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, and we've made it all the way to the round of the educated eight.

The winner of today's game advances to the Philosophical four.

Will it be the patriots of Jefferson County in Dandridge, or the Admirals of Farragut High School in West Knox County?

Let's find out who the players are for Jefferson County, starting with 11th grader Zack Matheny.

Zack, welcome back.

Tell us about yourself.

Based on my experience in Scholars' Bowl, I'm not really well versed in literature and musicals.

Yeah.

So I'm planning on reading Paradise Lost and watching Hairspray.

You got to start somewhere, right?

Yeah.

Well, good morning, Baltimore.

Let's say hi to Amy Stansbury, who's in 12th grade.

What about yourself, Amy?

My personal favorite musical is Great Gatsby the Musical.

It released in ‘24, I believe.

Yeah.

And who was in it?

I don't remember the name of the lead.

This is on Broadway?

Yeah, it was on Broadway.

Oh, fantastic.

You go see it, then.

I didn't go see it, but I listen to the soundtrack.

That's pretty good.

That's a great way to get started.

Okay, nice.

And then team captain is Elaine Zhang, another 12 grader.

Elaine, you're going to answer bonuses or defer by name to a teammate.

What about you?

Oh, I have to say, my favorite musical is Epic the Musical.

E-P-I-C.

E-P-I-C.

Whats it about?

It's a retelling of the Odyssey.

Because that's an epic.

That's an epic.

And then we've also got 12th grader Grace Roberts.

Hi, Grace.

Tell us about you.

I would say my favorite musical is probably Newsies.

And you're in it?

No.

You went to see it?

Yes.

Okay, good.

Jefferson County has an amazing theater.

Let's say hi to the alternates and coach for Jefferson County.

We've got Audrey, Silas, Hannah, Orrick, Alex Thomas, Ruby Kate Runyon, and Bentley Lewis with coach Ray Pedigo, who teaches physics, chemistry and calculus to the Patriots of Jeffco, taking on those Admirals of Farragut High School.

First up is Sophia Chen in 12th grade.

Hi, Sophia.

What about you?

I've been learning how to play pickleball recently.

Pickleball?

What's with pickleball?

Is it easier than regular tennis?

Yes, but I think what I like is that you're close enough to people, so you can talk to them while you play.

Okay, now, your carpool buddy Leyton Lou is right here shaking his head.

Leyton is in 12th grade.

What about you, Leyton?

No, I hate pickleball.

Why?

You ever have, like, the public tennis courts?

Yeah.

And then, you know, the people that live near the courts, they get mad because they're so loud whenever.

So they have to lock up the courts, right?

And then.

So then, now we can't go play for free.

And then it's all the pickleballers reserving all the courts.

They're going to play pickleball.

You play regular tennis.

Yeah I do.

And you're saying you're getting locked out by the pickleballers.

The pickleballers are ruining it.

Sophia, the pickleballers are ruining it.

It's all her.

We'll sort that out later, perhaps.

Team captain is Rochan Ramanan.

Rochan, welcome back.

Tell us about yourself.

I don't really watch sports, but I've been to six continents.

That's almost all I'm going to guess that Antarctica is the last one on your list.

And you would be right.

Yeah.

Okay.

So when are you going?

to be decided.

And your sister, Nisha Ramanan, did you go with Roshan to these exotic trips?

Yes.

What's a cool thing that you saw on this other continent?

For New Zealand, we went to the South Island, and it was, it was really nice.

Very natural.

Good.

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

Got Evan Conger, Uday Suchith Kamar, Armon Oges, and coach Tiffany Booker, who teaches English to the admirals of Farragut.

You all had to win your way multiple times to get here.

You know how it works.

Tossups worth 10, bonuses worth 20.

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

Tossup for all players in science.

What is the property of fluids that causes them to resist flowing?

Roshan.

Viscosity.

And a science bonus.

In the name of the product ‘WD-40, what words do the letters ‘WD represent?

Water displacement.

That's right for 20.

Tossup now in literature.

At what time did Poe's raven gently rap on the chamber door of the lover- Sophia.

Midnight.

-The lover of the lost Lenore?

Is midnight.

Literature is your bonus.

Name two of the six conspirators who join Cassius and Brutus to attack Julius Caesar in Shakespeare's play?

Answer.

Marcus and Tiberius.

Well, no, it's Casca, Decius, Cinna, Metellus, Ligarius, and Trebonius.

So it's kind of obscure, but no points on that.

Tossup in geography.

Which state contains the largest total acreage of land within the national- Zack.

Alaska.

-Arc system?

Geography bonus.

In which state is the USS Arizona Memorial?

Hawaii.

