The University of Connecticut Student Union Board of Governors (SUBOG) hosted a thrilling round of “Heated Rivalry” trivia in the Student Union theater on Monday, Nov. 9.
78 students competed for a chance to win a Shane Hollander jersey, an Ilya Rozanov jersey, a pink American flag with Hollander and Rozanov’s pictures, the complete “Game Changer” book series, book copies of “Heated Rivalry” and “The Long Game,” an imitation of Scott Hunter’s socks, “Heated Rivalry” socks, hockey flags, keychains and pins.
The top 15 fifteen winners could choose from any of these prizes.
Everyone was hyped about the event. Chatter filled the theater as students played. Some questions received cheers while others sat focused and quiet.
Sophie Coyle, a fifth-semester business management student, as well as SUBOG’s sports chair, was proud of the turnout.
“It was a huge success, I think, in my book,” Coyle said.
Coyle said everyone was excited to be at the event. She also said it was “a very welcoming and warm space for everyone.”
SUBOG hosted the event because “Heated Rivalry” is very popular and has a huge fan base, Coyle said. They also wanted to expand its sports committee to reach many different groups of people.
Before the event began, students checked in outside the theater, where glowsticks and “Heated Rivalry” stickers were provided. The line reached the Native American Cultural Programs’ door, demonstrating significant interest.
The game was played on Wayground, an online platform for making gameshow-like quizzes. It consisted of 102 questions spanning across multiple subjects.
The first 32 questions were multiple choice, covering basic topics of the show, including who the characters are, Hollander and Rozanov’s teams, Hollander’s favorite drink, who hospitalized Hollander and whether Hollander or Rozanov said “I love you” first. One unique question from the batch asked for the Russian translation of “I love you.”
The next five questions were fill-in-the-blank. They covered the show’s episode names.
After question 38, the format became a blend of multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank. Questions 39 through 50 addressed memorable quotes and songs. There was also a question about the show’s director.
Questions 51 through 63 were mainly more specific multiple choice. They were mostly about side characters, such as Hayden Pike and Svetlana Vetrova.
From question 64 onward, the game put a special emphasis on the books. Some questions asked about quotes from the books, and others addressed characters and events from “Game Changer” and “The Long Game.” One even asked for the correct order of the “Game Changer” series.
While many of the remaining questions were about characters from other books, a few were about Hollander and Rozanov. Two were about Hollander and Rosanov’s birthdays. Another was about Rosanov’s favorite fast-food restaurant. Other questions inquired about Hollander and Rosanov’s actors’ names and the location of the cottage in the sixth episode.
As students played the game, podium positions fluctuated. Players named Maria, Emma M and Katerina frequently fought for second, third and fourth place. Meanwhile, Shae Farago, a third-semester digital and technical theatre major, held on to the number one spot.
When the game ended, Farago won and claimed the Rozanov jersey. Second place was Emma M, who picked the Hollander jersey. Third place was Katrina, who chose a pin. Some of the remaining 12 winners were Milani Williams, Francesca Moriello and a player named Storm, who received the other prizes.
Farago was thrilled about being the champion. They said it was “really funny.”
“I just know way too much about this,” Farago said.
Farago had a lot of fun at the event and said that while it was a very stressful time, it was an enjoyable experience.
“I think [SUBOG] should do more of this stuff,” Farago said.