(gentle music) - Welcome to season eight of "High School Quiz Show: Maine," where 16 schools from across the state are competing to be this year's champion and take home the thousand-dollar prize for their school's project graduation.

In our fourth qualifying match, it's the Shipbuilders of Morse High School- (triumphant music) Taking on the Red Riots of Orono High School.

(triumphant music) That's coming up next on "High School Quiz Show: Maine."

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Thank you.

(lively music) - Welcome to season eight of "High School Quiz Show: Maine."

I'm your host, Todd Gutner.

We're just about halfway through the qualifying matches as we work our way towards the season eight championship and the thousand-dollar grand prize.

In our fourth match, we have two schools that are each looking for their first trip to the championship.

We have the Shipbuilders from Morse in Bath.

They're making their fifth appearance on "Quiz Show."

And we have the Red Riots of Orono, hoping their second trip includes a trip to the finals.

Let's get things going by meeting the teams.

For Morse, we have Lochlan, Charlie, Gaffney, and Declan, with alternate Naomi and coached by Craig Tinker.

And for Orono, we have Jack, Nick, Dorsa, and Alan, coached by Troy Wagstaff and Shana Goodall.

The competition has four rounds, the Tossup Round, the Head-to-Head Round, the Category Round, and that fun Lightning Round.

We'll start with the Tossup Round though.

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.

Good luck to you, Morse.

Good luck to you, Orono.

Let's get started.

Here's the first question.

What two-word phrase did British astronomer Fred Hoyle coin to describe the theory that the universe was created in a single explosive moment?

(alarm chimes) Declan, Morse.

- The Big Bang.

- That's right.

A kid named Kevin McCallister gets left behind when his family takes a holiday trip to France in what 1990 comedy movie that stars Macaulay Culkin?

(alarm chimes) Dorsa.

- "Home Alone."

- "Home Alone," yeah.

The 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney marked the first time that women competed in which sport that includes the snatch and the clean and jerk events?

(alarm chimes) Gaffney.

- Powerlifting.

- Will we take that?

We will.

Nice job.

We move on to the next question.

Three extinct stratovolcanoes make up what mountain that is the highest in Africa?

(alarm chimes) Nick, Orono.

- Kilimanjaro.

- That is correct.

Up next, we have a picture question, so take a look into the monitor right here.

Nicknamed the Splendid Splinter, this American icon was the last Major League Baseball player to bat .400 despite suspending his playing career twice to serve in World War II and the Korean War as a fighter pilot.

Name this baseball legend and war hero.

(alarm chimes) Jack, Orono.

- Ted Williams.

- That is right.

In June 2024, Claudia Scheinbaum became the first woman to be elected president of which country?

(alarm chimes) Dorsa.

- Mexico.

- Mexico.

Again, right.

The walled city of Shiyan China is famous for a collection of 8,000 life-sized statues of soldiers.

They're commonly known by what name that refers to the material from which they were made?

(alarm chimes) Lochlan, Morse.

- Terracotta Army.

- That is correct.

Each year, farmers in the United States harvest more than 90 million acres of which agricultural crop?

Nearly half of it is used to produce ethanol.

(alarm chimes) Lochlan again.

- Corn.

- You got it again.

Which organ produces bile at about 80% of the cholesterol your body requires?

(alarm chimes) Charlie, Morse.

- The liver.

- Liver's right.

Next up, we have a video question.

Again, here's the monitor.

- I'm Aislinn Sarnacki, host of "Borealis" on Maine Public, and here's my question for you.

Most Mainers know that the moose is Maine's state mammal, but what is Maine's state insect?

(alarm chimes) - Charlie, Morse.

- The honeybee.

- The honeybee.

Yeah, you got it.

All right, moving on.

"A" or "an" is the indefinite type and "the" is the definite type of what part of speech that comes before the noun it describes?

(alarm chimes) Alan, Orono.

- Article.

- Article.

Nice job.

Taking its name from the phrase "early money is like yeast, it makes the dough rise," what political fundraising organization was founded by Ellen Malcolm in 1985?

(timer buzzes) (alarm chimes) I think you rang in just too late.

It was Emily's List.

Was that gonna be your answer?

- No, I was gonna say the Doughboys.

- Okay, oh good, then.

You didn't lose points.

A surfactant reduces what property of a liquid in which it is dissolved?

