- The semifinals are here and one of today's teams is guaranteed a spot in the championship round and a chance for the thousand dollar grand prize.

Who moves on?

Will it be the blue blazes of Westbrook?

(triumphant music) Or the Rams of Bangor?

(triumphant music) Find out next on "High School Quiz Show Maine."

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- Welcome to "High School Quiz Show Maine."

I'm Todd Gutner.

We have made it to the semi-finals.

One of today's teams is gonna move on to the final and possibly take home the thousand dollars prize for their school's project graduation.

Westbrook made it to the semi's last year, but lost out to Orno who went on to become the season eight champ.

They'd love for their second year on quiz show to end with their first championship.

But they must get past the veteran team of Bangor who's been to the finals three times in their eight years on the show.

They would like to have a second winners trophy on their shelf.

Everyone is eager to get semi-final number one underway.

So let's get things going by meeting the teams.

For Westbrook, we have Chris, Isaac, Ezra, and Joel, with alternates Kevin and David, and they're coached by Rebecca Bailey.

And for Bangor, we have Elias, Rowan, Paige, and Cooper with alternate Riley, and they're coached by Carl Robbins and Susanna Owen.

The competition has four rounds.

The toss-up round, the head to head round, the category round and the fun lightning round.

We'll start with the toss-up 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.

Good luck both teams.

Let's make this a good one.

Here's the first question.

What seasoning for food is also the last name of the character Verruca in the novel, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?"

(bell chimes) Rowan.

- Salt.

- Salt is right.

The first verse of "America the Beautiful" mentions What color waves of grain?

(bell chimes) Go ahead Cooper.

- Amber.

- Amber, yes.

The official nickname of the State of New Hampshire refers to what heavy, durable stone used in the construction of public buildings and monuments?

(bell chimes) Chris?

- Granite.

- Granite, yes.

The BLT sandwich gets its name from what three ingredients?

(bell chimes) - Paige.

- Bacon, lettuce, and tomato.

- That's right.

Up next we have a picture question.

Take a look at this monitor right here.

Name this French nobleman who volunteered to join the American Revolution and ended up becoming a close ally and friend of George Washington.

David Diggs portrays him in the original cast of the musical "Hamilton."

(bell chimes) Chris - Marquita Lafayette.

- That is correct.

In "The Matrix" film series, Laurence Fishburne plays what character who shares his name with the Greek God of dreams?

(bell chimes) - Go ahead, Isaac - Morpheus.

- Morpheus, yes.

The most abundant protein in the human body is which structural protein that provides support for the skin, muscles and bones?

(buzzer buzzes) Answer is collagen.

Next question.

What 14th President of the United States is the only president who was born in New Hampshire?

(bell chimes) Ezra?

- Franklin Pierce.

- Yes.

In Switzerland, there is a theme park dedicated to what breed of large dog that was traditionally involved in rescuing lost travelers in the Alps?

(bell chimes) Isaac.

- Bernese Mountain Dog.

- Judges?

That's incorrect.

Bangor, go for it.

(buzzer buzzes) Answer is St.

Bernard.

That's the right answer.

All right, up next is a video question.

So once again, let's take a look at the monitor.

- I'm Angus King.

The British army surrendered to American and French forces in Yorktown, Virginia in 1781, ending the hostilities between the colonies and Great Britain.

But in what year was the treaty signed that officially ended the Revolutionary War?

(bell chimes) - Rowan, Bangor.

- 1783.

- That's the right answer.

The most populous city in Texas is named for what man who was the first president of the Republic of Texas?

(bell chimes) Ezra.

- Houston.

- Houston, yes.

Which of these animals would have a compound eye, an eagle, a housefly or a toad?

(bell chimes) Elias - Housefly.

- Housefly, right.

- Alright, here's our first math question now.

A container measures six inches by 10 inches by 12 inches.

If you want to fill the container from boxes containing 24 cubic inches of liquid, how many boxes will you need to fill the container?

(bell chimes) Joel, Westbrook.

- 40.

- That's incorrect.

(bell chimes) Bangor, Elias.

- 30 - 30 is the right answer.

Nice job.

