JOE HANSON: Major funding for "High School Quiz Show" is provided by Safety Insurance.

It's the semifinals, with Sharon High School... (cheers and applause) ...taking on Weston High School.

(cheers and applause) That's next on "High School Quiz Show."

(cheers and applause) ♪ ♪ (cheers and applause) Hi, everybody, and welcome to the "High School Quiz Show" semifinals.

I'm Joe Hanson, your host.

The competition is really heating up.

Today's second semifinal features two "Quiz Show" veterans, and we start, as always, with the toss-up round.

All answers are worth ten points.

There are no point deductions for wrong answers.

Players, you may confer.

Teams, if you're ready, good luck.

Here we go.

Which U.S.

state grows about two-thirds of the nation's fruit and nuts?

Alex.

- California.

HANSON: Yes.

"Quidditch Through the Ages" is a 2001 book written by what author under the pseudonym Kennilworthy Whisp?

Andrew.

- J.K.

Rowling.

HANSON: Yes, J.K.

Rowling.

What capital city of Egypt is home to the City of the Dead, a vast Islamic-era necropolis?

Ben.

- Cairo.

HANSON: Yes.

Nicknamed "Big Z," what six-foot-nine former captain of the Boston Bruins was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2025?

Josh - Zdeno Chára.

HANSON: That's right.

For our next question, take a look at your monitors.

In 1952, what English chemist, seen here, instructed her graduate student to take Photo 51, the X-ray diffraction image that shows evidence of the helical structure of DNA?

Julius.

- Franklin.

HANSON: Yes, Rosalind Franklin is right.

The Palme d'or is the highest prize awarded at what prestigious film festival held annually in May in the French Riviera?

Andrew.

- Cannes.

HANSON: Yes, the Cannes Film Festival.

Located in Bar Harbor, Maine, what national park is known as "the Crown Jewel of the North Atlantic Coast"?

Julius.

- Acadia National Park.

HANSON: Yes.

"The eyes of the world are upon you.

"The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you."

What supreme allied commander said this to troops on the eve of D-Day?

Alex.

- Eisenhower.

HANSON: Yes.

In a lavish three-day extravaganza that drew citywide protests, Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez were married in what Italian city in June 2025?

Madeline.

- Venice.

HANSON: Venice is right.

Our next question comes from a special guest.

Take a look at your monitors.

Hello, I'm Senator Ed Markey.

And congratulations to all of the teams competing in this season of "High School Quiz Show."

So here's my question.

I was able to pay my way through college by driving an ice cream truck and selling ice cream on hot summer days.

I sold ice cream in what Boston suburb, my hometown, where I grew up and still live, that was also the first Massachusetts town to renounce British rule, on May 27, 1776?

James.

- Lexington.

HANSON: No-- Sharon, you have an opportunity.

Andrew - Dorchester.

HANSON: No, we are looking for Malden.

"The Hunger Games" series is set in what futuristic country that arose after the governments of North America collapsed?

Ben.

- Panem.

HANSON: That's correct.

Which phenomenon of light occurs when light passes from one medium to another: scattering, diffusion, or refraction?

Madeline.

- Refraction.

HANSON: Correct.

In 2025, Sarah Mullally became the first female archbishop of Canterbury, the principal leader of what denomination, abbreviated C. of E.?

Ben.

- Church of England.

HANSON: Yes.

"We conclude that, in the field of public education, the doctrine of separate but equal has no place."

What chief justice wrote this in the 1954 decision Brown v. Board of Education?

Josh - Marshall.

HANSON: No-- Weston, you have a chance here.

Ben.

- Warren.

HANSON: Yes, Earl Warren was that chief justice.

Known for his roles on "Lost" and "Hawaii Five-0," in 2025, who became the first Asian male to be nominated for a Tony for best performance by a leading actor in a play for "Yellow Face"?

Alex.

- Yang.

HANSON: No-- Weston, you have a chance.

(buzzer sounds) That actor is Daniel Dae Kim.

All right, we're off to a great start to this semifinal, but let's take a moment to thank the folks who make this show possible.

Major funding for "High School Quiz Show" is provided by Safety Insurance.

- Welcome to another edition of New England Survivalists, the game we all get to play.

You can ask an independent agent about Safety Insurance and learn more at the resource center at SafetyInsurance.com.

♪ ♪ HANSON: Additional funding is provided by UMass Amherst.

- 29,200.

That's how many days most of us have here on Earth.

If we see a better future, it's on us to lead the way.

