I can think of two instances where I've had to
"take a moment" while moderating:
(1) The only
time I ever had to actually hand over reading to
someone else was, thankfully, in practice. The answer to
the tossup was "Blaxploitation"--the first time I had
ever heard that term. For reasons I still don't
understand, I started laughing hysterically, and couldn't
stop.
(2) In the finals of BHSAT5, a player from Phillips
Academy buzzed in rather early on a question that was
about John Hinckley (I think), with "trying to
assassinate the President". After finding out that it was a
-5, the person said, "Shoot!"
*Everyone* in
the room started laughing at that point, and it took
a good 30-45 seconds before I could continue.