By Beth Deitchman
Something truly magical happens every weeknight at 9 p.m. EDT/6 p.m. PDT. All across the U.S., Disney fans stop what they’re doing, head for the nearest screen and spend the next seven minutes together, playing a game in which the more they love Disney, the more likely they are to win. Trinitee Stokes (K.C. Undercover) is right there alongside them as host of the brand-new interactive trivia show Disney QUIZney, airing live on Disney Channel and on the DisneyNOW apps and DisneyNOW.com through Friday, July 27. A Disney fan through-and-through, the effervescent 12-year-old is in her element at the helm of the fast-paced live show.
“The best part about hosting Disney QUIZney has probably been the live component,” Trinitee tells Newsreel during a break in rehearsal for the evening’s telecast and livestream. “When you’re in the game, you get to see the number of people playing,” she explains, and that number only grew over the course of the inaugural episode. As host, Trinitee serves as asker of questions and keeper of answers, and she also roots for her fellow Disney fans, offering shout-outs to contestants who make it to the top of the leaderboard—with each day’s top-10 winners sharing $1,000 in digital gift card prizes.
Every game consists of five questions that cover a range of topics from DCOMs to Disney animated classics. They become increasingly more challenging—even for a Disney devotee—but fear not. Trinitee notes that she—like many Disney QUIZney contestants in the inaugural game—was fooled by a question about what animal Genie transformed Abu into for Aladdin’s grand entrance as Prince Ali. An abundance of contestants saw “Abu” and selected “monkey,” when the correct answer was “elephant.” Though she was disappointed to have guessed incorrectly, the host prefers to look on the bright side. “It makes me want to go home and watch Aladdin again,” says Trinitee, who loves that the game reminds her of Disney details she may have forgotten.
Trinitee considers herself something of an expert on characters from Disney movies, but the game is so fast-paced, she stresses that sometimes you just have to go with your gut. “I think if I were really playing the game I would do pretty well, but there were a few questions that made me ponder,” she admits. “But you don’t have the time to think about an answer, so I would come at it the random way—just pick an answer that I think is right.”
We asked Trinitee to share her expert advice with Disney fans to help them prepare for the game. “To have the best shot, I would definitely set your alarm for about 5:58 [p.m. PT], so you can be on the couch, on your phone, on Disney Channel—ready!—so that when Disney QUIZney comes on you can be zoned and ready to go,” she says. “I recommend maybe taking a quick power nap, so that your brain can be ready to digest all of the questions and then you can be like, ‘Bam, I got this!’” But the most important thing, Trinitee emphasizes, is “Be prepared and just have fun!”
Fans who miss the live telecast can still test their Disney knowledge in the DisneyNOW app, where the Disney QUIZney questions become available as the “Quiz of the Day” after the livestream ends. A new edition of Disney QUiZney airs tonight and continues in the 9 p.m. EDT/6 p.m. PDT timeslot weeknights through Friday, July 27. And Disney QUIZney welcomes in the weekends with “Freaky Fridays,” where the cash prizes are doubled, but the questions are harder, as well. Trinitee is excited to see the stakes increase, and she wants to assure her fellow Disney fans that they’re up for the challenge. “You guys can do it!” she says with her winning smile.
