SmartAsk
Encyclopedia
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
quiz show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
which ran for three seasons (2001-02 through 2003-04) on CBC Television
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
. The show was taped in front of a live audience, with the players sitting on a tiered set (one team on top and the other on the bottom). The SmartAsk tournament was described by Ralph Benmergui
Ralph Benmergui
Raphael Benmergui is a Canadian television and radio personality and political advisor. Most recently a morning host on JAZZ.FM91, he left the station on November 26, 2010, and currently holds the position of director of communications for Glen Murray, Minister of Research and Innovation.Born in...
, the show's executive producer, on TSN's Off The Record
Off The Record (TSN TV series)
Off the Record with Michael Landsberg, a.k.a. Off the Record or OTR, is a Canadian sports talk show on TSN hosted by Michael Landsberg...
as being "Reach for the Top
Reach for the Top
Reach for the Top is a Canadian game show in which teams of high school students participate in local, provincial and eventually national trivia tournaments...
on acid," although in practice this largely involved crude humour, especially as the show went on and ratings sagged. The show did not return for a fourth season, but did generate a community that went on to develop a Canadian "quiz bowl
Quizbowl
Quiz bowl is a family of games of questions and answers on all topics of human knowledge that is commonly played by students enrolled in high school or college, although some participants begin in middle or even elementary school...
" community at several university campuses.
On-air personalities
The show was hosted in its first season by Justin Landry and rapper Michie MeeMichie Mee
Michelle McCullock , better known by her stage name Michie Mee, is a Canadian rapper and actor. As Canada's first notable female MC, she is considered a national hip-hop pioneer.-Early life and career:...
. Brothers Nobu and Mio Adilman replaced Landry for the second season, and Sabrina Jalees
Sabrina Jalees
Sabrina Jalees is a female Canadian comedian, dancer, actor, host and writer from Toronto, Ontario, who writes a weekly column in the Toronto Stars ID section....
replaced Michie for the final season.
During the show's first two seasons, "Judge Lucci" (Luciano Casimiri) had a semi-recurring role as the show's on-air judge. The show also brought in numerous celebrity judges" for Season 2 including such celebrities as Colin Mochrie
Colin Mochrie
Colin Andrew Mochrie is a Scottish Canadian actor and improvisational comedian, most famous for his appearances on the British and US versions of television improvisation show Whose Line Is It Anyway?.-Early life:...
from Whose Line Is It Anyway, Olympic gold medallist Sami Jo Small
Sami Jo Small
Sami Jo Small is a women's ice hockey player.-Hockey Canada:Small is a three time Olympian, acting as a third goaltender on the Canadian women's hockey team at Turin and Nagano.-CWHL:...
, MLB star Chris Woodward
Chris Woodward
Christopher Michael Woodward is an American professional baseball infielder who is a free agent.-Toronto Blue Jays:...
, environmentalist David Suzuki
David Suzuki
David Suzuki, CC, OBC is a Canadian academic, science broadcaster and environmental activist. Suzuki earned a Ph.D in zoology from the University of Chicago in 1961, and was a professor in the genetics department of the University of British Columbia from 1963 until his retirement in 2001...
, and German folk singer Heino
Heino
Heino is a German singer of popular music and traditional Volksmusik....
. The judging panel was moved off-camera in Season 3, with the title of "Celebrity Judge" given to a random audience member for each episode.
"Superfan" Andy Saunders also made guest appearances during the show's second and final seasons, to give analysis, predictions, and statistics. Saunders also handed out "Andy Awards" to the show's top players and funnier moments.
How to get on SmartAsk!
Schools wishing to compete for the championship first submitted a written, audio or video entry to the CBCCanadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
on a topic announced on the CBC's SmartAsk page. A major grievance against the selection process, however, was the subjectivity of evaluation of entries, with no clear criteria for judging. Nevertheless, 124 schools were chosen from these entries from across the nation (the defending champion received an automatic berth into the next season). 122 of these 125 schools then competed with another school in their province or region on CBC Radio
CBC Radio
CBC Radio generally refers to the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which are outlined below.-English:CBC Radio operates three English language...
for a berth in the television round. The 3 teams chosen from the territories received a bye into the television round. Teams then competed in a 64-team single-elimination tournament, culminating in the championships. The championship games were not taped until all of the first 60 games, to determine the four teams in the championships, had been aired. Schools fielded teams of up to 4 players for the competition, 3 players playing on-air, and up to 1 alternate.
