Talk:Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader? (American game show)

POV issues

This article is so thoroughly riddled with POV issues that I don't know where to begin. I hope others (preferably those smarter than a fifth grader -- a gentle joke there! -- and with more knowledge of the intent and format of Wikipedia articles) have the time to work on it. Moncrief 05:12, 28 February 2007 (UTC)

I have to agree, this article is in complete violation of Wikipedia's POV policy. It's littered with opinions that do not belong here at all. But, what else is new? Wikipedia is just another opinionated forum now which lost its unbiased perspective long ago. I especially like that "Educational Perspective" section which is obviously only one "contributor's" opinion, which is loosely "referenced" by some brief, unverified article. The sentence that follows isn't even referenced. To all those who write this way: why can't you stop with your evangelical opinion posting on a website which is intended to be an unbiased encyclopedia? Someone wrote, "All of the kids are staged actors who have set answers given to them...." While I know for a fact that they are actors ("Laura" was on the Sarah Silverman Program on Comedy Central, episode "Not Without My Daughter"), and I, too, think they have the answers given to them (What average 5th grader learns/knows what REM sleep stands for?), there is still no cited proof of this, which means you can't include it here. Until you have a legitimate outside reference that says they have the answers, it's speculation and doesn't belong here. Wilhelm Screamer 06:07, 28 February 2007 (UTC)

Agreed, completely. Fortunately, the article is much better now. Let's keep it that way. Moncrief 15:11, 28 February 2007 (UTC)

I knew what REM stood for when I was in the 5th-grade. (I learned it out of Highlights for Children.) There's also one more comment that somehow snuck its way back in: The final note under "Trivia" simply states, "The show is scripted." Even if it's true, that isn't trivia, it's unsourced, and it doesn't tell what is scripted. Ron Stoppable 22:33, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

I've removed it, and added a note in that section not to re-add it without a proper source. Of course, I fully foresee it being re-added anyways, but it's worth a shot ;) –Dvandersluis 22:45, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

Considering TV's long-ago history with scripting game shows (see Quiz Show) and the rules that were put in place as a result, it's actually really unlikely (actually, probably impossible and possibly illegal; I just don't know) that the entire show is scripted. I imagine it is possible, and maybe even likely due to none of them missing an answer so far, that the kids are given the answers (since they aren't actually contestants who could win money), but if that's the case, there's got to be at least one reliable source saying so somewhere on the net. And we haven't seen such a link in this article yet. Moncrief 00:52, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

The disclaimer at the end of the show just states that the class were given workbooks on a variety of subjects and that some of the questions asked may have come from the material given.

Also, should it be noted that if the contestant gets to $25,000, no matter what he does, he can't leave with less than it? 69.242.66.38 05:12, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

It is in the article, twice. –Dvandersluis 14:14, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

LOL at "workbooks". Good catch. Dirty, dirty game shows. And I rather liked that bit about the polar bear answer being incorrect, if it's true that is. I think it's somewhat relevant to the article under trivia, unless we do away with trivia altogether. If it is true, it would be a good pun demonstrating that the show itself isn't smarter than a 5th grader. Wilhelm Screamer 11:23, 3 March 2007 (UTC)

Why do they want the kids to get the answers correct...it lets the contestant move furthur down into the game and possibly get more money.

By the way, theres been a couple of edits concerning the kids and their sexual activity.

"and maybe even likely due to none of them missing an answer so far" Actually, they've screwed up a few times. However, the only one that is clearly in my memory is the March 15 episode. I believe it was the question "How many Is are in 'Illiterate'". Two of the kids answered three. 66.222.181.28 04:49, 16 March 2007 (UTC)

Show is Staged?

From the type of quesitons they ask on the show, and the answers some contestants give, I really believe that this show is staged. One of the questions was, Which state is farthest west?(California, Nevada, or Alaska) The contestant answered California. I can't believe that a 20 something year-old American answered California. Also, the same contestant was overly dramatic.

• • Not to be mean or anything, but anyone who thinks this show is staged is seriously over-estimating the amount of knowledge held by the average person. Most people forget 'most' of what they learned in the lower grades by the time they're out of high school and not required to learn anymore.

