First Day of School - February 27

A lot of game shows test how smart their players are.

This one tests how dumb they've become.

And a million dollars will ride on this question... ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5TH GRADER?

Time to meet the class... Laura, Kyle, Jacob, Alana, Spencer... and a new student.

Our first "new student" is a 40-year-old graduate of UCLA (and Roosevelt Elementary), SETH FINN. His first classmate is Laura. "He really really looks smart."

And now, the all-important rules. Because without rules, it'd just be an hour of Fox's time wasted (much like "The Wedding Belles"). You will have 10 subjects taken from 1st through 5th grade textbooks. For each question you get right, you're going to win more money. The money tree...

$500,000
$300,000
$175,000
$100,000
$50,000
$25,000
$10,000
$5,000
$2,000
$1,000

Navigate that money tree, and you'll face a mystery question for $1 million. If at any time the test gets too hard, he can drop out and take the money, but he's gotta look in that camera and tell the world... "I am not smarter than a 5th grader."

First subject... Laura's a pro at animal science and social studies. First question is in...

1st Grade Social Studies	$1,000	PEEK	COPY	SAVE
In what month do we observe Columbus Day?

Now classmates can help out Seth at any time. He is given these cheats: PEEK (take a look at what a classmate wrote), COPY (take the answer a classmate wrote), and SAVE (if Seth is wrong, but his teammate at the podium is right, he can continue on.

Laura is locked in. Seth goes with September, locking it in. Correct... October. Your only hope is if Laura wrote October. Laura wrote... OCTOBER! Saved! Next...

1st Grade Animal Science	$2,000	PEEK	COPY	SAVE
TRUE OR FALSE? In the wild polar bears typically feed on penguins.

Laura is locked. Seth takes a Peek. Laura's answer... FALSE. Seth agrees... Correct!

Every two questions, a new classmate must be chosen. Here comes Spencer. He likes math and physical science.

4th Grade Math	$5,000	PEEK	COPY	SAVE
If a triangle has an area of 16 square inches and a base of 8 inches, how long is its height?

Seth copies Spencer's answer. He guesses an inch. He would've been wrong. Correct: 4. Spencer's answer... 4! That's $5000. He's out of cheats, so Spencer returns to the class. It's all him from now on.

4th Grade US History	$10,000	PEEK	COPY	SAVE
Who was the first US President to be impeached?

If Seth doesn't get this, he's history. Jeff takes a walk... and all of the class is correct. Seth isn't confident at all, so he drops out with $5000. "Do you have any idea how many USC grads are loving this right now?" He guessed John Quincy Adams. Everyone else wrote Andrew Johnson.

True to his word, Seth looks into the camera... "I am not smarter than a 5th grader, and I can say that so definitely."

New student, from Alice Birney Elementary, 27-year-old computer consultant LAKISHA LIVINGSTON. She picks Kyle. His favorites: history, astronomy, geography, social studies, and science. Lakisha goes with... history.

2nd Grade US History	$1,000	PEEK	COPY	SAVE
Name the ship the Pilgrims sailed from Plymouth, England, to the Plymouth Colony in America in 1620.

Kyle is locked. All Lakisha can remember is Thanksgiving. She goes with Mayflower... eventually. And remembers to lock it in. "In the time that it took you to answer that question, the Pilgrims not only had Thanksgiving dinner, they cleaned up the mess and they're putting up Christmas decorations." Kyle said... Mayflower. Both... are correct!

Next...

4th Grade Health	$2,000	PEEK	COPY	SAVE
Part of a person's sleep cycle is the REM cycle. What does REM stand for?

Kyle is locked in. After quite a while, Lakisha decides to copy. Kyle says "Rapid Eye Movement." Makes sense. RIGHT! But is she going all the way? Find out tomorrow!