| Are You Smarter than a Canadian 5th Grader? | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Mark Burnett |
| Directed by | Don Weiner (U.S) Rae Upton (Canada) |
| Starring | Colin Mochrie (host) |
| Theme music composer | David Vanacore with Blessed Kateri Children's Choir |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 5 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Mark Burnett |
| Production locations | Canadian Broadcasting Centre Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Running time | 60 minutes (including adverts) |
| Release | |
| Original network | Global |
| Original release | October 25 – November 22, 2007 |
Are You Smarter than a Canadian 5th Grader? is a Canadian English television game show, which began airing on October 25, 2007 on Global. The show, based on the U.S. game show Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader? , was hosted by Canadian comedian Colin Mochrie. Five episodes were produced, and aired Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET. Contestants included a lawyer, a professor, a nuclear engineer amongst others. A veterinarian, Andrew Oster, from Midland, Ontario was the show's biggest winner garnering $300,000 (CDN), tax-free.
The show, which was filmed at the Canadian Broadcasting Centre in Toronto, Ontario, challenged contestants to prove that they are smarter than a Canadian fifth grader by answering a series of questions on material from elementary school textbooks. In addition to the subjects present in the American edition (save for American history), the game included Canadian-specific content, such as questions about the French language, Canadian history, geography and culture. The set for the show was similar to the American version, but themed for Canada; for instance, the floor contained a large map of the country.
The class for the show was made up of seven Grade 5 students: Katherine, age 10, from Halifax, Nova Scotia; Nathan, 10, from Calgary, Alberta; Michael, 9, from Vancouver, British Columbia; Isiah, 10, from Mississauga, Ontario; Taylor, 10, from Toronto, Ontario; Jacob, 9, from Bedford, Nova Scotia; and Rachel, 9, from Lockport, Manitoba.
On the show's fourth episode, Nathan and Rachel relinquished their seats. They were replaced by Elliot from Oakville, Ontario and Shea from Brooklin, Ontario, which is a part of Whitby.
Global Television, the network that produced the first season of the show, announced on its website that they are not accepting applications for contestants, and currently have no plans to produce any more episodes.
| Question | Value |
|---|---|
| 1 | $1,000 |
| 2 | $2,000 |
| 3 | $5,000 |
| 4 | $10,000 |
| 5 | $25,000 |
| 6 | $50,000 |
| 7 | $100,000 |
| 8 | $175,000 |
| 9 | $300,000 |
| 10 | $500,000 |
| 11 | $1,000,000 |
| 1st Subject | 2nd Subject |
|---|---|
| Million Dollar Question | Million Dollar Subject |
| Grade 5 French | Grade 5 Canadian History |
| Grade 4 Math | Grade 4 Earth Science |
| Grade 3 Art | Grade 3 Physical Education |
| Grade 2 Vocabulary | Grade 2 Astronomy |
| Grade 1 Social Studies | Grade 1 Literature |
The Canadian version of the game was played essentially in the same way as its American counterpart: a contestant was asked a series of eleven questions taken from elementary school textbooks; with each correct answer, the contestant accrued more money; the contestant has 5th grade "classmates" to help them; and in the event of the contestant not winning the top prize, they must look into the camera and tell the world "I am not smarter than a Canadian 5th grader."
There are a number of variations in the Canadian version, however:
Mark Burnett Productions/A&E Network/CanWest Media