Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (Australian game show)

Infobox Television
show_name = Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?
genre = Game show


creator =
developer = Roving Enterprises
presenter = Rove McManus
starring =
voices =
narrated =
theme_music_composer =
opentheme =
endtheme =
country = Australia
language = English
num_seasons = 2
num_episodes = 11 (as of 11 September 2008)
list_episodes =
producer = Margaret Bashfield
executive_producer = Craig Campbell
Rob Brearley
location = Victoria, Australia
camera =
runtime = 47 minutes
network = Network Ten
picture_format =
audio_format =
first_run =
first_aired = 26 September 2007
last_aired = present
preceded_by =
followed_by =
related =
website = http://ten.com.au/ten/tv_5thgrader.html
imdb_id = 1175617
tv_com_id = 76220

"Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" is an Australian quiz show (based on the American show of the same name) produced by Roving Enterprises [cite web
last=Knox | first=David |date=2007-06-09
url=http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2007/06/smarter-than-5th-grader-auditions.html
title=Smarter than a 5th Grader auditions
work=
publisher=TV Tonight | accessdate=2007-08-29 ] that debuted on Network Ten on September 26 2007. It is hosted by popular TV personality Rove McManus. Filming for the show commenced on September 11, 2007 at Global Television Studios in Forest Hill. [cite web
last= | first= | date=
url=http://www.rovedaily.com.au/the-show-get-tickets.htm
title=Tickets
work=
publisher=Rove Daily | accessdate=2007-09-01 ]

McManus inspected the United States production (in its second series at the time) of the show while in the United States hosting his show "Rove".

The children for the 2007 series were all students who were currently enrolled in grade five and were aged 10 or 11. They had to compete against many other fifth graders to win the roles.

"5th Grader" games are played by a single contestant, who attempts to answer ten questions (plus a final bonus question). Content is taken from primary school textbooks, two from each grade level from first to fifth. Each correct answer increases the amount of money the player banks; a maximum cash prize of AU$500,000 can be won. Along the way, the player can be assisted by a "classmate", one of five cast members (who are fifth grade students), in answering the questions. Notably, upon getting an answer incorrect or deciding to end the game, the contestant must profess to the camera "My name is "insert name" and I am "not" smarter than a fifth grader".

A second season of the show commenced in late 2008. Five new students feature due to the five original students being no longer able to feature due to the fact they are now in grade six. An additional change will be the addition of celebrity contestants playing for charity alongside regular contestants.

Format

In each game, the contestant is asked a series of eleven questions taken from textbooks from first through fifth grade curricula. Each contestant is given ten subjects to choose from (such as Spelling, Maths or Social Studies), each of which is associated with a grade level; there are two questions per grade, from first to fifth. In 2008, this changed to one 1st & 2nd grade question, two 3rd grade questions and three 4th and 5th grade question. Contestants can answer the questions in any order, and each correct answer raises their cumulative amount of winnings to the next level (see table at right); after a contestant answers the fifth question correctly, they are guaranteed to leave the game with at least $25,000. If a contestant correctly answers the first ten questions, they are given the opportunity to answer a fifth-grade bonus question worth $500,000.

Five fifth grade students appear on each show and play along on stage – each episode in a season has the same cast of children. The contestant chooses one to be their "classmate", who stands at the adjacent podium and is often consulted by the contestant before a topic is chosen; the other four sit at desks off to the side. Each child may only be the contestant's classmate for two questions (answered consecutively), after which the contestant picks another child from those who are yet to play.

Contestants have three forms of assistance (two cheats and a save) each available for use once per game (up to, but not including, the final question):
*Peek: The contestant can see what their classmate wrote down as the answer and choose whether to use it or not as their own response. If the contestant chooses to use this cheat, they must answer the question.
*Copy: The contestant is locked into whichever answer their classmate wrote down without being able to see it beforehand.
*Save: If the contestant answers a question incorrectly but their classmate is correct, they are credited with a correct answer. However, if the classmate is also wrong, the contestant loses. This is used automatically on the contestant's first incorrect response.

The contestant is not allowed to communicate with their classmate before making their decision (e.g. to ask them if they are confident with their answer). Once all three forms of assistance are used, the contestant can no longer choose a classmate and are left to answer subsequent questions on their own.

If a contestant answers a question incorrectly (and is not saved), they are disqualified and lose all of their winnings (or drop to $25,000 if they had surpassed the fifth question). Contestants may choose to drop out at any point during the game prior to the $500,000 question (even after viewing the question), which entitles them to leave the game with any winnings they have accumulated.

The rules change slightly for the final question. Contestants are only permitted to read the subject of the question before deciding whether or not they will continue or forfeit from the game. However, if the contestant chooses to pursue the question, they are no longer eligible to drop out and must answer the question, with no assistance from their fellow classmates. A wrong answer on the question will cause the contestant to drop back down to $25,000.

If a contestant loses, or voluntarily forfeits, they must face the camera, state their name and declare "I am not smarter than a 5th grader."

The highest amount which has been won on the show was during the finale of the first season, when Shelly McClean won AU$250,000. She decided to "drop out" after seeing the topic of the $500,000 question, which was Myths and Legends. She proudly proclaimed that she is not smarter than a fifth grader, but richer.

The students who appear on the show each receive AU$10,000, which is held in a trust fund until they turn 18.

Cultural References

In 2008, during Big Brother Friday Night Live, a segment in the show is called "Are you smarter than Bree Amer" where eliminated housemates go in a quiz against FNL co-host Bree Amer and see if they are smarter than her.

References

External links

* [http://ten.com.au/ten/tv_5thgrader.html Official website]