Is right.

In which state is the Flight 93 National Memorial maintain?

Defer to Zack.

Maine.

No, that one's in Pennsylvania.

Ten points on the bonus.

Tossup in games.

In which jump rope game are two ropes moved in an eggbeater or counter-rotating motion- Sophia.

Double Dutch.

-While one or more players jump in the center?

Games is your bonus.

Which daily word game that gives players six chances to guess a five letter word is projected to reach the end of its current word list in 2027?

Defer to Sophia.

Wordle.

Is right for 20.

Tossup now in Algebra.

Express as a fraction; seven to the negative two power.

Roshan.

One over 49.

Yes, algebra bonus.

What is the slope of the line with the equation for X plus two Y equals zero?

Negative two.

That's right for 20.

Tossup in health.

What is the name of the upper arm bone?

Roshan.

Humerus.

And a health bonus.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt is pictured on the ten cent coin, partly because of his involvement in the creation of which charitable organization?

March of Dimes.

And although its current focus is on premature babies, which disease did March of Dimes originally combat?

Polio.

Those are both right for 20.

Tossup for all players in foreign language.

What is the Spanish word for the month of March?

Roshan.

Marzo.

Is right, and a visual bonus.

Take a look at the screens, please.

What is the English translation of the book title, ‘Cien Años de Soledad by Gabriel García Márquez.

Defer to Sophia.

100 Years of Solitude.

Is correct for 20.

Tossup in economics.

Whose face is on a U.S.

50 cent coin?

Zack Ulysses S Grant.

No, chance steal, Farragut.

As opposed to Roshan.

Washington.

That's John F Kennedy on the 50 cent coin.

The Kennedy half dollar.

Tossup in art.

What is the term for a painter representing objects on a flat surface as they appear to the eye from a distance?

Zack.

Elevation.

No, chance to steal, Farragut.

Nisha.

Perspective.

Correct, art is your bonus.

Knoxville born artist Buford Delaney was part of which intellectual and cultural revival of African American music, dance parts fashion, literature, theater, politics and scholarship in New York City during the 1920s and 30s?

Harlem Renaissance.

Correct for 20.

Tossup in vocabulary.

What seven letter word beginning with C is a country name that can mean either to offer advice or to ask for it.

Roshan.

Confer.

Not it, you can steal, Jeffco.

Zack.

Council.

No, consult is the word I'm looking for there.

Tossup in physics.

Protons and neutrons are composed of fundamental particles- Roshan.

Quarks.

-Called what?

And a physics bonus.

Name the two properties that define a vector?

Direction and magnitude.

That's right for 20.

Tossup in English.

What is the tense of the verb in the following sentence?

“I have hosted this show for ten seasons.” Roshan.

Present perfect.

Yes, English bonus.

What is the infinitive or root form of the verb used in the phrase?

“Some high school seniors were born in 2008.” To be born.

Well, the infinitive or root form would be ‘to bear.

Born is - We already gave you ‘born in the sentence.

So no points on the bonus.

Tossup in U.S.

history.

Which bandit terrorized Missouri in surrounding- Zack.

Jesse James.

-Surrounding areas for 16 years after the Civil War?

History bonus.

Which U.S.

president prior to his presidency found a patent for adjustable, buoyant air chambers that would be attached to the sides of a boat, allowing them to navigate shallow waterways?

Abraham Lincoln.

Right for 20.

Tossup in religion.

Buddhists believe in a place of perfect peace and blessedness called- Roshan.

Nirvana.

-On what?

And a religion bonus on the visual.

Take a look at the screens, Farragut.

Each year, millions of Christians visit a basilica near Mexico City to see the cloak or tumor shown here, with an image of Mary that appeared on it in 1531 and is known by what name?

Defer to Nisha.

Virgin of Guadalupe.

That's right.

Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Virgin of Guadalupe.

20 points.

Tossup in geometry.

What type of angles are formed by two intersecting lines lie opposite of each other- Elaine.

90 degree angles.

-And are congruent?

Chance to steal, Roshan.

Vertical.

Yeah, and a geometry bonus.

What is the midpoint in fraction form between three quarters and one half on the number line?

5/8.

Is right for 20.

Tossup in biology.

In which specific human organ is digestion completed for proteins- Amy.

Intestine.

Small intestine.

Yeah.

Just in time.

-And proteins, fats and carbohydrates.

And a biology bonus now.

What is the biological term for animals that eat plants?Herbivore.

And what is the biological term for animals that eat both plants and other animals?

Omnivore.

Also right, 20.

Tossup in mythology.

Which ancient Greek city was home to the Oracle of the mythical god Apollo?

Roshan.

