Whiz Quiz USA

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Whiz Quiz
Genre Game Show, Educational
Country of origin Flag of the United States USA
Language(s) English
No. of seasons 28
Production
Producer(s) Leslie O'Hara
Location(s) Watertown, NY
Running time 30 minutes or 60 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel WPBS-TV
Original airing 1980
External links
[Whiz Quiz homepage Official website]

Whiz Quiz is a TV program produced by WPBS-TV Watertown. It invites over 30 high-schools from across northern New York to participate in a Quiz Bowl like tournament. It began in 1980 and has been on the air since.

Contents

[edit] Format

Whiz Quiz is a knock-out bracket style tournament. A school progressively competes against other schools until that school loses. One loss and you're done. The team that competes on television consists of 4 players. However, the schools entire team may have many more alternates and also includes the advisor(s). The team of 4 stands behind a booth with 4 buzzers. In 2007 PBS painted the booths orange, an endorsement of their support for Syracuse University. The game lasts for 25 minutes and is divided into 4 rounds. Correct answers score 10 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.

[edit] Round 1

The first round is called Smart Start. The teams are individually asked questions. The other team cannot answer the question. 5 seconds are given to converse with your team and ring in to give an answer. Around 12 questions are asked in this round.

[edit] Round 2

This stage is called 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 your teammates is not allowed in this round. 12 questions are asked in this round; 3 to each chair.

[edit] Round 3

This round is called Know-And-Tell. It's a toss-up round. Either team can answer. Conversations with your team are allowed. In this round, Bonus Questions start to appear. These questions are awarded to the team that gets the related question right. This round concludes with a section called 4 of a kind. 4 Questions of a common topic are asked. It's just a fun add-on.

[edit] Round 4

The fourth and final round is titled Think Fast. Originally, the rules stated that wrong answers would yield a deduction of points from a team's score. The rules were altered and wrong answers now yield a free question for the other team that the incorrect team cannot answer. 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.

[edit] About the Host

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

[edit] Airings

Whiz Quiz airs on WPBS in northern New York on Channel 12 (cable) and Channel 18 (antennae). They matches play 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. Following this match through the month of December is the airing of Whiz Quiz Canada. The series concludes with another hour-long clash between the Canadian and American champs which airs late in December.

[edit] Participating High Schools

[edit] References

  • [[1] About the Host]. Retrieved on 6, 2007. Retrieved on 11 2007.
  • [[2] 2007-2008 broadcast schedule]. Retrieved on 6, 2007. Retrieved on 11 2007.
  • [[3] About the show]. Retrieved on 6, 2007. Retrieved on 11 2007.
  • [[4] Whiz Quiz logo]. Retrieved on 6, 2007. Retrieved on 11 2007.