- Funding for (upbeat rhythmic music) "High School Quiz Show: Austin" comes from: Sally and James Gavin, Bank of America, Krishna Srinivasan and Raka Sandell.

- Coming up, it's LASA, the Liberal Arts and Science Academy (audience cheering and clapping) taking on Round Rock High School.

(audience cheering and clapping) That's next on the championship match of "High School Quiz Show: Austin."

(audience cheering and clapping) (upbeat marching band music) (audience cheering) Hi, everybody and welcome to "High School Quiz Show: Austin."

I'm your host, Joe Hanson.

We began this competition with 22 teams from around Central Texas.

And today, it all comes down to this, LASA and Round Rock compete for our final match of the season.

As always, we start with the toss-up round.

All answers are worth 10 points.

There are no point deductions for wrong answers, and players, you may confer.

Okay, teams, if you're ready, good luck.

Here we go.

The modern petroleum industry in Texas began on January 10th, 1901 when the Gladys City Oil, Gas and Manufacturing Company struck oil at what salt dome formation near Beaumont, Texas?

(contestant buzzer dings) Sarah.

- Spindletop.

- Yes.

Next question.

What American singer-songwriter released her new album, "Returning to Myself" in October 2025 and knocked Taylor Swift's "Life of a Showgirl" album out of the top spot on the iTunes music charts?

(contestant buzzer dings) Madhav.

- Sabrina Carpenter?

- No, Round Rock?

You do have a chance.

(contestant buzzer dings) Sathvik.

- Alison Ray.

- No, we're looking for Brandi Carlile.

What major European river originates in the Swiss Alps and flows through Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, France, and the Netherlands before emptying into the North Sea?

(contestant buzzer dings) Ethan.

- Rhine.

- Yes.

The Mary Rose was a 16th century warship built for what king of England, who is known for marrying six times?

(contestant buzzer dings) Carson.

- Henry VIII.

- Yes.

What vice president of the United States under George W. Bush died in November 2025 at age 84?

(contestant buzzer dings) Sarah.

- Dick Cheney.

- Yes.

The main international airport in Austin is named for what captain in the U.S.

Army Air Force who was the first native of Austin to be killed in action during World War II?

(contestant buzzer dings) Madhav.

- Bergstrom.

- Yes, John August Earl Bergstrom.

Quinta Brunson is the creator and star of what TV sitcom in which she plays a second grade teacher named Janine Teagues.

(contestant buzzer dings) Carson.

- "Abbott Elementary."

- Yes.

I wonder if our coaches can relate to that show at all.

(audience chuckling) In 1925, a con artist named Victor Lustig pretended to be a French civil servant and tried to sell what Paris Landmark to a scrap iron dealer?

(contestant buzzer dings) Sarah.

- The Eiffel Tower.

- Yes.

The tubes connecting the middle ear to the back of the throat are most commonly known by what name that refers to the Italian physician who identified them?

(contestant buzzer dings) Tejomay.

- The sinus.

- No.

LASA, you have a chance.

(contestant buzzer dings) Madhav.

- Mandibles.

- No.

We are looking for the Eustachian tube.

In a story by Steven Vincent Benet, a farmer named Jabez Stone sells his soul in exchange for prosperity and then asks what 19th-century American lawyer to help him get it back?

(contestant buzzer dings) Madhav.

- Webster?

- Yes.

Daniel Webster.

That story is "The Devil and Daniel Webster."

Leo Fender is best known for making which of these things: car parts, guitars, or tennis rackets?

(contestant buzzer dings) Carson.

- A.

- [Joe] No.

(contestant buzzer dings) - Sathvik.

- Guitar.

- Guitars is correct.

This is a math question.

The price of a bicycle is $176.

State and local tax adds 8.25% to the purchase price.

What is the total cost of the bicycle including tax?

Need an answer.

(contestant buzzer dings) (time-up buzzer buzzes) - [Joe] Did he make it in?

Madhav.

