(wind whooshes) (inspiring piano music) - There is one slot left in the semifinals.

Who will move on for their chance at the $1000 grand prize.

Will it be the Eagles of Mt.

Ararat?

(inspiring fanfare music) Or the Rams of Deering?

(inspiring fanfare music) Find out next on "High School Quiz Show: Maine."

(inspiring band 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."

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- [Narrator] From "Whoops" (alarm blaring) to "Uh-oh."

To "Oh no."

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- [Narrator] Since 1852, Bangor Savings Bank has been dedicated to keeping New Englanders at the heart of what they do.

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

You matter more.

- [Announcer] And by viewers like you.

Thank you!

(trumpets blast triumphantly) - Welcome to "High School Quiz Show: Maine" I'm your host, Todd Gutner.

In our last episode, Yarmouth secured their spot in semi-final number two.

They'll be joined by one of today's teams, both hoping to have their chance at the $1,000 prize.

Mt.

Ararat from Topsham have had a great year so far, knocking off Marshwood, to make it to this game, but they need to get past Deering from Portland, who defeated Wyndham to earn their place in this quarter final.

Let's get things going by meeting the teams.

For Mt.

Ararat we have Ryan, Isaac, Brady, and Finn, with alternate Charles, and coach Jason Prince.

And for Deering we have Violet, Asa, Connor, and Eve, with alternate DeLuca, and they're coached by Kyle Davenport.

The competition has four rounds.

The tossup round, the head-to-head round, the category round, and the lightning round.

We'll 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.

Everybody ready?

Okay, good luck, both teams.

Here comes the first question.

"Mamma Mia' and 'Waterloo' are songs by what Swedish singing group who released their first single in the early 1970s?"

(bell rings) Violet.

- Abba?

- Abba is right.

Your parents will be proud.

"Necessary for blood to clot, the smallest blood cells in the human body have what name that refers to their circular shape?"

(bell rings) Connor.

- Platelets?

- Platelets, yes.

"Peter Venkman, played by Bill Murray, Raymond Stantz, played by Dan Aykroyd.

Egon Spengler, played by Harold Ramis, and Winston Zeddemore, played by Ernie Hudson, are characters that make up what title group in a 1984 movie comedy?"

(bell rings) Ryan.

- "Ghostbusters"?

- "Ghostbusters," yes.

"Because of its shape and the fact that it was a good place to grow crops, what name was coined in 1914 to describe the region that curved through ancient Mesopotamia from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea?"

(bell rings) Eve.

- The Fertile Crescent?

- That is right, nice job.

Up next we have a picture question.

Here's the monitor over here.

"Chiseled out of a single piece of marble and standing 17 feet tall, this sculpture by Renaissance artist Michelangelo was finished in 1504 and it's on display in the city of Florence, Italy.

What is the name of this famous piece of art?"

(bell rings) Connor.

- "David."

- That's right, "Statue of David."

"Operating from 2004 to 2015, the Messenger space probe studied conditions on which planet that is named for the messenger God of Roman mythology?"

(bell rings) Brady?

- Mars.

- Ooh, that's incorrect.

Deering, you wanna try?

(bell rings) Go for it, Connor.

- Mercury?

- Mercury is right, nice job.

"According to legend, Queen Dido founded what ancient Phoenician city that the Romans destroyed in 146 BCE?"

(bell rings) (buzzer buzzes) I heard Violet get in there.

Go for it, Violet.

- Babylon?

- Oh, that's incorrect.

Mt.

Ararat, you have a chance, if you'd like to guess.

(bell rings) Go for it, Finn.

- Troy.

- The answer's Carthage.

We'll move on to the next question.

"From 1889 to 1891, Frederick Douglas served as a diplomatic envoy from the US to which French-speaking Caribbean nation?"

(bell rings) Brady.

- Haiti?

- Haiti, nice job.

"In a short novel by Robert Louis Stevenson, what doctor discovers a way to transform himself into an evil character known as Mr.

Hyde?"

(bell rings) Connor.

- "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"?

- "Dr. Jekyll," yes.

"What lowercase Greek letter that represents the radioactive decay constant is in the logo for the video game 'Half-life'?"

(bell rings) Connor again.

- Gamma?

- That's incorrect.

Mt.

Ararat.

(buzzer buzzes) Answer is Lambda, Lambda.

"The birthplace of the Buddha in the village of Lumbini is now a pilgrimage site.

