who would stoop to looking up the largest lake in Europe to maybe get one free beer.
How do I suggest questions?
Email or Message the Editorial team
You can reach out at any time to our Editorial team directly - use the #content channel in the Host Slack, or email our Editor-in-Chief Aaron. You don't need to worry about writing the complete question, just drop a line to say, "my Tuesday players want more questions about quokkas" or "wouldn't it be fun to have a theme round matching NFL teams to the geographic area their mascot would actually be from" or "let's do a theme night on 'Friends,' that would be fun!"
Become a Content Creator
If someone doesn't currently work for us but is interested in writing questions for pay, they can apply here.
Existing staff can submit question ideas at any time by emailing them to submissions@triviamafia.com, which is monitored by Editor-in-Chief @Aaron Retka and Senior Editor @Ruby Levine.
- All submissions are vetted by our Editor-in-Chief, Aaron, so first send a pitch with your round theme and an example question or two.
- Any round/question type is accepted: General Knowledge, Themed Round, Image Round, or Lightning Round (we don't currently need Sound Rounds, but if you have a genius idea we'll look at it!). Get bonkers with your mystery round idea, or just share ideas for topics that we have historically overlooked.
- Pay is $35 per round, or $6 per GK question, after approval by Aaron.
Suggest a Theme Night theme
Head to our suggestion form, or email Emily directly with your ideas! Be sure to take a look at the archive list so you can see which themes we've done in the past.
(We have never done Trader Joe's Trivia, but should we??)
Keep in mind that themes that are too broad don't always work well - for example, we did a theme on Saturday Morning Cartoons, but got a lot of feedback that the shows we covered were too concentrated on the '90s (and some of them aired in the afternoons, or were on cable, or...). So, what seemed like a fun theme ended up being too poorly defined for people to know what to expect when they attended - or rather, what they expected didn't match what we provided.
The opposite challenge has happened with focus on a single person's ouvre - Stephen King, John Carpenter, and Keanu Reeves have all gotten their own themes, but either there was too much to cover (King's books AND movies AND TV shows??) or players who liked Keanu in a general sense were not actually well versed in all of his movies.
We also need to have a staff writer who is at least peripherally interested in the theme. Trivia Mafia never wants to create a set of questions that are only sourced from internet searches; the best sets are infused with the enthusiasm of a true fan or willing acolyte. So there is some self-selection based on making sure that we can ask questions that real fans will recognize as understanding the subject and delivering a really fun event.
A note about "Harry Potter" theme events: We regularly get requests to run “Harry Potter” theme nights, and have done so in the past. However, in light of the increasing transphobia from the author, we just can’t do it anymore. We love the source material as much as anyone, making this a very difficult decision, but we value our trans players and employees over these books and movies. Thank you for understanding.
Trivia is supposed to start, but there are no (or few) teams?
Sometimes no one shows up to play trivia. It's a bummer, but it happens — at some sites more than others.
Here are a few ways to keep up morale:
- Stay positive. Chat with the staff, and visit with any patrons who say they don’t usually play trivia. You don't have to do a hard sell on trivia - just make small talk about why they're out, what they like about working there, if they have insights for you on the vibe. People love to be asked for advice!
- Give it time. Sometimes it can be weather, road construction, or something else that is keeping your regulars away. If there isn’t anyone who wants to play 10 minutes before start time, things could still turn around!
- If you have a single team, ask if they are interested in splitting up into multiple teams and playing head-to-head. You can just sit down at their table and run trivia for them off the mic if they remain the only ones interested.
Sometimes, the location will call off the game - maybe it feels lame to the manager to run trivia for one team; or, they want to save money and not give away any prizes. That is their prerogative! They are still billed by us for the event, and you are still paid for going to work.
If nobody plays, you are welcome to excuse yourself 30 minutes after the scheduled start time. You will still be paid for hosting. Please still submit Host Feedback so we have record of your effort! Just say "0" for number of teams and write a brief note explaining what you tried/experienced.
What if the site tells me they want to cancel a game/make a schedule change?
The host is the reporter-on-the-scene - but all you have to do is report back. Include the info in your Host Feedback, and/or send an email or Slack message to the Host Manager to pass along to the correct person.
We ask sites to give us 48 hours notice for any regular game cancellation (save for a site emergency or inclement weather), and when they fill in the cancellation form it automatically sends an email to the regular host to notify them!
Sidenote: Our staff are allowed to use PTO at any time for any reason, but it's very common for hosts to use those banked hours to cover a cancelled shift! Just email payroll@triviamafia.com with the date and your request, and 2.8 hours (or your full balance, if less than that) will be applied to the corresponding payroll.
We ask for at least 15 days notice if a site wants to change their schedule (i.e. start an hour earlier during the winter, move the game to a different day of the week, etc.), and they must work with the Sales & Account Director or their account person to put the gears in motion! We will alert the host, update their marketing assets and our internal database, and post on socials ahead of any change.