(alarm chimes) Lochlan.

- Surface tension.

- Yeah, great.

Surface tension is right.

A tadpole is which of these things?

A baby frog, a piece of mountaineering equipment, or a type of battery?

(alarm chimes) Alan, Orono.

- Baby frog.

- Baby frog, yeah.

All right, we have a math question now.

You should have a piece of paper and a pencil.

Here's the question.

A student chooses a random number, multiplies it by two, subtracts 106, and comes up with 122.

What random number did the student choose?

(alarm chimes) Nick from Orono.

- Nine.

- [Todd] That's incorrect.

Morse?

(alarm chimes) Go ahead, Charlie.

- Seven.

- Also incorrect.

It's 114.

114.

David Copperfield and Oliver Twist are characters created by which 19th century English author?

(alarm chimes) Dorsa.

- Charles Dickens.

- That's right.

Sometimes called the Age of Reason, the intellectual and cultural movement that took place in Europe between 1685 to 1815, is more commonly known by what 13-letter name?

(alarm chimes) Gaffney.

- Renaissance.

- [Todd] Incorrect.

Orono?

- The Enlightenment.

- [Todd] You gotta ring in, Dorsa.

(alarm chimes) - Sorry.

- [Todd] That's okay.

You wanna say it again?

- The Enlightenment.

- [Todd] Actually, Jack, you rang in.

- I was gonna say the Enlightenment.

- You got it right.

Y'all got it right.

(Todd laughs) All right, next question.

What German physicist of the 18th century is best known for developing a mercury-in-glass thermometer and the widely used temperature scale that bears his name?

(alarm chimes) Alan.

- Fahrenheit.

- That is right.

According to its official history, what racket sport was invented in Washington State in 1965 and first played on a badminton court using ping pong paddles and a perforated plastic ball?

(alarm chimes) Go ahead, Alan.

- Pickleball.

- Pickleball, yeah.

It's my new obsession, by the way, too.

Love it.

Aeolian processes involve erosion and displacement of sediment caused by what natural force?

(alarm chimes) Gaffney.

- Erosion.

- Incorrect.

Orono?

Wanna try?

(timer buzzes) Answer is wind.

Wind.

Your wisdom teeth are a third set of which type of tooth?

Canine, incisor, or molar.

(alarm chimes) Go ahead, Lochlan.

- Molar.

- Molar, right.

Which author of the 1988 novel "The Satanic Verses" was attacked and severely injured during a public appearance in 2022?

(alarm chimes) Okay, Alan, go ahead.

- Salman Rushdie.

- You got it right.

Math question.

Here's the second one.

The final one of the round.

Get your paper and pencil.

Find the perimeter of a rhombus with diagonals measuring eight inches and six inches respectively.

(timer buzzes) Answer, 20 inches.

20.

(alarm rings) All right, that's the end of our first round.

We've got a tight one here.

Morse, 80 points; Orono, 110.

Looks like we have a great match in the making.

Don't go anywhere.

We will meet the players when we get back.

(lively music) All right, before we go to the Head-to-Head Round, we like to pause and get to know our players with a slightly silly question, which is, what is the ideal way to spend your birthday?

Morse, we'll start with.

And, Lochlan, you get to go first.

- I'll be honest, the ideal way to spend my birthday would be eating eggs Benedict with Todd Gutner.

- With me?

- Yep.

- Do I have to eat the eggs Benedict too?

- You can choose to eat them or not.

- I would eat them.

- Okay.

- I'm a big fan of eggs Benedict.

I actually can make a pretty good hollandaise, believe it or not.

- Ooh.

(Todd laughs) And I would like that.

We can fix that up sometime, maybe.

All right, Charlie, your turn.

- Yeah, I would say a nice lunch by the sea, maybe some fish and chips, of course, accompanied by Todd Gutner.

- Oh, okay.

And I'm eating the fish and chips also?

- Again, up to you.

- Do I get to dip in tartar sauce?

- Absolutely, yeah.

- Then I'm in.

Gaffney, am I joining you for a meal too?

- Well, I'm gonna be frank with you, Todd, it's probably a nice lobster dinner with you.

Maybe a good deal of butter.

More seaside stuff.

I don't know.

- Yeah, definitely lots of butter.

And, yeah, it sounds like we're gonna have to get together for a little date at some point here, huh?

Declan?

