(bright upbeat music) - Welcome to the season six premiere of "High School Quiz Show Maine."

We have 16 schools from across the state competing to be this year's champion and take home the $1,000 prize for their school's project graduation.

In our first qualifying match, it's the Dragons of Brunswick High School, (soaring instrumental music) taking on the Saints of Saint Dominic Academy in Auburn.

(soaring instrumental music) That's next on the season premiere of "High School Quiz Show Maine."

(upbeat funky music) - [Announcer] Production support for "High School Quiz Show Maine" is provided by energy is about more than just keeping the lights on.

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And by viewers like you, thank you.

(upbeat funky music) - Welcome to season six of "High School Quiz Show Maine."

I'm Todd Gutner.

Last fall, schools from across the state took the qualifying tests to be part of this season.

The top 16 scoring schools have made it onto the show and range from Fort Kent in the north to South Berwick in the south, and, as usual, they'll compete for the $1,000 grand prize for their school's project graduation.

In our kickoff match for season six, we have two schools who have been with us a few times on previous seasons, the Dragons of Brunswick High School and the Saints of Saint Dominic Academy.

Let's meet the players.

For our kickoff match, from Brunswick, we have Ben, Thomas, Maia, and Nate with alternates Leo and Alexei and coaches Emily Field and Ethan Whitlock, and for Saint Dom's, we have Connor, Anna, Kyle, and Avery with alternates Reislin and coached by Sophie Willette.

The competition has three rounds, the tossup round, the category round, and, of course, the lightning round.

We're gonna start with the tossup round.

All answers are worth 10 points, and this is the only round with no point deductions for wrong answers.

Players must wait for me to complete the question, and if one team answers incorrectly, the other team will be given a chance to answer.

Did you guys get all that?

Yeah?

- Yeah.

- Okay.

Are you excited to kick off the season?

- Yeah!

- All right!

I like it.

Well, good luck to both of you, and let's have some fun.

All right, let's get started.

Here's the first question.

The Kremlin is a historic fortress located in what city that is the capital of Russia?

(ding chimes) That'd be Connor at Saint Dom's.

- Moscow.

- Yes.

Good job.

In a 2021 special election, Raphael Warnock became the first black person to be elected senator from which US state?

(ding chimes) Nate, Brunswick.

- Georgia.

- You got it.

The NFL's all-time leading scorer is what former New England Patriots place kicker who announced his retirement from the Indianapolis Colts in 2021?

Kyle, Saint Dom's.

- Adam Vinatieri.

- Yes.

You've remembered.

(laughs) He's a legend in New England.

"The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" is a prequel novel to what dystopian trilogy by author Suzanne Collins?

(ding chimes) Ben in Brunswick.

- "The Hunger Games."

- That's right.

Up next, we have a picture question, so players, take a look over at the monitor here.

The question is name this decorated US snowboarder from Long Beach, California who became the first woman to win two gold medals in that event at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

(ding chimes) Thomas, Brunswick.

- Chloe Kim.

- That's right.

We move on.

What name that means flat plains in Quechua refers to the huge semiarid plains region mainly in Central Argentina?

(ding chimes) Thomas, Brunswick.

- The Pampas.

- You got it right.

Yes.

What woman was Maine's first female attorney general and its female elected governor?

Nate, Brunswick.

- Janet Mills.

- That's right, yes.

In degrees Celsius, what is the boiling point of water at sea level?

Thomas, Brunswick.

- 100.

- 100 is correct.

What kind of two-hulled sailing vessel takes its name from Tamil, words meaning tied wood?

(buzzer buzzes) Catamaran is the correct answer.

Up next, we have a video question again, so please take a look at the monitor over here.

- Hello, my name is Cathy Potter, and I'm the librarian at Falmouth Middle School.

In Stephen King's novel "11-22-63," a high school English teacher hurdles back in time to 1963 and attempts to stop what monumental event?

(ding chimes) - [Todd] That'd be Kyle at Saint Dom's.

- The assassination of John F. Kennedy.

- That is right.

Yes, nice job.

All right, next question.

In a story by Washington Irving, what character falls asleep in the Catskill Mountains and sleeps right through the American Revolution?

(ding chimes) Thomas.

- Rip Van Winkle.

- Rip Van Winkle, yep.

What name for ancient Egyptian writing comes from the Greek for sacred carving?

(ding chimes) Thomas again.

