Today, two high school teams compete for the Academic Championship of our viewing area.

This is Tennessee Scholars Bowl Thank you for watching Tennessee Scholars' Bowl.

I'm Frank Murphy.

This is the high school academic tournament in its 42nd season.

The winner of today's game will advance to our threshold of 32.

Will it be the Eagles of Seymour High School or the Bobcats of Central High School in Knoxville?

Well, it could be either one, or we'll find out soon enough.

Let's start by meeting the players from Seymour, beginning with 12th graders, Zachary Fuller.

Zachary, welcome to the show.

You've been here before, right?

Yes.

Good to have you back.

Tell us about yourself.

I am in choir, and last year we won the Marquee Awards for best musical.

Those are the awards that they have at The Tennessee Theater that go on to New York City, right?

What was the musical?

Newsies.

Oh, fantastic.

You know, I think I actually read about that.

Now that you mention it, it was in the news.

Newsies, locally.

Were you in the play?

I was.

And you were?

I had three roles.

I was Wiesel; the newspaper distributor, I was Mr.

Jacobi; the owner of the deli, and I was the mayor.

I hope you got some deli food out of that.

You know, like, actual edible, edible props.

I unfortunately did not.

All right, well, everyone, let's say hi next to Caleb Jordan, who is in 12th grade.

Hey, Caleb.

Welcome back.

Tell us about yourself.

I can name every F1 champion in history.

Really?

That's racing, right?

All right.

Don't name all of them.

I don't have that kind of time, but give me one.

Well, the first one was Nino Farina.

Thank you.

I have to write that one down.

Actually, after you graduate, why don't you send us some questions for Scholars' Bowl and put some of those in.

Team captain this year is Lillyanna Jacqueline.

So, Lillyanna, you're going to answer bonuses by yourself or defer by name to one of your teammates.

Tell us about you.

I am the president of our theater department and forensics team, and I work at Titanic.

Oh, wow, I love Titanic, first of all.

And I'm also interested.

Everything you said is interesting to me.

Were you in Newsies as well?

I was not actually, so Newsies did- choir did Newsies.

And then we did Clue.

Oh, wow.

Okay, so more of the dramatical romantic stuff rather than.

That's fascinating.

Who did you play in clue?

Mrs.

White.

Excellent, and tell me quick.

What do you do at Titanic?

I'm a cast member.

Well, I mean, do you take us around and tell us about the dead people?

Yeah.

Kind of.

So I send them places, give speeches.

I did a proposal one time, too.

Oh, really?

Like on the staircase?

Fantastic, wedding proposal.

Weddings are big at Titanic.

Nice, glad to hear about that.

I got a couple other friends who worked there, too.

Let's say hi to Payton Ham, who is in 12th grade.

Hey, Payton, tell us about you.

I work at Titanic.

I'm also a part of the NFL.

Okay, so like you're a linebacker?

No, the National Forensics League.

Oh, so I should have guessed.

What about that?

What do you do?

What's your specialty in extemporaneous speaking or what?

Me and Lillyanna do duo.

And this year, I plan to do a poetry from Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe.

Oh, wow.

Classics.

Nice.

And what do you do at Titanic besides talk about dead people?

I work the gift shop - retail.

They've got fudge now, or custard?

What do they have?

It's ice cream now, but it was custard.

Its really good.

Okay, I'll head over there and try that.

Thank you.

Let's say hi to the alternates and coach for Seymour High School.

We've got Luke Estaff, Isaiah Jordan, and Matt Hamilton, who teaches criminal justice and pre-law to the Eagles at Seymour High School, taking on the Bobcats of Knox Central, who did pretty well in last year's tournament, as I recall.

Let's say hi first to Zade Meeks, who's a junior.

Hey, Zade.

Welcome.

Tell us about you.

Hi.

I'm a member of Model UN and the soccer team.

Now Model UN, Do you represent a specific country?

Some do, some don't, depending on what your job is there.

No.

For this next conference, we're actually going to be ICJ lawyers.