- Well, you know- - What are we eating- - You know, Todd, as much as I'd love to have a meal with you, I would much rather spend my whole birthday watching "High School Quiz Show: Maine."

(Todd laughs) - Well, I'd be stuffed at that point because of the three meals with your teammates, so I think that's a pretty good idea.

Thank you, guys.

That was fun, Morse.

Orono, Jack, what do you got?

- I'd probably, like, just sitting on the couch and watching TV, maybe with some Kentucky Fried Chicken.

- Oh, KFC.

- And I don't know if you'll like that.

You can choose.

- I love KFC, yes.

What would be the show you'd be watching?

What's your favorite TV show?

- Maybe we'll watch some football.

- Oh, football.

Fine.

- Yup.

- Who's your favorite football team?

- I like the Cowboys.

- Dude, I do too!

- Hey, that works.

- I'm a Cowboys fan.

This is not a good season.

- Nope.

No, it's not.

- Not good.

Not good.

Nick, what do you have for us?

- I would probably be on the beach in Turks and Caicos with my family.

- Ooh, nice.

- And can you guess who else?

- Am I joining you?

- Yes, you are.

Coming along.

- We're gonna have to make sure that they give me the vacation time to go on, you know, down to the Turks and Caicos.

I've never been.

I'd actually really like to go.

Their beach is supposed to be amazing, right?

- Yes.

- All right, Dorsa, what are we doing together?

- Well, you know, I don't really like birthdays that much, but I love getting froyo with my friends every year.

But if you're free, I would love if you'd join me, Todd.

- I will.

I would.

What's your favorite froyo flavor?

- You know, I really love Dole Whip right now.

- Dole Whip.

Is that like a pineapple-coconutty thing?

- It's just pineapple.

- Just straight up pineapple.

- Yeah.

- Sounds darn good.

- Yeah.

- Alan, I'm a little nervous right now.

What are we doing?

- Well, the crew knows what I really want, but I'll say backpacking in the English downlands.

- Without me?

I'm a little offended.

- You can come along if you want.

- Oh, I can, huh?

- It won't be like the real- - Everyone else wants to bring me somewhere.

(group laughing) All right, guys, thanks a lot.

That was a lot of fun.

The Head-to-Head Round is next, but let's see how well you do with our Viewer Question of the Week.

(lively music) - Hi, I'm Alec O'Meara from Unitil, and this is your Viewer Question of the Week.

We all know that Route 1 is Maine's longest continuous road at 530 miles, stretching from Fort Kent to Kittery.

But what is Maine's longest State Route?

Keep track of your answers and tune in to the semifinals for part two of the Viewer Question Challenge.

(lively music) - Before we get to the Head-to-Head Round, we have a score correction.

We mistakenly accepted powerlifting.

We needed weightlifting as an answer, so we had to deduct 10 points from Morse.

Now we're gonna get to the Head-to-Head Round.

Players will alternate facing off one-on-one right here at the desk.

Correct answers are worth 10 points.

Incorrect answers will cost you 10 points.

There are 90 seconds on the clock.

Players, ready?

Here we go.

First question.

The most famous stone circle monument in England is- (alarm chimes) - Stonehendge.

- Stonehendge, correct.

The country of Andorra is located in which mountain range between Spain and France?

(alarm chimes) - Pyrenees.

- Yes.

Which 2024 film stars Ryan Gosling as a movie stuntman named Colt Seavers?

(alarm chimes) (timer buzzes) Yes?

- "The Fall Guy."

- Yes.

What pair of skyscrapers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, are the tallest twin towers on earth?

(timer buzzes) Petronas Towers.

Outside the New York Public Library main building are marble statues known as Patience and Fortitude that depict what animals?

(timer buzzes) Lions.

In 2009, US Airways Captain Sully Sullenberger became a national hero for a successful emergency landing on what New York river?

(alarm chimes) - Hudson.

- Yes.

What type of triangle forms each face of a regular tetrahedron?

(alarm chimes) - Right.

- Equilateral.

What butterfly-shaped gland in the neck secretes hormones vital to the metabolism and growth?

(alarm chimes) - Pituitary.

- Thyroid.

Things that you strike, like drums or xylophone, belong to- (alarm chimes) - Percussion.

- Percussion is right.

All insects have how many major body segments?

(alarm chimes) - Three.

- Yes.

How many lines are in a Shakespearian sonnet?