- 378.

- No.

Round Rock, you do have a quick chance here.

(contestant buzzer dings) Sathvik.

- 200 and dollars.

(contestants and audience laughing) - You're closer.

(contestants and audience chuckling) The answer we're looking for is $190.52.

Next question.

One of the first recorded financial market crashes in history occurred in the Netherlands in the 1630s with people speculating on the value of what flowers?

(contestant buzzer dings) Ethan.

- Tulip.

- Yes.

A stretched bungee cord is an example of what type of energy that depends on the stored energy of an object and its position in a system?

(contestant buzzer dings) Sathvik.

- Potential.

- Yes.

Potential energy.

All right, we are off to a great start in this championship match, but first, we're gonna take a moment to thank some of the folks who make this show possible.

(gentle music) - [Announcer] Support for "High School Quiz Show: Austin" comes from Bank of America, investing in education and the future of Central Texas youth.

Information at bankofamerica.com.

(audience cheering) (upbeat rhythmic music) - Welcome back.

The score is LASA with 40 points, Round Rock has 70.

Now let's get back to the game.

The Economic Cooperation Act of 1948 was the result of a plan proposed by what US Secretary of State for helping to rebuild Europe after World War II?

(contestant buzzer dings) Sathvik.

- Marshall.

- Yes.

George C. Marshall.

South America's Rio De la Plata is what type of partially-enclosed body of water where fresh water mixes with salt water from the sea?

(contestant buzzer dings) Sathvik.

- Estuary.

- Yes.

Next question.

The Trung sisters are national heroines in what Southeast Asian country where they fought against Chinese occupiers in the first century CE?

(contestant buzzer dings) Madhav.

- Vietnam.

- Yes.

Next question.

In 1841, more than 100 enslaved people on what ship traveling from Richmond, Virginia to New Orleans staged a revolt, took command of the ship, and sailed to The Bahamas where they claimed their freedom?

(contestant buzzer dings) Madhav.

- Amistad?

- No, Round Rock, you do have a chance here.

(contestant buzzer dings) Ethan.

- The Bounty.

- No.

Another famous revolt.

But we are looking for the Creole.

The opposite of evaporation, what is the name for the process by which molecules of a gas slow their movement and come together to form a liquid?

(contestant buzzer dings) Sathvik.

- Condensation.

- Yes.

Only two first ladies of the United States were born outside the US.

One is the wife of John Quincy Adams, Louisa Adams, who was born in England.

Who is the other?

(contestant buzzer dings) Carson.

- Melania Trump.

- Yes.

This is a math question.

Membership in the robotics club grew from 36 members to 54 members.

By what percentage did the membership increase?

(contestant buzzer dings) Sathvik.

- 50%.

- Yes.

A work by Johann Sebastian Bach whose German title means "Be Quiet, Stop Chattering" tells a comical story about people who drink too much of what caffeinated beverage?

(contestant buzzer dings) Niamh.

- Coffee.

- Yes.

It is the coffee cantata.

Known by an Aztec name that means rubber people, what Mesoamerican civilization that predates the Toltec and the Aztec carved colossal basalt-stone head sculptures at sites along Mexico's Gulf Coast?

(contestant buzzer dings) Sathvik.

- Olmec.

- The Olmec people.

Yes.

In psychology, the diagnostic ink blot test is most closely associated with what early-20th-century psychiatrist from Switzerland?

(contestant buzzer dings) Sarah.

- Rorschach.

- Yes.

Pablo Picasso's painting Guernica is a commentary on what 20th-century war?

(contestant buzzer dings) - Madhav.

- The Spanish Civil War.

- Yes.

"'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;" are the first two lines of what nonsense poem by Lewis Carroll?

(contestant buzzer dings) Sarah.

- Jabberwocky?

- Yes.

A prolonged war fought in Europe from 1618 until 1648 is commonly known by what name?

(contestant buzzer dings) - Madhav.

- Thirty Years' War.