- Hieroglyphs.

- That is correct.

Salvador Dali, Rene Magritte, Leonora Carrington were part of what 20th-century artistic movement that blends dream symbolism and recognizable images of people and objects?

(ding chimes) Thomas, Brunswick.

- Surrealism.

- All right, you're on a roll, Thomas, you're on a roll.

Which of these is a citrus fruit, apple, grape, or lime?

(ding chimes) Anna, Saint Dom's.

- Lime.

- Yeah, you got it.

All right, this is a math question.

You have some pencils I believe there if you want to grab them.

10 students enter a science fair.

If all of them present their work successfully, how many different arrangements of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishes can there be?

(ding chimes) Maia with a quick math from Brunswick.

- 720?

- You are good.

Wow, that's awesome!

All right, here we go.

We're moving on.

King Kong climbed what New York City skyscraper in a 1933 movie and its 2005 remake?

(ding chimes) Nate, Brunswick.

- The Empire State Building.

- That's right.

All right, how many states make up the region known as New England?

(ding chimes) Thomas, Brunswick.

- Six.

- Six is correct.

A gerund is a verb form that usually ends with what three letters?

(ding chimes) Maia Brunswick.

- I-N-G. - Yes, that is correct, too.

What kind of mythical creature's depicted on the official flags of Bhutan, Malta, and Wales?

(ding chimes) Ben, Brunswick.

- A dragon.

- A dragon.

You got it.

Three gods make up the Hindu Trimurti.

Brahma is the creator, Shiva is the destroyer, and which God is the protector?

(ding chimes) Avery, Saint Dom's.

- Vishnu.

- Vishnu.

You got it.

Named for the river near where it occurred, what event involved a meteoroid entering the atmosphere of Siberia on June 30th, 1908?

(ding chimes) - Thomas.

- Tunguska.

- I'm sorry?

- Tunguska.

- Tunguska is correct.

Yeah, just wait for for me to call on ya next time.

Which of these is volcanic glass, obsidian, ogenishan, or opal?

(ding chimes) Thomas, Brunswick.

- Obsidian.

- Obsidian is correct.

The name of which constellation means the bull in Latin?

(ding chimes) Ben, Brunswick.

- Taurus.

- Taurus, yes.

What country in Asia recently moved its capital city from Jakarta to Nusantara because Jakarta is sinking?

(ding chimes) Nate, Brunswick.

- Indonesia.

- Indonesia, yes.

All right, another math question, another math question.

Get your pencils.

The ratio of Cara's age to the age of her father is two to seven.

If Cara is 16 years old, how old is her father?

(ding chimes) Maia again.

- 56.

- (laughs) 56.

That's your strength for sure, the math, right?

In the absence of oxygen, an enzyme breaks down sugar to produce ethanol and carbon dioxide in a process called what?

(ding chimes) Thomas, Brunswick.

- Fermentation.

- Yes.

You got it.

Okay, that's the end of round one, and we have a score of Brunswick, 200, Saint Dom's, 50.

Our great start to the season will continue, I hope.

We'll meet the teams when we come back, Welcome back.

Before we head to the category round, we like to pause and get to know our players with a slightly silly question, which is if you could give the power of speech to any animal, which would it be and why?

And we'll start with Ben over here at Brunswick.

Which animal, Ben?

- I gotta go with the turtle, Todd.

I'm a big fan of Master Oogway from the "Kung Fu Panda" series, and I feel like if there's a turtle that could speak to me, I think it could offer me some really meaningful spiritual guidance in my life.

- Like a sage, right?

- Yeah.

- Okay.

All right, that's good.

Thomas, what do you got?

- I'd have to go with a cat because cats always act superior to everybody, and I'd like to know what makes 'em think that way.

- Yeah, I'm a cat dad, I'm a #catdad.

- So am I.

- Yeah, are you?

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

I feel like they just mock us all day long, you know?

So I'd really like to know the same.

Where do they - I'd like to hear them.

- get that confidence from?

- Right, yeah.

They're amazing.

Anyway, I like it.

What's the name of your cat, Thomas?

- Pawline, P-A-W. - Ah, I get it.

(laughs) Maia, Brunswick, go ahead.

- I think I'm gonna have to go with just like fish in general, just because the ocean is so unexplored that would be good to get- - Right, yean, I mean, humans haven't really seen any of the ocean practically, right?