In what present-day mountainous country that borders India?"

(bell rings) Connor.

- Nepal.

- Nepal, you made up for it, nice job.

"The 2024 biographical film 'Back to Black' was based on the life of what British singer who released the single 'Back to Black' in 2007?"

(buzzer buzzes) Amy Winehouse is the answer.

"In ancient Egypt, a shaduf was a device to lift and carry which of these things, bricks, grain or water?"

(bell rings) Connor, Deering.

- Water.

- Water, yes.

All right, we have a math question now, get ready.

"A gross is a unit of measurement equal to 12 dozen.

How many items are in a gross?"

(bell rings) Finn.

- 144.

- Nailed it, nice job.

"What Dutch artist painted many of his most famous works, including 'Starry Night,' while he was living in France?"

(bell rings) Finn again.

- Van Gogh.

- You got it again.

"In Greek mythology, what part-man, part-bull creature was imprisoned in the labyrinth and slain by Theseus?"

(bell rings) Connor, Deering.

- The Minotaur?

- Yes, good work.

"Which Federal Legislative Act passed in 1941 allows the United States to provide weapons and wartime supplies to any nation whose defense is considered necessary to the interests of the US?"

(bell rings) Isaac.

- Lend-Lease?

- Yes, nice work!

"Kimiko"!

Excuse me, "Kimiko Glenn voices the title character in what animated series about a cheerful squirrel that debuted in 2023?"

(buzzer buzzes) The answer's "Kiff."

"Which of these common substances contains a carboxyl group, ammonia, table salt or vinegar?"

(bell rings) Violet.

- Vinegar?

- Vinegar, yes.

"When you're talking about the stock market, a bull market refers to when investors are confident and stock prices are rising.

What other animal represents a market where investors are cautious and stock prices are declining?"

(bell rings) Ryan.

- Bear.

- Bear, nice job.

"From Greek and Latin words that essentially mean 'Wrong time,' what term describes a literary work or film that places events or characters in a historical context where they could not have occurred or existed?"

(bell rings) Asa.

- Anachronism?

- Great, yes, you got it.

Nice job, Asa.

Math question, our second one.

"A 1600 square foot apartment is priced at $140,800.

What is the price per square foot of this apartment?"

(buzzer buzzes) Nobody got it.

The answer is $88 per square foot.

"A piece of chocolate begins to melt when you place it on your tongue.

This is an example of what method of heat transfer from one solid body to another by contact?"

(bell rings) Asa.

- Connection.

- Yes.

"The Irish Gaelic name of what political party in Ireland translates as 'We Ourselves'?"

(bell rings) Connor.

- Sinn Fein?

- Yes.

"The main international airport serving the city of Belgrade, Serbia, is named for what Serbian-American inventor known for his work with electrical machinery powered by alternating current?"

(bell rings) Brady.

- Tesla?

- Tesla, yep.

"In which opera by George Bizet is the title character a young woman who works in a factory making cigarettes?"

(bell rings) Eve.

- "Camille"?

- That's incorrect.

Mt.

Ararat?

(buzzer buzzes) "Carmen."

"Carmen" is the right answer.

Okay, that's the end of our first round.

Got a pretty good one here.

Mt.

Ararat 70, Deering 130.

Don't go anywhere, we'll meet the players when we get back.

(inspiring fanfare music) (wind whooshes) Before we go to the head-to-head round, we like to pause and get to know our players with a slightly off-the-wall question.

It is, "You have been asked to help design a new theme park.

What is the theme and where would this theme park be?"

Ryan, we'll start with you, Mt.

Ararat.

- I'd have to go with a roller coaster theme park somewhere in Florida.

- Somewhere in Florida, why Florida?

- I feel like that's where most theme parks are.

- Why?

(laughs) I wonder why that is.

They probably are, you're right.

(chuckles) Isaac, your turn.

- Mine would be an eagle-themed park in beautiful Topsham, Maine.

- You're into eagles, the bird, right?

Oh.

- Birds.

- The Topsham eagles, of course, I should have known.

What's your favorite eagle?

- Golden eagle.

(chuckles) - Sure?

- Positive.

- Okay, golden eagle.

Brady, you go.

- I'd do a "Cars" theme park.

Probably set somewhere in the desert like the movie is.

- Oh yeah, of course, yeah.

That'd be a lot of fun.

