Truth, Trivia & 'Trina

Connie confronts Eugene at Whit’s End after one of his amused remarks makes her feel that he considers her unintelligent. Eugene denies ever calling her stupid, but his careful wording only convinces her that he thinks she has lesser intelligence. Bart Rathbone arrives during their argument with a way to settle the matter: he is creating a local television game show called *Truth and Trivia* and needs contestants.

Eugene initially declines because many trivia questions seem useless. Connie answers a film question that he cannot, but Eugene still suggests that competing against her would give him an unfair advantage and might embarrass her on television. His smugness changes Connie’s mind. She accepts Bart’s invitation to prove that she can challenge him, and Eugene accepts in return.

Connie borrows Whit’s general-knowledge books and begins preparing. She knows she is unlikely to beat Eugene in mathematics or science, so she concentrates on history, people, art, and entertainment. Whit questions whether defeating Eugene is a wise reason to compete. Connie admits that she wants both to put him in his place and to prove to herself that she is not stupid.

Eugene studies at the Campbell College library, where he meets a newly transferred English student named Katrina Shanks. Katrina works at the library to help pay her tuition and knows many of the books and subjects Eugene enjoys. She invites him to call her Trina, as her friends do, and their shared interests lead to a meal together. After two such meetings, Eugene asks Whit for permission to leave work early so he can see her again. His unusual nervousness and unfinished sentences leave Whit wondering whether Eugene’s interest is more than strictly intellectual.

During a walk around the college, Eugene overwhelms Katrina with facts and mentions his accomplishments at every opportunity. Katrina gently tells him he does not need to impress her. Eugene confesses that knowledge, facts, and statistics have always seemed to define who he is; without them, he fears he is nobody. Katrina finds that belief sad. She already likes him, and she suspects his other friends care about him in spite of how much he knows, not because he constantly proves it.

Bart stages the show in a tiny Channel 3 studio with a few folding chairs and recorded applause. He recruits Whit as the cameraman at the last moment. Eugene and Connie then discover that the third contestant is Katrina. Eugene does not want to compete against her, but Katrina insists that she can take care of herself, while Connie confidently predicts that she will beat them both.

Across six rounds, all three answer question after question. Eugene and Katrina remain nearly even, but Connie repeatedly surprises Eugene with what she has learned. She even remembers a fact about mushroom spores from one of his lectures. By the end of the fifth round, Eugene and Katrina each have fifteen points and Connie has thirteen. At the end of the sixth, Connie finishes with eighteen while Eugene and Katrina are tied at twenty-two.

Connie is eliminated, but she is not disappointed. She has performed far better than Eugene expected, and he openly admits that she is smarter than he had given her credit for. Hearing that acknowledgment matters more to her than winning the prize.

During a break, Bart carelessly reveals that Katrina needs the thousand-dollar prize for tuition. In the tiebreaker, Katrina cannot identify the car once nicknamed the Flying Teapot. Eugene begins the correct answer, the Stanley Steamer, then deliberately changes it and loses the point. When Bart asks for a bird known to bark like a dog, Eugene again pretends not to know, even though Connie heard him answer that very question before the contest.

Katrina realizes what he is doing and stops the game. She appreciates his concern about the money, but deliberately losing implies that he does not believe she can win through her own ability. She tells him, “If you truly respect me, then you’ll respect my abilities.” Eugene agrees to compete honestly.

Bart’s final question tests observation instead of stored facts. Without looking at Katrina, Eugene must name her eye color. He guesses brown, but her eyes are gray. Katrina is then asked the color of Eugene’s eyes and answers without hesitation: periwinkle blue. Her careful attention wins both the contest and the tuition money.

Eugene congratulates Katrina on a fair victory and accepts that she has properly put him in his place. He promises to try not to impress people with everything he knows, and he tells Connie that he will be more thoughtful before teasing her intelligence. Almost immediately, however, Eugene and Katrina begin disputing the year construction began on the Taj Mahal. Connie points out that the year was not even the question, while their friendly argument shows that Eugene’s lesson may take time to settle in.