I agree, after watching the same episode where he couldn't give the answer for half the area of a 12 by 12 inch square, the contestant said he "was drawing a blank," this seams either completely staged, or they must screen the contestants to find absolute morons.

Wow-same with me. After watching the extact same episode as both of you did. I do not think anybody could be so stupid. If anything, this "game-show" seems to celebrate stupidity whereas other gameshows celebrate knowledge. I hope this show never gets to its second season. Seems like Fox's just doing anything now for ratings. ~ænon

A couple of the categories: --3rd Grade Astronomy ( I don't think 3rd Grader's have Astronomy, in fact, I doubt many students in high-school have astronomy )

--5th Grade Algebra (In most states, Algebra is a 9th grade course, although it is often taken in 8th grade or even 7th grade as well, however, not in 5th grader. Algebra is usually beyond 7th, 6th, or 5th grader's comprehension level.)

• • Umm... maybe fifth graders learn just the base of algebra. I mean, I'm a fifth grader and I remember studying algebra. But, then again, I am at a traditional school. I even learned the base of algebra at fourth grade! here's how I remember:

P(arentheses)lease E(xponent)xcusen M(ultiply)y D(ivide)ear A(dd)unt S(ubtract)ally. Michael Houang 02:40, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

All in all, I'm 99% confident this show is staged, 68.202.128.153 00:21, 23 March 2007 (UTC)

the show might be staged, but, I'm a 5th grader and 75% of the stuff thier I don't know! 130.13.98.191 03:41, 23 March 2007 (UTC)

Actually, 5th graders are introduced to proportions, which is basic algebra, but that's about it. 6th and 7th graders have increasing exposure to Algebra, 8th graders taking actual full basic algebra, then the official Algebra I course is reserved for 9th graders. And most third graders take astronomy in their "science" classes, not as an astronomy class like in high school.

Just a thought (I have never seen this show, I do not live in America), but 3rd graders could learn astronomy without having a class called 'astronomy'. For example, I learnt things about the solar system and stars when I was in primary school. While we didn't do anything called algebra until we were about 12, we solved problems that were really algebra from an early age, and the teachers probably knew they were protoalgebra (things like ? x 9 = 36). So I would guess those are the sort of things you would find in the quiz. Skittle 16:41, 23 March 2007 (UTC)

There is no evidence that this show is staged. The claim made by the show is that all material is taken out of 5th grade level textbooks, not that the average 5th grader could answer it. It is known that the children get workbooks, but that does not affect the outcome of the game, as they are not the contestants or competing against the contestants. The only algebra question I have seen on the show was the rather simple (paraphrase) "If y = 3x and 3x = 12, what is y?", which, although besides the point, I believe could be answered by a 5th grader (it was a 5th grade level question, too). The category "astronomy" on the show encompasses anything having to do with outer space, which I definitely learned about in elementary school.

In any event, do not add claims that the show is staged to the main article, unless there is definitive, cited proof from a reliable source. —Daniel Vandersluis^(talk) 16:48, 23 March 2007 (UTC)

I do believe many people think this show is staged but you must take into consideration this is a game show, for entertainment, I doubt any of it is staged but what I do not doubt is that the very selectively choose the contestants. WRRY Theebayk1d 09:06, 14 July 2007 (UTC)

I think that the show however, has false answers. Yesterday on Are You Smarter than a 5th grader, they said in E=mc^2, they said MC stands for math constant... which isnt true at all. Im sorry i couldnt tell you how new it was, because it was a rerun i believe. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.220.125.86 (talk) 02:38, 24 December 2009 (UTC)

Credits at the end of the show

Moncrief writes: "Why is "[the children]" in there in brackets? Is that in the final credits? Are there other members of the class besides children? Be CLEAR."

Brackets are commonly used to indicate material that is not in the original. The bracketed words were inserted so that it was clear that the children were the ones to get the advance study guide material from the producers. This is because on the show Jeff Foxworthy, in talking to the contestant, sometimes refers to the children as "your classmates" which would then make the contestant a member of the class.

The Wikipedia article's audience may include people who have not seen the show. They may not understand exactly who "the class" is. So, in order to BE CLEAR, I added that in the context of the credits, "the class" refers to the children and not anyone else on the show. (I think it is obvious that in the credits, "the class" refers to only the children getting advance study guide material. If the children's "classmate" the contestant also got the advance study guide material, then he or she would do better at answering the questions.)

