Join the Team

John Mark

Owner/Founder/Host/Question Writer

From the 309, John Mark founded Twin City Trivia in 2014 when he noticed Bloomington/Normal needed a Trivia nightlife.

He grew up on Seinfeld, 80’s pop, and the Cubs. He loves running the business, Spicy Chicken Fillet sandwiches from Wendy’s and stand-up comedy. When he’s not working, he enjoys going on adventures out of town whenever possible.

He has a 19-year-old son who loves baseball like his father, a Beagle named Emmy, a mini Goldendoodle named Lady Bird, and his roommate, Alexa, lives in an Amazon Echo on his desk.

Hugs and kisses.

Hosts at Pour Bros. (Bloomington) on Wednesdays

Doug

Head of Hosting Operations/Trivia/Music Bingo Host

Since Doug was a little boy, he dreamed of becoming a trivia host. Just kidding. Doug can’t dream because he’s too tough for sleep. But on the rare occasions that he does dream, it’s unrelentingly about the Starship Enterprise.

Doug will eat leftover food from the refrigerator that has no discernible date of production- without first instituting the smell test. He never misses an opportunity to use the finger guns. He had a favorite stuffed raccoon named Coonie when he was a lad. His basement bar is rated a top 30 Bloomington/Normal attraction on Trip Advisor. Doug’s insatiable appetite for hot wings is only eclipsed by his infatuation with breakfast cereal.

A nerd in his own right (but the cool kind of nerd, not the kind that makes you rich), Doug has a diversity of useless knowledge and a jocular personality that can only assure that trivia nights with him will be fun and unforgettable. Every. Single. Time.

Hosts at:

Tuesday: CRAFTED (Bloomington)
Wednesday: Minier Tap (Minier)

Aaron

Head of Seattle Operations/Trivia Host/Music Bingo Host

Bio Coming Soon!

Hosts Music Bingo at Sully’s Queen Anne on Wednesdays

Russ

Question Writer/Spreadsheet Wizard/Host

Software developer by day, Russ has been writing and hosting trivia events since 2001, and got into the pub quiz business in 2012.

When he’s not writing trivia or hosting, he enjoys competing in trivia competitions around the US and hanging out with his wife Tammy, kids Emma and Jack, and dog Mabel. He’s impossibly boring.

Trivia specialties include 80’s Pop Culture, Art, and the Oscars.

You can find him sleeping in on Saturdays.

Hosts at Anvil and Forge (Springfield, IL) on Thursdays

Jason (aka Rockey)

Host/Question Writer

Having mastered the art of the high-angle MySpace selfie, Jason decided to give trivia a try.
He is an avid supporter of the Twin City Trivia format who spent a few years as a player before stepping up to host.
Having peaked too early by being nominated valedictorian of his junior high school, Jason claims to have pretty much petered out from there.

Formerly an Arby’s General Manager, he now works in social media and no longer “has the meats”.
Jason is a fan of nerd stuff like Marvel Comics, Pro Wrestling, and The Simpsons. He has an exhaustive collection of Funko POPs, which is now something he realizes he maybe shouldn’t admit to on a public forum.

Jason grew up in the Peoria area and still lives there with his wife Jen and his large adult son, Groot.

Dan L.

Question Writer

Dan is the younger, more presentable brother of Twin City Trivia host Mike L. A Bloomington-Normal native, he sought comfort in the warm embrace of video games, movies and music growing up since he was too uncoordinated to be successful at team sports. An assemblage of trivial and often niche knowledge, he began playing Twin City Trivia at Firehouse a few years ago.

Dan works as a teaching assistant at a local junior high school and also works part time at his uncle’s meat shop. When he is not hosting or writing trivia, Dan enjoys playing PC games, absorbing mass amounts of minutia from the internet, hanging out with his dog and sometimes he actually goes outside to play disc golf.

Kyle O.

Trivia Host/Question Writer

They say that those who can’t do, teach, and that those who can’t win Trivia, host.  Kyle is a teacher and trivia host (and club sponsor, track coach, book editor, and more) from right here in Bloomington-Normal.  He’s never been to Disney and doesn’t feel bad about it.

Kyle was once likened to a “wise gibbon,” which may be the nicest thing anyone has ever said about him.

Shoutout to Barbara Boll Weevil, Kyle’s Trivia team mascot and good luck charm.

Hosts Trivia at Keg Grove (Bloomington, IL) on Wednesdays

Brandon

Trivia Host

Originally from Iroquois County, Brandon has lived in Taylorville since 2001 when he moved there to become a radio announcer and news reporter. Having left full time radio in 2011, he has spent the last decade as a part-time broadcaster, hotel manager and medical biller.