- Yes.

The Bolshoi Ballet is based in Moscow, and the Mariinsky Ballet is based in which major city in western Russia?

(contestant buzzer dings) Sathvik.

- St.

Petersburg.

- Yes.

Surgery to reconstruct the ulnar collateral ligament in the elbow is commonly known by what name that refers to what Major League Baseball pitcher who had the surgery performed in 1974?

(contestant buzzer dings) - Madhav - Lou Gehrig.

- No.

Round Rock, you have a chance here.

(contestant buzzer dings) Sathvik.

- Babe Ruth.

- (chuckling) No, it was a little earlier than that.

We're looking for Tommy John.

That's Tommy John surgery.

In a book by Tomie dePaola, what title character has a name that means Grandma Witch in Italian?

(contestant buzzer dings) Ethan.

- Babushka.

(chuckling) - No.

LASA, you do have a chance.

(contestant buzzer dings) Carson.

- Nona Busch.

- No.

It is Strega Nona.

(End-of-Round Buzzer chimes) All right, that's the end of the round.

The score is LASA with 90 points.

Round Rock has 150 points.

Let's hear it for both teams.

(audience cheering) (thrilling music) The head-to-head round is next, but first we're gonna take a minute to get to know these players.

LASA, we'll start with you.

Now, you've all made it to the championship round, which means you're overflowing with knowledge.

So we would like to know what pearl of wisdom you'd like to impart on the world now that you have these cameras trained on you.

Niamh, what about you?

- Okay, so I have an old Irish saying, which is, you know, "Always return pearl earrings that you borrow," and I think Carson needs to hear that one.

(chuckling) (audience laughing) - Yeah, I can feel you saying it in a particular direction, and it's not at me.

I think maybe we need to move on to Carson.

First, do you have anything to say for yourself?

And what is your pearl of wisdom?

(chuckling) - My pearl of wisdom is that you should always forgive your friends, because that is true forgiveness for yourself.

(audience laughing) - That's teammates right there.

I really appreciate, and we hope you guys worked that out.

Madhav, what about you?

- Okay, so my piece of wisdom or pearl of wisdom is that it's better to improve and get better in the future than it is just to keep focusing on what you are right now.

- I love that.

There's always room to grow.

- Yes.

- I need to remember that.

I'm getting older every year.

I appreciate that.

Tony, what about you?

- So I had a quote that I really like from Harry Truman and he said, "There is nothing new in the world except for the history you do not know."

And I think that really just like encapsulates my attitude towards the world and my attitude towards learning, because I love to learn about history.

And I think that learning about history can help us to understand what's happening in our world will happen in the future and all of that.

It's very important.

- Exactly, I mean you only know where you're going by looking at where you've been, right?

Is that a quote by Joe Hanson?

(audience laughing) Although, in this game, the history you don't know might come back to hurt you.

(audience laughing) Also with us from the LASA team, (upbeat music) we have Coaches Jason Flowers and Adam Escandell.

Okay, Round Rock.

What pearls of wisdom would you like to share with our audience?

Tejomay?

- I'd say if you have the opportunity to do something like be on TV, you should take it.

(audience laughing) - It's like that meme going around.

It's like, at some point, someone will give you the chance to be on TV on "High School Quiz Show."

It's very important that you take it.

- I agree.

(audience laughing) - Well you made it this far, so that's good advice.

Sathvik, how about you?

- So basically what I said is that you should always try, and you should not use ChatGPT.

(audience laughing) - I can guarantee you ChatGPT wouldn't win this game.

Sarah, how about you?

- My pearl of wisdom is that life is long enough for you to take a break and just enjoy it sometimes, and you don't always have to be rushing to do something or to get somewhere.

- Are you enjoying this?

I hope you're taking a break to take it all in.

- Yeah.

- Awesome.

Ethan, how about you?

- I would just say there's a purpose in everything, like there's an order to the universe, it's set well, and it will go where it's supposed to.