Do you have a favorite car?

Favorite vehicle?

- Lightning McQueen.

- Lightning McQueen itself.

Okay, cool.

Finn, your turn.

- I would go with the Todd Gutner themed park, probably in West Hartford, Connecticut.

- Oh, so you're going from my hometown, huh?

- Yeah, yep.

- If we had a theme park in West Hartford, Connecticut, I might have stayed.

No, I'm just kidding.

(both laugh) Thanks, Finn.

Let's go to Deering, Violet.

- I think I'd do a moon landing theme park on the moon.

- Ooh, that would be awesome, to be able to, you know... Do you want to go to space at some point?

- I don't know.

- You don't know, but you want a theme park up there, all right.

Asa!

- Perhaps a Wright Brothers theme park in Dayton, Ohio, or somewhere near there.

- Yeah, don't- - And then- - Isn't there one there right now?

- Might be, but the one that is there right now probably doesn't have a rollercoaster that turns into a plane, so- - Oh, there it is.

- You know, that's the novelty.

- There was a punchline there.

- Yeah.

- Thank you, Asa.

Connor.

- I would do, like, a pirate theme park, just 'cause I really like water slides.

- Oh yeah, water slides?

- Mm-hmm.

- Like, the biggest water slide possible?

Yeah.

- Yeah.

- Okay, and Eve, - I think I would do a dessert theme park and- - Yes.

- I would put it right in Portland so I could visit.

- (chuckles) What is your favorite dessert, Eve?

Everybody wants to know.

- Probably, blueberry pie.

- Blueberry pie.

- That's a good choice.

- You're a Maine girl, aren't you?

(chuckles) All right, thank you, guys.

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

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

We've posed 11 questions so far this season, each with a numerical answer.

Add up those 11 answers, then divide by the answer you get from this question.

What is the root number of Maine's only federally-designated 'All American Road'?

Again, divide your first number by the answer to this question.

You should now have a number that is notable in Maine's history.

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

(inspiring band music) - It's time for the head-to-head round.

Players 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 our clock.

Players ready?

Here we go.

"Of the 30 US states with a coastline, which state has the most shoreline mileage by far?"

- Florida?

- Alaska is the correct answer.

"Peggy Parrish wrote 12 books for kids about what housekeeper with a rhyming name and a tendency to misunderstand instructions?"

(buzzer buzzes) "Amelia Bedelia."

"During the American Civil War, what man was the president of the Confederate States of America?"

(bell rings) - Davis?

- Davis, nice.

"In addition to being one of the world's great thinkers, Albert Einstein played what string instrument that he had"- - Violin.

- Nice.

"Prince Prospero thinks he can hide from a deadly disease in 'The Mask of The Red Death,' a story by what American author?

(buzzer buzzes) Edgar Allen Poe.

"Equal to 10 to the 100th power, what name is"- - Google.

- Google, yes.

"A Boricua is a person from what American island in the Caribbean?"

(bell rings) - Puerto Rico?

- Puerto Rico, right.

"In the 2021 Disney animated film 'Encanto,' Which character does the Madrigal family not want to talk about?"

(bell rings) - Bruno.

- Bruno, right.

"A group of barnyard creatures overthrow their human masters"- - "Animal Farm"?

- "Animal Farm" is right.

"Based on a book and film of the same name, what 2023 musical follows a conflict between two rival gangs and is told from the perspective of a greaser?"

- "The Outsiders."

- "The Outsiders," nice.

What is the name for a set... Ooh, that's the end of our head-to-head.

We've got a score of Mt.

Ararat 80, Deering 180.

The category round is next, don't go away.

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Proud to sponsor "High School Quiz Show: Maine," and thanking Maine educators and schools for preparing the workforce of tomorrow.

- [Announcer] And by viewers like you.

Thank you!

(inspiring fanfare music) - Next up is the category round with the following choices: "The Color Purple," "Demon Copperhead," "Beloved," "Independence Day," "The Shipping News," and the Pulitzer Prize.

Each team will alternate control of two categories.

Questions have increasing point values, with each question they can choose to answer, and either gain or lose points.

They can skip it and neither gain nor lose points, or once per category they can toss it and force the other team to answer.

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

Mt.

Ararat, you're trailing right now.

Brady, where do you wanna start?

- We'll do "Independence Day."

- "Independence Day."

These will be questions about countries gaining their independence.

Here is the first one.