So, hey, fill us in.

What do you got down there with?

Nate, how about you?

- I'm gonna go with the owl.

You know, they're really wise, so like a lot of knowledge there.

- Ah, (laughs) yep.

I gotcha, that's good.

Connor, we're going over to Saint Dom's now.

- I would give the power of speech to birds because I'm actually in bird club at our school, and I would think that they would've a lot of stories from traveling all over the place, too.

- Yeah, and a unique perspective, right?

One that we don't ever get unless we're up in a plane or something like that.

Yeah, I like that, Connor.

Anna, Saint Dom's, what do you got?

- I would go with the dog because I just think it would be cool to hear from everybody's pets, and they're really energetic, and so I feel like- - Are you a dog owner, Anna?

- No, but I like dogs.

- But you want one?

- (laughs) Yeah.

- Do your parents know that?

- Yeah, they do.

- All right, parents, listen up, you gotta get her a dog.

Kyle, Saint Dom's.

- I'm gonna have to go with the orangutan.

- Why?

- Just 'cause think of how funny it would be to watch one talk.

- Yeah, I mean, it's funny just looking at 'em, and it would be even more hilarious, right?

If we could hear the words that they were saying.

Avery, you're last.

- I'm gonna have to agree with Connor.

I think it'd be cool to hear birds 'cause I think they have an interesting perspective.

- Yeah, okay.

Thank you, Avery, so much.

So up next is the category round, but let's see how well you do with our viewer Question of the Week.

(upbeat funky music) - Hi, I'm Paul Riley from Safety Insurance, and this is your Maine Question of the Week.

What shoe size is the LL Bean boot outside their flagship store in Freeport?

Is it 82, 225, or 410?

Stay tuned for the answer later in the show.

(up-tempo contemplative music) - We are back, and next up is the category round of the following choices, Big Ben, The Thing with Feathers, Quit Bugging Me, Land of Oz, Can We Speed This Up, and Total of 10.

Questions have increasing point values, and wrong answers will cost you.

Now longtime viewers will notice a big difference in how we play the category around this season.

Each team will alternate control of two categories.

With each team and each question, they can choose to answer and either gain or lose points, skip and neither gain nor lose points, or, once per category, they can toss and force the other team to answer the question.

Players will have three seconds to confer and decide what to do.

Saint Dom's is trailing, so you guys will have control of the board.

Where are we going to start this category round off?

- We would like Big Ben.

- Big Ben.

Okay.

So this is Big Ben for 10 points, and these are questions about Benjamin Franklin, Benjamin Franklin.

Ben Franklin is pictured on the front of the $100 bill.

On the back is an illustration of what Philadelphia building where he signed the Declaration of Independence?

(people whisper indistinctly) - I don't know.

I don't know what it's called.

- Me neither.

- I'm gonna need- - Skip.

- You wanna skip it?

Okay.

The answer's Independence Hall, Independence Hall.

Next question.

This is Big Ben for 15.

Franklin is credited with inventing what type of two-part eyeglass lens that corrects both near vision and distance vision?

(people whisper indistinctly) - Bifocal.

- Monocle.

- Bifocal.

- Bifocal.

- Monocle.

- Bifocal.

- Bifocal.

- Bifocal?

- Do you want to answer?

- Yeah.

- Okay.

- Bifocal.

- Bifocals is correct, nice job.

Big Ben for 20.

As a commentary on the lack of unity among the colonies, Franklin published a political cartoon of a snake cut into eight parts above what three-word statement?

- Resist the patriarchy.

- Resist the patriarchy.

- Live free or die.

- That's not three words.

- It's three words.

(people whisper indistinctly) - Resist the patriarchy.

- Resist a patriarchy?

- That is incorrect.

The correct answer is "Join or Die," "Join or die."

Big Ben for 25.

As a diplomatic minister to France during the American Revolution, Franklin had a historic meeting with what French king who was executed during the French Revolution?

- Napoleon?

- Louis XVI.

- King Louis XVI.

- Oh yeah.

- 16th?

- I think.

- King Louis XVI?

- King Louis XVI is correct.

Nice job.

Big Ben for 30.

Before the Revolution, Franklin's son William was appointed governor of which of the 13 original colonies?

Ben never forgave William for staying loyal to Britain during the Revolution.

- Is it Virginia?

- Do you wanna go with Virginia or do you wanna skip?