I guess its got to do something with international criminal or something like that.

What is it?

International Court of Justice.

Court of justice.

Okay.

Wow.

So what would kind of thing would you be arguing?

What type of case?

Right now the case is Belarus and Lithuania and it's on Belarus smuggling migrants.

Really?

Wow.

So this is heavy duty stuff that you're learning about.

I like it.

Cool, well let's say hi to junior, Jackson Green.

Tell us about yourself, Jackson.

I'm also in Model UN.

And I'll also be going to argue in front of the International Court of Justice at this next conference.

Are you and Zade on the same side or oppose?

Yeah, we'll be on a team.

Okay.

Because, you're all - everyone from central on the same side, and you argue against some other high school or what?

I well argue against other high schools.

We're the only ones from our school doing it.

But there will be a bunch of different teams at the conference.

Nice.

Oh, good.

I hope that goes real well for you.

And obviously it's applicable to Scholars Bowl.

You can pick up a lot of knowledge that might come in handy on this particular game.

Let's say hi to team captain, Dax Bolden.

So, Dax, much like Lillyanna on the other side, you'll answer bonuses or defer by name to a teammate.

Tell us about you.

I work at the Panera Bread and I'm friends with Wesley.

Well, Panera Bread is nice.

What do you, what's your favorite sandwich?

The chipotle chicken avocado melt.

It's good.

Actually, I know what I'm thankful for; is that you guys have a tuna sandwich.

You know how hard it is to find a decent tuna sandwich around here?

I wouldn't say ours is decent, but sure.

When it's the only game in town, it is.

No.

It's fine.

Okay.

Let's say hi to Wesley Hendricken, who is a senior.

Hi, Wesley.

Tell us about yourself.

You've already gotten a shout out from Dax.

That's right.

I'm friends with Dax Bolden, and I'm part of the Central High School environmental club.

And what do you do in the environmental club?

The environmental club.

Well, we just recently planted some milkweeds for the monarch butterflies, so we had some, some of those, and we released them after they grew on our milkweeds.

Yeah, because they migrate through at certain times of the year, right?

Yeah, what- they go all the way from, South America or Mexico all the way up to the northeast?

They can go very far.

Yes.

Wow.

And it's just butterflies.

They can fly that.

That's amazing to me.

All right.

Well, cool.

Thanks for telling us about that.

Let's say hi to the alternates and coach for Central High School.

We've got Maggie Wilson, Maddie Wilson, Blake Wilson and Carlos Mata, joined by coaches Cindy Blanchard teaches math and Blair Hutchins, who teaches economics for the Bobcats of Central.

Many of you have been here before, and at least you all know how the game is played.

You got to tossups worth 10, bonuses worth 20.

Players, get your fingers on the buzzer for this game of Tennessee Scholars' Bowl 2026.

Tossup for all players in biology.

In the Linnaean classification system, canis familiaris is which animal?

Zade.

Bird.

Not it, you can steal Seymour.

Caleb.

Dog.

That's correct.

Biology is your bonus.

Photosynthesis is the process by which plants use sunlight, in which two substances to create oxygen and energy in the form of sugar?

Answer.

Sunlight and chlorophyl.

It's water and carbon dioxide.

Nothing there.

Tossup now in literature.

In Lord of the flies - which characters glasses are smashed?

Zade.

Piggy.

Yes, and a literature bonus for Central.

Which book begins with the line, “Mr.

& Mrs.

Dursley, of number four Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal.

Thank you very much.” Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

And what is the title of the British version?

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

Those are both right for 20 points.

Tossup in geography, on which Great Lake is Toronto located?

Zade.

Michigan.

No, chance to steal Seymour.

Caleb.

Ontario.

Right, and geography bonus.

In which Canadian province is Montreal?

Defer to Caleb.

Quebec.

Right.

and in which Canadian province is Hamilton?

Defer to Caleb.

Ontario.

Those are both right, 20 points.

Tossup now in art.

In which painting method are the pigments suspended in a water based solution?