- It sounds like you've got some secrets we all need to get in on.

(audience laughing) Well if you let me know what that purpose is after the show, maybe we could, all right.

Also on the Round Rock team, we have alternates, Aria and Netra and Coach Julia Bailey.

And joining us from Round Rock is Principal Gordon Butler.

Let's hear it for both teams.

(audience clapping) Okay, it's time for the head-to-head round.

In this round, correct answers add 10 points to the team total, and wrong answers result in a 10-point deduction.

The clock is set at 1 minute and 30 seconds.

How about a friendly fist bump before we get started?

Love it.

Okay.

Good luck.

Here we go.

Dromedary and Bactrian are species of what desert mammal?

(contestant buzzer dings) - Camel.

- Yes.

- Iceberg, Boston, and Romaine are types of- (contestant buzzer dings) - Cabbage.

- No, lettuce.

- In books by A.A.

Milne, who is Winnie the Poo's Tiger?

(contestant buzzer dings) - Tigger?

- Yes.

Cardiomyocytes are specialized muscle cells in what organ?

(contestant buzzer dings) - Heart.

- Yes.

- Land of Lincoln is the motto on car license- (contestant buzzer dings) - Illinois.

- Yes.

What is the scientific name for the voice box?

(contestant buzzer dings) - Oh, larynx.

- Yes.

- Which constellation whose name is Latin for dragon is seen year round in the northern hemisphere?

(contestant buzzer dings) - Draco?

- Yes.

Paul Hewson, the lead singer of the band U2 is best known by what stage- (contestant buzzer dings) - Bono.

- Yes.

What branch of physics is the study of how work, heat, and energy affect us?

(contestant buzzer dings) - Thermodynamics?

- Yes.

What Japanese surrender during World War II took place- (contestant buzzer dings) - Midway.

- No.

USS Missouri.

What is the pH of a neutral solution?

(contestant buzzer dings) - Seven.

- Yes.

What edict issued by Emperor Constantine in 313 granted religious tolerance to Christians in ancient Rome?

(contestant buzzer dings) - Edict of Nantes?

- No, Edict of Milan.

Which of the world's six continents has the youngest population with a median of nine- (contestant buzzer dings) - Africa.

- Yes.

At the end of the English Civil War, what man ruled England as Lord Protector?

(contestant buzzer dings) - Cromwell.

- Yes.

Classic architectural column styles are Doric, Corinthian, and what style with a- (contestant buzzer dings) - Ionic.

- Yes.

- The molecule of chlorophyll has an ion of what metal at its center?

(contestant buzzer dings) - Chlorine.

- No.

Magnesium.

The "Four Seasons" is the best known composition by what... (End-of-Round Buzzer chimes) (contestant buzzer dings) Did we make it?

- That was after.

No, we were looking for Antonio Vivaldi at the end of that one.

That's the end of the round.

Let's take a look at the score.

LASA has 150 points, Round Rock with 170 points.

Let's give it up for both teams.

(audience cheering) (upbeat rhythmic music) All right, teams, it's time for the category round.

Today's categories are Monkeying Around, Spring Ahead Act 1, Scene 1, A Matter of Principle, Texas Underground and Strait Talk.

All categories have five questions with increasing point value.

Teams will choose two categories each and have the option to toss one question per category to the other team that the other team must answer.

Players, you are able to confer.

LASA, who's your spokesperson?

Carson.

Round Rock, who's your spokesperson?

Okay, Tejomay.

LASA, you have a little ground to make up so the first category goes to you.

- [Carson] Act 1, Scene 1.

- Act 1, Scene 1.

These are questions about the first scene of the first act in theatrical plays and musicals.

For 10 points, spoken by one of the three witches: "When shall we three meet again?

In thunder, lightning, or in rain?"

are the first lines from Act 1, Scene 1 of which Shakespeare play?

- Macbeth.

- Yes, and I have it on good authority, you're allowed to say that in this studio.