At UMass, be the future you want to see.

Be revolutionary.

(cheers and applause) HANSON: Welcome back.

The score is Sharon with 70, Weston with 60.

Let's get back to the game.

Photosynthesis occurs in what bean-shaped green structures in plant cells that are packed with chlorophyll?

Andrew.

- Chloroplast.

HANSON: Yes.

In 2025, which North American country became the first country in the world to elect all of its judges at every level by popular vote?

Josh.

- Canada.

HANSON: No-- Weston, you have a chance here.

James.

- Nicaragua.

HANSON: No, the country we're looking for is Mexico.

Founded in 1088, what is the oldest continuously operating university in Europe: University of Bologna, University of Heidelberg, or University of Paris?

Alex.

- Bologna.

HANSON: Bologna is right.

The subject of the Netflix series "America's Sweethearts," what NFL cheerleaders quadrupled their pay in 2025, with pay for practice days jumping from $15 to $60 per hour?

James.

- Cowboys.

HANSON: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders is right.

The Super Bowl normally uses Roman numerals.

A notable exception is Super Bowl 50, which used Arabic numerals because the NFL deemed what Roman numeral visually unappealing and awkward for logo design?

Josh.

- L. HANSON: That is right.

In the U.S.

presidential election of 1968, Richard Nixon defeated what Democratic candidate who served as Lyndon Johnson's vice president?

James.

- Hubert Humphrey.

HANSON: That's right.

In 1641, what French mathematician argued that the mind and body are distinct and separable, a concept called "mind-body dualism"?

Johan.

- Descartes.

HANSON: Yes, René Descartes.

In 2025, Kenyan runner Faith Kipyegon fell seconds short in her historic attempt to run a mile in under how many minutes?

Andrew.

- Four.

HANSON: Four is right.

Which part of the space shuttle Challenger lost its elasticity in frigid weather in a January 1986 launch, causing the shuttle to explode: the field joint, the O-ring, or the heat shield?

Alex.

- The O-ring.

HANSON: O-ring is right.

What large desert in Asia takes its name from a Mongolian term meaning "waterless place"?

Josh.

- The Gobi.

HANSON: Yes, the Gobi Desert is right.

Adapted into a 1940 film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, what gothic novel by Daphne du Maurier features a villainous housekeeper named Mrs.

Danvers?

(buzzer sounds) That is "Rebecca."

The atmosphere of Venus is mostly carbon dioxide, but its clouds are mainly composed of what acid known as H2SO4?

James.

- Sulfuric acid.

HANSON: That's right.

In 1437, what city replaced Scone as the capital of Scotland?

Ben.

- Edinburgh.

HANSON: That is correct.

Which country's missile defense system is called the Iron Dome?

Andrew.

- Israel.

HANSON: Correct.

At the gentlemen's final in 2025, who became the first Italian to win a singles title at Wimbledon?

Andrew.

- Sinner.

HANSON: Yes, Jannik Sinner is right.

(bell rings) That's the end of the round, and the score is Sharon with 150 points.

Weston has 110.

Let's hear it for both teams.

(cheers and applause) Last week, Buckingham Browne and Nichols beat Mansfield to earn a shot at becoming the next "High School Quiz Show" champion.

In today's match, Sharon and Weston are both hoping to join them in the final.

The head-to-head round is next.

But first we're going to take a minute to get to know our players a little bit better.

We're going to do that with a special question today.

Sharon, let's start with you.

If an ice cream company wanted to make a new flavor in your honor, what would be the name and the ingredients, and why?

Julius?

- Now, instead of Dubai chocolate, I would call mine Sharon Chocolate.

And I would just replace the pistachios with hazelnut.

HANSON: Is that a particular favorite of yours?

- Yes, I like hazelnuts and pistachios both.

But I like hazelnuts more.

HANSON: Dubai chocolate has, like, taken over the world this year.

There's, there's good potential for this.

You don't want to get the school colors in there at all, maybe away from the green?

- I prefer natural colors, to be honest.

(laughter) HANSON: All right-- I know.

I kind of wonder, but that's not something I typically see in ice cream, you're right.

Josh, what's your ice cream?

- Um, you know, I was thinking for a while.

I couldn't really think of one, so I, I asked my girlfriend, and she said I'd be an orange sorbet.

HANSON: All right-- did she tell you why?

- No, but I, I trust her.

HANSON: Okay.

(laughter) Hey, you know what?

That's a really good political answer.

You are a smart guy.

Alex, how about you?

