FORT SILL, Okla. (Sept. 15, 2016) -- Game show aficionados enjoyed an evening answering trivia questions and winning prizes in the new Army entertainment feature, Armed Forces Trivia Quest, at Sheridan Theater, here, Sept. 8. The free event drew Soldiers, Marines, civilians and families -- all of whom could be contestants. The four top scorers battled it out onstage for the grand prize.
Capt. Gene Richardson, A Battery, 1st Battalion, 30th Field Artillery, took the grand prize of $1,000 and the invitation to compete at the Tournament of Champions national finale at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas. Richardson, who is a student in the Field Artillery Captains Career Course, said he and his wife enjoy trivia games in restaurants.
Marine Chief Warrant Officer 3 Jason Rader, who works in the personnel and legal office as a member of the Marine Artillery Detachment, was the second-place winner of $500. He said he and his wife love watching "Jeopardy."
"My wife gets mad because I answer so fast," he said.
Staff Sgt. Bobby Shrader, noncommissioned officer in charge of the 3rd Battalion, 13th Field Artillery rear detachment, said "My whole goal was to get on stage." He said "Jeopardy" and "Family Feud" are TV game show favorites, and beamed broadly that he had, indeed, met his goal of getting behind the podium. His third place check was for $250.
Susan Moak, wife of Reynolds Army Community Hospital Staff Sgt. William Moak, won $100 and said even though she tends to do well playing trivia games at restaurants, Trivial Pursuit at home, and keeping up with "Jeopardy" on TV she was just too nervous to score better on stage. Moak works for the Armed Services YMCA in Lawton.
The final four also received a gift box with a Bluetooth speaker, power bank charger, and several other goodies.
The Armed Forces Trivia Quest is the brainchild of Steve Sellery, who hosted the show with impromptu good-natured humor, bantering with the participants. The program is an innovative partnership of corporate sponsors and Army Entertainment, an alliance previously frowned upon by the Department of Defense.
Sellery made it clear during the show that "no taxpayer money" was used, and the main sponsor, Super 8 motel chain, had its ad prominently on the show wall. Other sponsors had little commercials on the screen as a prelude to the giveaway of prizes they donated.
Col. Samuel Curtis, Fort Sill Garrison commander, met backstage with Sellery before the show, and expressed his appreciation for this type of entertainment geared to the military members and their families.
Sellery said his background has been in creating and managing sports events, and his interest in hosting this type of show came from his upbringing.
"I grew up in a household with a unique blend of teachers and entertainers," he said after the show. "This is a great way to serve something greater than myself. I wasn't fortunate enough to serve in our military, and this shows our gratitude. I enjoy talking with people and I've learned a lot from them."
He said the Trivia Quest geared for military families "is a great forum for fellowship, for us to showcase their service and have a really good time."
The trivia questions ranged from Fort Sill-specific topics, to sports, popular culture, history and other subjects. Participants were given clickers to register their answers, and they chose their teams based on the wristbands: Warriors, Defenders, Patriots, and Guardians. The top scorer from each team advanced onstage for the final battle.
When there was a technical glitch that prevented the stage buzzers from working, the Marine motto "adapt, improvise, and overcome" came into play. They worked out a system where answers were written down and contestants scored that way.
The 16-installation Trivia Quest tour began July 11, at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Va., and will end Oct. 3, with the Tournament of Champions.
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