2008 presidential candidates Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and Rudy Guiliani have been out and about campaigning, but one place where the public won’t be seeing them is FOX’s Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?.
According to the New York Daily News, all three turned down the chance to appear on a celebrity edition of the hit game show, which has contestants answering basic elementary questions for money.
“We thought it would be great to get at least one or two candidates that are running for President and see how they would do,” Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? executive producer Barry Poznick told the New York Daily News.
Poznick said they asked the presidential hopefuls to join the show believing it would help to make them more endearing to young families. Unfortunately, none of them agreed to come on.
“I mean, they were all scared, which I get,” Poznick said. “You don’t want to come on and say I’m not smarter than a fifth-grader, but I want to be your President. But I kind of feel that if they did, it would humanize them.”
While viewers may not be seeing any 2006 presidential candidates on Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader? anytime soon, they will be able to enjoy watching a number of celebrities taking their chances at the game. Last Thursday, American Idol season 2 runner-up Clay Aiken and television personality Regis Philbin graced the show’s stage to compete, while skateboarder Tony Hawk, Access Hollywood‘s Billy Bush, Miss America 2007 Lauren Nelson and American Idol season 6 finalist Kellie Pickler are expected to appear in upcoming episodes. All celebrities are playing for their favorite charities.
“I saw just a clean shot to go have some fun, have some laughs and pick up a check for my charity,” Bush, who will play for the Lollipop Theater Network, told the New York Daily News. “I hoped that we’d have such a good time that no one remembers the fact that I’m an idiot.”
Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader? airs Thursday nights at 8/7c on FOX.
-Lisa Claustro, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: New York Daily News
(Image Courtesy of FOX)
Staff Columnist, BuddyTV
