Remember when Quiz Show contestants were smart?

[MonkeyFunk]

I'm watching "Are you smarter than a 5th grader?".

Nowadays, if you're not clinically retarded, you can win thousands.

[Whoa_Nelly]

1. Am watching it, too

Trapezoid has how many sides...

umm..I need to peek at the kid's answer... :wtf:

And not knowing which country has the longest border with the US???? :eyes:

[Oeditpus Rex]

2. 'Smart' isn't good for ratings

Lotta Freepers watch those shows, y'know.

"Goddammed ejicated lib'ruls."



I watched about half of that show last night. The kids are from Stepford, the adults are morans (A college graduate didn't know what month Columbus Day is in?) and the whole thing seemed very, very contrived.

Plus, it takes like 10 minutes and a boatload o' drama to get through one stupid question. :eyes:

[northzax]

6. to be fair

if you are not on the East Coast, Columbus Day is perfectly irrelevant. I had to think for a moment myself. I know I have never gotten the day off, not from school, not from work. the only people I know in DC who get it off are Feds. so that's a fair thing not to know.

[alarimer]

3. Well Jeopardy contestants are pretty smart I guess

or at least they know lots of useless trivia. I usually do well at Trivial Pursuit but I couldn't handle the pressure of being on TV.

[terrya]

4. Yes, "Jeopardy" contestatants are smart.

I sure as hell couldn't be a contestant on "Jeopardy"

[alarimer]

8. I couldn't do it either

I know a lot of useless trivia but I think the presence of the cameras and audience would make me freeze.

[PVnRT]

5. Knowing lots of trivia does not necessarily make one smart

Furthermore, it's revisionist to say that trivia shows have been "declining." The truth is that there have always been trivia shows that you would have to be brain-dead NOT to get the questions right.

[Shakespeare]

10. I think you got lost on your way to the condescending thread.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

:toast:

Of course, the fact that I was a contestant on Jeopardy does, in fact, mean I'm smart. :P

In general, however, you are correct.

[ironflange]

7. This is the saddest part

I watched the premiere. A man who majored in American history, AMERICAN HISTORY, didn't know which president was the first to be impeached! He thought it was John Adams, but he bailed. To be fair, though, it's still not as stultifyingly bad as "Deal or No Deal."

[Reverend_Smitty]

11. Even worse than that...

the dumbasses on the Fox message board were debating on whether or not Andrew Johnson even existed at all! They thought Fox was wrong because it was in fact Andrew Jackson who was the first president impeached...this Andrew Johnson fella isn't a real person! :eyes: Then there were the people who didn't understand the definition of impeachment and were steadfastly convinced that NO president was impeached because they weren't thrown out of office :eyes:

It was enough to make the baby Jesus cry

[Orangepeel]

9. nah. there were always game shows with dumb contestants

Do you remember tic-tac-dough? Or the joker's wild? What about press your luck?

[Kat45]

12. Remember when Quiz Show questions were difficult?

Now they ask simple questions that the morons still can't get right.