Next question.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a condition that causes tingling or numbness in which part of the body?

(bell chimes) Isaac - Hand.

- Hand, yes.

Located off the coast of Maryland and Virginia, Assateague Island is home to what kind of wild animals?

According to local legend, some of their ancestors swam ashore from a shipwreck about 300 years ago.

(buzzer buzzes) Ezra, you got it in there.

- Rabbits.

- That's incorrect.

Bangor, do you wanna try?

(bell chimes) Go ahead, Cooper.

- Horses.

- Horses, you got it.

Nice.

Sydney and Melbourne are the most populous cities in Australia, but which city is Australia's capital?

(bell chimes) Rowan.

- Canberra.

- Yes, that's right.

During World War II, a team led by British mathematician Alan Turing broke the code encrypted by what German machine whose name is a synonym for puzzle?

(bell chimes) Chris - Enigma code.

- Enigma, right.

"Rockaway Beach" and "Rock 'n' Roll High School" are songs by what punk rock band whose original members were Joey, Johnny, Tommy and Dee Dee?

(bell chimes) Ezra.

- The Ramones.

- The Ramones, right.

Something described as draconian is most likely to be which of these things?

Severe and cruel, romantic and beautiful or lighthearted and humorous.

(bell chimes) Cooper.

- Severe and cruel.

- That's the right answer.

Political philosopher Thomas Hobbes is best known for what 1651 text in which he compares a nation to a giant creature whose body is made up of citizens with a sovereign as its head?

(buzzer buzzes) We got it in Cooper.

- Leviathan.

- That is the right answer.

Which US state is nicknamed the silver state because of Comstock load of silver ore was discovered there in the 1850s?

(bell chimes) - Rowan.

- Nevada.

- Nevada, yes.

(buzzer buzzes) Ooh, and that's the end of our first round.

It's a super tight match.

Westbrook, 80.

Bangor, 110.

Don't go anywhere.

We will meet the players when we get back.

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 main state food is blueberry pie and its state dessert is the whoopie pie.

But if it were up to you, what other iconic food would you choose to replace them?

We'll start with Westbrook and Chris.

- Todd, I think I'd have to go with a clam chowder.

Really good clam chowder for the food and- - New England or Manhattan?

- New England.

- Okay, thank you.

- Yeah.

- We Had to make that distinction.

- What type of barbarian do you think I am?

And I think I'd probably go with like a blueberry whoopie pie.

Like just combine the two.

- Yeah, that's actually brilliant.

- And if not that, probably a Maine staple pine tree.

Everyone knows we eat those a lot.

- Yeah, definitely.

- Almond snack.

- Part of everybody's balanced diet.

Thank you very much, Chris.

Isaac.

- Todd, I'd have to keep it classic and say an ice cold Moxie float.

- Ooh, you know what?

I feel like Moxie has adjusted their recipe a little bit and it's not as like harsh or something.

- Yeah.

- I think it'd be pretty good.

Good call, Isaac.

Ezra.

- You know Todd, I think Maine has four iconic foods, blueberries, potatoes, lobster and whoopie pie.

So what I would do, I would get them all in a big bowl and combine them and smash them up and eat 'em like that.

- Wow.

- What's not to like, you know?

- Well, I don't, they're all very good as individuals, but combined into one, who knows?

- Well, have you tried it yet?

- No, I haven't, which is, yeah, I can't completely put it down.

So we'll give it a shot maybe sometime, Ezra.

Joel, finish it up.

- You know, Todd, I think I just do a basic shepherd's pie.

- Oh yeah.

- And with that, just like a strawberry milkshake.

- Oh, okay.

You got me on strawberry milkshake for sure.

Now, with the shepherd's pie, do you do like the ground lamb or ground beef?

- Ground beef, usually.

- Yeah, I do the beef too, even though I think the original recipe is with ground lamb, but that's a little too much for me.

Thank you, Joel.

All right, Bangor.

Elias, your turn.

- So, I feel like it doesn't make sense to have two desserts as our state food and our state dessert.

- It is strange, isn't it?

- So let's just go with classic lobster as our state food.

- Okay.

- Just straight up.