- Um, I think I'd do an ice cream with two-thirds Earl Grey, one-third vanilla, and shortbread cookie crumble.

HANSON: Very specific and very delicious.

I really want to try that one.

A lot of people don't go for tea-flavored ice cream.

Is that something you've tried before?

- Yeah, I, I think it's really good.

HANSON: Now, what would you call that one?

- I think I'd call it two-thirds Earl Grey ice cream, one-third vanilla ice cream, with shortbread crookie, cookie crumble.

HANSON: That'd be a pretty big label, but I, we could probably fit it on there.

Just have to be really small type.

- Yeah.

HANSON: Andrew, what's your ice cream?

- I'd have a cranberry base, and then I'd have little pieces of lobster mixed in.

(audience murmuring) HANSON: Okay.

I'm feeling kind of a, a Northeast, New England vibe on that one.

- Yeah, that's exactly what I was going for.

I can't imagine everyone would like it, but I'd like to at least try it.

(audience chuckling) HANSON: What's the name of that ice cream?

I'm almost afraid to ask.

- A Taste of New England.

HANSON: Okay.

People might not get what they think they're getting there, but at least it's not clam chowder, all right.

Also on the Sharon team, we have mascot the Sharon Eagle, alternates Avalee and Esme, and coach Zach Snow.

(cheers and applause) Okay, over to Weston.

Johan, what's your ice cream?

- Personally, I'm thinking kind of, like, a matcha-coffee mix.

HANSON: Do you have a name for that one?

- Something like Dirty Matcha.

(laughter) HANSON: Hey, I like that.

Ben, how about you?

- I think it would be called Drake Maye Lovers Ice Cream, and it would be, like, a vanilla base with strawberry and blueberry, which are, like, the Patriots' colors.

HANSON: You gotta know your market.

You're thinking way ahead there.

I like that.

- Go, Pats.

HANSON: Hey, I love it.

James, how about you?

- It would be ube ice cream with white chocolate and marshmallow mix-ins.

HANSON: Are those flavors that you like separate, you've just never been able to get them together?

- Yeah, I like ube ice cream, I like white chocolate, and I like marshmallows, but I've never put them all together.

HANSON: That's a lot of cool words together.

What's the name you're thinking of?

- Be Bated Breath, because if I hold my breath, I turn purple.

(laughter) HANSON: Just like ube.

I like that.

Madeline, last but not least, what's your favorite ice cream that you'd want to make?

- Um, mine would probably be strawberry ice cream with gummy bears mixed in.

And then it'd just be called strawberry, but they'd spell the "berry" part like a "bear."

(audience chuckling) HANSON: I love a good pun and play on words.

I give that a ten out of ten.

Would buy.

Rounding out the Weston team are alternate Jason and coaches Rebecca D'Angelo and Alison Langsdorf.

Let's hear it for both teams.

(cheers and applause) It's time to go head to head.

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

The clock is set at 90 seconds.

Friendly handshake to start things off?

Okay, good luck.

Here we go.

The primary reason for the Punic Wars was control over trade and territory in... - Sicily.

HANSON: No, Mediterranean Sea.

What Ray Bradbury novel features firemen who burn books... - "Fahrenheit 451."

HANSON: Yes.

Pygmy and panther are species of what lizard that can change its color... - Chameleon.

HANSON: Yes.

The German cities of Düsseldorf and Cologne lie on which river?

(buzzer sounds) It's the Rhine.

In the NATO phonetic alphabet, the letter T refers to what... - Treaty.

HANSON: No, Tango.

The concept of the bardo, a transitional space between death and rebirth, is from what Tibetan faith?

- Uh, Buddhism.

HANSON: Yes.

Advised that successful internet companies had names with double Os, who named her lifestyle brand Goop?

(buzzer sounds) Gwyneth Paltrow.

In defiance of a government ban in 2025, thousands gathered for a Pride parade in what Hungarian capital?

(buzzer sounds) Budapest.

Which chemical element is named after the creator of the periodic table?

(buzzer sounds) Mendelevium.

In June 2025, a fleet of American B-2 bombers struck the Fordow nuclear... - Iran.

HANSON: Yes.

The Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony is held every year in what Scandinavian... - Norway.

HANSON: No, Oslo.

What Greek mathematician laid the foundations of geometry in his 13-book... - Euclid.

HANSON: Yes.

Which Great Lake is the source of the Niagara River?

- Erie.

HANSON: Yes.

In 1807, what American inventor launched the Clermont, the first successful steamboat?

