Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader on Fox

By Adam Shuler

Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? continues to be one of the best entertainment destinations for families today, and is once again the Best of the Week. The Fox game show, airing at 8:00 p.m. ET, is deft at providing a completely entertaining hour of fun without including any needless objectionable material. Audiences are clearly gratified by such clean entertainment, as the show routinely gets solid ratings in a competitive timeslot. Recently, the show extended its player repertoire to include celebrities, and on the January 17th episode, Lauren Nelson, a.k.a. Miss America 2007, entered the classroom to try her luck at winning a million dollars.

Nelson played to win money for the Miss America organization. She revealed that every Miss America contestant receives a scholarship toward their education, and stated that she was trying to do her part by playing the game. Nelson successfully answered a series of questions with little trouble. Question topics included whether or not all ladybugs are female, what cartographers study, and how many states Lake Superior borders. Eventually, Nelson won $175,000 before being confounded by a question regarding the origin of the quote “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death.”

In addition to playing the game well, Nelson was also quite accommodating to the students assisting her in the game. She gave Mackenzie a quick lesson on how to wave gracefully like a beauty pageant contestant. Cody asked her a question about how her crown stays on, and she was more than happy to provide an answer. When Nelson showed a crown-shaped pin that she wears when not wearing the crown on her head, Olivia asked if she could wear it, and Nelson happily let her. Such a gracious attitude was very nice to see, and is just one positive trait that makes Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? an excellent viewing choice for families week after week.

Best TV Show of the Week

The Parents Television Council - www.parentstv.org