You could have it in a roll, that's fine.

- [Todd] Okay.

- Straight up lobster.

- But you go for like a steamed lobster and you just go crack claws and stuff like that.

- Yes.

- All right, butter or no?

- Yes.

And then our state dessert, keep the blueberry pie.

- So you're not gonna change it?

- Not gonna change it.

- All heard, Elias.

Thank you.

Rowan, your turn.

- I think our state food should be potato.

- Yeah, okay.

- Because it's classic.

- Of course.

How would you prepare the potato?

Do you like mashed?

Do you like it kind of scalloped or baked?

- I prefer mashed potatoes.

- Mashed potatoes.

All right, Rowan.

Thank you sir.

Paige, your turn.

- I think the blueberry pie can stay, but we used to change the dessert to Moose Track ice cream.

- Ooh, Moose Tracks ice cream.

Now, that's a good one.

I'm on board with that, Paige.

Thank you.

Cooper, let's wrap this all up.

We've heard some crazy choices so far, but I think I'm gonna stick with some simple lobster mac and cheese.

That is a classic and it's darn good and I don't think you're gonna get anybody saying no to that.

- Right.

- Thank you, Cooper.

The head to head round is next, but first find out how you can win a great Maine prize package in our viewer question of the week contest.

- [Announcer] If you've been playing along with the America 250 Viewer Question of the Week, you now have a chance to win a prize package that includes a trip on the Bay Ferries The CAT, an international high speed car, and passenger ferry sailing between Bar Harbor and Nova Scotia in three and a half hours.

This round trip voucher is good for two passengers and a standard vehicle for the 2026 sailing season.

To enter, send in your answer to this challenge.

There have been 12 viewer questions and answers this season, two of them mentioned the names of private homes in Maine.

What are the names of those two private homes?

Entries must be received by 11:59pm Eastern Time on Monday, June 1st, 2026.

A winner will be chosen at random from all the correct entries and announced during the season nine championship.

Go to MainePublic.org/QuizShow for all the full rules, terms and conditions.

And good luck.

- 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.

We have 90 seconds on our game clock.

Players ready?

Here we go.

What comet that can be seen from Earth every 76 years- (bell chimes) - Halley's Comet.

- Yes.

What small four string guitar as a name that means jumping flea in Hawaiian.

(bell chimes) - Go ahead.

- Fiddle.

- Incorrect, ukulele.

What is the official unit of currency used in Slovakia, Slovenia, and Germany?

(buzzer buzzes) Euro.

A beginner student of karate wears a belt of what color?

(bell chimes) - White.

- Yes.

Mount Godwin Austen, the world's second highest mountain is known by what alpha numeric name?

(buzzer buzzes) K2.

Referring to computer data storage, the acronym RAM stands for Random Access what?

(buzzer buzzes) Memory.

What five letter word can refer to the stick used by an orchestra conductor or the object- (bell chimes) - Go ahead.

- Baton.

- Yes.

Sao Paulo is the largest city in- (bell chimes) - Brazil.

- Yes.

Which Egyptian Pharaoh is known as the boy King?

(bell chimes) - King Tutankhamun.

- That's correct.

In standard 10 pin bowling, what's the highest score one player can achieve in a single- (bell chimes) - 300.

- 300, right.

Following Neil Armstrong, who was the second person- (bell chimes) - Buzz Aldrin.

- That is also right.

Oklahoma shares almost its entire northern border with what state?

(bell chimes) - Nebraska.

- Incorrect, Kansas.

The most commonly used letter in the English language.

(bell chimes) - E.

- E, right.

In 1908, novel by English author E.M.

Forster about tourists in Italy is titled- (buzzer buzzes) Ooh, that's the end of the head-to-head round.

This one's still real good.

We have Westbrook at 80, Bangor at 170.

Our category round is next.

Don't go away.

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It's really about becoming a contributing citizen in society.

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Thank you.

(upbeat music) - Next up is the category round with the following choices.

Give yourself a hand, looking for an opening, let's make a deal, what a team, power of the peninsula, and here's my theory.

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.

Skip and neither gain nor lose points.

Or once per category, they can toss and force the other team to answer.