(timer buzzes) 14.

In 1991, who became the first democratically elected president of Russia?

(alarm rings) Oh, that's the end of the Head-to-Head Round.

It is so tight.

Morse, 100; Orono, 120.

The category round is next.

Don't go anywhere.

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Thank you.

(lively music) - Next up, we have the Category Round with the following choices: Honest Abe, Land of Enchantment, I'll Fly Away, Comic Relief, Mad for Mammals, and After O.

Each team will alternate control of two category questions, have increasing point values.

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

Players will have about five seconds to confer and decide what to do.

Morse, you're trailing, but just by a little bit, so you have control.

Who's gonna speak for me today?

- It's gonna me.

- All right, Charlie, good.

What category would you like?

- [Charlie] Mad for Mammals, please.

- Mad for Mammals.

These will be questions about mammals.

Here's the first one.

What leaf-eating mammal of the African savannas is six feet tall at birth and can grow to be 16 or even 18 feet tall as an adult?

- Giraffe.

- Giraffe, yes.

Mad for Mammals, 15.

Ring-tailed, aye-aye, and indri are three species of what mammals that are found in the wild on the island of Madagascar?

- Lemurs.

- Lemurs, yup.

Mad for Mammals, 20.

White-nose syndrome is a deadly disease that affects which flying mammals in North America?

- Bats.

- Bats.

Three for three.

Mad for Mammals, 25.

What name, that comes from the Greek for "single opening," is given to the scientific order that includes the platypus and the echidna who lays eggs instead of giving birth to live young?

- Toss.

Toss.

- We're gonna toss.

- You wanna toss?

Okay, so this is gonna go over to Orono.

I'll attempt to read the question again.

Let's see if I can get it out right this time.

What name, that comes from the Greek for "single opening," is given to the scientific order that includes the platypus and the echidna who lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young?

(team whispering) (timer beeping) - Uniclade.

- I'm sorry, what was that, Nick?

- [Nick] Uniclade.

- Uniclade is incorrect.

It's monotreme.

Monotreme.

And Mad for Mammals for 30 to wrap up the category.

Found in Lake Baikal in Russia, the nerpa is a rare earless freshwater species of what mammal?

- Seal.

- Seal, you got it.

Nice job.

All right, so we're gonna go over to Orono now for your first category.

Who's gonna speak for me over here?

Nick?

All right, Nick, what do you want?

- After O.

- We'll do After Zero.

- After Zero.

All answers begin with the letter P. And it's actually After O, so that makes sense now.

All answers begin with the letter P. "My Favorite Murder," "SmartLess," and "Stuff You Should Know" are examples of programming in which digital medium?

- Podcast.

- Podcast.

- Podcast is correct.

After O for 15.

In the NATO phonetic alphabet, P is represented by what four-letter word that is Spanish for potato?

- Papa.

- Papa.

- Papa is also correct.

After O for 20.

On a standard US Monopoly board, the dark blue properties are Boardwalk and what other property?

- Park Place.

- Park Place.

- Park Place, yes.

After O for 25.

Rain and snow are two obvious forms of what 13-letter word that is defined as liquid or frozen water that forms in the atmosphere and falls to earth?

- Precipitation.

- Precipitation is correct.

And the last one in the After O category, what is the Italian name for the comfort food dish made from ground cornmeal that is boiled in water to make a warm porridge?

(team whispering) - Skip.

- You wanna skip.

So the answer is polenta.

Polenta.

All right, that wraps up your first category.

We're back over to Morse, though, for your second.

- [Charlie] Where we going?

- Honest Abe.

- Honest Abe, please.

- Honest Abe, all right.

These are questions about Abraham Lincoln.

Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12th, 1809, the same date as what English scientist who wrote on the origin of species.

- Charles Darwin.

- Charles Darwin.

- That is correct.

Honest Abe, 15.

Lincoln was the first US president who wasn't born in one of the 13 original states.

In which state was he born?

- Illinois.

- Ooh, that's incorrect.

It's Kentucky.

Kentucky was where he was born.

Honest Abe for 20.

In 1837, when he was serving in the Illinois state legislature, Abe Lincoln led a successful campaign to make what city the capital of Illinois?

It's still the capital today.

- Chicago.

- Chicago.

- Ooh, that's tough.

No, it's Springfield.

Springfield is the capital.

Honest Abe 25.

