Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader? (American game show)

Lore & Background

The show originally aired on Fox as a three-day special beginning February 27, 2007, with regular one-hour episodes starting March 1, 2007. It was picked up for the 2007–08 season and ran until September 18, 2009. A first-run syndicated version followed from September 2009 to May 2011, with Foxworthy returning as host. The program returned to Fox for a fourth season on May 26, 2015, again with Foxworthy. On February 14, 2019, a revival on Nickelodeon with host John Cena aired from June 10 to November 3, 2019. The show was revived on Amazon Prime Video with host Travis Kelce in October 2024.

The show was originally created as a recurring segment on The Howard Stern Show, though Stern received no credit. It was pitched as 'Do You Remember Grade School?' by Burnett and Zoo Productions in November 2006; Fox's Peter Liguori was the only network president to win the six-question quiz. Fox announced pickup on January 31, 2007, and Foxworthy was announced as host on February 9, 2007. The first episode aired less than eight weeks after being pitched.

Gameplay involves a single contestant answering ten questions (plus a final bonus question) from elementary school textbooks, two from each grade level first through fifth. Contestants can use three cheats—Peek, Copy, and Save—assisted by a 'classmate' from a cast of five school-age children. Upon getting an answer incorrect, deciding to end the game early, or not winning the top prize in later versions, contestants must state they are 'not smarter than a 5th grader.'

Reader's Guide

The show's significance lies in its multiple revivals after cancellation, demonstrating enduring audience interest. The original Fox version awarded a $1 million prize, won by two people: Kathy Cox, superintendent of Georgia public schools, and George Smoot, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist. The syndicated version awarded $250,000, won by Geoff Wolinetz and Elizabeth Miller. The Nickelodeon revival awarded $100,000, won by Alfred Guy, a college dean at Yale University. The show also aired internationally, with local versions in other countries. The 2015 Fox revival introduced changes including a new panel of six fifth-graders, a 'Grade School Giveaway' that donated $10,000 to a school for a correct answer on the $10,000 question, and a sixth-grade level million-dollar question. The show's format has been adapted for different networks and hosts, including John Cena on Nickelodeon and Travis Kelce on Amazon Prime Video, indicating its flexibility and continued relevance in the game show genre.

Did You Know?

• Two people have won the $1 million prize: Kathy Cox and George Smoot.
• The show was revived on Nickelodeon in 2019 with host John Cena.