(contestants and audience laughing) - I was worried.

- Run around, spin.

- For 15 points, sung by the children in the workhouse, "Food, Glorious Food" is the opening number in Act 1, Scene 1 of what Broadway musical based on a novel by Charles Dickens?

- Oliver.

- Yes.

For 20 points, which stage play by Thornton Wilder that takes place in Grover's Corners, New Hampshire, begins with the stage manager on an empty stage introducing the characters?

- Our Town.

- Yes.

For 25 points, in Act 1, Scene 1, the theatrical musical, "The Lion King" begins with Rafiki and the African singers performing what song to celebrate the birth of Simba?

- "The Circle of Life."

- Yes.

For 30 points, the play "She Kills Monsters" by Qui Nguyen begins with a conversation between Agnes Evans and her little sister Tilly, who is a 20th-level Paladin in what old-school role playing game?

- D & D. D & D, Dungeons and Dragons.

- Yes, that is correct.

Round Rock, your category.

- [Tejomay] Let's do Strait Talk, right?

- Yes.

- [Tejomay] Okay, we'll do Strait Talk.

- Strait Talk.

These are questions about bodies of water known as straits.

For 10 points, the strait that links the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans at the southern tip of South America is named for what explorer who sailed through it in 1520 on an expedition to circumnavigate the earth?

- Magellan.

- Yes.

For 15 points, the Dardanelles and the Bosporus straits are straits that separate Europe and Asia in what country that has geographic regions in both Europe and Asia?

- Turkey.

- Yes.

For 20 points, the Strait of Gibraltar separates Spain from Morocco and connects the Atlantic Ocean to what sea?

- The Mediterranean.

- Yes.

For 25 points in Strait Talk, the Cook Strait passes between the North Island and the South Island of what country in Oceania?

- New Zealand.

- Yes.

And for 30 points, the Frozen Strait is found in which Canadian territory that is the largest, northernmost, and newest territory in Canada and the only one whose government is led by members of the Inuit community?

- Nunavut.

- Correct.

LASA, next category to you.

- [Carson] A Matter Of Principle.

- A Matter Of Principle.

These are questions related to scientific principles.

For 10 points, the Principle Of Fluid Displacement, attributed to what Greek scientist can be expressed by the formula, fb = wfl, meaning buoyant force equals the weight of the fluid displaced?

- Archimedes.

- That is correct.

For 15 points, Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle states that if the momentum of a particle is known precisely then it is impossible to know what quantity of that particle precisely?

- Position.

- Position.

- Position, - That is correct.

For 20 points, a chemical system at equilibrium that experiences a change in temperature, pressure, or concentration will shift equilibrium to counteract the change.

This principle is attributed to what French chemist who stated it in the late 19th century?

- Pass.

- We are looking for Le Chatelier's Principle.

That is Le Chatelier was that scientist.

For 25 points, the Aufbau Principle, also called the Filling-Up Principle states that what subatomic particles will fill in atomic orbitals from lowest energy to highest, beginning with sublevel 1s?

- Electrons.

- Yes.

And for 30 points, what 17th-century French mathematician is associated with the Least Time Principle, which states that the path taken by a ray of light between two points is the one traversed in the least time?

- Should we toss?

- Carson.

- [Joe] We need an answer.

- No.

- No.

- Toss.

- All right, Round Rock.

This is tossed to you.

- Say something.

- What?

- What?

Dude.

(audience laughing) - [Joe] We need an answer, Round Rock.

- Bernoulli.

- No, that is Fermat, Pierre de Fermat.

Round Rock, your category.

- [Tejomay] Spring Ahead.

- Spring Ahead.

These are questions related to Spring and springs.

For 10 points, the 2025 movie "Deliver Me from Nowhere" is based on the life of what singer-songwriter from New Jersey?

- Pass.

- We're looking for Bruce Springsteen.

For 15 points, the United States Air Force Academy is located in what Rocky Mountain city at an elevation of more than 6,000 feet?

