All right, kids… Let’s lower the lights and cue Ol’ Blue Eyes…

“And now the end is here
And so I face the final curtain…”

Okay, we don’t need the entire song. We get the idea. We’ve come to the end. How did we get here so quickly? It’s just so hard to believe…

We have one more week of answers to get through to determine who receives medals based on Week 5’s True/False questions, so let’s not delay any further.

Week 5 – True/False

Competitors: Monty, T, Venus, Paul, yoyoliving

1. Growing up, I had a dog named Duchess.
A) True
B) False

Correct: Venus, Paul, yoyoliving

Yes, I did have a dog named Duchess. She was a Sheltie-ish. When we got her we were informed that the mother was a purebred Sheltie and they weren’t sure what the father was. As Duchess grew, we realized that daddy must have been a big dog because she got a lot bigger than your average Sheltie. The name was in keeping with a theme of nobility with family pets. My grandparents had a dog named Prince. My aunt had a dog named Lady. We already had a dog named Princess. Duchess was a better fit than Baroness.

2. The first roller coaster I ever rode was Busch Gardens’ Loch Ness Monster.
A) True
B) False

Correct: Venus, yoyoliving

My first roller coaster no longer exists, but was also at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, VA. It was the Big Bad Wolf. And it is a real shame that this ride no longer exists. They demolished it at some point in the last 20 years or so to make room for Drachen Fire (I think). Loch Ness Monster is still there and was technically my second coaster. I was willing to ride it when I didn’t die riding the tamer Big Bad Wolf.

3. I have successfully been doing my own laundry since I was a freshman in high school.
A) True
B) False

Correct: Monty, T, Venus, Paul, yoyoliving

So there’s not much of backstory here. Unless you count the fact that I was forced to learn how to do my own laundry while I was hospitalized for an eating disorder during my freshman year of high school. Once I was released and allowed to return home, I just continued doing the chore for myself instead of having my mother do my laundry as had been done for my first 14 years of life.

4. I once ate an entire Pop’s Sundae Supreme (a dessert meant to be shared by four people) on a bet and won.
A) True
B) False

Correct: Monty, T, Paul, yoyoliving

This is a great story and I’m not sure I have room to do it justice. The Pop’s Sundae Supreme is a real dessert at a restaurant called Macado’s and it really is enormous. But I was not the subject of the bet. That honor goes to my friend Mark. Several of us were out one night during our college years and Mark claimed he could eat the whole thing. Another friend, Matt, bet that he couldn’t. When Mark succeeded, Matt was forced to shave off his goatee, a look that he was sort of known for on campus. So, this happened… just not to me.

5. The first time I ever boarded an airplane was when I flew to Istanbul in 2017.
A) True
B) False

Correct: Monty, T, Venus, Paul, yoyoliving

My first flight came in the spring of 2002 when I joined a group from Bluefield College on a mission trip to Brazil. While I can’t say I am a seasoned traveler, I have been on a number of flights since then, Istanbul being only one of those.

6. I was recently asked to help edit a book about the James Bond franchise.
A) True
B) False

Correct: Monty, T

The book is co-written by Brad Gilmore, who had previously reached out to me to help edit a second edition of his book Back From the Future. I think this came about when he saw my review of his book on Goodreads and, while I made it clear I enjoyed the book, I complained that there were a lot of simple grammatical errors that should have been caught by his editor. I really need to add this to my resume…

7. At the age of 5, my picture was in the local newspaper.
A) True
B) False

Correct: Monty, T, Venus

I was just hanging out on the playground at the day care center that I went to after kindergarten when a reporter and a photographer from The Roanoke Times came by. They didn’t get my parents’ permission to capture my image, but capture it they did… while documenting my reaction to Dr. Pepper Bubble Gum. It was bubble gum with a liquid center and that liquid was pure Dr. Pepper syrup. It was… interesting. Not sure they still make that stuff. But I can almost still taste it in my mind… very distinctive.

8. I have had more than two dozen roommates throughout my life.
A) True
B) False

Correct: Monty, T, Venus, Paul

So close… I have had 22 roommates since my freshman year of college. Still feels like an awful lot, but not quite two dozen.

9. As an adult, I have celebrated two birthdays at Chuck E. Cheese.
A) True
B) False

Correct: T, Venus, Paul, yoyoliving

Because why not? Okay, honestly, after that last one, I realized I’m too old for that stuff. But I think that’s because I spent too much time trying to play Skee-Ball and my back did not appreciate it at all.

10. The only broken bones I have ever experienced have come in the form of cracked ribs from coughing too hard in a fit of bronchitis.
A) True
B) False

Correct: Monty, T, Venus

I don’t have proof in the form of X-rays that ever showed that this happened. But on New Year’s Eve of 2000, my father drove me to the ER because I was coughing like crazy and complaining about sharp pains in my chest. Being New Year’s Eve, the place was insanely busy, so it’s not as if I got a thorough examination from a doctor. But I do remember him making the claim that ribs are about as fragile as an aluminum can, so a heavy cough can easily cause a break. They just gave me pain killers and sent me on my way.

Total for Week 5
1. Venus – 8 GOLD
1. T – 8 GOLD
3. Monty – 7 BRONZE
4. Paul – 6
4. yoyoliving – 6

Did the True/False make it too easy this week? Or did everyone just do exceedingly well this time around? Either way, congratulations to Venus and T for snatching this week’s gold from Paul’s waiting grasp!

Combined Total
1. Paul – 34 GOLD
2. yoyoliving – 30 SILVER
3. Monty – 25 BRONZE
4. T – 22
5. Venus – 20

In combining the total of correct responses for all five weeks, Paul emerges victorious in first place!

Final Medal Table

Name	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
Paul	4	1	–	5
yoyoliving	1	4	–	5
Monty	1	–	4	5
T	1	–	1	2
Venus	1	–	1	2

And our overall medal winners are Paul, yoyoliving, and Monty! I had no idea things would be this evenly matched!

I want to take a moment to thank everyone who participated week after week. When Paul initially put together his first Blogger Games, I recognized how much work he put into it. But beyond that, I recognized how much fun it was for others to rise to his challenge and to take the opportunity to expand this little blogging community that I have come to adore over the past several years.

For those of you who have been spectators, standing on the sidelines and silently cheering from beyond your computer screens, I invite you to participate in the future. No doubt this will not be the end of The Blogger Games. I’m certain that a third event is somewhere just over the horizon and I look forward to once again competing!

Until then, don’t cross the street between parked cars and be sure to wear sunscreen.