I
have a lot of admiration for Rove McManus. The guy must have been
to Hell and back over the past few years, yet he’s a real
professional with a true “show-must-go-on” attitude.
He’s back at his regular Rove Live gig on Sundays, and now
takes on a bunch of school kids in Are You Smarter Than a 5th
Grader?
This show is based on a US program of the same name,
and I suspect it hasn’t changed too much in its transition
across the Pacific. Basically, the idea is that adults pit their
skills against a bunch of fifth-graders to see who can answer
more questions correctly. While it sounds simple enough, it’s
apparent from the get-go that the show’s producers have
selected the very brightest kids and the very dumbest adults they
could find to compete.
Well, maybe not the very dumbest, but – put
it this way – they won’t be appearing on Temptation
anytime soon. Of course, the whole point of the show is to ensure
that the adult contestants aren’t smarter than the kids,
so that the prizemoney doesn’t go off too often.
The format of the show is similar to Who Wants to
be a Millionaire. There are initially a series of questions in
various categories, which the contestant can answer in any order
they choose. Correct answers mean more money; up to $250,000,
but there’s only one “safe” level at $25,000
(which is likely to be what most contestants will take home).
If they make it to the $250,000, the contestant is then given
the chance to answer one last question for $500,000. They can
choose to bail at any time with the money they’ve won to
that stage. The rub is that if they do that, they have to admit
that they’re not smarter than a 5th Grader.
The kids’ role (apart from the humiliation
factor) is to provide three “cheats” (or “life
lines”) for the adults – the “peek”, where
the contestant can look at the kid’s answer; the “copy”
where the contestant has to accept the kid’s answer; and
the “save”, which applies automatically if the contestant
answers incorrectly and the kid has answered right. Like Millionaire,
these “outs” can only be used once, and after that,
the contestant is on their own.
True to its name, the standard of the questions
on the show is about 5th grade level. Some would argue this gives
the kids an unfair advantage, because they’re dealing with
this kind of stuff every day in school. If you share this view
you need to a) remember these are 10 year olds and b) read a lot
more. None of this is rocket science, thankfully for the contestants;
but given the show’s apparent imperative to show up adults
as most definitely not smarter than 5th graders, don’t expect
the half-mil to be going off with great regularity.
McManus appears in his element here, and probably
more comfortable than he does delivering monologues on Rove Live.
After all, the key to the show is banter and building rapport,
and those are things he does extremely well. The kids are predictably
cute (as well as smart) and will provide plenty of aw-shucks moments
for the audience.
Just who that audience will be is perhaps more problematic.
Don’t forget, this show is taking the spot vacated by Than
God You’re Here, and I can’t exactly see TGYH fans
rushing to this show. Certainly, it should be popular with kids
who want to see if their peers can outsmart the grown-ups, but
whether they have enough influence over the ol’ remote control
could be debatable. From an adult perspective, the questions are
a bit too easy for trivia buffs, while others may find the kid-adult
interaction a bit naff.
So in the wash-up, it looks like Are You Smarter
Than a 5th Grader will probably struggle for ratings success in
what is already a very competitive timeslot. If anyone can make
it work though, it will be McManus.
Phil James
To see the promo
spot for Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader, click the play button
below:
I
have a lot of admiration for Rove McManus. The guy must have been
to Hell and back over the past few years, yet he’s a real
professional with a true “show-must-go-on” attitude.
He’s back at his regular Rove Live gig on Sundays, and now
takes on a bunch of school kids in Are You Smarter Than a 5th
Grader?