Since my additional material is misunderstood, in order to NOT CAUSE TROUBLE I have removed the brackets. The quote is now limited to the exact words which appear on the credits. I should also note that anyone with a videotape or Tivo copy of the show can view and verify that this is the wording (taken from the third show aired, Thursday March 1, 2007). Citation junkies are welcome to add this exact date, just in case the wording varies with the airdate. --Pmurph5 23:53, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

Children's Full Names

Two of the children have imdb pages: Alana Ethridge and Laura Marano. The other three (Kyle Collier, Jacob Hays, and Spencer Martin) don't, but are named in full in this TWOP post -- not sure where they got that information from, maybe the credits? In any case, I'd like to put the full names on the page, but haven't yet because I'm not sure what to do about the three without a distinct source, and it'd look bad to have two with full names and three without. –Dvandersluis 16:57, 3 March 2007 (UTC)

The childrens' full names are listed on the final credits of the show. The other three children do not have IMDb pages. This is a screen cap from the credits of Episode 3.

--Jdotes 23:55, 3 March 2007 (UTC)

Looking at Laura Marano's IMDB page, seems like she's certified for a Wikipedia article. Elle Bee 13:59, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

Jacob a barney kid?

I have a sister young enough to watch barney. While we agree that he plays sunny on disneys short report, (not the super short show) but i believe he is a barney kid but my brother doesn't. can anybody confirm this info? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 69.118.112.119 (talk • contribs).

Try IMDb. Powers ^T 13:58, 10 March 2007 (UTC)

Trivia section

The trivia section for this article should only be trivia specific to this show. What this means is information about the children, or similar concepts, etc. does not belong in this article, as it does not pertain to the show itself. I have deleted such info from the Trivia section, as well as adding a note. —Daniel Vandersluis^(talk) 19:39, 15 March 2007 (UTC)

Vandalism

I don't know how to revert, but I suggest someone reverts to 21:02, 15 March 2007 Dvandersluis. 142.167.47.9 00:55, 16 March 2007 (UTC) It's been done already :\ gg 142.167.47.9 00:56, 16 March 2007 (UTC)

Spoiler tag

Please, if you are making edits on this article after something you just watched on the east coast, please post spoiler tags for west-coast viewers -- RoninBK _{T C} 00:14, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

Good article

I have reviewed this article and in my opinion, passes the GA criteria. It is well-written, well-referenced, stable, and broad in its coverage. A side note, I've never seen this show before, but after reading this article, I think I just might. :) Mahanga^Talk 20:25, 14 April 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for the review! —Daniel Vandersluis^(talk) 06:08, 15 April 2007 (UTC)

Fifth Grader?

I thought the show title was "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader," which leads to the "this article doesn't exist blah blah blah" page. Maybe someone can make a redirect for that erroneous title? I'd do it myself, but my skill in big words far outstrips my skill in technical matters (and I find Wikipedia to be quite confusing.)--70.77.37.70 09:43, 15 April 2007 (UTC)

Sure, I'll make a redirect for Fifth spelled out. —Daniel Vandersluis^(talk) 14:45, 15 April 2007 (UTC)

Actually, it appears already to be. What specific spelling were you using? There are currently 16 pages that redirect to this article, using pretty much every combination of capitalization, spelling and use of a question mark (even AYSTAFG and AYSTA5G redirect here). If you tell me what article name you expected to redirect here, we can add it. —Daniel Vandersluis^(talk) 14:54, 15 April 2007 (UTC)

As stated, I used exactly "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader." If there was already a redirect, then it was either put in after I posted my comment, or something strange happened. I wouldn't rule either out. --70.77.37.70 19:41, 19 April 2007 (UTC)

Probably the latter, since that particular redirect page has existed since 14 February 2007. —Daniel Vandersluis^(talk) 19:44, 19 April 2007 (UTC)

Classmates vs. "classmates"