Delphi.

And the mythology bonus.

What is the name of the mythical city of the gods built by Odin, chief god of the Norse pantheon?

Valhalla.

No, the city is Asgard.

A-S-G-A-R-D.

Tossup in government.

How many justices are on the Tennessee Supreme Court?

Amy.

Nine.

No, chance to steal.

Roshan.

Five.

And a government bonus for Farragut.

Nominated by Ronald Reagan in 1981, who was the first female justice on the US Supreme Court?

Sandra Day O'Connor, right, for ten.

Who was the second female justice on the US Supreme Court?

Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Also right, 20.

Tossup in music.

Which drums are the only drums that can be tuned to a definite pitch?

Roshan.

Timpani.

And music bonus.

What is the stage name of singer songwriter Peter Hernandez, whose biggest hits include Uptown Funk, Just the Way You Are and Locked Out of Heaven?

Bruno Mars is right for 20.

Tossup in spelling.

A toboggan is a type of sled- Zack.

T-O-B-A-G-G-A-N.

Not it, you can spell ‘toboggan if you can steal it, Farragut.

Leyton.

T-O-B-O-G-G-O-N.

That's not it either.

It's T-O-B-O-G-G-A-N.

points on that.

Tossup in chemistry.

In which group on the periodic table are the alkali metals?

Roshan.

1A.

And a chemistry bonus.

What is the chemical name of Epsom salt?

Magnesium sulfate.

What is the chemical formula for magnesium sulfate?

MGSO4.

That's right.

20 on the bonus.

Tossup in architecture.

What is the glass part of a window called?

Roshan.

Pane.

And an architecture bonus.

What ancient highway that was built in 312 BC symbolized the might of the Roman Empire?

Stretched 360 miles from Rome to Brindisi.

The Appian Way.

That's right for 20.

Tossup in geography.

In which world capital is Westminster Abbey, located?

Roshan.

London.

Geography bonus.

In which Canadian province is Calgary?

Answer.

Toronto.

It's Alberta.

It's in Canadian Province is Vancouver?

British Columbia.

Yeah, ten points on the bonus.

Pre-Calc tossup for everyone.

In the unit circle.

What is the sine of pi over six radians?

Roshan.

One half.

Pre-calc bonus.

What name is given to the point at which a function's second derivative changes from positive to negative, or negative to positive?

Inflection point.

That's right for 20.

Tossup now in science.

What is the freezing point of water on the- Leyton.

0 degrees.

On the- Zack.

273.

Yeah, on the Kelvin scale is where we're headed.

That's right.

Bonus now for Jeffco.

In 2022, train traffic was halted in Norfolk, England, to rescue a tortoise that was too heavy for one person to lift off the tracks using 2.2 pounds per kilogram.

How many pounds did the 60 kilogram tortoise weigh?

At the buzzer, Elaine.

2.2 times 60 is 132 pounds, so no points on the bonus at the end of the first half.

Farragut trying to put themselves way ahead, but Jefferson County might be able to catch up.

I mean, you guys made it to the championship all the way last year.

We know you've got it in you.

Let's find out what happens and who's going to the philosophical four after the break on Tennessee's Scholars' Bowl 2026.

The 42nd season of Tennessee Scholars' Bowl is a single elimination tournament featuring 50 high school academic teams, the championship team and this year, 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 educated eight round game between the Patriots of Jefferson County High School in Dandridge and the Admirals of Farragut High School in Knox County.

Farragut trying to run up the lead right now and make sure they advance to the philosophical four.

But not if Jefferson County has a chance to stop them.

Meanwhile, both teams have brought alternates into the game on the Jeffco side, lets say hi to senior Hannah Orick.

Hannah tell us about yourself.

One of my favorite musicals is Legally Blonde.

Really?

Now a lot of high schools perform Legally Blonde.

What do you like about it?

I think the songs are really well done, and also just the story in general is a really nice.

Yeah, it's from the Reese Witherspoon movie.

They turned it into a musical.

It's good.

And meanwhile, on the Farragut side, let's welcome Uday Sujit Kumar.

Uday.

Welcome back.

Good to see you again.

Tell us about yourself.

I enjoy playing soccer.

How do you feel about, pickleball versus regular tennis?

If Leyton is against pickleball, I'll be against pickleball too.

I'm glad to hear it.

All right, everybody, let's get back to it and send one of your teams to the philosophical four.

Fingers on the buzzer for Tennessee Scholars' Bowl, 2026.

Tossup for all players in foreign language.

What Russian word means prison or a system of labor camps- Roshan.

Gulag.

-Maintained in the Soviet Union from 1930 to 1955?

Foreign language is your bonus.

