Child Genius (Australia) - Second Season

A lot of people say that I'm smart, and I really like that.

In Australia we pride ourselves on our sporting prowess

but our academic achievements are often overlooked.

In this country, sometimes it's not cool to be smart.

Whereas if you're really good at kicking a footy

you're scoring 50 points a game, everybody loves you.

In a series that celebrates intelligence

and showcases the next smart generation...

I want to be an astrophysicist when I grow up.

He's always had a mind of his own. Everyone has a mind of their own. Oh, yes. I know. Thank you.

..the search to find Australia's brightest child begins.

Excuse me - which way do I go off stage?

After a nationwide search and a rigorous selection process...

The competition is fierce.

Perhaps the ethnic background has something to do with it. (LAUGHS) Really? Oh.

Yeah, we're Asians - we're competitive. (LAUGHS)

..16 are chosen to compete for the title of Child Genius 2019.

You study!

At the end of the day it's a problem.

Overseen by Australian Mensa...

I should have just forfeited.

I think I'll come first. I'm going to have a heart attack!

..and led by Quiz Master Dr Susan Carland...

No-one has ever got that answer correct.

In my head I'm willing you guys to get the right answer.

Perfect score, Karin!

..over four big days of competition...

What's the capital of Japan?

Tokyo! