🏆 2026 MeatEater Trivia Championship Kickoff

• 💡 The fourth annual MeatEater Trivia Championship begins with Episode 1, featuring hosts Spencer New and participants Steve Giannis, Randall, Brody, Seth, and Corey.
• 🎯 The competition will span three episodes and 30 questions, with the highest scorer declared the champion.
• 💰 The winner will earn a $2,000 donation to a charity of their choice, along with a plaque.

⚠️ Steve's Flea-Infested Coyote Story

• 🐾 Steve recounted an incident involving fleas from coyotes caught during a mild winter, leading to a cut hand requiring 10 stitches.
• 🚿 He secretly took a shower to avoid bringing fleas into the bed, a detail his wife was unaware of at the time.
• ✉️ Days later, his wife sent an angry text about itchy ankles at tennis, suspecting fleas from his trapping activities, which he tried to downplay by referencing past, forgotten incidents.

🧠 Round 1 Trivia Questions & Answers

• 🗺️ Question 1 (Fishing): The Rio Grande is the longest among the given rivers (1,800 miles), beating Columbia, Ohio, and Tennessee.
• 🐛 Question 2 (Biology): The four-letter word for an insect stage after larvae and before adult is pupa, a stage of metamorphosis.
• 🔋 Question 3 (Hunting): The most common 3V battery in rangefinders is the CR2, known for its lithium chemistry and round shape.
• ⛰️ Question 4 (Public Lands): Aaron Ralston cut off his arm in Blue John Canyon, Utah, after being trapped by an 800lb boulder for five days.
• 🚫 Question 5 (Conservation): The campaign targeting anglers and boaters to prevent species spread is "Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers."
• 👂 Question 6 (Hunting): The condition causing ringing in the ears, often due to loud noise exposure, is tinnitus.
• 🎣 Question 7 (Fishing): The brand known for Castmaster and Little Cleo lures, with a "cartoony" name, is Acme Tackle Company.
• 🐟 Question 8 (Cooking): A six-letter word for cured fish, especially herring, is kipper.
• ⛽ Question 9 (Conservation): The 2,000-mile pipeline carrying oil from Alberta to Texas, sharing a name with a beer, is the Keystone Pipeline.
• 🪵 Question 10 (Hunting): A single row of firewood, 4ft high and 8ft wide (one-third of a full cord), is called a face cord or a rick.

📊 Scoreboard Update & Wood BTUs

• 📈 After 10 questions, Giannis, Steve, and Brody are tied for first place with six points each, followed closely by Seth and Randall with five, and Corey with four.
• 🔥 A discussion arose about wood BTUs, noting that by volume, BTU varies, but by weight, all wood has the same BTU due to similar chemistry.