Two friends obsessed with pop culture have ascended to one of the highest levels of trivia competition.
Erica West (left) and Joshua Bote (right) are currently bringing their trivia skills, honed at Temescal Brewing in Oakland, to ‘Pop Culture Jeopardy.' (Sony Pictures Studios)
Two bar trivia enthusiasts from Oakland, armed with the type of knowledge that spans Lady Gaga's performances and episodes of The Office, are competing as semifinalists in the new season of Pop Culture Jeopardy.
The show, hosted by Saturday Night Live's Colin Jost, is modeled like traditional Jeopardy but focuses on categories associated with film, television, music and internet culture. The Oakland team is made up of two friends: Joshua Bote, a journalist (and former intern with KQED Arts), and Erica West, a social worker.
In one episode, Jost asked them to explain their team name “Oakland Spirit Tunnel.†It's a reference to the viral online segment from Jennifer Hudson's talk show.
West, also a big fan of Jeopardy, echoed this sentiment.
“They pan to my mom in the audience who watches Jeopardy every single day. We would watch together all the time. To be on the Alex Trebek stage, even holding the buzzer, I felt emotional. It means a lot.â€
‘Pop Culture Jeopardy' is streaming on Netflix now.
