Pop Culture Trivia Game | Michael Jordan, Failed Cars, 90s Nostalgia
Pop culture trivia with friends always starts with a plan.
Then somebody brings up Michael Jordan, the Ford Pinto, awkward birthday songs, Santa Claus, JNCO jeans, Mountain Dew, and suddenly the plan is more of a suggestion.
In this episode of Maxwell’s Kitchen, I sit down with Jabroni and Philly Boy for another trivia game covering Michael Jordan, cars that flopped, celebrity yearbook photos, American holidays, Apple, clothing brands, video games, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and soda.
This is part trivia game, part comedy podcast, part nostalgia spiral, with a championship belt floating around in the background and rules that are still very much under construction.
The guests are using fake names because sometimes that is just smarter.
In This Episode
Pop culture trivia with friends
Michael Jordan trivia
The 1984 NBA Draft
The Dream Team
Cars that flopped
Ford Pinto, PT Cruiser, and Pontiac Aztek
Celebrity yearbook photos
American holiday trivia
Apple Corps, apple pie, and Steve Jobs
Clothing brands and 90s fashion
Hugo Boss, Victoria’s Secret, and JNCO jeans
Video game trivia
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Soda trivia and Mountain Dew
The final round and the championship belt
The Game
This episode is another round of pop culture trivia with categories pulled from the bowl, loose scoring, questionable strategy, and a final round that proves the rules probably need one more pass.
Maybe two.
The categories are all over the place in the best way: Michael Jordan, cars that flopped, yearbook photos, American holidays, Apple, clothing brands, video games, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and soda.
The game moves fast, but the detours are the real point.
Movie trailers. Private Parts. Dune. Happy Birthday being deeply uncomfortable. Weed vs. alcohol. Santa Claus. Original Game Boys. JNCO jeans. Mountain Dew and whiskey.
Normal trivia night stuff.
Michael Jordan, the Dream Team + Failed Cars
The game starts with Michael Jordan trivia, including his high school growth spurt, the 1984 NBA Draft, Hakeem Olajuwon, Sam Bowie, and the Dream Team.
Then it moves into cars that flopped, which is exactly where the Ford Pinto, PT Cruiser, and Pontiac Aztek belong.
Some cars become classics.
Some cars become warning labels.
Both are useful, depending on the trivia category.
Yearbook Photos + American Holidays
The yearbook photo category turns out to be dangerous because a few of them are easier than expected.
Beyoncé, Fergie, Ed Helms, Megan Fox.
This is the kind of category that works better when you are watching the video, because the whole point is seeing the photo and yelling an answer too confidently.
Then the American holidays category shows up and gets weirdly educational. Columbus Day, Veterans Day, New Year’s Day, Julius Caesar, and the kind of history that makes everyone realize they probably should have paid more attention in school.
Or at least remembered more of it.
Apple, Clothing Brands + 90s Fashion
The Apple category gets into Apple Corps, the Beatles, apple pie, Steve Jobs, and NeXT.
Then clothing brands takes a turn into Hugo Boss, Victoria’s Secret, athleisure, JNCO jeans, ripped denim, freezer jeans, and the very specific memory of jeans dragging under your shoes until the bottoms were destroyed.
If you were there, you know.
If you were not, congratulations. Your pant legs were probably dry.
Video Games, Ninja Turtles + Mountain Dew
The final round brings in video games, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and soda.
The best-selling game console question causes trouble.
Raphael saves someone.
Mountain Dew shows up as a whiskey mixer.
And by the end, someone walks away with the championship belt, even though the scoring system still feels like it was built during the episode.
Which it basically was.
Quick Takeaways
Pop culture trivia is better when the rules are slightly unstable.
Michael Jordan questions are dangerous if someone remembers a childhood book report at the exact right time.
The Ford Pinto is still the go-to answer for “car that flopped.”
Celebrity yearbook photos are easier when the clue accidentally gives too much away.
Singing Happy Birthday is awkward for everyone.
JNCO jeans were a real moment, and some of us survived it.
Mountain Dew being tied to whiskey makes way too much sense.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles knowledge can still decide a game.
The championship belt remains the most important fake prize in the room.