"Which large country that borders China declared its independence from China in 1911 and again in 1921 after China tried to take it back?"

- Mongolia?

- Mongolia is correct.

"Independence Day" 15.

"On May 21st, 2006, the people of what country voted to separate from Serbia and become an independent republic?"

- Kosovo.

- Ooh, that's incorrect.

It's Montenegro "Independence Day" for 20.

"The Independence Day of India is celebrated annually on August 15th, commemorating the nation's independence from the British Empire on August 15th of what year?"

- '47?

(monitor beeps) - What do you think, Brady?

What would you like to do- - Skip.

- You wanna skip it?

It is 1947.

I heard one of you say it over there.

Here's "Independence Day" for 25.

"The Lateran Treaty of 1929 officially designated what enclave in Rome as an independent nation-state?"

(Mt.

Ararat Team whispering) - The Vatican City?

- Vatican City is right.

"Independence Day" for 30.

"Estonia, Moldova and Kazakhstan are among the countries that gained or regained independence in what year that marked the official end of the Soviet Union."

- 1991?

- Yes, nice job.

Okay, that wraps up "Independence Day."

We'll head over to Deering for your first category.

Connor, what's it gonna be?

- [Connor] We'll choose "Shipping News."

- "Shipping News," okay.

These will be questions about historic ships.

Here's the first one.

"Priscilla Mullins, John Alden, Miles Standish and William Bradford arrived in Massachusetts in 1620 as passengers aboard what ship?"

(Deering Team whispers) - The Mayflower?

- Mayflower, yes.

"The Shipping News" for 15.

"The Beaver, the Dartmouth, and the Eleanor were ships at the Sons of Liberty attack during what historic political protests that took place on the night of December 16th, 1773?"

- The Boston Tea Party?

- The Boston Tea Party?

- Yes.

"The Shipping News" for 20.

"The Trinidad was the flagship of an expedition led by what explorer who left Spain in 1519 on a voyage to circumnavigate the globe?"

(Deering Team whispers) - Magellan?

- Magellan is right.

"The Shipping News" for 25.

"What aircraft carrier that was in service from World War II through the Vietnam War is currently a sea, air, and space museum docked in the Hudson River in New York City?"

- You know what it's called?

- No, I dunno what it's called.

Skip.

- We'll skip this one.

- Gonna skip it.

So it's the USS Intrepid.

And the last one in "Shipping News."

"The United States entered World War I after which passenger ship was torpedoed by a German U-boat off the coast of Ireland on May 7th, 1915."

- Lusitania.

- Lusitania?

- Yes, nice work.

All right, that wraps up "The Shipping News."

We go back to Mt.

Ararat for your second category, Brady.

- Wanna do purple.

- Color Purple.

- "The Color Purple."

These will be questions related to the color purple.

Here's the first one.

"In a classic children's book by Crockett Johnson, the title character is what Kid who has a purple crayon?"

- Harold?

- Harold is right.

"The Color Purple" 15.

"Which US president is depicted on the Purple Heart medal, awarded to members of the armed services who have been wounded or killed in action?"

(Mt.

Ararat Team whispering) - We'll skip.

- You'll skip?

Okay, the answer is George Washington.

Here's "The Color Purple" for 20.

"Violet Baudelaire and her siblings, Klaus and Sonny, are the main characters in what book series written by Lemony Snicket" - "Series of Unfortunate Events."

- Yeah, that's right.

"Color Purple" 25.

"Magenta is a character in what musical from the 1970s that also features characters named Brad, Janet, Riff Raff, and Dr.

Frank-N-Further?"

(Mt.

Ararat Team whispers) - We'll toss.

- You wanna toss?

Okay, so heads up, Deering, it's coming your way.

Here's the question.

"Magenta is a character in what musical from the 1970s that also features characters named Brad, Janet, Riff Raff, and Dr.

Frank-N-Further?"

(Deering Team whispering) - Which one?

(Connor whispers faintly) (Eve laughs) - [Todd] What do you think, Connor?

- (chuckles) "Oklahoma."

- No, that was a good guess though.

It's the "Rocky Horror" Show.

That's the right answer.

One more question in "The Color Purple" for Mt.

Ararat.

"What is the three-letter name for the purple yam that's a common ingredient in Filipino cuisine, both savory and sweet?"

- You know the ice cream flavor?

- No.

- Ube, ube, ube.