Game formats
SmartAsk had 4 different formats: one for the radio games, and one for TV in each season. The Adilman brothers were infamous for getting the rules to their own show wrong, often to inadvertent comic effect.Radio show
The first stage of SmartAsk after team's entries were accepted was qualifying for television through a game played on CBC Radio. These games aired every Friday from late September to mid-November of the school year in which the season took place. The games were generally 15 minutes in length. There were three rounds to the game in each season: the 10 point round, the 20 point round and the Lightning Round.In the 10 and 20 point rounds, players had to wait until the host had finished the reading the question to buzz in. This rule was known as the "no preemptive buzzing" (NPB) rule. In the radio show, teams buzzing in early forfeited their right to answer the question. The questions were given in categories of 3 or 4 questions, such as science or spelling, with the last 20 point category being a viewer-submitted questions category, which was general knowledge. There was no penalty for an incorrect response in these rounds, and if the first team to buzz answered incorrectly, their opponents could then buzz in and provide an answer. These rounds were shortened each season to increase the importance of the Lightning Round. Before the 20 point round started, the host conducted brief interviews with the team captains.
In the Lightning Round, all questions were worth 30 points and could be on any topic. Players could buzz in at any time, making it much like Reach for the Top
Reach for the Top
Reach for the Top is a Canadian game show in which teams of high school students participate in local, provincial and eventually national trivia tournaments...
. However, only one answer was accepted from all players, and incorrect answers were penalized 30 points. Many radio hosts forgot that "steals" (answering a question, hopefully correctly, after the opposing team has answered incorrectly) were not allowed in the Lightning Round. Each year, the Lightning Round on radio was 90 seconds long. Generally, hosts got through anywhere from 7 to 13 questions in that time. Even though the Lightning Round itself was not made longer, the fact that the earlier rounds were shortened increased the Lightning Round's importance in determining the final result.
In Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, the Lightning Round was played differently. Each team received 30 seconds in which to answer questions. Teams could choose to pass on a question by indicating that they wished to pass. Otherwise, the questions were still worth 30 points for a correct answer and -30 points for an incorrect answer.
Teams that won their radio game proceeded to compete in the television rounds. The tapings for the TV rounds were done in November and December in the last two seasons. Various strike
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
s in 2002 caused some of the tapings for the first season to be delayed until February 2002.
Season 1
In the first season, there were four rounds: the 20 point round, the 50 point round, the 100 point round and the Lightning Round. The first three rounds were NPB rounds.In the first three rounds, play was as in the radio NPB rounds. However, on TV, there was a lockout system: if a team buzzed in before the question was finished that team could not buzz in for approximately 1.5 seconds. The questions increased in difficulty with each round. Each round had 3 categories, and each category had about 4 or 5 questions, but some had 3 or 6. The categories were often given humorous names which had some connection to the content of that category.
In the Lightning Round, each question was worth 50 points, with 50 points deducted for an incorrect response. Lightning Round length varied wildly in Season 1, with an average range being 8 to 18 questions. Unlike in later seasons, teams were not given the amount of time for the Lightning Round.
Player interviews were conducted at two different points in the game throughout the season. Players (one from each team) were either interviewed prior to the 100-point round or prior to the Lightning Round. Contestants stayed in their seats for the interviews.
Generally, winning teams scored at least 1000 points. In 4 games, both teams scored at least 1000 points. In their first round game, Victoria School
Victoria School
Victoria School in Singapore is a government secondary school for boys, founded in 1876, at Siglap Link, about one kilometre from affiliated Victoria Junior College....
scored 2,120 points.
The winners of Season 1, Kennebecasis Valley High School, would continue their solid play into Seasons 2 and 3. By the end of the series' run, KVHS had the best overall record with 14 wins and 2 losses.
Season 2
The second season's format was probably the most unconventional SmartAsk had during its 3 year run. In the second season, the rounds were the 20 point round, the 50 point round, Dawg Eat Dawg, the Dirty Half Dozen and the Lightning Round.The 20 and 50 point rounds were NPB rounds. In the 20 point round, there were 2 categories of 3-4 questions each, a video question, and then another category of 3-4 questions. The last category was given by host Mio Adilman, who came out from backstage in a rather embarrassing costume. He came out in a Speedo numerous times; this is generally agreed to be his most embarrassing costume. Other embarrassing costumes from the second season were Mio as a cheerleader, Mio as Mia and "Mio of Green Gables
Anne of Green Gables
Anne of Green Gables is a bestselling novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery published in 1908. Set in 1878, it was written as fiction for readers of all ages, but in recent decades has been considered a children's book...
". The 50 point round, however had 2 categories of 3-4 questions each. Several category names were based on a pun
Pun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
.
The Dawg Eat Dawg round was particularly unusual. It was like Final Jeopardy from the popular game show Jeopardy!
Jeopardy!
Griffin's first conception of the game used a board comprising ten categories with ten clues each, but after finding that this board could not be shown on camera easily, he reduced it to two rounds of thirty clues each, with five clues in each of six categories...
