HQ Trivia is gone forever, but it certainly went out with a drunken bang. Friday brought word to the digital world that the mobile game show HQ Trivia was calling it quits, but not before one final episode in which the show’s hosts truly did not give a sh*t. It was a beautiful drunken mess.
The startup had a wild history, including paying $6 million in prizes out of the $15 million it raised from investors. But perhaps the wildest moment in HQ Trivia history played out live on air. As TechCrunch pointed out, the final episode was preserved via a YouTube video that contains some incredibly drunk, funny moments. The two hosts, Matt Richards and Anna Roisman, openly asked for new jobs, sprayed champagne and swore a lot.
It’s understandable, as they were told abruptly that the company had run out of money and they were losing their jobs. It’s sad, but the last episode was also hilarious, with the two making jokes about how the digital game show struggled to award big prizes as its popularity grew and, well, how much it sucks to lose your job.
As HQ After Dark began, it was clear that it would go off the rails pretty much right away.
“We’re really shutting down,” a drunk-sounding Richards said. “It’s really happening.”
He started singing ‘End of the Road’ by Boyz II Men, and a jacket was thrown over his head. Roisman then appears on camera to stand up a broom, a viral trend of late, while Richards drunkenly continues the intro.
“Not gonna lie. This f*cking sucks,” Richards yelled. “This is the last HQ ever!”
The game was then introduced as such, with Roisman poking fun at the low prize amounts players get if they win.
“If you just got here, this is HQ Trivia. It’s a live mobile gameshow,” she said. “We’re gonna read about 34 questions and then you’re gonna win about 2 cents and you’re gonna f*cking love it.”
There were a lot of vulgar jokes and pleas for jobs, and considering both work as comedians this serves as a pretty solid audition tape. One nice thing about the final episode was the load of nice comments from longtime fans of the show, who enjoyed the hosts and their work. Except for one commenter, who got a very funny threat for their effort.
“‘Won’t miss you at all, good riddance,’” Roisman read off, prompting Richards to say: “Who said that? Let’s find that mothef*cker and sh*t on his porch.”
If you don’t want to sit through the whole mess, things really get going near the end of the game around the 40 minute mark.
Richards explained to fans that he was given tequila shots, which is why he was drunk. There was also a bottle of champagne they were saving for a special occasion that they opened live on air because, why not? In the end, a bunch of people won not a lot of money, and Richards got to make one last joke.
“520 people are splitting $5,” he said. “Send me your Venmo requests and I’ll send you your fraction of a penny.”
HQ Trivia will certainly be missed by those who played to the end, and hopefully everyone who lost their jobs will find more work soon. But they certainly knew how to create a memorable end for a once-viral tech startup.
[via TechCrunch]