What is the common German expression for “until we meet again” or “goodbye”?

Defer to Sophia.

Auf wiedersehen.

Yeah, that's right.

20.

Tossup in history.

Who was the first governor of the state of Tennessee?

Roshan.

John Sevier.

Right, and a visual bonus for Farragut.

Take a look at the screens, please.

Which Revolutionary War general pictured here became the nation's first Secretary of War and is the namesake of several towns, cities, counties and two forts?

Henry Knox.

Is correct for 20 points.

Tossup in technology.

What two word term is used to describe the practice of analyzing large amounts of information to identify patterns and extract- Nisha.

Data analysis.

-Extract useful information?

Chance to steal, Jeffco.

You would analyze it after you mined it.

Data mining is the technique I was describing.

Tossup in vocabulary.

What does the term Nyctophobia mean?

Roshan.

Fear of the dark.

Yeah, fear of night or darkness.

Vocab is your bonus.

What 12 letter word beginning with B and ending with Y refers to the practice or study of predicting the participants in or outcomes of elimination tournamation or competitions, especially in NCAA college basketball.

Bracketology.

Is correct for 20.

Tossup in geology.

Which branch of geology studies how groundwater is transported and distributed in the soil, rock, and Earth's crust?

Roshan.

Hydrogeology.

Yes, and a geology bonus.

What is the eight letter word beginning with R that refers to a blanket of dust, broken rocks, and other related materials on Earth, the moon, Mars, and other terrestrial planets and moons?

Regolith.

Is right for 20.

Tossup in literature.

Who wrote the novel ‘The Grapes of Wrath?

Roshan.

Steinbeck.

Yes, John Steinbeck, literature bonus.

Which two authors who were professors at Oxford, became friends and critiqued each other's writing about the literary fantasy worlds of Middle-Earth?

Tolkien and C.S.

Lewis.

Are both right for 20 points.

Tossup in government.

How many representatives serve in the Tennessee General Assembly?

Roshan.

99.

And a government bonus.

How many votes are in the Electoral College?

38.

And how many votes must a candidate have to win the presidency?

270.

Are both right.

20 points.

Tossup in religion.

Hanukkah commemorates the re- Zack.

Maccabees.

Yeah.

Hanukkah commemorates rededication of the temple following a successful Jewish revolt, and by which priestly family?

The Maccabees.

Religion is your bonus.

According to the Book of Joshua.

When the feet of the priests bearing the Ark of the covenant were immersed in which river the waters flowing from upstream halted, allowing the Israelites to cross?

Jordan River.

Is right for 20 points.

Tossup in math.

What is the value of four factorial?

Roshan.

24.

And a visual bonus in math.

Take a look at the screens.

Four times the square of a number decreased by 5 is equal to 44.

Give both numbers.

Seven over two and negative seven over two.

Those are both right for 20.

Tossup in health.

What is the location of the innominate bone in humans?

Roshan.

Forehead.

No, chance to steal, Zack.

Pelvis.

Yes.

Health is your bonus.

Which organ to the left of the stomach destroys worn out red blood cells and is a site of white blood cell production?

Spleen.

Right for 20.

Tossup in English.

Correct the following sentence if necessary.

“Megan and him went to the park.” Amy.

‘I.

Chance to steal, Farragut.

Roshan.

‘He and Megan.

Yeah.

Megan.

The “he” or “he and Megan went to the park,” not him.

Bonus in English now for Farragut.

Which figure of speech is used in the following sentence?

“Maria heard the last piece of pie calling her name.” Personification.

Which figure of speech is used in the following sentence?

“My love is like a red rose ceremony.” Simile.

Both right, 20.

Tossup in geography.

The city of Cincinnati is on what river?

Roshan.

Ohio River.

Geography bonus.

Which river flows from North Carolina through the Douglas Dam into the Tennessee River, and is thought to be one of the five oldest rivers in the world?

The Clinch River.

No, this is over in Sevier County, the French Broad River.

No points on the bonus.

Tossup in art.

What is the term for a color that can't be made by mixing other colors together?

Zack.

Primary color.

And an art bonus for Jeffco.

What is the common color name for tawny?

The heraldry color of worthwhile ambition.

Yellow.

Tawny is orange.

In that case, no points there.

Tossup in spelling.

A representation of the outline of an object with some uniform color is called a silhouette- Zack.

S-I-L-H-O-U-E-T-T-E.

Yeah, and a spelling bonus now for Jeffco.

Spell approximation, meaning close but not exact.

Defer to Amy.

A-P-P-R-O-X-I-M-A-T-I-O-N Right.

20 points.

Tossup.

In astronomy.