, only that teams bet on members of the opposing team. The teams were given a general category, such as science or sports. Teams then chose a member of the opposing team and placed a bet. The bet had to be a positive integer and a multiple of 10. The chosen players then were given a question. They had 5 seconds to write down their answer on their chalkboard, and then show it. If the player was incorrect, the opposing team received points equal to their bet. If the player was correct, the opposing team lost points equal to their bet. Some teams, notably semi-finalist Three Hills School bet lots of points in this round, after scoring them in the NPB rounds. Other teams did not, notably champion Merivale High School
Merivale High School
Merivale High School is a secondary school, located at the intersection of Merivale Road and Viewmount Drive in Nepean, Ontario, Canada. The school is known for its gifted student program, but also runs French Immersion programs and extensive visual art, music, and co-operative education...
, who only ever bet 10 points in the Dawg Eat Dawg round. The Dawg Eat Dawg question was often the hardest question in the game.
The Dirty Half Dozen was the replacement for Season 1's 100 point round. Each of the 6 players received a question to themselves. If they answered it correctly, their team received 100 points. If they were incorrect, their counterpart on the opposing team (either above or below them) got a chance to steal the question for 50 points; as such, it was possible for a player to earn 150 points during the round. After the Dawg question, Dirty Half Dozen questions were the next hardest in the game.
The Lightning Round format didn't change from Season 1. It was, however, lengthened, although there was one game where only 6 questions were asked. Contestants were told the time for the Lightning Round, however, unless they measured it themselves, they could not tell how much time was left in the round. In the final game, the Lightning Round was 3 minutes long, the longest of the season. Lightning Round times ranged from about 1:00 to 2:00, with anywhere from 10 to 20 questions being asked in a typical round.
Interviews of one player from each team were conducted before the 50 point round. Both contestants being interviewed went onto the floor, in between the player set and host table. As there were two hosts, the players were interviewed one after another.
Generally, winning teams scored 600 to 800 points. Because of the elimination of the open 100 point round and the difficulty of the Dirty Half Dozen questions, teams rarely broke 1000 points. Only three teams did so: St. George's School
St. George's School (Vancouver)
St. George's School , of Vancouver, Canada is an independent boarding and day university-preparatory school for boys.-History:...
scored 1,250 points in their first round game, Saint John High School
Saint John High School
Saint John High School is located in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. It was founded in 1805 and is the oldest publicly funded school in Canada.-History:...
scored 1,120 points in their third round game and Saint Malachy's Memorial High School scored 1,060 points in their second round game.
Season 3
The third season format saw an end to the Dawg Eat Dawg round and further importance for the Lightning Round. The rounds became the 20 point round, the 50 point round, Smart and Smarterer (meant as a play on Dumb and Dumberer, which released in mid-June 2003), the Dirty Half Dozen and the Lightning Round.The 20 and 50 point rounds worked as they did in the second season. The video question was renamed "Nobu Nation" after host Nobu Adilman. Mio's Moment still existed, but Mio's costumes were considered to be not as embarrassing as the by-then infamous Speedo. Some of the worst of the season were Mio in a tutu (he also wore the pink spandex
Spandex
Spandex or elastane is a synthetic fibre known for its exceptional elasticity. It is strong, but less durable than natural Latex, its major non-synthetic competitor. It is a polyurethane-polyurea copolymer that was co-invented in 1959 by chemists C. L. Sandquist and Joseph Shivers at DuPont's...
for the rest of the game, which led to a fair deal of banter before the Dirty Half Dozen) and Mio as an armpit hair model.
Smart and Smarterer was a new round, and was moderated by the new host, Sabrina Jalees. The teams were given a category or theme, such as "Capitalize on That!" (political geography) or "Black and White" (general knowledge having to do with the colours black and white). The teams then chose their best player for the topic, and those players went to a special podium, situated where the interviews took place in Season Two. Once there, the two faced off in a 45 second Lightning Round, with each question being worth 50 points, or -50 for an incorrect answer.
The Dirty Half Dozen remained unchanged in format from the second season. The question difficulty was decreased compared to the second season, although it was in this round that differences in question difficulty from earlier rounds to later rounds were most often noticed.
The Lightning Round received an overhaul in Season Three. It was extended, with the average range being from 2:00 to 3:00. It was also divided into two consecutive halves. In the first half, questions were worth 50 points, with, as usual, 50 points being deducted for incorrect answers. In the second half, question value doubled to 100 points, with the incorrect answer penalty being a 100 point deduction. Generally, 10-15 questions were asked in each half of the Lightning Round. Teams were told the amount of time for the round, and they were told during the round when the question values doubled. In the last three games, the time was displayed on the monitor facing the players (which showed the player set so that all players knew the game score at any time).
