Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?
Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader? is a game show franchise that was co-created and produced by Mark Burnett, Barry Poznick and John Stevens. Adult contestants answer questions, as if they came from an elementary grade school quiz. The original American version debuted on the Fox Broadcasting network on February 27, 2007, with host Jeff Foxworthy, airing on Fox until 2009, as a syndicated TV series, between 2009 and 2011, and then revived on Fox in 2015, and again on Nickelodeon in 2019, with new host, John Cena. The Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader? format, has since been replicated in several other countries, some versions under the same title, and some under modified ones.
In 2013, the show appeared in TV Guides list of the 60 greatest game shows ever.
Gameplay
Each game is played by a single contestant, who earns money incrementally, based on a payout ladder, by answering simple trivia questions, with the game themed as a school quiz. The following description of the show is based primarily on the American version, of Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?, though the general format applies to all international versions.The game relies on the premise that an adult would not know the information generally taught in elementary school because it is rarely used in adult life by the type of person chosen to be a contestant. Therefore, the show is essentially a test to see how much an adult has retained since graduating elementary school. The show also derives its humor by occasionally displaying the contestant's educational attainment, implying that in spite of that, they struggle to answer some questions.
The contestant is presented and chooses from a set of subjects and grade level question topics in any order they like, usually ten in most versions, with one or two subjects for each grade level. Each question is presented as either a multiple choice question of three answers, a true-or-false question, or a short-answered question, in which a contestant must answer it correctly in order to progress on to the next question. Throughout the game, the contestant can choose to walk away, or in this case, "drop out of school," and leave with the current accumulated winnings up to that point. If the contestant gets a question wrong, unless the student has the correct answer via a "Save", he or she "flunks out" and the contestant leaves the game either with nothing or the amount of money from the last threshold level they passed.
During the game, the contestant also chooses one of the five students from the classroom who will assist the contestant on two questions. The contestant is also presented with two "cheats" and a "save" that may only be used once throughout a game to help them on their way:
- Peek: The contestant is shown their classmate's answer and may use it or give a different one. When this cheat is used, the contestant may not "drop out" on the current question.
- Copy: The contestant is locked into using their classmate's answer without being able to see it first. The classmate must provide the correct answer in order for the contestant to advance to the next question; otherwise, the contestant flunks out. When this cheat is used in the 2015 revival, the classmate is allowed to discuss his or her answer with the other fifth graders and change it if desired.
- Save: If the contestant misses a question and the classmate has answered correctly, the contestant is credited with a correct answer and is allowed to continue in the game. The contestant cannot choose to use this cheat; it is automatically used on their first miss. If the classmate has also missed the question, the contestant flunks out. By using the Peek first, a contestant could have two possible answers to a question—their own, then the classmate's with the Save if needed.
Each correct answer moves the contestant up a payout ladder, and by completing the first set of ten questions, the contestant is shown the subject of a final, bonus question worth the grand prize from the highest primary school grade level and must then decide to either drop out or attempt the question, at which point dropping out is no longer allowed. A correct answer wins the contestant the grand prize, which varies from country to country. At the end of the game, the contestant must confess to the camera whether they are "smarter than a 5th grader" or not, based on whether or not they have won the grand prize.
Other formats
The American version also has two different variations of the game, each providing a different gameplay format from the original and offered a lower grand prize due to the variations' budgets.Syndicated version
The syndicated version featured a reduced grand prize of $250,000 with a revised game format; unlike the original game format, the contestant must attempt to correctly answer up to ten questions with correct answers earning a certain cash value proportional to the difficulty. A correct answer earns the contestant the amount it's worth, while an incorrect answer takes their winnings back to zero. The contestant may not "drop out" until they get to the final question, where they choose to leave the game or risk all their winnings to answer one final fifth-grade bonus question; a correct answer multiplies their current winnings by ten while a miss forfeits all of their winnings and they leave instead with nothing or a $2,500 prepaid credit card if they took at least $2,500 to the final question. The cheats are retained from the original version and can still be used until the tenth question. A contestant must answer all eleven questions to win the $250,000.When the syndicated version was revived for a second season, three changes were made. The main fifth-grade questions are removed, and the only one from that grade was the bonus question. Contestants must start at the first grade and cannot skip a grade. At least one question from each grade must be answered or have used a cheat on, 1 to 3, before they can roam the board freely. The "Save" has been removed.
Nickelodeon version
The 2019 Nickelodeon version also featured a different game format and a prize of up to $100,000. The format was split into two rounds: in round one, contestants answered six questions from the first four grades, with a possible maximum of $10,000. In round two, the contestant was given 60 seconds to correctly answer as many as five fifth-grade questions; each correct answers increase the multiplier by one; answering all five questions correctly for the round multiplies the round one winnings by ten.The contestants are still given two cheats to use during the first round; the "Save" is instead replaced with a final cheat where the contestant may discuss with the classmate for the answer without a time limit.
International versions
The show has spawned many versions around the world.Currently airing
No longer airing
| Country | Name | Host | Channel | Air Date | |
 AlbaniaTop prize winnersThis is a list of the known contestants who managed to answer the final question correctly and being able to say "I am smarter than a fifth grader".
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