Right before summer started and the school year was out this past May I came across something. It basically began my transition from perpetual TV watcher to perpetual YouTube watcher. Has there ever been anything you have found that was everything you have ever been passionate about all rolled into one? Do you know that feeling? That feeling when you find that thing that makes you the geek/nerd/enthusiast/whatever-you-wanna-call it that you are? Since May of this year I have watched over 100 hours of this one thing, and it has led to me watching probably over another 200 hours of all of this provider’s content ever since. This thing is Collider Video’s Movie Trivia Schmoedown. It’s movies. It’s Trivia. Its everything that is popular about entertainment and why people gravitate towards actors, characters, and even reality TV. I cannot explain the joy I felt when I watched my first episode
The Movie Trivia Schmoedown is an epic and perfect combination of the passion of movies, the thrill of trivia, and the entertainment of the WWE. Yes, the WWE! The Schmoedown is the brainchild of a former WWE writer (Kristian Harloff) and a stand-up comic (Mark Ellis). These two had already had a podcast together called the Schmoes Know podcast. They came up with the idea by getting their group of friends/co-workers together to see who was the biggest movie trivia connoisseur around them. Fast forward 3 years or so later (sorry if that seemed fast, but I wanna get into what makes this so great and I’m worried I am getting some of this history wrong), the contest amongst friends has generated one of the best competition shows in all of entertainment.
Being a former employee of the WWE, Harloff recognized what made wrestling so damned entertaining and incorporated those things into the Schmoedown. One of its best aspects are the characters created by the competitors. There are people who you absolutely love, and people who you absolutely love to hate. They come with their own nicknames and entrance music. Heels and heroes create their own factions and storylines stacked full with betrayals and team ups. Each player fights for the privilege to hold the belts in the singles division, teams division, and the Innergeekdom (exclusively asking questions around categories with cosplay-worthy followings - Star Wars, Star Trek, HP, LOTR, MCU, DCEU, etc.). There’s major events for summer and winter, including their version of the Royal Rumble called the Free 4 All (which was pretty epic). The Schmoes pay attention to every little detail in order to make the fans come back show after show to root for their favorites.
The following of the Schmoedown may someday rival that of the WWE. One huge reason is because many of them are one in the same. However, what makes this something that so many people resonate with is the fact that everything about it is organic. No matter the bells and whistles that come from the entertainment side of the show, the focus is always truth of the competition. The trivia is the foundation of everything. There would be no Innergeekdom (my personal favorite) if there weren’t so many savants of that movie knowledge. All of the storylines that are created come after the outcomes of the matches. Nothing fake here about how the best players become the GOATS (go find the Mt. Rushmore of Schmoedown Champions). Every come from behind victory, surprise take down, and 4-way knockout (seriously go watch the Free 4 All – spoiler alert?) is authentic. Even the somewhat exaggerated characters come from a place of authentic desire to win in this league. That competitive need to win has caused true transformation in some of its competitors, from their first nervous match to their 5th match where they are cursing out the judges for a perceived slight. The Schmoedown is serious, man!
It’s as exciting as many sporting events (definitely more so than baseball) and evokes as much passion from its fans as sports do. It has its own fantasy segment, stats and match breakdowns, post-interviews, and playoffs. Fans react to every match on YouTube, and the Schmoes are so truly authentic that some of those best reactors are now one of the best teams in the league. Harloff seriously invited them to come compete after seeing their reactions. The fans love the Schmoedown and the Schmoedown really loves its fans. Right now, it may seem like a small phenomenon relevant only to those who make up its cult following. But with every new celebrity match (LOSER’S CLUB!), guest host (MATT ISEMAN, Mr. Ameican Ninja Warrior), and big event, more and more people are going to catch on and become hooked.
Watching the Schmoedown makes me want to be there. It feels like what I would want to do with my best friends every week. I can feel the family atmosphere inside every aspect of the show. Being passionate about movies and loving trivia is exciting (at least to me). But its 10 times better when you are doing it around people you have fun with. That love and fun exudes off the computer screen and I can’t stop watching. If you have any interest in any of those things (and even if you don’t), go do yourself a favor and watch the Schmoedown. It’s glorious geekdom at its finest and a gateway to the rest of Collider’s content. I’ve become addicted and will stay hooked as long as they keep providing the drug. It’s actually what inspired me to start writing these reviews. So, I thank them. Come be inspired with the rest of us.