- Ube?

- You got it, Ube.

Finn pulling it out, nice job.

We're going back to Deering for their second category.

Connor?

- [Connor] We will choose "Beloved."

(chuckles) - "Beloved," these are questions about famous couples in literature.

Here's the first.

"In the play's prologue, specifically in line six, Shakespeare describes Romeo and Juliet as a pair of what?"

- Star-crossed lovers.

- Star-crossed lovers?

- Nice work.

"Beloved" for 15.

"Scarlet O'Hara and Rhett Butler are the romantic couple at the center of what Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel by Margaret Mitchell published in 1936?"

- "Gone with the Wind."

- Yes.

"Beloved" 20.

In Act One, Scene Five of Shakespeare's play, "Anthony and Cleopatra," Mark Anthony sends Cleopatra what precious gift that he calls this treasure of an oyster?"

- Pearl?

- Pearl, yeah.

"Beloved" for 25.

"In the ancient Greek text, 'The Odyssey,' what is the name of the wife of Odysseus who waits a very, very long time for him to return home from the Trojan War?"

- Penelope?

- Penelope's right.

"Beloved" for 30.

"Set during a power outage in New York City, what 2021 novel contains intertwined love stories written by six award-winning young adult authors, including Angie Thomas and Nicola Yoon?"

- I think it's called "Blackout."

(Connor whispers) - Probably not.

- Skip.

- Wanna skip it?

Eve was right, it was "Blackout."

All right, that wraps up our Category round.

Our current score is Mt.

Ararat 190, Deering 300.

Everything can change in the lightning round, so sit tight.

We'll be right back.

(inspiring fanfare music) Okay, we're heading into the final 90 seconds of gameplay, 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, and the other team does not get a chance to answer.

The clock is set, good luck and here we go.

"Which month is named for the Roman god of war?"

Violet.

- March?

- [Todd] Yes.

"What German man designed the movable-type press used... (bell rings) Asa!

- Gutenberg?

- [Todd] Gutenberg, right.

"At the 2024 Summer Olympics, the surfing competition was held on..." (bell rings) Brady.

- Tahiti.

- [Todd] Tahiti, nice.

"Which Mid-Atlantic State is named for the wife of King Charles I of..." (bell rings) - Maryland.

- [Todd] Maryland, yes.

"The movie 'Clueless' was loosely based on what Jane Austin novel..." Eve.

- "Emma"?

- [Todd] "Emma," right.

"What canal that linked the cities of Albany and Buffalo (bell rings) in New York..." Connor.

- Erie?

- [Todd] Erie, yes.

"What president is pictured on the face of the US nickel?

(bell rings) Finn.

- Lincoln.

- It's Jefferson.

"What type of desert makes up the largest desert in the world?"

(bell rings) Brady.

(energetic music) - Sand.

(buzzer buzzes) - Polar.

"What man founded the Mongol Empire in..." Go ahead, Connor.

- Genghis Khan.

- [Todd] Yes.

"The state seal of Louisiana depicts what seabird with an (bell rings) expandable pouch?"

Brady.

- Pelican?

- [Todd] Yes, Pelican.

"In the 1960s, what woman hosted the French Chef TV cooking show on PBS..." Asa.

- Julia Child.

- [Todd] Right.

"What European language is the official language of the African countries Senegal..." Go ahead, Finn.

- French.

- [Todd] Yes.

The first battle of the Civil War began on April 12th, 1861, at what South Carolina port?

Isaac.

- Sumter.

- Right.

(alarm blares) Oh, and that's the end of the lightning round.

We have our winning team with a score of, Deering, with 420 points, they'll be moving on to the semifinals in just a few weeks.

Our runner up, Mt.

Ararat, 250 points, thank you for playing.

Congratulations to both teams.

We're moving on to the semifinals, which we'll see Orono take on Westbrook, and Yarmouth take on Deering.

These teams are just one win away from the Season Eight championship.

Be sure to tune in next time to see who will move to that final.

Thanks for watching, and we'll see you next time on "High School Quiz Show Maine" (inspiring band 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.

- [Announcer] 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.

Safety insurance will help you manage life storms.

- [Announcer] Since 1852, Bangor Savings Bank has been dedicated to keeping New Englanders at the heart of what they do.

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

You matter more.

- [Announcer] And by viewers like you.

Thank you!

(inspiring band music) (inspiring band music ends)