When referring to the children on the show, I have been using the "classmates" (including the quotation marks), to indicate that the term classmate is a show-given title, and not the traditional sense of the word (in my opinion). It has been suggested that we either not use quotes at all, as it obvious that the children and adults are not in school together, or we use quotation marks once, but not every time. Thoughts? —Daniel Vandersluis^(talk) 13:58, 16 April 2007 (UTC)

Biographies

I've read the classmates' Wikipedia biographies, and I don't think they're notable enough to be a seperate article. I could add onto this article with their information, if needed. So, yes? No? Any other thoughts? 24.183.40.221 23:44, 16 April 2007 (UTC)

No; the classmates' biographies are not related to the show. Also, I think it's better to have stub articles than to have no articles at all. —Daniel Vandersluis^(talk) 12:55, 17 April 2007 (UTC)

its better not to have stub articles compared to no articles at all. Stub articles are just small chunks of info. Runewiki777 23:25, 17 April 2007 (UTC)Runewiki777

New students cheating?

okay, now, I was watching 5/3 episode of are you smarter and I could've sworn I heard Jeff Foxworthy whisper "xylophone" the the first student! (please reply)Michael Houang 02:25, 4 May 2007 (UTC)

I am confused on how to post in here but anyway.... What episode number is it I would like to check that out. 151.201.28.171 08:58, 14 July 2007 (UTC)WRRY William Reynolds Young

It was the episode broadcasted on May 5, 2007 130.13.98.180 14:39, 6 September 2007 (UTC) (<--- which is Michael Houang)

International broadcasters

I was cleaning up the article, and was going to create a section for international broadcasters (in fact, I started it, but it is currently commented out in the article), but I was unsure if all the different channels that had been mentioned were rebroadcasts of the American version (as it is in Canada), or unique local versions unto themselves. Until this can be sorted out (and if you have any information, please help), I'm leaving it out of the article. —Daniel Vandersluis^(talk) 19:01, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

Kyle on twice?

In the episode on 7/19/07, Kyle was on the stage before the classmate called him. Then Kyle disappeared and went on when the classmate called him. Should it be a goof, or trivia? LesWong(UTC)LesWong 20:21, 19 July 2007

Cancel what now?

Uh...tonight's episode was a season premier. AND, they showed a preview of the next show. So how is this getting canceled? Plus, there's no proof. --Color Printer 01:05, 7 September 2007 (UTC)

Question Wrong?

on the same episode with the kilowatt hour question they asked how many adjectives are in the sentence "spencer takes good care of his hairy dog" they said the answer was 2 (good and hairy) care is a verb therefore good would be an adverb. right?

"An adverb is a word that adds information to a verb, an adjective, or an adverb. An adverb is often a form of an adjective in English. Very, quickly, and beautifully are all adverbs." -www.barabbi.org/nihongo/term.html —Preceding unsigned comment added by Facelessbob (talk • contribs) 20:11, 8 September 2007 (UTC)

"Spencer takes good care of his hairy dog" - his and hairy are both adjectives since they both modify dog. They only said that there were two, the show never specified what they were (only the player did). - DJHeini (talk) 04:32, 9 September 2007 (UTC)

Actually, the word "care" in the above sentence is a noun. "Good" and "hairy" are the adjectives the producers had in mind, but the questioner is right that "his" could be construed as an adjective. It's actually both a possessive pronoun (possessive case of "he") and an adjective (modifying "dog"). The producers probably thought it was a pronoun and only a pronoun... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.187.18.165 (talk) 03:30, 11 September 2007 (UTC)

R&S section

I have commented out the Records and statistics section of this article, because, as present, there is no way of reliably sourcing this information. Aside from the fact that there is no guarantee that the information is even accurate, as each update of the stats depends on the accuracy of the previous updates, without a source the section is original research. If anyone can find a source for each statistic, by all means re-add it, but for now it needs to be removed from the article. Please note that this change is in regards to the currently ongoing good article reassessment of this article. —Daniel Vandersluis^(talk) 15:30, 7 October 2007 (UTC)

I apologise that this talk page was not adequately notified about the GAR: this was a procedural error by the nominator, but it should have been caught by one of the other reviewers. In any case, there is no consensus to delist, and so the article retains is GA status. Geometry guy 20:33, 14 October 2007 (UTC)

Why was "Records and statistics" removed?

