The Tchotchke Showdown 2.0 | BACKSTAGE with The Sober Curator

The Tchotchke Showdown is back. And this time it lives inside BACKSTAGE.

If you have not yet experienced the chaos that is The Sober Curator’s Tchotchke Showdown, here is the short version: AB (the reigning Queen of Tchotchkes) goes head to head with a single challenger in three rounds. Each contestant brings three items from their personal collection. They tell the story behind each one. Pop culture, sobriety, weirdness, sentimentality, all fair game. Then the audience votes. The judges judge. A new champion is crowned. Or the Queen reclaims her throne. Again.

The original Tchotchke Showdown lives on The Sober Curator Podcast as one of our most-loved episodes, with AB defending her crown against author Travis Sackett in a tie-breaker decided by an E.T. plushie. Yes, really. Read the recap here if you missed it.

Version 2 levels up the format:

• One contender. Three rounds. Three items each.
• A panel of judges. Returning faces and new ones.
• The audience votes. That is you. Each round, you weigh in via live Zoom poll.
• Real prizes. Bragging rights, a custom Queen Tchotchke title, and TSC editorial spotlight.
• Hosted by Tamar Routly. Aka T. Bouge. Aka the only person on earth who can run this format.

This event is a love letter to everything sobriety gives you back. The freedom to be weird. The permission to tell the story of the random objects on your shelf. The joy of a Wednesday night spent laughing with sober people while someone defends their bedazzled candle.

The contender for v2 is being recruited as we speak. We will announce who is challenging AB closer to the event date. Subscribe to BACKSTAGE Members emails to be the first to know.

This is a closed BACKSTAGE event. Members only. RSVP to receive your Zoom link via email. The replay drops in the BACKSTAGE Replay Vault for anyone who can’t attend live.

Not a member yet? JOIN BACKSTAGE

Want a chance to be a future contender? Email thesobercurator@gmail.com with a one-paragraph pitch and a photo of your three best tchotchkes. We are casting future Showdowns and BACKSTAGE members get priority consideration.