In Trivia, he is known primarily for his sports expertise. He has also written and hosted a variety of trivia fundraisers. In addition to Trivia, Brandon is an avid fan of boxing, bowling, the Portland Trail Blazers and Miami Marlins.

He and his wife Megan serve on the board of the Forever Home Feline Ranch cat rescue in Rochester. He has two sons and five cats.

Hosts at:

Sky Lounge (Springfield, IL) on Mondays

Brewski’s (Springfield, IL) on Wednesdays

Brian

Trivia/Music Bingo Host

Born in Springfield, in the glorious, neon specter of the 1980’s, Brian early on picked up a knack for remembering truly useless info. He parlayed this into a love of all things trivia, and when he came of drinking age, hit the ground running in the pub quiz circuit. After playing for nearly a decade, he figured if you can’t beat them, join them.

When he isn’t hosting a Trivia or Music Bingo night, Brian can be found sitting in front of his computer trying to make sure things don’t blow up for the state Treasurer’s office. He still enjoys going to the occasional Trivia night when he has time and loves spending whatever free time left playing video games or rooting on the Atlanta Braves.

Hosts at:

Trivia at Hand of Fate on Wednesdays (Petersburg)

Music Bingo at Brickhouse Grill & Pub on Thursdays (Springfield)

Trivia/Music Bingo at It’s All About Wine on Saturdays (Springfield)

Cara

Music Bingo Host

Bio Coming Soon!

Cassie

Trivia Host

Bio Coming Soon

Hosts at DR McKays (Bloomington, IL) on Thursday nights

Daniel

Trivia/Music Bingo Host

Bio Coming Soon!

Curt

Trivia Host

Born and raised in Kewanee, IL, Curt moved to Blo/No in 1999 to attend ISU and never left. After earning a degree in the biological sciences, he followed the career path of so many before him in the field by promptly taking a job in social services working with kids.

Even after forcing John Mark to read a litany of raunchy and offensive team names while playing weekly trivia at Firehouse for years, he still offered Curt the opportunity to host a night.

When not playing or hosting trivia, Curt can be found drinking whiskey, throwing darts, and playing tunes at local open mic nights and gigs around Blo/No.

Hosts at:

Station Saloon (Downs) on Mondays

Barrel  House (Bloomington) on Tuesdays

Jeremy

Trivia/Music Bingo Host

Born and raised in Central Illinois and now residing in Eureka, Jeremy has always had a passion for trivia and entertainment. He grew up watching Jeopardy at a young age which led to a desire to host trivia today. After years of playing trivia in the area, he decided to start hosting in 2022. Now, he watches his oldest son picking up a toy microphone and telling his stuffed animals that it’s time to “play trivia”.

A master in the world of Harry Potter, Disney/Pixar, and film/television, Jeremy especially enjoys the many theme nights Twin City Trivia has to offer and often will be seen hosting them. Jeremy also is a giant sports fan. You can see him rooting for the Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, and whatever NFL player is on his fantasy football team.

When he is not hosting trivia, he manages a local financial institution where he spends his days helping the community with their every day banking needs.

Hosts at:

Music Bingo on Tuesdays at Windjammer (Bloomington)

Trivia every 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month at The Local Tap (El Paso)

Joel

Trivia/Music Bingo Host

Joel is a life-long resident of the Bloomington/Normal community and has always loved playing trivia with, and against, his friends.  He used to observe verbal arguments during family game nights about who got to have him on their team, because he has a wealth of so-called “worthless knowledge” rattling around in his head, as well as countless song lyrics. Don’t ask him to remember your birthday, but if you need to know the lyrics of Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire”, he’s your guy.

If Joel isn’t playing or hosting Trivia or Music Bingo, you can most likely find him chasing Tiffany, Here Come the Mummies, or Reba around the country as this is his favorite past-time.

Hosts Music Bingo at Run N’ Erin’s (Bloomington, IL) on Wednesday nights.

Joni (AKA JZ)

Trivia Host

Joni is proud to be born & raised in Decatur, IL. She graduated from Illinois State with a degree in Elementary Education, but soon thereafter, realized she wasn’t all that fond of other people’s children. So she called an audible and entered the exotic, prestigious career of Crop Insurance, even though she admittedly knows nothing about farming. Her passion lies in volunteerism, though. She’s mentored with Big Brothers Big Sisters and has been on the Board of Directors for United Way of Mid Illinois since 2018.