Wesley.

Watercolor.

Right.

Art bonus now.

Charlotte Bartholdi modeled for which famous statue that was sculpted by her son, Frederic Auguste Bartoli?

Venus de Milo.

No, he did the Statue of Liberty.

No points on the bonus.

Tossup in geometry, the hypotenuse of a 30-60-90 triangle is four square root of three.

What is the length of the longer leg?

Wesley.

Two.

Not it, you can steal now, Seymour.

Lillyanna.

Four square root of two.

No.

Six would be the longer leg.

No points on that.

Tossup in geology.

Which stone, that was once 15ft long and three feet wide, is the traditional site of the pilgrims disembarking from the Mayflower?

Caleb.

Plymouth Rock.

Is right, and a visual bonus in geology.

Take a look at the screen, Seymour.

Which National Park in Wyoming, shown here, is continuing a multi-year project to replace 4500 acres of hayfields planted by homesteaders with native sagebrush habitat?

And in 2024, converted a 110 acre site near the Jackson Hole Airport.

Yellowstone.

Well, actually, Grand Teton National Park is between Yellowstone and the airport.

So no, it's Grand Teton.

No points.

Tossup in English.

With punctuation, if necessary, spell the word “it('s)” in the following sentence.

“The cat likes having its-” Wesley.

I-T-S.

Yeah “-ears scratched.” English bonus now.

Is the verb active or passive in the sentence, “the team celebrated their huge victory.” Passive.

Thats active.

Is the verb active or passive in the sentence, “they are paid on Fridays.” Passive.

Thats passive, yeah, ten points.

Tossup in history.

What was the name of the 1765 British tax on playing cards, publications and legal documents?

Jackson.

The Stamp Act.

Right, and a history bonus.

What was the first representative legislative body to meet in America convening in Jamestown, Virginia on July 30th, 1619?

The Continental Congress.

That's the House of Burgesses.

No points there.

Tossup in games.

In what game is the objective to withdraw plastic sticks from a plastic tube without causing the marbles supported by the sticks to drop to the bottom?

It's called Kerplunk.

Tossup now in vocabulary.

What is the two word phrase that means each person pays for their own meal when dining in a group?

Zade.

Split Check.

Not it, you can steal, Seymour.

It means split check, but it's called a Dutch treat.

Tossup in health.

Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when which organ does not produce enough insulin, or when the body- Payton.

Pancreas.

Yeah, -cannot effectively use the insulin it does produce.

Health as your bonus, now.

Two parts; which human teeth are the back, or grinding teeth?

Molars.

Right for ten.

Which human teeth are the front or cutting teeth?

Canine.

Those are incisors.

Tossup now in foreign language.

Translate the question, “¿Como te llamas?” from Spanish to English.

Jackson.

What is your name?

That's right, foreign language is your bonus.

What is the Spanish word for “grandfather”?

Abuelo.

Yeah, “abuelo” is right, thats 20.

Tossup for all players in government.

What is the term for government expenditures exceeding its income?

Jackson.

Deficit.

Yeah, deficit spending is it.

Government is your bonus.

How long is the initial term of a Tennessee Supreme Court justice?

Six years.

That's eight.

What is the term for a U.S.

Supreme Court justice?

Lifetime.

That's right.

Ten points on the bonus.

Tossup for everybody in religion, which religion is represented by a six point star?

Zade.

Judaism.

That's correct, and a visual bonus.

Take a look at screen, Central.

Who was the Lord High Chancellor of England shown here, who was beheaded for refusing to approve Henry the Eighth divorce, remarriage, and establishment of the Church of England; canonized as a Catholic saint and was the subject of the Oscar winning film A Man for All Seasons?

No answer.

Thats Saint Thomas Moore.

No points.

Tossup in math.

Express the fraction eight over five as a percent.

Wesley.

160%.

Thats correct.

Two-part math question now.

Add 438 plus 200 plus 562.

Answer.

800.

Thats 1200.

Now tell me, what is 1/5 of 1200?

