Life

Here's What You Need To Know About HQ Host Scott Rogowsky

Including his relationship status.

Are you low-key obsessed with the trivia game app HQ? You’re not alone.

Last Sunday night ― only four months after its launch ― more than 680,000 people tuned into the free-to-play streaming game.

If you love HQ, you probably love its host, too: Scott Rogowsky, aka Quiz Daddy aka Trap Trebek. To get the lowdown on the host with the most, we went straight to the source. Below, Rogowsky tells us more about himself ― including whether he’s currently dating anyone.

Read on, HQties.

He's a New Yorker, born and raised.
Heidi Gutman via Getty Images
"I was born in Mt. Sinai Hospital in Manhattan, raised in Harrison, New York, about 25 miles north in Westchester County," Rogowsky told HuffPost. "What comes around goes around, because I'm currently living in my childhood home as I search for a new apartment. Perfectly normal for a guy in his 20s, right? Too bad I'm not in my 20s."
He's not that good at trivia.
HQ
Quiz Daddy is just your average Joe when it comes to his trivia skills. "I'm not going to lie to you and say I'm Mr. Fantastic or Professor X or Ken Jennings," he said. "I don't know all the answers, but I have all the answers, and isn't that what's important?"His areas of expertise? "Sports, history, geography, politics and movies starring Pamela Anderson."
Before HQ, he went viral by reading fake books with inappropriate titles on the New York subway.
Giphy
Watch a really funny compilation of people's reactions here.
His roots are in stand-up.
Running Late With Scott Rogowsky
For years, he hosted a comedy panel show with his dad, Marty, called Running Late with Scott Rogowsky. A lot of celebrities stopped by, including Jon Hamm and Amy Sedaris. He also did stand-up, which he still makes time for when his busy HQ schedule allows."My favorite part of stand-up are the three or four people in a room of 80 or 100 who laugh reeeeally hard at my jokes while the rest of the crowd stares at me blankly," he said. "I do it for those three or four people."
He loves a good pun.

A post shared by Scott Rogowsky (@traptrebek) on

Instagram
If you've watched even one HQ game, you know that Rogowsky is quite the wordsmith. Right now he's thrilled to see "savage questions" -- his term for a particularly hard question that wipes out a large percentage of players -- and HQties -- his nicknames for HQ fans -- circulating beyond HQ. And yup, he really is that good at coming up with puns on the spot. "The other night, I said, 'We're making quiztory!' after we broke our record for most players in a game (nearly 700,000)," he said. "Now if I can get Paul McCartney to sign off on the phrase 'magical quiztory tour,' I'll consider mine a life well-lived."
He looks damn good in a suit. Any suit.

A post shared by Scott Rogowsky (@traptrebek) on

Instagram
Rogowsky's standard uniform is a crisp black suit and tie, but he busted out some mighty fine festive wear for Hanukkah.
He's single!

A post shared by Scott Rogowsky (@traptrebek) on

Instagram
Rogowsky is, as he put it "single and ready to Pringle." But a warning: His schedule isn't exactly relationship-friendly. "Truthfully, I'm far too busy to be a good boyfriend right now," he said. "But if someone's looking for a completely unavailable, sleep-deprived stress ball living with his parents in Westchester, I'M YOUR GUY!"
He frowns upon your mid-game Googling.

A post shared by Scott Rogowsky (@traptrebek) on

Instagram
Sure, you could cheat at HQ, but the host does not approve. "I stand by the old adage: It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game. What's the fun in Googling?" he said. "A better strategy is to assemble an 'Ocean's 11'-style team of friends or family who specialize in different subjects, and play together as a group. And ask yourself: Am I playing HQ to cheat my way into a few bucks? Or am I playing for the thrill of competition and the joy of Scott's bad puns?"
His mom and pop couldn't be prouder.
Yep, Rogowsky's mom and dad play along. "For the first few months of HQ, they were shit out of luck because neither had an iPhone! They would go across the street to the neighbors' [place] to watch," he said. "Recently I upgraded to an [iPhone] 8 and gave my mom my 6, so now they crowd around every night and play along. Haven't won HQ yet, but they're currently the reigning champions in the 'Have You Heard About My Son?' league."
Before a game of HQ starts, he gets hyphy by thinking about baseball.
Specifically, the 1986 World Series."Right before HQ starts, I think about the ball going through Buckner’s legs and Ray Knight jumping on home plate," he said.
He loves his fans and thoroughly supports their Scott-centric art.

A post shared by Scott Rogowsky (@traptrebek) on

Every Friday, Rogowsky spotlights a piece of art by especially creative HQties. Follow him on Instagram to see the latest museum-worthy piece.

The more you know. Now get back to the game!

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