Whiz Quiz

Infobox Television
show_name = Whiz Quiz


caption = Whiz Quiz logo
genre = Game Show, Educational
host = Glenn Gough
country = flag|USA
language = English
num_seasons = 29
producer = Leslie O'Hara
location = Watertown, NY
runtime = 30 minutes "(standard play)"
60 minutes "(championships)"
network = WPBS-TV
first_aired = 1980
website = http://wpbstv.org/Edu-WhizQuiz.htm

Whiz Quiz is a local TV program produced by WPBS-TV in Watertown, New York. It invites over 30 high-schools from across the North Country to participate in a quizbowl-style tournament. It debuted in 1980, and has been on the air since. The show airs on WPBS Mondays through Thursdays at 7:30 p.m in the months of October and November. The American Championship Game starts at 8:00 p.m. The Championship Match is an hour-long show.

"Whiz Quiz" is hosted by Glenn Gough, a former sports anchor for WWNY-TV. In the fall of 1979, Glenn joined WPBS as a producer. In 1980, when "Whiz Quiz" premiered, he was co-host alongside Eddie Carvin. Glenn has been on the show since and the students and station appreciate his work.

For its 29th season, "Whiz Quiz" will debut October 6, 2008, with the playoffs beginning November 3, the quarterfinals November 24 and 25, and the final championship Thursday, November 27 at 8PM.

Format

Whiz Quiz is a knock-out bracket style tournament. A school progressively competes against other schools until that school loses. One loss means elimination from the competition. The team that competes on television consists of four players. However, a school's entire team may have many more alternates and also includes the advisor(s).

The team of four stands behind a booth with four buzzers. In 2007 the booths were painted orange, an endorsement of WPBS's support for Syracuse University. The game lasts for 25 minutes and is divided into four rounds. Correct answers score ten points, Bonus questions score 15. The winner and runner-up of the entire competition receive trophies as well as cash scholarships granted by the Rotary Club.

Round 1: "Smart Start"

The teams are individually asked questions. The other team cannot answer the question. Five seconds are given to teammates to converse with each other and ring in to give an answer. Around 12 questions are asked in this round.

Round 2: "One-on-One"

The players are matched up against corresponding position players on the other team. Chair 1 against chair 1, Chair 2 against Chair 2, ect. Talking with teammates is not allowed in this round. 12 questions are asked in this round; 3 to each chair.

Round 3: "Know-And-Tell"

"Know-And-Tell" is a toss-up round, in which either team can answer. Conversations with team members are allowed. Bonus questions are awarded to the team that gets the related question right. This round concludes with a section called four of a kind. Four questions of a common topic are asked.

Round 4: "Think Fast"

In this round, wrong answers now yield a free question for the other team that the incorrect team cannot answer. (Originally, the rules stated that wrong answers would yield a deduction of points from a team's score.) Bonus questions are included in this round. If a tie results at the end of this round, the game continues in a sudden death format. The next team to answer correctly wins.

Whiz Quiz Canada

During December after the conclusion of the American Championship is the airing of "Whiz Quiz Canada", a two-week competition involving students from eight schools in the Kingston, Ontario area; the rules of the game are the same as the American competition. That series concludes with an hour-long competition between the Canadian and American champions, which airs late in December. The Canadian edition debuted in 2001.

For the Canadian version's eighth season, competition runs December 8 to 11, with an hour-long championship December 17 and the international championship December 18; both championships begin at 8PM.

Participating High Schools

*Carthage High School
*General Brown High School
*Morristown Central School
*LaFargeville Central School
*Watertown High School
*Sandy Creek High School
*South Jefferson High School
*Gouveneur High School
*Thousand Islands Central School
*Franklin Academy
*South Lewis School
*Indian River High School
*Immaculate Heart Central
*Massena High School
*Lyme Central School
*Norwood Norfolk Central School
*Ogdensburg Free Academy
*Copenhagen Central School
*Beaver River High School
*Lisbon Central School
*Canton High School
*Belleville-Henderson High School
*Harrisville Central School
*Colton-Pierrepont Central School
*Alexandria Bay High School
*Hermon Dekalb Central School
*Edwards Knox Central School
*Lowville Academy
*Sackets Harbor High School
*Clifton Fine Central School

External link

* [http://wpbstv.org/Edu-WhizQuiz.htm WPBS: "Whiz Quiz"]