Imagine dedicating yourself to a weekly pub quiz, only to discover that your rivals have been secretly using technology to cheat their way to victory! That's exactly what happened at a British pub in Greater Manchester, sparking a scandal the landlord jokingly calls "the crime of the century." Buckle up, because this story has more twists and turns than a poorly written murder mystery.
The Barking Dog pub, a local haunt, hosts a weekly trivia night that usually draws a crowd of 70 to 80 eager participants. The prize? A coveted £30 (approximately NZ$70) bar tab. It was a friendly competition, a chance to show off your knowledge, until a new team appeared about a year and a half ago.
Quiz master Bobby Bruen recalls this new team, comprised of middle-aged women, initially appearing to be simply brilliant. They seemed to effortlessly answer even the most obscure questions, dominating every round. Their winning streak became so consistent that it started driving other teams away, diminishing the friendly atmosphere that had previously defined the trivia nights. But here's where it gets controversial...
"We started getting a bit fishy because we had complaints about them cheating, but we never saw anything," Bruen confessed. The suspicions really took hold during the music round. This round wasn't just about naming the song and artist; contestants also had to identify a secret connection between the ten songs played. Think themes like songs that peaked at number two on the UK charts, or tracks sharing a common producer.
Bruen, suspecting foul play, decided to throw in some exceptionally difficult questions, the kind he believed no one – "especially not a team like that" – could possibly answer correctly. "From '80s hip hop to '50s rock to 2010s pop music, they’d get everything… even with the producer's titles which aren’t even mentioned on Spotify – I didn’t have no clue of the connection – that’s when I thought 'right, you really are cheating now'." He threw everything he had at them, obscure facts and deep cuts, but they remained unfazed.
To try and level the playing field, a ban on phones during the quiz was implemented about six weeks prior to the big reveal. This calmed suspicions for a while, but the team continued their winning streak. And this is the part most people miss... the staff realized that the phone ban wasn't enough. They had to actively investigate.
One staff member started discreetly observing the team, trying to catch them in the act, but couldn't pinpoint their method. Then, another staff member took a more daring approach, slipping outside to peer through the window. That's when they saw it: the team members were whispering into their smartwatches, seemingly using an app to identify the songs. Busted!
When confronted, the team offered no defense. "They just stayed silent, they didn’t even deny it. They just sat in silence and turned away." The consequences were swift: the team was banned from the pub quiz. Their identities remain anonymous, "for our sake and their sake," Bruen explained, suggesting a desire to avoid further drama or potential repercussions.
However, news of the scandal spread like wildfire after the pub’s landlord, Mark Rackham, shared the story on Facebook. He told the BBC that the anonymity surrounding the cheating team sparked a "massive whodunnit." "Everyone's desperate to know who's done it. I was at a council meeting the next day and people were coming over and asking me about the quiz," he said, jokingly referring to the incident as "the crime of the century." Rackham's post clearly resonated with people.
Despite the uproar, Bruen doesn't believe any changes to the quiz rules are necessary. He confidently stated, "Because of how much media frenzy that this story has got that no one would dare to cheat in this pub again, because you’ll end up in the news in New Zealand." The sheer embarrassment of being caught and publicly shamed, he believes, will be enough to deter future cheaters.
What do you think? Was banning the team enough, or should they have been publicly identified? Does the potential for tech-assisted cheating ruin the fun of pub quizzes, or is it just part of the game now? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