Players will have five seconds to convert and decide what to do.

Westbrook, you're trailing by just a little bit.

Ezra, you have control of the board and what's your first category going to be?

- Let's make a deal.

- Let's make a deal.

These will be questions about treaties and pacts.

Here's our first for 10.

The site at Appomattox Courthouse where Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee negotiated an end to the Civil War is now a national historical park in which US state?

Virginia.

- Virginia is right.

Let's make a deal for 15.

What is the name of the treaty of Peace and Amity between the United States and Great Britain that ended the war of 1812?

- The Treaty of Ghent.

- That is correct too.

Let's make a deal for 20 now.

What treaty signed in 1848 ended the Mexican-American War and set the US-Mexico border at the Rio Grande.

- Oh, we're gonna skip.

- Skip that?

It's the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.

That's the name of it.

Let's make a deal for 25.

What us Secretary of State who went on to become our sixth president negotiated the 1819 treaty with Spain that made Florida part of the United States.

- John Quincy Adams.

- That is correct.

And let's make a deal for 30, our last one.

The Pretoria Agreement signed in 2023 brought an end to the Civil War that lasted from 2020 to 2022 in the Tigray region of which African country?

- Sudan.

- Sudan is incorrect.

It's Ethiopia.

That's the right answer.

Alright, we're gonna head over to Bangor for your first category.

Paige, what's your choice gonna be?

- [Paige] Here's my theory.

- Here's my theory.

These are questions about scientific theories.

Here's the first for 10 points.

What physicist published his Theory of Relativity in 1905, and his Theory of General Relativity in 1915?

- Einstein.

- Einstein is correct.

Here's my theory for 15.

The theory of Heliocentrism proposed by Nicolaus Copernicus in 1543 said that what object was located at the center of our universe?

- The sun.

- The sun is also right.

Here's my theory for 20.

The idea that a single theory could combine the General Theory of Relativity and Quantum Theory to explain how the universe works is abbreviated TOE, meaning a Theory of what?

- Everything.

- Everything is correct.

Here's my theory, 25.

An important scientific theory demonstrated by Antoine Lavoisier stated that what element is necessary for combustion to occur?

- Oxygen.

- Oxygen is also correct.

Here's my theory for 30, the last one.

Mathematician John von Neumann, economist Oskar Morgenstern and mathematician John Nash originated what economic theory that examines how competitors strategize and behave in a situation - Yeah, we're gonna toss.

- All right, we'll toss it over to Westbrook.

Here's the question again.

Here's My Theory is the category.

Mathematician John von Neumann, economist Oskar Morgenstern and mathematician John Nash originated what economic theory that examines how competitors strategize and behave in a situation?

- Market economy theory.

- That's incorrect.

The correct answer is Game Theory.

That's the correct answer.

That wraps up Here's my Theory category.

Now we're back over to Westbrook.

And Ezra, for your second category, you're gonna choose what?

- [Ezra] The power of Peninsula.

- Okay, Power of the Peninsula, these are questions about peninsulas of the world.

Here's our first.

The Straits of Mackinac separate the upper peninsula from the mitten shaped lower peninsula in which Midwestern US state, - Michigan.

- Michigan is right.

Power of the peninsula for 15.

What city that is a US state capital is built on the land mask called the Shawmut Peninsula.

What do you think guys?

- We're gonna skip.

- Skip it?

It's Boston.

Boston's the right answer.

Power of the peninsula for 20.

Containing more than half of the world's petroleum reserves, the world's largest peninsula is which peninsula that's bordered by the Red Sea on the west and the Persian Gulf in the Gulf of Oman on the east?

- The Arabian Peninsula.

- That is correct.

Power of the peninsula for 25.

In July, 2025, an 8.8 magnitude earthquake originated in what Russian Peninsula where a tectonic plate boundary exists between the Pacific Plate and the Okhotsk Plate.

- We're gonna toss.

- You want to toss it over to Bangor.

Okay.

Bangor, here's the question again.

In July, 2025, an 8.8 magnitude earthquake originated in what Russian Peninsula, where a tectonic plate boundary exists between the Pacific Plate and the Okhotsk Plate.