As a consummate cat mom, Joni’s pride & joy are her three sassy fluffballs named Harlow, Piper, and Fiona. In her spare time, Joni enjoys going to concerts & STL Cardinals games, experimenting with fashion, putting together jigsaw puzzles, watching Letterkenny & Schitt’s Creek, and spending sunny afternoons on other people’s boats. Joni is fluent in 5 languages… profanity, rap lyrics, sexual innuendos, meowing, and sarcasm.

Loves: Guacamole, snakes, and Amazon Prime
Hates: Spiders, wet paper towels, and dangling prepositions
Excels at: Party Planning, making up new lyrics to existing songs, and Flippy Cup

Hosts at:
Wednesdays: Sloan’s Calzones (Decatur)

Justin

Trivia Host

Known for his gorgeous smile and beautiful bald head, you probably recognize Justin from such places as the local coffee shop, the gym and your wildest dreams. Justin grew up in Downs and lived most of his life in Bloomington, which makes him extremely cultured an expert in Midwestern sarcasm.

A history and political junkie, Justin’s knowledge of facts only your grandparents should know will amaze the most casual trivia goer. During the day, he works as a professional sales trainer but at night he blasts his favorite 90’s jams and shares useless information with the masses.

Kameron

Trivia/Music Bingo Host

Kameron is a former resident of Colfax and graduated from Ridgeview High School and then Illinois State University.

He is a Sci-Fi Buff and a huge Trekkie.  He collects Star Trek memorabilia and enjoys playing Trivia and now hosting.

Hosts at Colfax Bar and Grill on Wednesday Nights.  (Colfax, IL)

Kendal

Music Bingo Host

Originally from Northern California, Kendal is a Seattle transplant who fell in love with Music Bingo while living in Norfolk, Virginia.  A West Coaster at heart, Kendal knew he needed to bring Music Bingo back to the “Best Coast”.

He grew up on golden oldies and loves all genres of music but thrives on the 80’s, 90’s, and his favorite genre, Yacht Rock.

Kendal was a former 7th Grade Science teacher and now trains school IT Directors how to integrate Google into their environment.  So you could say Kendal likes to talk for a living.  This is perfect because he stumbled upon hosting Music Bingo which is another outlet for him to chat it up.  Outside of work and hosting, Kendal loves to draw, explore the outdoors, paddleboard and tasted all of the craft beers… “for science”.  He also recently self-published his second children’s book and is working on a music based book next!

Hosts at:

Good Society Brewing (West Seattle) on Wednesdays

LaMyiah

Trivia/Music Bingo Host

She’s coming in HOT!  LaMyiah Pearlinia is all about the “MC Life” from Lifestyle Show Anchor to Music Bingo Rockstar!

LP is from Saint Paul, MN by way of Texas. She’s now here in Springfield living LARGE. Her go-to phrase every night at Music Bingo is “If you can hear me, say ‘heeeyyyy girl'”. It gets people going. LP is an arts & crafts lover, serial restaurant go-er, and part-time Shazzam-er.

(P.S.  Ask her about meeting Ludacris…she loves to talk about it)

Catch her at Sky Lounge in Springfield, IL on Wednesdays for Music Bingo.

Lawrence

Trivia Host

Lawrence has possibly been named the World Champ of 80’s movies trivia by the Mayor of Trivia Town.  He’s been hosting trivia in some form since 2015.  The greatest moment of his life happened at 11:47 PM (CST) on 11/2/2016.

When Lawrence isn’t hosting trivia he is thinking of trivia.  When he isn’t thinking of trivia or hosting trivia he accepts a paycheck as a project manager.  If you approach him while singing Limp Bizkit, you will probably get neck punched.

Marty

Trivia Host

Marty “McFly” Ryan was born and raised in Lincoln, IL. After spending 6 years in Milwaukee, and another 7 in the Chicago suburbs, he has not-so-triumphantly returned to his roots. While growing up, if he and his friends weren’t riding bikes or playing sports, they were quoting lines from TV and movies. Marty loves live music and is a huge Grateful Dead fan. His daughter, Dylan, is almost 6 and she is the love of his life.

Top movies:
The Big Lebowski, The Royal Tennenbaums, Goodfellas, and The Burbs.

Top TV shows:
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Eastbound & Down, and Arrest Development.

Hosts at Spirited Republic on Wednesdays (Lincoln, IL)

Matt M.

Trivia Host

Matt is a Comedian, Karaoke DJ, Hand Model, Kid Rock Impersonator, and now Trivia Host! He has traveled all over the Midwest, entertaining crowds since 2019 with his many talents.

He has a beautiful wife, two cats, and the rumors about him living in his car are completely false. Matt also loves long walks on the beach and coleslaw.

