It's Academic (Australian game show)
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| It's Academic | |
|---|---|
 It's Academic logo |
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| Genre | Game Show |
| Picture format | 16:9 HD |
| Running time | approx 30 (plus commercials) |
| Creator(s) | Network Ten |
| Starring | Simon Reeve |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original channel | Network Ten |
| Original run | 1968– |
It's Academic is an Australian children's game show airing on the Seven Network. The show is based on the long running American version of It's Academic, and pits students from different schools against each other in a test of knowledge covering a number of diverse subjects including english, mathematics, science, geography, sport, music and popular culture.
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[edit] History
The show originally aired on Network Ten from 1968 to 1970 and the Seven Network from 1970 to 1978. From 2001 to 2004, Seven Perth revived the show, leading to a national relaunch in 2005.
The early incarnation of It's Academic was the basis for a series of sketches from The Late Show in which Santo Cilauro, Rob Sitch and Tom Gleisner, who all claimed to have gone to the same school, competed on the program with incredible but humorous incompetence. Coincidentally their sometime collaborator, actor/comedian Magda Szubanski had actually captained a team while a Year 10 student at Sienna Girls' College in Melbourne, in 1976.
Hosts in the 1970s included Dan Webb (HSV-7), Andrew Harwood (ATN-7), Sandy Roberts (ADS-7), Alec McAskill (ADS-7),Jeff Newman (TVW-7) and John Bailey. In recent years, Jeff Newman once again hosted Perth's version of It's Academic while Simon Reeve fronts the national version.
[edit] Format
The 1970s version of It's Academic was conducted on a state basis with episodes featuring teams of three from three different schools. Contestants were aged around 15 years, in Year Ten at High School.
Winning teams would progress through to state semi-finals and finals. In many years, state champion teams met in a national finals series.
State contestants usually received Parker pen sets as mementos, with additional prizes (often dictionaries or encyclopaedias) awarded to the winning school. National prizes differed but were of a similar financial value.
In early rounds, team captains would 'pick a packet' (a numbered pack of ten questions) from a board of numbered options. Teams could answer these questions with no penalties for incorrect answers. All team members could respond to questions; in cases where two answers were given at the same time, the host would ask the captain to confirm the team's response.
A video-clip round and 'beat the buzzer' segment completed the contest. In cases of ties, captains would pick tie-breaker packets for their team to answer.
[edit] Current Format
The 2006 version features three new schools every week, the winning schools to reappear later in the year for semi-finals. Each individual episode features three teams (green, red and purple), each made up of three members from each school.
The show is set out as follows:
- Segment 1
- Green team question round
- Red team question round and Random Spotlight
- Purple team question round
- Who Am I? (for home viewers)
- Segment 2
- Green team question round and Random Spotlight
- Red team question round
- Purple team question round
- Beat the Buzzer
- Segment 3
- Green team question round
- Red team question round
- Purple team question round and Random Spotlight
- Unscramble this Picture Puzzle (All teams)
- Fact or Fiction? (All teams)
- Segment 4
- Watch This Space
- Beat the Buzzer
The question rounds consist of a series of 5 or 6 questions aimed at one team only. Players are given five seconds to answer, or longer for a spelling question, and may confer amongst themselves before giving an answer. If two students answer differently at once, the team captain is asked to select one answer.
The Random Spotlight selects a member of the team at random. They are then asked a question about their chosen topic, varying from academic subjects such as spelling or outer space to entertainment subjects such as Harry Potter.
Unlike the question rounds, Beat the Buzzer is open for all teams to answer. Simon Reeve reads out questions to all contestants, who buzz in to answer. This is the most competitive segment of the show as teams attempt to buzz in before other teams in order to score points (10 per correct question).
In Watch This Space, contestants are shown a one minute video clip on a certain subject, about which they are then asked five questions. All teams compete on the buzzer for the right to answer the questions: 10 points for a correct answer, ten points off for a wrong answer.
The team who answers the Unscramble this Picture Puzzle question on the buzzer has the right to choose one of three topics for Fact or Fiction, a new round in 2006. Reeve then reads five statements about the topic for which schools buzz in to answer whether they are fact or fiction (although answers of true or false are also accepted).
[edit] Scoring
- Each team begins with 100 points. (When the show first returned in 2005, it was impossible to lose points at any time during the show; this made these 100 points rather useless.)
- In the individual team question rounds, 10 points are awarded for a correct answer; no points are deducted for a wrong answer.
- If a contestant correctly answers his or her Random Spotlight question, 20 points are awarded instead of 10; once again, no points are deducted for a wrong answer.
- In any buzzer rounds, 10 points are awarded for a correct answer, and 10 points are deducted for a wrong answer.
The school with the most aggregate points at the end of the week is the winner, progressing to the semi-finals and then the Grand Final. The winning school on any one day does not compete for more points or prizes.
[edit] Showing of Its Academic
The show has currently stopped showing throughout Australia and was replaced on the 13th of November, 2006 by the show Go Go Stop
[edit] Winning schools
A list of winning schools in the show. At the end of the season, winning schools will be invited back to play in the finals.
| Week | First Place | Second Place | Third Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ryde Public (1660 points) |
Our Lady Queen of Peace (1550 points) |
St Michael's (1400 points) |
| 2 | Holy Spirit (1630 points) |
Birchgrove (1530 points) |
Seven Hills (1190 points) |
| 3 | Good Shepherd unknown |
Patrician Brothers Fairfield unknown |
Kellyville Public unknown |
