Scott Rogowsky and the HQ Trivia Craze

Rohan Shah

Throughout the nation, millions of people are directing their attention towards one man: Scott Rogowsky. Born in Manhattan and raised in Harrison, New York, Rogowsky is a true New Yorker. Beginning his foray into comedy at John Hopkins University, Scott began performing stand-up and eventually made his way to the Big Apple. After participating in open-mic comedy events, Rogowsky transitioned to hosting talk shows, namely “Running Late With Scott Rogowsky” which he co-hosted (and still hosts) with his father, Marty. In 2015, Scott became recognizable when he published a Youtube video of himself reading fake books on the subway. However, they were not ordinary books. Some of these fake book titles included “The Joy of Cooking Meth” and “Tinder Training Your Toddler.” With his newfound viral video and growing popularity, Rogowsky auditioned to be the host of a newly formed company and app, HQ Trivia.

Founded in August of 2017 by the creators of Vine (Rus Yusupov and Colin Kroll), HQ Trivia (or simply “HQ”) is a live trivia app that allows anyone with access to the game to participate. The premise is simple: 12 questions are asked, each with a ten second time limit. If you answer all 12 questions correctly, you win. The winners split a cash prize that ranges from $2500 to $25000 everytime the show is live (2 pm and 8 pm central time). This interactive trivia experience has gained national attention recently with almost a million players every day. The app’s amazing success is largely due to its host, Scott Rogowsky.

Landing the job in 2017, Scott began hosting HQ and says that is has been, “overwhelmingly positive.” With almost 83 thousand followers on Twitter, Scott has become a very large figure in pop culture. His positive attitude and witty humor have impacted the daily lives of the many people who play the game.

Julian Engle, a sophomore at MHS, summarizes Scott’s role in HQ. “I think he is kind of forced to improvise what he is trying to say… it definitely adds to the fun of it, and you definitely get a few laughs before the trivia even starts.” When asked about his favorite qualities of Scott, Engle said, “I really like his sense of humor and he also always wears some pretty good suits. I feel like he is a really good fit for the position of a leader and when the other hosts are on, you’re not used to them, and they don’t seem as prepared or fit for the job.” Although Rogowsky’s humor is wildly entertaining, it is not the only thing that keeps people coming back for more. Engle remarks that “I’d say I’ve definitely learned a lot of stuff that I would have never known, and it’s something that everybody does. You can really connect with people just by asking if they play HQ, and if they do, great!”

Scott Rogowsky, or how he is better known, “The Host with the Most”, “The Trap Trebek”, “Quiz Khalifa”, “The Host with the Challah French Toast”, “Host Malone”, “Quiz Daddy”, and “Walt Quizney”, has come along way from stand-up in college. Navigating the sea of comedy, Rogowsky has emerged as one of the funniest and entertaining hosts, captivating almost one million people twice a day, every day.