- Colorado Springs.

- Colorado Springs.

- Correct.

For 20 points, spring training in Major League Baseball consists of the Cactus League in Arizona and what other league named for a large yellow citrus fruit that plays its games in Florida?

- Lemon.

- No, that is the Grapefruit League.

For 25 points in Spring Ahead, what 1962 book by Rachel Carson led to the start of the modern environmental movement and the banning of the pesticide DDT?

- Silent Spring.

- What?

- Silent Spring.

- Silent Spring.

- Correct.

For 30 points, a pasta dish made with spring vegetables like asparagus, peas, and spring onions in a creamy lemon sauce has what name that comes from the Italian word for Spring?

- Pass.

- We're looking for pasta primavera.

(End-of-Round buzzer chiming) And that's the end of the category round.

The score is LASA with 300 points.

Round Rock has 260 points.

Let's hear a little love for both teams.

(audience cheering and clapping) (thrilling music) Okay, we're heading into the final round of play, The Lightning Round.

Correct answers add 20 points to the team total, and there is a 20 point deduction for incorrect answers.

Teams, the clock is set.

Here we go.

What is the chemical formula for carbon monoxide?

(contestant buzzer dings) Sathvik.

- CO.

- Yes.

The title of a book by Mo Willems says what bird should- (contestant buzzer dings) Madhav.

- Pigeon.

- Yes.

Recipients of the Rhodes Scholarship study at what university?

(contestant buzzer dings) Madhav.

- Oxford.

- Yes.

What fascist leader was Italy's Prime Minister?

(contestant buzzer dings) Sathvik.

- Mussolini.

- Yes.

The negative electrode in a battery is called the anode, and the- (contestant buzzer dings) Madhav.

- Cathode.

- Yes.

Paisley Park was the Minnesota home and recording studio of what performer?

(contestant buzzer dings) Madhav.

- Prince.

- Yes.

Food travels from the pharynx to the stomach through what muscle-lined- (contestant buzzer dings) Sarah.

- Esophagus.

- Yes.

What son of the Greek God Helios set the earth on fire when he tried to drive his father's sun chariot?

(contestant buzzer dings) Sathvik.

- Apollo.

- No.

Phaethon.

What is the name for the tiny air sacks attached to the bronc- (contestant buzzer dings) Sarah.

- Alveoli.

- Yes.

What character who personifies the United States was created by artist James- (contestant buzzer dings) Niamh.

- Uncle Sam.

- Yes.

What six member global girl group formed as a result of the 2023 reality competition show, "Dream Academy"?

(time-up buzzer buzzes) KATSEYE.

The 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion was intended to remove what leader of- (contestant buzzer dings) Sathvik.

- Castro.

- Yes.

Death Valley National Park is primarily in what extremely dry- (contestant buzzer dings) Madhav.

- Mojave.

- Yes.

Escargo is the French word for what edible- (contestant buzzer dings) Sathvik.

- Snail.

- Yes.

- What Falcon-headed god, the son of Osiris- (contestant buzzer dings) Sarah.

- Horace.

- Yes.

Which Midwestern state is the nation's leading agricultural producer of both- (contestant buzzer dings) Sathvik.

- Wisconsin.

- No, Iowa.

The 1988.

(End-of-Round Buzzer chimes) That is the end of the round.

The final score is LASA, 420 points.

(audience cheering) Round Rock finishes with 360 points.

That means the winner of the inaugural season of "High School Quiz Show: Austin" is LASA!

(audience cheering and clapping) Congratulations to both teams.

Thanks for watching.

Join us next season (upbeat rhythmic music) when more teams from around Central Texas will take on "High School Quiz Show: Austin."

So long, everybody.

(upbeat music) (audience cheering and clapping) - [Announcer] Funding for "High School Quiz Show: Austin" comes from: Sally and James Gavin, Bank of America, Krishna Srinivasan and Raka Sandell.

(bright music)