240.

Is right, ten points on the bonus.

Tossup in chemistry.

What is the common name for the solid state of carbon dioxide?

Jackson.

Dry ice.

That's right.

Chemistry bonus - name two of the three coinage metals in group 11 on the periodic table.

Copper and silver.

Are both right.

Gold is the other, 20 points.

Tossup in literature.

Merlin serves the same function in the legend of King Arthur as which character in the Lord of the Rings?

Dax.

Gandalf.

Right, literature bonus - name the title character who marries George Knightly, owner of Donwell Abbey?

No answer.

That's Emma.

Who wrote Emma?

Jane Austen.

Is right for ten points.

Tossup now in history.

Which European empire experienced the Great Interregnum from approximately 1254 until 1273?

Jackson.

The Byzantine Empire.

Not it, makes sure I've called on you, though, but not it.

Chance to steal, Seymour.

Caleb.

Holy Roman Empire.

Is right for ten, and history bonus now for Seymour.

Which conqueror and first ruler of the Kingdom of Hawaii was said to have fulfilled a prophecy by lifting the Naha stone in Hilo?

Defer to Caleb.

Kami hum.

Sounds like you're trying to say King Kamehameha.

But I can't give it to you, King Kamehameha the Great.

No points on that.

Tossup in sports.

Which NFL's team stadium is about 33 miles south of Boston.

Jackson.

Patriots.

Yeah.

Again, I can't, you gotta wait till I called on you.

Chance to steal, Seymour.

Caleb.

New England Patriots.

Is right, and a sports bonus.

In which city is the Sugar Bowl played?

Dallas.

That's New Orleans.

In which city is the Fiesta Bowl played?

Phoenix.

That's Tempe, Arizona.

No points on the bonus.

Tossup in spelling, a type of long green squash is a zucchini.

Spell, “zucchini.” Zade.

Z-U-C-H-I-N-N-I.

That's not it.

Chance to steal, Seymour.

Lillyanna.

Z-U-C-C-H-I-N-I.

Yeah, there you go.

And, a spelling bonus now for Seymour.

Luminescent means emitting light not caused by heat.

Spell, “luminescent.” Defer to Payton.

L-U-M-I-N-E-C-A-N-T.

Well, no, the last five letters are like, “scent,” S-C-E-N-T, so not it.

No points on the bonus at the end of the first half.

Central has a lead over Seymour, but anything can happen.

Coming up after the break, one of these teams advances to our threshold of 32.

Who's it going to be?

We'll find out on Tennessee Scholars' Bowl 2026.

The 42nd season of Tennessee Scholars' Bowl is a single elimination tournament featuring 50 high school academic teams.

The championship team in this year's Scholars' Bowl receives the Frank Miller Memorial Trophy.

The scorekeeper, timekeeper, and judges for this year's Scholars' Bowl are Chandler Benson, Ernie Roberts, Jerry Doherty, Stephen Hensley, Rebecca Longmire, James Dean, and Kathy Waddell.

East Tennessee PBS would also like to thank its staff and the many volunteers who helped make this educational program possible.

To enter your high school in next year's Tennessee Scholars' Bowl, please write to the address shown on your screen.

You're watching Tennessee Scholars' Bowl.

I'm Frank Murphy, back from halftime.

In this game between Seymour High School and Central High School of Knoxville.

Right now, Central has a lead, but Seymour is going to try to catch up in our second half.

Both teams are keeping their starting lineups intact, so that means we can get right back to it, everybody, get your fingers on the buzzer as we resume this game of Tennessee Scholars' Bowl 2026.

Tossup for all players in science.

What type of mirror can take hundreds of light rays and focus them on a single point?

Caleb.

Prism.

Not it, you can steal Central.

Wesley.

Concave.

That's right, and the science bonus.

What is the frequency of leap years?

Every four years.

Correct, what is the frequency of solstices?

Twice a month.

No, it's twice a year or every six months.

So ten points on that.

Tossup now in mythology.