Lincoln was the first US president to be elected from which modern political party?

Ulysses S. Grant was the second.

- The Republican Party.

- That is right.

Honest Abe for 30.

What man, who succeeded Abraham Lincoln as president in 1865, worked as a tailor in Greenville, Tennessee, before he began a career in politics?

- Johnson.

- Johnson is correct.

So that wraps up that.

We're gonna go over to Orono for your second category.

Nick, what would you like this time?

- I'll Fly Away.

- I'll Fly Away.

- I'll Fly Away.

These are questions about birds in books.

First one, what flightless bird, that was hunted to extinction by 1681, makes an appearance in "Alice in Wonderland"?

Some people say that author Lewis Carroll created that character to make fun of himself.

- The dodo bird.

- Dodo bird is correct.

I'll Fly Away, 15.

In a Newbery Award-winning children's book from 1938, Mr. Popper is a house painter who receives what kind of bird as a gift?

He soon finds himself living with 12 of those birds.

- It's penguin.

- Penguin.

- Penguin, yes.

I'll Fly Away for 20.

In his "Discworld" books, Terry Pratchett makes a sly reference to Edgar Allen Poe with a character named Quoth, who is what sort of bird?

- Raven.

- Raven.

- Raven.

- Raven, yes.

I'll Fly Away, 25.

In the poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, bad things happen after the ancient mariner kills what seabird that is supposed to bring good luck to sailors?

- Albatross.

- Albatross, yes.

And the last one in I'll Fly Away.

Soren, the main character in the first book of Kathryn Lasky's "Guardians of Ga'Hoole" series, is what type of bird?

- Owl.

Owl.

- Owl.

- Owl is right.

Nice job.

You guys swept that category.

That ends the Category Round.

We've got a score: Morse, 205; Orono, 265.

Everything can change in the Lightning Round.

We got a good match, so sit tight.

We'll be right back.

(lively music) Okay, we're heading into the final 90 seconds of gameplay.

It's 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 a chance to answer.

The clock is set.

Good luck.

Here we go.

In Pokemon, Pikachu is primarily what color?

(alarm chimes) Declan.

- Yellow.

- Yes.

The Great Red Spot is a recognizable- (alarm chimes) Lochlan.

- Jupiter.

Jupiter, right.

According to the song, Yankee Doodle stuck a feather in his cap and called it what?

(alarm chimes) Lochlan again.

- Macaroni.

- Yeah.

Great Salt Lake is located in which US state?

(alarm chimes) Charlie.

- Utah.

- [Todd] Utah, right.

In Norse mythology, Yggdrasil is an enormous type of what?

(alarm chimes) Gaffney.

- Tree.

- [Todd] We'll take that, yes.

Ratified in 1920, which amendment to the Constitution- (alarm chimes) Dorsa - 19th.

- [Todd] 19th is right.

A mad scientist and his grandson are the title characters in what Emmy-winning animated sci-fi comedy series?

(alarm chimes) Alan.

- "Rick and Morty."

- [Todd] You got it.

Ethan Allen led a Revolutionary War attack at what port on Lake Champlain in northern New York State?

(alarm chimes) (timer buzzes) It did get in.

Lochlan?

- Ticonderoga.

- You got it right.

Opened in 1869, which artificial waterway connects the Mediterranean to the Red Sea?

(alarm chimes) Alan, Orono.

- Suez Canal.

- That's correct.

What Cub Scout rank gets its name from combining Wolf, Bear, and Lion Scouts?

(alarm chimes) Lochlan.

- Bear.

- Incorrect.

Webelos.

The discovery of what in 1896 caused thousands of people to move to Canada's Klondike- (alarm chimes) Jack.

- Gold.

- Gold, correct.

What's the scientific name for the long flat- (timer rings) Oh, that's the buzzer.

That's the end of the Lightning Round.

And the final score and the winning team, Orono, with 345 points.

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

And our runner-up, Morse, with 305 points.

Great having you guys here.

Congratulations to both teams.

Be sure to tune in next time as John Bapst Memorial takes on Medomak.

Thanks for watching.

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

(lively 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.

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- [Narrator] Home renovations can increase the value of your home.

Safety Insurance offers a variety of home insurance products to cover your home's increased value.

You can ask an independent agent about Safety Insurance.

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That means investing in communities they serve and supporting families and businesses.

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(lively music)