(bell rings) Ooh, we were looking for Robert Fulton on that last one.

That's the end of the round-- let's take a look at the score.

Sharon has 180 points.

Weston has 110 points.

Let's give it up for both teams.

(cheers and applause) All right, it's time for the category round.

Today's categories are: K-Mart, Rise of the Machines, Will Power, Kissinger and Tell, Just for Kicks, and Office Space.

All categories have five questions with increasing point value.

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

Players, you are able to confer.

All right, Sharon, who's your spokesperson?

Josh.

Weston, how about you?

Ben-- okay.

Weston, you've got a little ground to make up, so the first category goes to you.

- Kissinger and Tell.

HANSON: Kissinger and Tell.

These are questions about U.S.

secretaries of state.

For ten points.

Henry Kissinger served as secretary of state under Richard Nixon and what president who succeeded him?

- (whispers): Uh, Ford.

- (aloud): Ford.

HANSON: Yes, Gerald Ford is right.

For 15 points.

Appointed by her former rival, Barack Obama, who visited a record-setting 112 countries during her tenure as secretary of state?

- (whispers): Yeah, Hillary.

- Hillary.

- (aloud): Hillary Clinton.

HANSON: That's right.

For 20 points, what secretary of state is the only member of the current cabinet to be unanimously approved by Congress?

- (whispers): It's Rubio, isn't it?

- Yeah, I think it's Rubio.

- (aloud): Marco Rubio.

HANSON: Yes.

For 25 points in Kissinger and Tell.

Who was the first U.S.

secretary of state?

- (whispers): Uh, Jefferson.

- Jefferson.

(aloud): Jefferson.

HANSON: Yes, Thomas Jefferson.

For 30 points.

Appointed by George W. Bush, who was the first African American woman to ever serve as U.S.

secretary of state?

- Rice.

HANSON: Yes, Condoleezza Rice.

Sharon, your category.

- (softly): K-Mart?

- K-Mart.

- (whispers): Yeah, sure.

- (aloud): K-Mart.

HANSON: K-Mart.

All answers in this category begin with the letter K. For ten points.

A pear-shaped, nocturnal, flightless bird found only in New Zealand, what shy bird can reach up to 50 years old in the wild?

- The kiwi.

HANSON: Yes.

For 15 points, in 2021, 20 years after being removed from power in a U.S.-led invasion, the Taliban took over control of what capital city of Afghanistan?

- Kabul.

HANSON: Yes.

For 20 points.

Named after the German-born biochemist who discovered it in 1932, what cycle is the second stage of cellular respiration after glycolysis?

- Krebs.

HANSON: Krebs cycle is right.

For 25 points.

The Great Pyramid of Giza is the final resting place of what Egyptian pharaoh?

- Khufu.

HANSON: Khufu is correct.

And for 30 points in K-Mart, a dividing line between the atmosphere and outer space, what line, typically set at 100 kilometers above sea level, is named for the Hungarian-born engineer who first calculated it?

- Kármán.

HANSON: Yes, the Kármán line.

Weston, next category to you.

- (whispers): Good about that?

- Okay, sure.

- (aloud): Just for Kicks.

HANSON: Just for Kicks.

These are questions about martial arts.

For ten points.

The ancient Greek sport of pankration is a direct forerunner of what combat sport abbreviated MMA?

- (whispers): Mixed... - (aloud): Mixed martial arts.

HANSON: Yes.

For 15 points.

"Be water, my friend."

This famous phrase is associated with what martial arts icon who died in 1973, just six days before the Hong Kong premiere of his film "Enter the Dragon"?

- (whispers): Bruce Lee, I guess.

- (aloud): Bruce Lee.

HANSON: Correct.

For 20 points.

One of the oldest and most popular martial arts in the world, what sport that means "empty hand" in Japanese, made its full Olympic debut at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics?

- (whispers): Karate.

- Karate.

- Probably, yeah.

Let's do it.

- (aloud): Karate.

HANSON: That is correct.

For 25 points in Just for Kicks.

A martial art based on grappling, ground fighting, and submission holds, what sport developed by the Gracie family is known as BJJ?

- (whispers): Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

- Yeah, I know it.

(aloud): Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

HANSON: That's correct.

And for 30 points.

The first American woman to win an Olympic medal in judo, what three-time WWE champion and actress is the author of the graphic novel "Expecting the Unexpected"?

- (whispers): Do we toss?

- I think we... - We gotta try-- we gotta give it a shot.

- (aloud): Toss.