This smooth talking, suit wearing, long haired entertainer is stoked to be a part of the Twin City Trivia team. If you like your Trivia with a side of chaos, then his shows are for you!

Max

Max is a recent graduate of Illinois State University with a degree in radio and coloring books. When he’s not hosting trivia, you can find him performing comedy all over Central Illinois, or captivating listeners with his weekend radio shows on 107.9 FM WKIO. Also new to the freelance scene, Max is building his brand of comedy and professional voice work with audiobooks and radio advertisements. Max has a cat, Ash, and lives/causes trouble with, his two best friends/roommates Cody and Nathan. He can also be found causing havoc with his girlfriend, Haley, around the Champaign-Urbana area.

Max hosts Trivia at:

The Space (Champaign, IL) on Mondays

Goldy’s 2.0 (Champaign, IL) on Thursdays

Mike

Trivia Host

Mike is a Twin Cities native. Growing up with sorta strict parents, he did not grow up watching The Simpsons or MTV.  Howeve,r Mike’s childhood was filled with lots of Pee-Wee (RIP), Blues Brothers (taped and edited from TV) and Indiana Jones movies. He played a lot of baseball and loved dirt bikes, monster trucks or anything with a motor.

Colege at SIU (Carbondale) opened up a new world to Mike.  Thanks to a new freedom from his parents, Mike found out about alcohol and was finally able to watch The Simpsons and find out what Seinfeld was all about. He graduated with a degree in TV/Radio production and is now a part-time professional photographer.

Currently, Mike is a Securities Principal by day, which means he herds cats that sell financial products to make sure they are following the rules. He and his wife have the average family with 1 girl, 1 boy, and a dog.  They enjoy spending their free time taking the camper to national parks to hike.

His favorite movie is the Big Lebowski, his favorite band is MxPx, and his favorite foods are a rotation of BBQ, tacos, and pizza.

Oh, and he doesn’t like Ranch dressing.

Mike hosts at Fat Jack’s (Bloomington, IL) on Tuesdays

Nate T.

Trivia Host

Nate grew up in Bloomington, IL and now resides in Urbana. He is a middle school teacher by day, so you know he can handle all the stress and heckling associated with being a trivia host.

When he is not hosting trivia, which is often since he only hosts once per month, he likes watching college football, going to concerts, annoying his friends with Seinfeld quotes, collecting coins, and drinking a beer or two with his buddies.

Nick M.

Trivia Host

Originally from the Springfield, IL area now living in Champaign, Nick brings the jokes and sarcasm to trivia nights thanks to his years as a podcaster and DJ.  Now with the ability to put another microphone in his hand, Nick has turned to Trivia.

In 2021, Nick became the PA announcer for the Fighting Illini Men’s Hockey team.  Nick and his wife are on the board of the Champaign/Urbana Youth Hockey Association and have a son who is on the house team.

Nick loves sipping on a good bourbon while listening to music, watching comedy shows, reading comics, and watching Marvel movies and TV shows.  You can also win him over with a really cheesy Dad joke.

Hosts at:

Boomerang’s on Mondays (Champaign, IL)

VFW on Wednesdays (Champaign, IL)

Nico

Trivia Host

Bred in Texas, braised in California. Nico de Gallo knew they wanted to be an actor from the moment their parents first called them a ham. They even graduated high school early just so they could hightail it to LA and start their career in entertainment ASAP. Since then, Nico de Gallo has acted, rapped, performed live comedy, started a YouTube channel, and even nabbed a degree in linguistics while they were at it!

After doing some quarantine-induced soul searching, Nico visited family in Texas, accidentally fell in love with another Texan, and moved to Austin! Boy, did that pay off. Not only have they been able to continue acting and music, they’ve recently begun voice acting and hosting burlesque and drag shows all over town!

Jack of a trades and, surprisingly, pretty damn good at all of them.

Nico hosts at:

Trivia at Easy Tiger South Lamar on Tuesdays (Austin, TX)

Music Bingo at The Hive on Thursdays (Austin, TX)

Rose

Trivia and Music Bingo Host

Hailing from the small town of Eureka, Rose got bit by the travel bug at a young age so she is always trying to see new places!

Rose loves a good drink and alcohol is her trivia specialty- especially wine. She also never says no to a shot (Hint, hint!).

She’s a loving mother to 2 crazy cats, Luna and Apollo. If you enjoy watching someone dance with their shoulders and sing along to all the songs then check her out at Music Bingo! And if you want a good laugh hearing her mispronounced words, join her for Trivia!