- Flat of Vostok.

- That's incorrect.

It's the Kamchatka Peninsula.

That's the correct answer.

And we're back over to Westbrook for the final question in this category for 30 points.

Albania, Montenegro, Croatia, and Serbia are among the 11 countries situated on which European peninsula that takes its name from a mountain range in Bulgaria.

- Balkan Peninsula.

- That is the right answer.

All right, we're back over to Bangor for the final category.

Paige, what do you want?

- [Paige] We'll do Give Yourself a Hand.

- Give Yourself a Hand, questions related to different types of hands.

Here's the first for 10 points.

Released in 1963, "I Want to Hold Your Hand" became the first US number one hit for what English band?

- The Beatles.

- Yes, the Beatles.

Give yourself a hand for 15.

In his book, "The Wealth of Nations," Economist Adam Smith refers to what kind of hand that guides the actions of the rich to help society even if that wasn't their intention.

- We'll skip.

- Skip it?

It's the Invisible Hand.

Give yourself a hand for 20.

What is the name for a poker hand that consists of three of a kind and a pair.

- Full house.

- That's right.

Give yourself a hand for 25.

In 1895, German scientist Wilhelm Röntgen made an image of his wife's hand in order to demonstrate what discovery?

- X-rays.

- X-rays x-rays is correct.

Give yourself a hand for 30.

What five letter Sanskrit word meaning sign refers to symbolic hand gestures and finger postures that are commonly used in yoga and Indian classical dance?

- We'll skip.

- Okay, you wanna skip it?

The answer is Mudra.

Mudra.

That wraps up our category round.

The score is Westbrook 130, Bangor 270.

Anything can happen in the lightning round.

So sit tight, we'll be right back.

Okay, we're heading into the final 90 seconds of gameplay.

It's the lightning round.

Players, you do not have to wait for me to finish the question.

You can buzz in at any time, but do not answer until I call your name.

You get 20 points for each correct answer.

Incorrect answers will cost you 20 and the other team does not get the chance to answer.

Our clock is set.

Good luck both teams.

Here we go.

Which character in the "Wizard of Oz" asks the wizard for a brain?

(bell chimes) - Chris.

- The Scarecrow?

- Yes.

How many nickels are equal to $1?

(bell chimes) Elias.

- 20.

- Yes.

Facebook and Instagram are owned by what corporation?

(bell chimes) Ezra - Meta.

- Meta.

Introduced in the 1920s, what lively dance is named for the- (bell chimes) Chris - Charleston.

- That's correct.

What state was said to be bleeding over the question- (bell chimes) Joel.

- Kansas.

- Kansas.

The world's first supersonic passenger jet had what name that means harmony or agreement in French?

(buzzer buzzes) Concord.

Tenerife is the largest island in which Spanish Island Group?

(bell chimes) Rowan - Canary Island.

- Yes.

The Battle of Okinawa is a major conflict in the US troops in which war?

(bell chimes) Go ahead, Chris.

- World War II.

- That's right.

In "The Lord of the Rings," Shelob is a monster who resembled what weight legged- (bell chimes) - Spider - Isaac, yes.

What French scientists created the first successful vaccine for rabies.

(bell chimes) Elias.

- Louis Pasteur.

- That's right.

What country declared its independence from Ethiopia in 1993?

(bell chimes) Elias - Eritrea.

- Yes.

NH3 is the chemical formula for what naturally occurring foul smelling- (bell chimes) Cooper.

- Nitrate - Incorrect, ammonia.

Which amendment to the Constitution protects the right of people to assemble peacefully?

(bell chimes) Ezra.

- First.

- Yes.

Louis Armstrong in Wynton Marsalis are best known for playing what- (bell chimes) Elias - Trumpet.

- Yes.

(buzzer buzzes) Ah, that's the end of the lightning round.

And our winning team is Bangor with 350 points.

They'll be moving on to the season nine championship.

Westbrook, you guys had 270 points.

Super proud of you guys.

Played great all season long.

Thank you for joining us this season.

Let's see, join us next time for semi-final number two as Falmouth takes on Yarmouth.

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

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