FOX's
Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? quizzes adults on elementary level school subjects, and while this task may seem like a walk in the park, many contestants have lost the chance to win one million dollars -- or even a fraction thereof -- for failing to answer basic elementary level questions, surprising not only the contestants themselves and viewers, but also
Olivia, one of the students featured on the show.
“Sometimes I'm just like, ‘Wow!'” she told the
Chicago Sun-Times, before adding that there are times she feels rather sympathetic when a contestant is stumped by a question. “But other times, I'm like, ‘Well, maybe I wouldn't remember that,' so I do have a little sympathy.
For those who are unfamiliar with
Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, the unique primetime game show pairs adult contestants with actual grade-schoolers like Olivia. With every correct answer, the contestant's potential winnings increase. Should a contestant not feel confident with his own answer, he can always enlist the help of the students, although they themselves don't always get it right.
Making a mistake doesn't bother Olivia, however.
“I kind of know that there's always going to be an answer for everything, and that even if I get it wrong, it'll be a learning experience,” she said.
Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? is hosted by comedian
Jeff Foxworthy whose “redneck jokes” greatly entertain Olivia and her fellow students,
Sierra,
Nathan,
MacKenzie and
Cody.
“He is really funny even off the show,” she told the
Chicago Sun-Times. “Like, he'll tell us some of his redneck jokes... There was one, a redneck word from the dictionary. It was the word canopy. And it's like, 'Dad, canopy on the porch?' There was just so many. He's really funny.”
While comedy is clearly Foxworthy's forte, Olivia is quite informed when it comes to Greek mythology, and is a budding writer.
“Sometimes I like to write scary things,” she said. “Like, a girl is about to fall off a cliff or something. Really dangerous situations.”
Her penchant for writing spells a future career in journalism, but she claims she plans on becoming something else: a neurologist.
“It's really careful details and saving people's lives and stuff,” she said. “But also because they get paid a lot.”
Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? airs Thursday nights on FOX.
-Lisa Claustro, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: Chicago Sun-Times
(Image Courtesy of FOX)