It is not the host's responsibility to manage a site's schedule, but we do appreciate getting updates if they are talking to you directly about things.
If you show up to work and the location is closed, or if they tell you after you arrive that they don't want to run trivia (because they have something else going, or there aren't enough players), you will still get paid, and the site will still be charged.
A Holiday is coming up - is trivia cancelled?
Trivia Mafia does not run any live, regular games for five holidays a year:
Independence Day (July 4), Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Day (Dec 24 and 25), and New Year's Eve (Dec 31).
For any other holiday - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Halloween, whatever - we assume everything is happening as scheduled unless the site cancels. If you want to make other plans, first find a sub for the shift! We will alert you (and the sub) if the site decides to call off the game.
We have made exceptions to the above list of dates for Private Events, so if a location really wants to have trivia to ring in the new year, they just have to set that up as a special one-off situation.
How do I look up my scores from a past game?
Finding past games in the app
Log in and click "Host a Game," but before you choose a trivia event to set up, go to the fine print below the Begin Event button.
Click on the link at the very bottom, which will take you to your recently hosted games!
Game data is preserved in the system for about six months before being archived.
Alternately: If you know the game code ("XXXX"), you can pull it up by entering it in the url:
play.triviamafia.com/host/XXXX or play.initialsgamelive.com/host/XXXX
If you no longer have the game code AND you can't see it in your recently hosted games, you'll have to reach out to the admin team (not the On-Calls) to have someone look it up on the back end.
Handling Hecklers
ARE WE ALL YELLING NOW?
There is no one correct way to manage surly guests. It is often best to ignore those bar patrons who are clearly just seeking attention. People who think it’s funny to yell out wrong answers or “clever” comments will often tire out or get shamed by the other patrons who are trying to play or just enjoy their evening. If it doesn’t stop, ask the individual in a calm tone to stop yelling things so others can enjoy the trivia night, then continue. Addressing them directly, off-mic, between questions and face-to-face will frequently diffuse the situation and remind them that you’re a human person just trying to do your job. Perhaps point out that you don’t yell at them when they’re at work! Invite them to play along and always (try to) take the high road in graciousness. Only engage a heckler on the mic if you feel confident about being able to shut them down quickly; you don’t want to get sucked into a shouting match in front of the whole bar.
If you feel unsafe approaching the person, don’t do it. Let a manager or bartender know you feel uncomfortable talking to this person and they should handle the situation. It is also in their best interest to make other players happy by keeping the peace!
Icky Team Names
Icky Team Names
Oh, those teams that think they’re sooooo funny by making their team name “I Wish This Microphone Was a D***” or try to make a joke Too Soon about an untimely celebrity death/tragic news event. Our questions are written to be PG, so you've got to read the room/go with your gut if there's profanity or politics involved.
If you come across a team name that gives you the ick, there are a few ways to manage the situation.
- Change the way you read it on the mic (i.e. “Sinead O’Goner” becomes “RIP Sinead O’Conner”) but leave it as-is in the app/on their sheet.
- Edit their team name in the app from the Leaderboard screen to insert asterisks and/or more crowd-appropriate language (especially if there are kids playing).
- Talk to the team directly about their name and see if they would be willing to choose a new one, or find out if you’re missing something that makes the choice more palatable. (Sometimes a team will be something like “No Gay Jose” and they’re just using an inside joke about their friend, who is right there. You still don’t have to read it on the mic, but you might feel less gross about it.)
Ultimately, it's the host's job to make these calls based on their own discretion. Comfort is key—if it makes you uncomfortable, you're empowered to do something about it. But bar trivia is an adult creative activity in a primarily adult setting, so teams should be able to be creative, even if it means being a little bawdy or indelicate.
If the team name is about you in a way that is personally offensive, only approach the team if you feel safe. Reach out to the site staff for support, and ask the Manager on Duty to intercede for you if necessary. You can always disqualify egregiously disrespectful people from winning prizes and/or appearing on the Leaderboard.
Trivia Mafia will always advocate on your behalf, so please let us know about the situation and what would help you feel good about coming back to that environment in the future. We're not able to ban people from a space (again, players are not our customers) but we have successfully worked with our business partners to have them discourage bad actors from returning to their business.
Dealing with Difficult News Events During a Trivia Night
I Read the News Today, Oh Boy...
Sometimes a troubling news story will break just before—or even during—your trivia game. This can create uncomfortable situations for our hosts and our players, to say the least.
When such situations occur, you may feel the need to communicate something to the crowd, because saying nothing would feel insincere. Trivia Mafia is 100% behind our hosts using their best judgment in determining how to make the room feel comfortable for all parties involved. If it feels right to acknowledge a recent event at your trivia night, please do so.
Be mindful of the fact that Trivia Mafia teams represent a wide array of political viewpoints. While our content may be accused of betraying a liberal bent from time to time, a trivia night is not the appropriate venue for political diatribes (in fact, most players view them as a welcome respite from the exhausting daily news cycle). Reach out to the Host Manager or On-Call if you want help with verbiage or have questions.