Game shows, as you've probably guessed by now, are one of my favorite genre of TV programs. Yet in today's American Idol-filled world, the quality of those shows plays toward the dramatic element only. Lost in the steep production values are the value of the quiz itself. I tend to look for substance over flash.
Something rose above the horizon last night that I actually enjoyed: Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?
I enjoyed this show right from the start. It was screamingly funny to me to see grown-ups struggle to answer questions that would be posed from first to fifth-graders, who make up part of the "panel". You even see graphics superimposed underneath a nervous adult contestant, struggling with a third-grade topic, declaring "She had a 3.87 high school GPA!" Good natured jabs, for sure.
What a glorious look at role reversal: the grown-ups depending on the kids for the answers. When proven correct, they high-five the kids as if they were high-fiving people their own age.
And these kids were marvelous. Total naturals, very enthusiastic, rooting for the adults, knowledgable of their subjects... and completely unnervous in front of the cameras. Grown-ups appearing on game shows will often tell the host they're nervous. You don't see any of these kids intimidated by the audience, the lights and the cameras; they go on their merry old way as if they were with their friends on the playground. Amazing that they handle the pressures better than our own peers do!
Plus, I'll admit I'm a Johnny-Come-Lately to warming to Jeff Foxworthy, who until yesterday I branded a Martin Mull-lookalike who knew nothing but the "redneck style". He has untapped skills as a game show host, and he looked great in the role; keeping the contestants on edge without overdoing it, as Regis & Meredith did with Millionaire.
The fifth grader did get me on one: I don't know my third grade measurements. It's fifteen teaspoons to five tablespoons - not ten!
No wonder none of my baking recipes ever turned out.
Without being an actual resume:
Accepting one of my four local TV production awards in 1996. Experiences total over 13 years and 3000 hours... waiting to do more!
The Director:
- Kevin Harrison
- Lincoln Park, Michigan, United States
- I have lived in the Downriver (Michigan) area for 33 of my 41 years and have always been a fan of its history: from a blue-collar area to its varied offerings of today. It is my hope that I can help recapture its past and preserve it, in written and visual form, for today and the future.