HANSON: Okay, Sharon.

This question goes to you.

- (whispers): Say something.

- No idea?

(aloud): Ripley.

HANSON: No, that is Ronda Rousey.

Okay, Sharon, your category.

- (whispers): I think Office Space might be okay.

- Sure.

- (aloud): Office Space.

HANSON: Office Space.

These are questions about fictional companies.

For ten points.

"Limitless paper in a paperless world" is the slogan of what company featured in the American sitcom "The Office"?

- (whispers): Dunder Mifflin.

- Yeah, Dunder Mifflin.

(aloud): Dunder Mifflin.

HANSON: Correct.

For 15 points.

The work is "mysterious and important" at what cult-like biotech company featured in the sci-fi series "Severance"?

- (whispers): I don't... - Pass.

- Pass it.

- (aloud): Pass.

HANSON: That is Lumon Industries.

For 20 points in Office Space.

In the magical world of "Harry Potter," what ancient wand shop in London's Diagon Alley is widely regarded as the best wand maker in Great Britain?

- Ollivanders.

HANSON: Correct.

For 25 points.

In a 2001 Pixar movie of the same name, what company generates power by harnessing the screams of children?

- (whispers): Monsters, Inc.

- Yeah.

- (aloud): Monsters, Inc.

HANSON: Yes.

And for 30 points.

In the Looney Tunes cartoons featuring Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote, what mail-order company provides Coyote with outlandish gadgets that comically backfire?

- Acme.

HANSON: That is right.

(bell rings) That's the end of the category round, with the score, Sharon, 335 points.

Weston has 280 points.

Let's hear it for both teams.

(cheers and applause) Okay, we're heading into the final round of play, the lightning round.

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

The clock is set.

Here we go.

What London airport typically ranks as... Josh.

- Heathrow.

HANSON: Yes.

Latin for "scales," what is the seventh const... Alex.

- Libra.

HANSON: Libra is right.

Chevy Chase takes his family on an ill-fated road trip to Walley World in what classic comedy from 1983?

(buzzer sounds) It's "Vacation."

French for "loosening," what word beginning with the letter D refers to a relaxing of tensions between nations?

Ben.

- Détente.

HANSON: Yes.

Mount Sharp and Gale Crater are located on which planet?

Alex.

- Venus.

HANSON: No, Mars.

Honolulu, the capital of Hawaii, is located on which island?

Josh.

- Maui.

HANSON: No, Oahu.

What famous landmark completed in 1791 is the only remaining city gate of Berlin?

Julius.

- Brandenburg.

HANSON: Yes, Brandenburg Gate.

In Norse myth, what three-letter word refers to both the goddess of death and the world of the dead?

Ben - Hel.

HANSON: Yes.

A filming site for the "Lord of the Rings" and the "Hobbit" trilogies... Andrew.

- New Zealand.

HANSON: Yes.

Founded by one of Alexander the Great's generals, what Greek-origin dynasty was the last to... James.

- Ptolemaic.

HANSON: Yes, Ptolemy.

"War Propaganda" is a chapter title from what 1925 political manifesto by Adolf Hitler?

Alex.

- "Mein Kampf."

HANSON: Yes.

The Met and the Guggenheim are on Museum... Ben.

- New York.

HANSON: No, Fifth Avenue.

A member of London's Bloomsbury Group, who wrote the novels "Mrs.

Dalloway" and "To the Lighthouse"?

Julius.

- Sorry.

(buzzer sounds) HANSON: Virginia Woolf.

(bell rings) And the winning team this week is Sharon High School with a final score of 375 points.

Weston finishes with 320 points.

Congratulations to both teams for a great game and a great tournament.

Sharon now moves on to the final against Buckingham Browne and Nichols.

That's next, here on "High School Quiz Show."

(cheers and applause) ♪ ♪ Major funding for "High School Quiz Show" is provided by Safety Insurance.

- It happens every day-- someone falls for a phishing scam.

Cyber risk coverage from Safety Insurance is designed to help protect businesses from data breaches, ransomware, and other cyberattacks.

Safety Insurance.

We'll help you manage life's storms-- even the cyber kind.

HANSON: Additional funding is provided by the Museum of Science.

- Curiosity runs wild at the Museum of Science, Boston.

Feel the power of indoor lightning, see robots dance and navigate obstacles, and meet Cliff, a 65-million-year-old Triceratops.

Unleash your curiosity.

Tickets available at mos.org/fun.

♪ ♪ (cheers and applause)