Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader? Review

Overall 3.64 of 5 view all 39 reviews

LauraBelle
South Elgin, IL

Makes you Feel Smart and Ignorant at the Same Time

apparently not smarter than a 5th grader, Parent of School Age Children, Entertainment Writer, reality TV junkie

Pros

Jeff Foxworthy, Adorably Smart Kids, Unique game show

Cons

some irritating over the top contestants

APR

2008

Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader? —

I realize that the trend among game shows seems to be to borrow hosts from the line of standup comedians looking for their next gig (Howie Mandel, Drew Carey, Bob Saget, etc.), but I still never would have considered Jeff "You Might Be a Redneck" Foxworthy for one of these roles. I can't even decide whether it makes it more likely or less likely that he hosts a show that is so far proving that most of us don't even have the equivalent of a 5th grade education.

Foxworthy hosts Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader on Fox on Thursday nights. The 5th graders on the show obviously need to be recast each season, as they graduate to 6th grade, but not until the show rewards them with $25,000 savings bonds. What seemed like an odd premise, adults answering questions that are supposedly at anywhere from a 2nd grade level to a 5h grade level, and getting help from the 5th graders themselves, has gone on to be a huge success for Fox, to the extent of it now appearing across the world, including airings in New Zealand and the Middle East.

Now in its second season, the show has already been able to implement many celebrity guests, testing out their intelligence against what they should have learned in grade school. We've seen Regis Philbin, fresh from his own turn as a game show host on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, and Miss America. Regis seemed like he knew all on Millionaire, but does he know as much as a 5th grader? Miss America can answer how she wants to change the world, but can she answer the same things a 10 year old could? Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader has also borrowed from its onetime lead-in show, American Idol, booking Clay Aiken and Kelly Pickler as contestants. We already knew she didn't know what calamari or a minx was.

I knew what calamari and minx were, but Ill be honest that I can't answer some of the questions on this game show. I just wasn't sure which president it was that was never married (Buchanan), and I thought the question asking which state it was that the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range range along the eastern side of was a trick question. I have absolutely no memory of what a "unit fraction" is, and all this is with the benefit of helping my 6th grader and 9th grader with their homework. I did, however, know that a painting of a bowl of fruit is still life, and an ice cube is a solid.

The most interesting fact of Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader is that although it is nearing the end of its second season, no one has ever walked away with the big money, $1,000,000. Several people have gotten to that level, but they've either quit or bet it all and lost. At this point, or if they lose even earlier, they have to fulfill their promise to Foxworthy to look into the camera, state their name, and declare that they are not smarter than a 5th grader. Businessman, law students, and even a middle school principal have done this. Every time I have watched the show, I walk away with the same exact thought, although I would never give my kids the pleasure of uttering that out loud!

Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader? is recommended by LauraBelle

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Comments about LauraBelle’s Review

What this show counts on, and wins with is, well, we ALL are smarter than 5th graders, but they've seen that particular material more recently than we have! How would they fare on a show called, "Hey 5 th Graders! Are you smarter than a College Senior?" and had to answer College questions with help from acutal college seniors??? HUH????