Another round of questions: the growing thirst for pub quizzes
Pub quizzes are catching on as hosts try to beat the weeknight slump
The probation period for joining the Recycled Virgins is 20 years, so the team’s newest member, John Louw, has 15 more years to wait.
The Virgins are one of Cape Town’s oldest pub quiz teams, and over the 30 years they have been together they have witnessed the growth of the latest subculture to grip the country.
Geek is the new chic and pub quizzes have become an increasingly popular way to be trendy while letting the nerd in you out.
All around South Africa more and more people are taking part in quiz nights at bars and restaurants as owners try to beat the weekday slump and bring in patrons.
Ondine Mond, owner of quiz-hosting company OMG Quiz Nights, said the resurgence in quiz nights was down to a combination of fun, safety and stimulation for people looking to break the mundanity and routine of the typical work week.
“It’s really taken off in the past year or so,” said Mond. “People want to go out and have a good time, and [quiz nights] are a guaranteed good time to have. Everyone is so isolated with Twitter and Facebook that they need a reason to come together.
Tried and tested
“The industry has taken the tried-andtested model and made it faster — because people have a lot less patience these days.”
Mond, who hosts a number of quizzes in Cape Town and Johannesburg, said themed Harry Potter and Game of Thrones quizzes were the most popular and often brought in crowds of more than 200.
Typically, quizzes are held on weeknights at a bar or a restaurant. Teams range between two and six players and entry fees are R20 to R50 a person. Teams go through about six to eight rounds of questions categorised by themes such as movies and entertainment, sports, science, and arts and culture.
Cheating by checking answers on smartphones can get you disqualified or having to buy a round for everyone in the bar.
Quizmaster Tom Maydon, aka Trivia Tom, said that while Johannesburg and Cape Town had the most pub quizzes, there were about 200 active quizzes in South Africa.
Pub quizzes have also become a lot more professional, with leagues and cash prizes. And corporate sponsors see them as an opportunity for marketing. Mond said: “We live in a world of service exchange, so people understand that if they give their product, they’re getting marketing in exchange. Once we gave away Rocky Horror Picture Show tickets worth about R4 000.”
Dean Kadir, manager of the Fireman’s Arms — which hosts one of Cape Town’s longest-running quizzes — said teams were usually made up of colleagues, families or friends. “What is nice is the demographic,” he said. “There are 20-somethings to 60-yearolds. It brings everybody together . . . They range from students to lawyers and doctors.”
The Recycled Virgins can’t count the quizzes they have won over the years. They save winnings to pay for weekends away and have no intention of retiring any time soon.