Every Wednesday at 6 p.m., UCF’s Foxtail is buzzing with students hunched over their laptops and talking with their peers. Are they studying for an upcoming test? No. They are practicing their knowledge for the most intense quiz of their life: Foxtail Trivia.Â
For years, I had heard about trivia nights at the campus bookstore cafe, but I had never actually attended one myself. This semester, a friend invited me, and I didn’t know what to expect. I figured it would be fun and relaxed, like bar trivia in movies and TV shows. After one night, I learned just how serious these trivia fanatics are.Â
From the outside, UCF trivia seems like a simple, innocent trivia night, but it is a whole subculture within the university. From the bookstore employees who host the trivia, the rotating catalog of categories, and the team spirit, there is something in it for everyone involved. These trivia nights are beloved regardless of those who attend religiously or casually.Â
Located in the Foxtail Cafe at the UCF Campus Bookstore branch, this trivia league is a collaboration between the cafe and bookstore employees. Each week, the host, Nick, and his bookstore staff pick a theme and create rounds of questions to ask. These themes vary from Harry Potter to British Pop Culture. My personal favorites so far have been The Muppets and Girls trivia nights. Each theme gets four basic rounds: a clutch round to give teams a chance to boost their scores and a tiebreaker round to determine the top three groups.Â
Alongside the rotation of trivia themes, matching drinks are offered at the cafe. It varies between four and six specialty drinks and can be coffees, teas, or lemonades. At the Oscars trivia, one of the drinks was a matcha lemonade modeled after the Oscar-nominated film The Substance. A favorite of mine was the mocha mudslide frappuccino during Jurassic Park week. By purchasing one of these drinks during the event, you can add bonus points to your final score. Outside of the trivia, the beverages are on sale the entire week, allowing students to enjoy them whether they participate or not.Â
The energy for this competition comes not only from the staff but from the people who attend. Team pride runs deep as they show up weekly, hoping to rise in the semester’s league ranks and win various prizes. The teams dedicate themselves to quizzing each other on their knowledge before the game starts or even taking advantage of bonus points to better their odds of winning. As mentioned, buying one of the themed drinks gets teams a point for each drink purchased. Dressing to the theme is another way for groups to gain these points. Participants go all out for their favorite themes, spending the days before the big night to prep their costumes. There was even one night when two people dressed up as lightsabers to match the Star Wars theme. Groups pull out all the stops to ensure they come out on top.
While earning points is a significant part of the trivia culture, teams still find other ways to engage with each other outside of the event. Many teams have created Instagram accounts to post about their team after each trivia night or to showcase fun content related to the weekly theme. For the most recent theme, Back 2 School, the trivia team accounts posted baby picture collages of their players. On other occasions, there have been drawing competitions where each team posts their artwork, and users can vote on their favorite. For anime week, all teams were challenged to draw UCF’s mascot, Knightro, in their favorite animation style.Â
This weekly event, while still relatively niche at UCF, is treasured by everyone involved. If you ever find yourself with some free time on a Wednesday night, you should rally your friends and join in on the activity. The UCF trivia is a fun way to bond with those on your team and engage in healthy competition with other trivia lovers.