Which mythical Roman god of freshwater and the sea was the counterpart of the mythical Greek god Poseidon?

Dax.

Neptune.

Yes.

Mythology bonus.

What tire company's logo includes the winged foot of Hermes or Mercury.

In the middle of the company's name?

Goodyear.

Is right for 20 Tossup in economics by separating fiber from the seed.

What machine invented by Eli Whitney revolutionized production.

Jackson.

The cotton gin.

Of the chief crop of the southern US economics bonus for central, who were the first two American billionaires?

Rockefeller and Vanderbilt.

Rockefellers.

Right.

Well, John D, we'll take you out for ten.

But the other one is Henry Ford.

Tossup now in miscellaneous, what is the Tennessee State Beverage?

Jackson.

Whiskey.

No chance to steal, Seymour.

I wish it was, Seymour.

Sweet tea.

What was it?

Sweet tea.

No.

Make sure I'm calling all the way, though.

It's milk.

No points.

Tossup in algebra.

Give the solution for the equation six x plus 30 equals three x plus 30.

Jackson.

Solution.

No.

Chance to steal, Seymour.

Liliana.

Two.

No, the solution is zero.

Tossup for everybody in physics.

Which scientist wrote A Brief History in Time?

Zachary.

Stephen Hawking.

Correct, physics bonus.

The claw end of a hammer is an example of which simple machine.

Answer.

Lever.

Is right for 20.

Tossup now in arts.

In theater, what is the term for the specific area on stage that is closest to the audience?

Zachary.

Downstage.

Is correct.

Arts is your bonus in The Music Man how many trombones led the big parade?

76.

Right.

And how many cornets were close at hand?

110.

Those are both right.

20 points.

Tossup in geography.

Which of these 50 states is called the last frontier?

Zachary.

Alaska.

Is right, and a visual bonus for Seymour.

Look at the screens, please.

The Unisphere and fountain shown here were built as the theme symbol for the 1964 World's Fair, in which city?

Orlando.

That's New York.

The Unisphere is located.

In which borough of New York City?

Brooklyn.

No, it's next door in Queens.

No points on that.

Tossup for everybody in music.

What is the musical term for the symbol placed in the score of a performer to allow for a specific length of silence in the music?

Caleb.

Rest.

Yes.

And a music bonus.

What are the four sections of the orchestra?

Defer to Zachary.

Brass, woodwind, strings and percussion.

All four of those are correct for 20 points.

Tossup in vocabulary.

What is the term for an introduction to a poem, play or novel such as The Canterbury Tales?

Wesley.

Prolog.

Is right.

Vocabulary bonus now.

The name of which dog breed can also be used to describe a person who is a sleuth, or who pursues something keenly or relentlessly.

A bloodhound is right for 20 Tossup in astronomy, which constellation of the zodiac is viewed as a pair of fish connected by a cord?

Pisces, yes, and an astronomy bonus.

Two parts.

What is the term for a point on the celestial sphere directly above an observer on the Earth?

No answer.

That's a zenith.

What is the term for the point of the celestial sphere directly opposite the zenith?

Anti-zenith.

It's called the nadir.

Nadir.

No points.

Tossup in foreign language.

What is the French word for table.

It's tableau.

Tossup in government.

A fundamental principle of which economic and political theory is the abolition of private property.

Jackson.

Socialism.

Not it.

You can steal Seymour.

Caleb.

Communism.

Yes.

And a government bonus now.

Which country assumed the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU in July 2025?

Germany.

It's Denmark.

Which country will assume the presidency of the Council of the EU in January 2026?

Germany.

That's Cyprus, no points.

Tossup in technology.

What is the term for unsolicited and unwanted email messages?

Jackson.

Spam.

Yes, and a technology bonus.

Instead of requiring an account in here with a username and password, what popular messaging service owned by META identifies users by their phone number.

WhatsApp.

Is right for 20.

Tossup now in math, angle A measures 41 degrees.

What is the measure of the supplement to angle a?

Wesley.

49.

