Yes, these are probably the top 3 things in my life, especially the last one.

I’ve loved trivia for as long as I can remember. I enjoy watching Jeopardy! from time to time, but I wouldn’t say I’m the sharp. In the short time it was on, Win Ben Stein’s Money provided a good half hour of entertainment. It was digestable for me, and I even learned a thing or two.

My love of trivia extended past the TV; it was also on my radio. On Saturday nights, when I was at home doing homework (yeah, life of the party over here), I’d tune into Hooked on Trivia – The Radio Game Show hosted by Mike Cook. It was truly a family affair. His wife, Joyce, was the phone screener, and his son, Troy, was the sound engineer.

The show was always entertaining to me, and even after all these years, I can still hear Mike Cook saying “La Mesa, what a place-a.” When I had moved away from home, I also left the show behind. I believe it went off the air a few years after that (mid-2000s). 

Fast forward a few years later. A few months ago my fiance and I had started planning our wedding. At first, we wanted a simple, intimate affair. We really only planned on inviting about 20 people. But as time went on, the guest count increased and we eventually decided to have a live person instead of an iPod providing the music.

I eventually found Troy Cook, not realizing at first, that he was THE Troy Cook. On the day my fiance and I met with him, he called his dad so that I could ask him if he could meet with us about possibly doing a trivia show at our reception.

I must say I completely geeked out when I talked to Mike on the phone. It was strange that the voice that I listened to coming out of my radio was now coming out of a phone and talking to ME! We set up a meeting for the next day. My heart raced real fast.

The next day we met up with Mike and Joyce. It was just so surreal. I wanted to freak out. It was as though Brad and Angelina were standing before me. But I think I kept my composure (I’ll have to double check with my fiance on that) and managed to discuss the details with them.

Mike and Joyce are one of the cutest couples I’ve ever met. They have been married for close to (if not) more than 40 years, and they just seem to still be so happy and in love. They praised Troy a lot. I could tell they are proud parents (and grandparents). It made me hope my parents are just as proud of me. I am so glad that they weren’t rude or snotty. They couldn’t have been more pleasant.

I liked them so much that I asked them to attend the wedding. Our intent has always been to make this wedding a family affair, and to have all 3 of them there works perfectly. When I asked them what their address was so I could send the invitation, they told me to send it to Troy’s address because they said they were there all the time, taking care of their grandchild. How sweet is that? It just warmed my heart!

Anyway, Mike said he plans to bring the show back eventually. For now, he can be booked for special events. I’m really excited to say that our wedding will be the first wedding he’s done the show at. 🙂

And to think… we were scrambling to figure out some form of entertainment!