Hosts at:
Music Bingo at Dr. McKay’s (Bloomington, IL) on Mondays

Trivia at The Outpost (Eureka, IL) on Wednesdays

Will

Trivia Host

Will is a goofy RPG enthusiast and stay-at-home dad who converted his dungeon-mastering ability into trivia-hosting skills. He also dabbles in dog agility training, PC building, playing bass guitar, and singing karaoke enthusiastically (although not particularly well).

He also enjoys craft beer, cider, and mead as well as Golden State Warriors basketball.

Will hosts at Easy Tiger Linc (Austin, TX) on Mondays.

Serena

Music Bingo Host

A Southern Illinois native, Serena has migrated all the way from her little hometown Newton, IL moving her way north via EIU to her big-city office job here at State Farm.

Trivia runs in her blood. She shares her wealth of random knowledge, love of Jeopardy! and on-this-day facts with her dad. She was a band nerd, scholastic bowl team captain and trivia champion back before it was cool (just tell her it’s not cool now, either, and her awesome regular trivia team almost never uses the same name twice. They’ve been subjecting John Mark to reading wacky team names since the early Twin City Trivia days at Eleven (RIP).

Outside of work and trivia, Serena listens to an eclectic (i.e. embarrassing) mix of music and true crime podcast, plays Skyrim and Fallout excessively, hangs out with her friends and craft-beer-genius boyfriend (who has better, longer hair), and is owned by 4 cats. Her dream is eventually to open a cat cafe/brewery here in town… once they win the lotto.

Hosts Music Bingo at BloNo Pizza Co. on Thursdays

Travis

Trivia Host

Travis is from West Texas and graduated from Texas Tech University with a degree in Business Management. After pursuing the business administration field for several years, he went on to become a substitute teacher after learning about the need from a co-worker.

Travis enjoys skateboarding, good movies, and good times with friends.  When he isn’t subbing for teachers or trivia hosts, Travis also does photography for Big Worth Picture Company.

Steve S.

Trivia Host

Whether you’ve heard him screaming at the top of his lungs announcing local indie wrestling or on the radio around BloNo, you may have heard Steve’s voice before.

A weekly regular at Firehouse, Steve’s Trivia expertise is niche.  He’s got college mascots and 90’s wrestling covered…just don’t ask him anything about movies.

Symply

Trivia/Music Bingo Host

A comic, storyteller, and beatboxer who has performed all over the U.S. in comedy clubs, bars, churches, community centers, a gun store, and even a train.

Courtney effortlessly weaves social commentary and quirky personal anecdotes about fatherhood and growing up with a unisex name. Courtney’s onstage poise and playful off-the-cuff interactions with audience members leave the crowd feeling like they just spent the evening with their (really funny) best friend.

Tony

Trivia Host

PhD in Biology! During his time in grad school, Tony studied how reptiles with temperature-dependent sex determination could be affected by climate change. Friends and co-workers have described him as “the heart of the friend group”, “the life of the party”, and “the eternal hype man”. Top interests include but are not limited to:  Science, History, A Song of Fire and Ice, Anime, Rock Music, and… TRIVIA!

Thagg

Trivia Host

Bio Coming Soon!

Hosts:

Music Bingo at Windjammer (Bloomington, IL) on Tuesdays

Trivia at Windjammer (Bloomington, IL) on Wednesdays

Whitney

Trivia Host

Charmingly referring to herself as your “Millennial Girl in a Trivia World”, Whitney started hosting trivia in January 2022.  After graduating from University of Illinois Springfield with a bachelor’s degree in Communications and Media Studies, she soon realized her love of connecting with others.  Working locally as a Community Marketing Manager, Whitney uses her background in social media strategy and public relations to reflect in her hosting style!

Whitney has a flair for all things millennial!  She loves 90s/2000s music (specifically Fall Out Boy, Usher, Destiny’s Child, Plain White T’s, The Cranberries and Savage Garden).  She’s an avid Harry Potter fan and enjoys living a childfree life that includes being a proud fur mama to her two cats, Salazar and Poppy.  In her spare time, Whitney enjoys traveling with her husband, hiking, mushroom hunting, fishing, trying new restaurants and visiting all places that end in “ery” (brewery, cidery, meadery, distillery, and winery).

Loves: USWNT Soccer, Holy Trifecta (Guac, Queso and Salsa), Cats/Dogs, Auntie to 5, Pepperoni Pizza, Netflix, A League of Their Own, Event Planning, Singing like an off brand American Idol Winner, Oregon Trail and Pickleball (both the food and the sport!)

Hates: Running, Beets, Allergies, Rude people, Bugs (the lady kind are acceptable), Early Risers, and Sand (gets in all the crevices).