Not it, you can steal, Seymour.

Lillyanna.

139.

Yes, and a math visual bonus now for Seymour.

Take a look at the screens.

What is the correct change from a $100 bill for a meal costing $78.26?

Refer to Payton.

No answer.

You ran out of time there.

$21.74, is the answer.

No points on that.

Tossup in biology, which semi-aquatic rodent is known for its wood chewing abilities in the construction Lillyanna.

Platypus And the construction.

Wesley.

Beaver.

Yeah.

Of dams and lodges.

And a biology bonus for Central.

What diffusion process causes a solvent to migrate across a membrane on the side of higher concentration to the side of lower concentration?

Osmosis is right for 20.

Tossup now in literature.

Who is the author of the narrati Lord Byron.

Not that, you can steal, Seymour.

Caleb.

Robert Frost.

Is right for ten and a literature bonus.

Which author created the literary character Ichabod Crane?

Defer to Payton.

Headless Horseman, I can't think.

Well, he's in that story, but it's written by Washington Irving.

No points on the bonus Tossup in history.

What is the name of the plane that dropped the first atomic bomb?

Zachary.

Enola Gay.

Yeah, and a history bonus now.

A seemingly famous photograph.

U.S.

Marines planted an American flag on February 23rd, 1945, atop Mount Suribachi, on which Japanese Island?

Iwo Jima.

Is right for 20.

Tossup in art.

If something is dye-chromatic, how many colors does it have?

Lillyanna.

Two.

And an art bonus now.

What award is given to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children published in the United States during the preceding year?

Pulitzer.

It's the Caldecott Medal.

No points on that Tossup in sports.

In a traditional game of polo, what is the total number of mounted players per side?

Dax.

Seven.

Not it.

You can steal, Seymour.

Caleb.

Eight.

Only four.

No points on that.

Tossup in science.

Which of the Earth's atmosphere layers reflects radio waves?

Zade.

Stratosphere.

No, chance to steal, Seymour.

Caleb.

Thermosphere.

The Ionosphere no points.

Tossup in geography.

What is the capital of Nicaragua?

Dax.

Managua.

Yes, and a geography bonus.

Name the two landlocked countries in South America.

Paraguay and Bolivia.

Those are both right, 20.

Tossup in music.

Who was the songwriter and lead singer of Queen's song Bohemian Rhapsody?

Payton.

Freddie Mercury.

Right, and a music bonus.

What is the country of origin for the group ABBA?

Yes, Sweden.

And what is the country of origin for the group BTS.

South Korea.

Those are both right for 20.

Tossup in vocabulary.

Identify the ten letter adjective beginning with S that is defined as having the same or nearly the same meaning as another word or phrase expressing the same idea.

Payton.

Synonym.

Not it.

You can steal, Central.

Okay, well, you gave me the noun, and it's not ten letters.

I need the, longer version, which is synonymous.

All right.

And then it had to have spelled that.

So no points on that.

Tossup now in health, it's the end of the game, however, and although they made a good comeback, the Seymour Eagles did not get quite enough points, to take down a very good squad of Central Bobcats.

So I'd like to thank you both for being here.

Lillyanna.

Congratulations for playing and anything else you want to say, because we're never going to see you again.

It's really sad.

Okay.

You're very fast with the triggers, like, extremely fast.

Yeah, it's trigger happy.

Apparently.

Anything else?

Your part of the game.

Congrats and good luck.

Oh, for my team.

I'm really glad we came together and did this great.

Meanwhile, congratulations to you, Dax and the Bobcats.

You'll advance now to the threshold of 32.

Means we get to see you play again real soon.

What do you got to say?

You guys played a really good game, and, Wesley, you're very pretty.

Thank you.

Well, you get to admire each other even more as you continue on Scholars' Bowl.

And you also get to watch all the episodes.

Keep track of them all, check your local PBS stations listings online, or watch past seasons online using the PBS app.

My name is Frank Murphy.

Thank you for watching Tennessee Scholars' Bowl 2026.