Interviews were, as in Season 2, conducted before the 50 point round. However, since the interview space from Season Two was being used for the Smart and Smarterer podium, the interviews were conducted on the floor of the set, in front of the player set.
Generally, winning teams scored at least 1000 points. In 9 games, both teams scored at least 1000 points. In their first round game, Central Secondary
London Central Secondary School
London Central Secondary School is located at the corner of Dufferin Avenue and Waterloo Street in downtown London, Ontario. It is a member of the Thames Valley District School Board. It has approximately 1000 students in full attendance, ranging from grades nine to twelve...
School from London, Ontario
London, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
scored 2,140 points, breaking the record set by Victoria School in Season 1. Also, the Bishop's College School-Fredericton High School
Fredericton High School
Fredericton High School is a high school in the city of Fredericton in New Brunswick, Canada. It is the oldest English high school in Canada, founded in 1800.-History:...
third round game went to a 3-question overtime, the only time in all three seasons that this occurred. SmartAsk history was also made in the Templeton Secondary School-Archbishop M.C. O'Neill High School
Archbishop M.C. O'Neill High School
Archbishop M.C. O'Neill High School is a Catholic secondary education institute located in the Coronation Park neighbourhood of north Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. It is officially designated as a community school. The student population is made up of individuals from the north, west, and central...
first round game, when O'Neill became the only team in SmartAsk history to finish a televised game with a negative total, ending up with -120 points.
Winners
- 2002 Kennebecasis Valley High SchoolKennebecasis Valley High SchoolKennebecasis Valley High School is a secondary school that serves students from grades 9 to 12 in Quispamsis, New Brunswick, Canada.-History:...
- Quispamsis, New BrunswickQuispamsis, New BrunswickQuispamsis is a Canadian town located in Kings County, New Brunswick. It is located 20 kilometres northeast of Saint John, in the lower Kennebecasis River valley.The name is traditionally pronounced with a weak stress on either the first or last syllable....
- Josh Manzer (captain), Lucas Kilravey, Patrick Dunn- Runner-up: Pickering High School - Pickering, OntarioPickering, OntarioPickering is a city located in Southern Ontario, Canada immediately east of Toronto in Durham Region. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area, the largest metropolitan area in Canada.- Early Period :...
- Guoruey Wong, Alex Karney, Clara Blakelock, Robert Gillezeau
- Runner-up: Pickering High School - Pickering, Ontario
- 2003 Merivale High SchoolMerivale High SchoolMerivale High School is a secondary school, located at the intersection of Merivale Road and Viewmount Drive in Nepean, Ontario, Canada. The school is known for its gifted student program, but also runs French Immersion programs and extensive visual art, music, and co-operative education...
- Nepean, OntarioNepean, Ontario- Recent quantity of snow :- History :Nepean Township, originally known as Township D, was established in 1792 and originally included what is now the central area of Ottawa west of the Rideau River. Jehiel Collins, from Vermont, is believed to have been the first person to settle in Nepean...
- Sarah Kriger (captain), Ben Smith, Jayson Johnson, Imran Karim- Runner-up: Kennebecasis Valley High SchoolKennebecasis Valley High SchoolKennebecasis Valley High School is a secondary school that serves students from grades 9 to 12 in Quispamsis, New Brunswick, Canada.-History:...
- Quispamsis, New BrunswickQuispamsis, New BrunswickQuispamsis is a Canadian town located in Kings County, New Brunswick. It is located 20 kilometres northeast of Saint John, in the lower Kennebecasis River valley.The name is traditionally pronounced with a weak stress on either the first or last syllable....
- Patrick Dunn (captain), Lydia Scott, Sean Thompson
- Runner-up: Kennebecasis Valley High School
- 2004 Templeton Secondary SchoolTempleton Secondary SchoolTempleton Secondary School is a secondary school in Vancouver. Approximately 1200 students are enrolled there from Grade 8-12. Located in the Hastings-Sunrise neighbourhood on the east side of Vancouver, it has won the SmartAsk competition in 2004 and is now trying for Reach For The Top. It has won...
- Vancouver, British Columbia - Daniel Pareja (captain), Scott Semproni, Patrick Vuong- Runner-up: Bishop's College SchoolBishop's College SchoolThis article is about the school in Canada. Alternatively, visit Diocesan College in Cape Town, South Africa.Bishop's College School is a private school in Lennoxville, Quebec, Canada....
- Lennoxville, QuebecLennoxville, QuebecLennoxville is an arrondissement, or borough, of the city of Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. Lennoxville is located at the confluence of the St. Francis and Massawippi Rivers approximately five kilometers south of downtown Sherbrooke....
- Daniel Hickie (captain), Christopher Durrant, Eithne Sheeran
- Runner-up: Bishop's College School