- Virginia.

- Virginia.

- We can go for it.

- Virginia.

- Okay, Virginia is incorrect.

The correct answer is New Jersey, and that ends that category.

So now we're gonna flip over to Brunswick.

Brunswick, your turn to select a category.

- We'll take Total of 10.

- Total of 10.

Okay.

All the answers are 10-letter words.

All right, that threw you for a little surprise, didn't it, Nate?

(laughs) - Little bit.

Here's the first question.

According to the title of a "My Little Pony" animated series, what 10 letter word is magic?

- Friendship.

- Wow.

- Friendship?

- You better go with Maia.

(laughs) Friendship is correct.

- Well done, well done.

- My mother will be proud.

- The novel "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" says that 42 is the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and what 10-letter word?

- Everything, right?

- Yeah.

- Everything?

- Everything is correct also.

Total of 10 for 20.

Each year, Americans eat about 12 and a half pounds per capita of what gooey pizza cheese with a 10-letter name?

- Mozzarella.

- Mozzarella.

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

- Mozzarella?

- Mozzarella is also correct.

Total of 10 For 25.

What is the 10 letter name of the star ship commanded by Captain James T. Kirk - Enterprise.

- in the original "Star Trek" TV series?

- The Enterprise.

- The Enterprise is right!

Yeah, and this is the last one in the category of Total of 10.

In the first book in a series by Beverly Cleary, Ralph S. Mouse learns to ride a toy version of what kind of vehicle with a 10-letter name?

- Motorcycle.

- Motorcycle?

- Yeah.

- Motorcycle.

- Motorcycle?

- Motorcycle is right.

We're gonna flip back now over to Saint Dom's.

You have control of the board.

What category are we going with?

- Can We Speed This Up?

- Can We Speed This Up for 10.

These are questions about slow things.

The first question, in the "Ice Age" movies, Sid is what kind of South American mammal - Sloth?

- known for moving very, very slowly?

- A sloth.

- Sloth is right.

Can We Speed This Up for 15.

The Glacier Express calls itself the world's slowest train, taking nearly eight hours to travel 180 miles between Zermatt and St. Moritz in Switzerland through what mountain range?

- The Alps.

- The Alps.

- The Alps.

- The Alps is correct, yes.

Can We Speed This Up for 20.

Which planet in our solar system has the longest days?

Each one lasts the equivalent of 243 Earth days.

(people whisper indistinctly) - Do you wanna skip?

- Do you want us to skip?

- What do you think, Connor?

- Skip.

- Skip.

- You wanna skip it.

Okay.

The answer is Venus, Venus.

Can We Speed This Up for 25.

The longest State of the Union Address, lasting one hour and 28 minutes and 49 seconds, was delivered by what outgoing president on January 27th, 2000?

- Oh, no.

- 2000.

- 2000?

- It was 2000.

- Was that Bush?

- Yeah.

- Skip the question.

- George W. Bush.

- That's incorrect.

The answer's Bill Clinton, Bill Clinton.

For the last one in, Can We Speed This Up, 30 points.

Take the instruction to play "As Slow as Possible" very seriously.

A project started in 2001 will take 639 years to complete one performance of "Organ2/ASLSP" written by what American avant-garde composer?

- Do you wanna toss?

- Yeah, let's toss.

- We're gonna toss.

- You wanna toss it over to Brunswick?

All right, Brunswick, you have to come up with a answer to this.

- Can we just throw out a composer?

- Yeah, just throw out a composer.

- Omar Thomas.

- That's not right.

The answer's John Cage, John Cage.

So that's the end of that category, Can We Speed Things Up.

Now we're over to Brunswick and your last choice.

- [Nate] We're gonna go with Land of Oz, Todd.

- Land of Oz.

These are questions about Australia.

The first one is, famous for its opera house and the steel bridge that spans its harbor, which city is the most populous in Australia?

- Sydney.

- Sydney.

- Sydney.

- Sydney is correct.

The second question, 15 points.

The world's largest living carnivorous marsupial is what noisy nocturnal animal named for an island just south of mainland Australia?

- Tasmanian devil.

- Yes.

- is Tasmanian devil a marsupial though.

- Yeah.

- Is it?

- Yeah.

- Okay.

- Great.

- Tasmanian Devil?

- Tasmanian Devil.

You got it.

Nice job.

Next one for 20 points.