I really enjoyed seeing that chart at the bottom. Can it be brought back or was it too hard/annoying to maintain when season 2 started? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.213.185.7 (talk) 17:19, 11 October 2007 (UTC)

Please see the section directly above this one. The short answer: it is currently unsourceable, and therefore, in an effort for this article to retain good article status, removed for now. —Daniel Vandersluis^(talk) 20:53, 11 October 2007 (UTC)

The Celebrity episode

The one with Tony Hawk and all the others, when is it on? (on FOX) I'm DYING to see it! I saw a commercial of it, but it just said "Next week" and its just baseball like all week! XTHkun 23:13, 21 October 2007 (UTC)

Oh, it said yesterday that yesterday was the biggest fox thursday ever with that particular episode and Don't Forget the Lyrics! after that. Sorry! :( 99.230.152.143 03:45, 10 November 2007 (UTC)

GA Sweeps (Pass)

This article has been reviewed as part of Wikipedia:WikiProject Good articles/Project quality task force. I believe the article currently meets the criteria and should remain listed as a Good article. The article history has been updated to reflect this review. For future improvement, the article contains a number of short (one- or two-sentence paragraphs); these could be merged into the surrounding paragraphs. Regards, EyeSerene^TALK 13:24, 13 December 2007 (UTC)

has anyone won the 1,000,000 yet?

has anyone?--98.223.254.77 (talk) 20:27, 30 March 2008 (UTC)

One person has won the top prize so far: Kathy Cox, the school superintendent for the state of Georgia. Dr. Slide (talk) 15:37, 23 December 2008 (UTC)

Make that 2. WikiLubber (talk) 21:13, 29 October 2009 (UTC)

Notably?

Notably, upon getting an answer incorrect or deciding to prematurely end the game, the contestant must state that they are, in fact, not smarter than a 5th grader. Why Notably?--nblschool (talk) 23:58, 6 August 2008 (UTC)

Casting

This text appears in the section about cast members:

Contestants who make it through the auditioning process are required to sign a one-year contract stating that they will not tell anybody how much money they make, and that they will not release any information about the actual auditioning process, such as the number of screenings, the questions asked by the auditioners, and the actual criteria for being accepted onto the show. However, most of the children are already well established actors.

Is the first sentence referring to the young cast members or to the contestants? If it is referring to the cast members, it should be changed to say that. If it is in fact referring to the contestants, it should be moved to a different part of the article. JBFrenchhorn (talk) 09:00, 29 November 2008 (UTC)

1 not a factor?

In the section about "Hoot", the astronaut, someone mentioned that the number one is not a factor. I believe that statement is incorrect. One is a factor 75.6.232.115 (talk) 04:26, 6 February 2009 (UTC)

You're right. However, since 1 is one of the two obvious factors, they are usually ignored. Still, you're right. --80.134.28.101 (talk) 21:49, 11 February 2010 (UTC)

Hiatus?

Any source about 5th Grader's hiatus and Ken Jennings' "controversial" $500,000 win?--70.240.215.204 (talk) 23:54, 29 December 2008 (UTC)Chris

News to me. I've tagged as {{disputed-section}}. - Realkyhick (Talk to me) 23:30, 1 January 2009 (UTC)

No. That's why I removed that false information. Jennings' win was NOT controversial in any way. He used his Jeopardy! brain. Why did they call it "controversial", anyway? WikiLubber (talk) 01:10, 13 September 2009 (UTC)

How much do the

How much do the 5th graders make on the show? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.128.240.37 (talk) 21:02, 29 October 2009 (UTC)

New Episodes?

I got the idea that when the show went into syndication, they were making new (shorter) episodes and not reruns (similar to the shortened version of Deal or No Deal). But when I went to the show's website and read the beginning of this article, it looked like the show was canceled. Could someone please clarify this for me? 207.179.115.232 (talk) 04:25, 12 August 2010 (UTC)

Kathy Ireland wrong amount?

I just watched the episode with Kathy Ireland, and she dropped out with $175 000, not $25 000 as the article suggests. I couldn't for the life of me find a source containing the amount she won, but I definitely just watched, and it was $175 000. 174.5.41.140 (talk) 04:56, 20 September 2010 (UTC)

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