Earth's magnetosphere is made up of invisible lines- Roshan.

-The poles.

Of magnetic field that radiate out into space from where?

And an astronomy bonus.

What are two of the three forms of energy released by the sun that can disrupt Earth based communications?

Prominences and solar flares.

With coronal mass ejections being the third.

That's right, 20 points.

Tossup in foreign language.

What is the French word for umbrella?

Roshan.

Parapluie.

Yes, and a foreign language bonus.

Translate ‘requiescat in pace from Latin to England.

Rest in peace.

Yes is right, 20.

Tossup in history.

Who married Henry VIII days after Anne Boleyn's execution and was- Roshan.

Jane Seymour.

-The only one of the six wives to give birth to a male heir?

History bonus for Farragut.

A house in Sussex that was sold for 2.25 million pounds in 2023 had been given by Henry VIII, to which woman who was his fourth wife, as part of their annulment settlement?

Anne of Cleves.

Is right for 20.

Tossup in music.

What kind of portable instrument, sometimes called a squeezebox, uses hand pumped bellows and 1 or 2- Sophia.

Accordion.

-Piano like keyboards.

Music bonus.

Beethoven originally titled his third symphony Bonaparte, but when Napoleon declared himself emperor in 1804, Beethoven gave the piece what six letter name by which it's still known?

No answer.

That is Heroic, as in H-E-R-O-I-C.

Tossup in math.

Convert five and three fourths to an improper fraction.

Zack 23/4.

Yes.

Math bonus.

What is the value of four raised to the one half power added to the value of 27 raised to the one third power.

5.

Is right for 20 points.

Two plus three equals five.

Tossup in biology.

What is the term for the area of the body supported by the ribs and spine that contains vital- Roshan.

Thorax.

-Vital organs including the heart and lungs?

Biology bonus.

List four of the eight levels of classification in the Linnaean taxonomy system.

Genus, species, class, order.

Those are all right.

Domain, kingdom, and phylum are in there as well, and 20 points.

Tossup in literature.

“Beauty is truth.

Truth, beauty,” is a line from the classic poem Ode to a Grecian Urn, written by which poet?

Sophia.

John Keats.

Yes.

Literature bonus.

Who wrote The New Colossus, a sonnet that is mounted on a bronze plaque inside the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty and begins with the line, “Give me your tired, your poor”?

Emma Lazarus.

Is right for 20.

Tossup in economics.

For which product is DeBeers famous?

Elaine.

Tires.

Not it, you can steal, Farragut.

They sell diamonds.

Tossup in miscellaneous.

What is the term for a fear of corpses?

Zack.

Necrophobia.

Miscellaneous bonus.

What words do the letters in the financial aid form known as FAFSA represent?

Free application for Federal Student Aid.

Is right for 20.

Tossup in sports.

Which U.S.

city has hosted the Winter Olympics twice?

Zack.

Miami.

Not it, you can steal, Farragut.

Uday.

Atlanta.

That's at Lake Placid, New York.

Tossup in science.

To the nearest hour.

How long is it between low tide and a high tide?

Roshan.

Six hours.

Science bonus.

What term that comes from the Spanish phrase for the Christ child refers to a natural climate pattern that occurs when the ocean surface in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean becomes warmer than normal?

El Niño.

Is right for 20.

Tossup in government.

In the U.S.

what distinguishes a bench trial?

Roshan.

No jury.

Government bonus.

Name two of the four chief justices of the U.S.

Supreme Court.

Thanks.

We don't need that, actually.

We're chosen from the associate justices.

You can Google that yourself.

And meanwhile, Farragut has held on to win against a great squad from Jefferson County, including several players who made it all the way to the final championship game last year.

So I want to say thank you guys for being here to goodbye forever to the seniors.

Underclassmen, we'll see you next year.

Elaine, what do you got to say?

You guys played a really, really good game.

And I like to say thank you to my team for making my final year of PBS's Scholars Bowl so fun.

Yeah, we've enjoyed having you guys here with your fantastic shirts.

Meanwhile, Farragut, congratulations.

It's been a while since we've had you guys all the way into the philosophical four.

Welcome back to that rarefied air.

Roshan, what do you got to say?

Yeah, you guys played really well.

And, I'm proud of all my teammates.

You guys worked hard, too, so.

Yeah, it's fun to be here.

All right.

Good.

So, yeah, you got to stay in your game face now because you got to play again.

In fact, you'll be able to see them and all of our competition in the days ahead by checking your local listings on your PBS website, never missing an episode, and binge watching past seasons online using the PBS app.

My name is Frank Murphy.

Thank you for watching Tennessee Scholars' Bowl 2026.