What wedge-shaped throwing stick traditionally used by aboriginal Australians as a hunting weapon will return to the thrower if it's thrown correctly?

- Boomerang.

- Boomerang.

- Boomerang.

- Boomerang is right.

Land of Oz, 25.

The national flag of Australia depicts five stars in what recognizable constellation that's visible on any clear night in Australia?

- Oh.

- I have no idea.

- Orion?

- Toss it.

- Oh yeah?

- Toss it?

- Toss it.

- Toss it.

- We're gonna toss, Todd.

- You wanna toss it?

Let's toss it over to Saint Dom's.

Saint Dom's.

we are going to need an answer for you after a few seconds.

I think it's a Northern Cross.

- Go with that.

- It's a Northern Cross.

- Oh, you're so close.

Southern Cross.

Southern Cross is the answer.

All right, this is Land of Oz for 30 back to Brunswick.

The Ashes is a competition that takes place about once every two years between teams from Australia and England in what sport?

- Cricket.

- Cricket?

- Cricket.

- All right.

Cricket.

- Cricket is your answer?

Cricket is correct.

All right, that ends the category round, and the score is Brunswick, 345, Saint Dom, 15.

I know that's a big margin, but we've got the lightning round next, and anything can happen in the lightning round.

We will be right back.

(upbeat music) (upbeat funky music) - Did you figure out the answer to this week's question?

It was, what shoe size is the LL Bean boot outside their flagship store in Freeport?

Is it 82, 225, or 410?

The answer is 410.

The boot measures 16 and a half feet tall, making it slightly larger than the 13-foot-high Bootmobile.

(up-tempo contemplative music) - Okay, we're heading into the final 90 seconds of gameplay.

It's known as the lightning round.

Players, you do not have to wait for me to finish the question.

You can buzz in at any time, but do not answer until I call your name.

You get 20 points for each correct answer.

Incorrect answers will cost you 20 points, and the other team does not get the chance to answer that question either.

The clock is set.

Here we go.

Which river separates Buda and Pest in Hungary?

- Connor.

- It's the Danube.

- The Danube is correct.

From Latin for speak the truth, a jury's decision at trial is called what?

Avery, Saint Dom's.

- The resolution?

- That's incorrect.

A verdict is correct.

The first black woman elected to the US Congress, Shirley Chisholm, represented what state?

(ding chimes) Ben, Brunswick.

- New York.

- New York is right.

at the start of a chess match, what piece stands between a bishop and a rook?

Nate, Brunswick.

- The knight?

- Yep, you got it.

Who wrote the words to "The Star-Spangled Banner"?

Ben, Brunswick.

- Francis Scott Key.

- Francis Scott Key.

Which of your five senses is governed by the brain's occipital lobe?

Anna, Saint Dom's.

- Your vision.

- Your vision is correct.

Leonidas I was king of the Greek- Nate, Brunswick.

- Sparta.

- Sparta, yes.

Beginner students of karate wear what color belt?

- White.

- Thomas.

White is right.

What's the largest artery in the human body?

The answer's aorta.

The birthday of Benito Juarez is a national holiday in which country?

Nate, Brunswick.

- Mexico.

- Mexico, yes.

What fresh herb is the basis for traditional Italian pesto?

Thomas, Brunswick.

- Basil.

- Basil is right.

Dot CN- (alarm trills) Ooh, that's the end of the lightning round, and our winning team this week is Brunswick at a whopping 485 points.

They'll be moving on to the quarter finals in a few weeks.

Our runner up, Saint Dom's, 35 points.

You guys did a great job, too, though.

We wanna thank you for playing.

Thank you for watching.

Congratulations to both teams, and be sure to tune in next time as Gould Academy takes on last year's champion, Brewer.

Should be a great match.

Thanks again for watching.

We'll see you again next time on "High School Quiz Show Maine."

(upbeat music) - [Announcer] Production support for "High School Quiz Show Maine" is provided by energy is about more than just keeping the lights on.

It's about living life as parents, friends, and teammates.

Unitil is proud to support "High School Quiz Show Maine."

Unitil, more than a utility, part of your community.

Safety insurance is committed to environmental sustainability and supports many local charities.

You can ask an independent agent about auto, home and business coverage from safety insurance.

Safety insurance will help you manage life's storms.

And by viewers like you.

Thank you.

(upbeat funky music)