During his Schmoedown career, Zack “The Attack” Burkett competed in the Star Wars division. Drafted by Roxy Striar in the 2021 Schmoedown draft, he was a member of The Stars during Season 8: War. Here are his reflections on the show we all love, in his own words.
Looking back on the Schmoedown, what is the most memorable moment that you were personally involved in?
My most memorable Schmoedown experience was attending Spectacular in 2021 and, for the first time, getting to meet all of the people that I’d only known virtually. It felt like John McClane finally getting to meet Al Powell, who he’d only spoken to on the radio, in person after coming out of the Nakatomi building at the end of Die Hard. I joined the Schmoedown during its digital age, but being there in person with everyone made it feel real and it really hit home that I was a part of this league.
Which of your matches would you say is the best you played?
My best-played match was ironically one that I lost. It was my second match where I faced Gold Leader, and I went perfect save for losing a single point due to checking down to multiple choice one time. He just happened to go perfect without ever needing multiple choice. It was an extremely tight match and the final score was 30-31. We were neck-and-neck up until the very last question. If I’m not mistaken, I think it was the first time a player ever lost without missing a single question. I’m very proud of my performance in that match.
Which match that didn’t involve you would you say is the best you ever saw?
The best match I ever saw would have to be the title match between Alex Damon and Andrew Dimalanta, where Andrew ended up winning the belt. That match was insane. They went into sudden death and I think the score ended up being 50-51 or something like that? Wild. It was just a matter of who was going to blink first. It was so intense. And when Alex missed that question, I couldn’t believe it. I was shook. That was the most impressive Star Wars trivia I had ever seen played, DragonCon included. Both of them played incredibly and they both deserve to go down in history!
How would you describe the Schmoedown’s impact on you?
The Schmoedown had a profound impact on me! It allowed me to meet so many amazing people that I wouldn’t have otherwise. It’s such a warm and accepting community. The night I was drafted to the Stars, Sean Sullivan (who wasn’t even on my team!) reached out to me to welcome me and say that if I had any questions to just let him know. That says it all. I was lucky to be drafted to an incredible team with an awesome manager in Roxy, to have become very close with the hosts of From a Certain POV, and now I can honestly say that these people are my friends. And most of them live on the other side of the country! How amazing is that? Not only are these guys super movie lovers who I can geek out with and share our love of film, but they’re really good people. I’m so grateful that I became a part of this community where I feel like I fit right in.
What will you miss most about the Schmoedown?
The friendships I made from the Schmoedown are sure to last, so that’s not necessarily something I will miss. That’s the greatest gift the Schmoedown gave me. The thing I probably miss most is the trivia! I guess it’s back to the bars for me.
Zack Burkett can be found on Twitter @JediMasterMisu.
