By David N., Sixth Grade, Krieger Schechter Day School of Chizuk Amuno Congregation
Twice a day — at 3 p.m. and 9 p.m. Eastern Standard Time — millions of people, young and old, grab their phones to play the live and wildly popular trivia game HQ, hosted by the Jewish comedian Scott Rogowsky available through an application on iPhones and Android phones.
Anywhere from 500,000 to 2 million people worldwide tune in for a chance to win between $2,000 to $50,000, which is ultimately divided among all the winners.
The game has triggered some mixed feelings among players, with many views on the app and even the host.
In interviews with several Krieger Schechter Day School students, the lack of agreement about this game show quickly became apparent.
Tomer N., an avid HQ contestant and a sixth grade KSDS student, is a fan of the show even though he does not have much faith in his ability to win. “I don’t think that I can win, but I play every night because it’s fun,” he said. “[Rogowsky] says it goes from easy to hard, and I agree with him. It gets very hard, and I do not know many of the answers, so I guess on about half of them.”
Hannah N., a seventh grade KSDS student, has mixed feelings about the show and echoed Tomer’s sentiments.
“I think it’s a fun app to play. It’s fun to try and see if you can win money, even though you usually don’t,” said Hannah, who also complimented Rogowsky as host. “Scott is my favorite [of the hosts]. He is really good at bad puns.”
In addition, Ben S., sixth grade student at KSDS was interviewed. “I only play on Sundays,” he said, going against some others who play far more often, “because that’s when the prize is highest.” Sunday evenings regularly have prizes of $15,000 to $25,000, compared to other days’ $2,000 to $2,500 prizes.
“If you know the facts, you can win money, but if you’re just guessing, you’re most likely not going to win,” said Ben, who believes that the game is hopeless for most people.
Like many others, Ben had strong feelings on Rogowsky. “He is so annoying; he talks way too much, and he just needs to get to the point.”
Overall, though, Ben does enjoy parts of this app. “I think HQ is a fun app because it has trivia, and if you win, you get money. Even though I know I’m most likely not going to win, I still play because it’s fun.”
Many people have split feelings over HQ, but no matter whether they like Rogowsky or despise his cheesy puns, up to 2 million people tune in every day.
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