On the romantic front, Davis and Liz are getting a little cozy. Unfortunately, Liz has a boyfriend back home. This is putting the brakes on any potential for a hook up disappointing the producers I am sure. However, there is hope. Liz has broken up (and gotten back together with) her boyfriend 5 times. To this, Davis can’t understand why she would want to got through the pain.

Speaking of pain, we are treated to Liz’s audition tape which shows her bragging about all of her achievements, including discreet math, in song. Now while I may be a fan of singing, this isn’t American Idol, unless this is one of the audition episode in which case I am sure Simon Cowell’s writers are hard at work coming up with quips for Liz’s performance.

Captain’s Quiz

It’s Quiz time and with only two chances left to be a team captain the pressure is on. This time the scholars will have to put together a puzzle of the United States. The catch is that some of the states are missing, making the map a little bit harder to arrange. Davis, our history whiz, finishes first in slightly over 5 minutes, only to realize that he forgot to place South Carolina. Following this debacle, Liz did the same thing leaving out Utah. What does that matter though when no one completed the puzzle? Thus, being the fastest 2, Davis and Liz are the captains.

RANT:
I am severely disappointed that they teased this episode suggesting that Davis might cheat. While I may not be a fan of the way he has played this game, attacking the character of a student through manipulative editing is absolutely out of line. This episode showed no sign that he intended to cheat and the promos for this episode aired during the week are in light of this defamatory. I don’t care if he signed the reality “you sell your soul” contract, we don’t need to do this to our youth.

DOUBLE RANT
As for what we do need to do with our youth, how about we educate them. Am I seriously to believe that 10 scholars with 4.0+ GPAs and 1500+SATs are all incapable of completing a map of the United States in 10 minutes? When no one completed the map I was appalled. If these scholars can not complete the map or know that the epidermis refers to the skin or know that Margaret Mitchell wrote Gone with the Wind, maybe the students are being given more money than they deserve. While I might classify some of this as trivial, knowing the country you live in is basic knowledge that must be learned.

Now that my rant (and double rant) is over it’s challenge time!

Team Challenge:

First let’s pick the teams

Yes, “Beat on Amari Day” has stretched into another episode with Amari being picked last again. Hey, getting picked last once is one thing, but when it happens twice, you might want to get the message.

The scholars will have to make a 2 minute film in 10 hours, basing their story off of one of the following 3 quotes:

Shakespeare - “To be or not to be. That is the question.”

Kennedy - “Those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly.”

Plato - “You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.”

Off to the races!

Davis’ gold team debates what quote to use. Alyssa thinks that they should use “to be or not to be,” but everyone in the group shoots that idea down and Davis strong-arms the group into using Plato’s quote.

Over at the red team, everyone is in agreement to keep things simple and use Shakespeare’s “to be or not to be.” Faster than the blink of an eye, they are out and shooting their superhero epic.

Back at Gold, Alyssa is more than perturbed to which Davis and Melissa hypothesize that her hissy fit is due to the fact that she feels she needs to do something to stand out to the admissions committee, and the group shooting down her ideas was preventing her from doing that. C’est la vie. Of course, now that Davis and Melissa are in agreement, the rest of the team has to go into the confessional and whine about how Davis and Melissa feel like they have all of the power, Melissa because she is already in the final and Davis because, well, he’s just Davis.

So long story short, the dramatic gold team produces a drama through infighting and the happy red team produces an amicable comedy.

With the day of filming and editing behind them, it’s time for these soon to be college kids to act like the high schoolers they are and play truth or dare. Mind you, because of editing, we only hear 2 truths both focusing one Max. First, Max reveals that he “doesn’t know” where he and Alyssa are right now but that he does like her and is interested. Following this, Max asks, Melissa why she hates him so much, to which she vents about how she feels as if she has been played. Try and keep with me on this one as I invoke this spirit of a gossipy valley girl.

Max said that he liked Alyssa, but he also said that he liked Melissa. Then the scholars went out to the club dancing and Max kissed Alyssa but continued to dance with Melissa, later telling Melissa that it was a mistake that he kissed Alyssa. Yet, since he admitted his “mistake” Max has continued to hang around Alyssa and hasn’t made any effort to get closer to Melissa. Add in the fact that Melissa and Alyssa don’t get along and that is why Melissa is mad at Max… and Alyssa. Whew…

Welcome to “The Scholar” film fest!

Starting with the gold team we are treated to a film not only based on a “Platonic” quote but also on a true story. Apparently, Davis thought that it would be a good idea to tell Liz’s dating story (all 5 breakups) not only on a big screen but also on national television. As Liz put it after being blindsided by the film, “it was art, imitating life, imitating art.”

The red team took us on a trip to the superhero café with Liz dressed in her red cape. The jokes were corny and the film ended with Scot uttering what I am sure will be a famous last line, “Check please!”

With their films being judged by Bruce Block, producer of “Father of the Bride” and “As Good As It Gets,” the pressure was on. In what Bruce admitted was a difficult decision, he said that he felt he had to go to the team that had the harder job and therefore went with the gold team. Jubilation! Exultation! Celebration! That means Davis is back in the showdown. As for the others, they will have to wait to see if they influenced the admissions committee.

BONUS! The winning team gets 20-day vacations to Europe! Wow, the prizes just come way too easy on this show.

In interviews, the committee states up front that Davis is lucky that he earned his way back in because they would not have put him there. As for frontrunners, Liz, Amari and Jeremy seem to have it locked. All are praised for “working well with others” with Liz’s presence being noted as exceptional.

Back at the house, Francine posts the list and it’s Amari and Liz who are joining Davis in the showdown. This posting does not sit well with Alyssa who runs off to the staircase to cry. She feels the judges have it out for her seeing as she is the only person who has not made it into a showdown. Maybe she is right, but she does have one more chance next week.

Admissions Showdown

The topic: American History 1770-1850

Davis, who is very confident, actually made a very kid gesture before the showdown studying and partially tutoring the other girls.

As the questions roll forth, the studying pays off as the scholars roll through the early questions with ease. Of course, when we are asking what the name for the first 10 amendments of the constitution is, we better not hear wrong answers (Correct: Bill of Rights)

No slip ups happen until over 14 questions in when this question popped up In 1779, who commanded the USS Bonhomme Richard and uttered the famous words, “I have not yet begun to fight” George Washington was wrong, John Paul Jones was right and quick as that Amari was out.

The next slip came ion this question, in 1807 the British military attacked and boarded an American ship off the Coast of Virginia. Name this incident that escalated further tension between the two countries and set the stage for the war of 1812. Narragansett Bay incident was wrong, Chesapeake Affair was correct and … Davis drops the ball, giving Liz a chance to take the game.

In the mid 1790’s what rebellion by PA farmers backfired and actually resulted in strengthening the credibility of the government? Liz’s Answer, Whiskey Rebellion…Booyah! Hand that girl 50 Large!

In a moment of sheer joy, Liz looks as if she is going to pass out. After she pulls herself back together, she gives credit to Davis saying that his tutoring is the reason that she won proving once again that feminine wiles have their academic benefits.

Next week it’s time for debates. With one slot remaining I expect the scholars to be going for the jugular, and with any luck the bloodshed will all be caught on tape for us to see. So until next week’s academic deathmatch, study your U.S. map! (I mean it!).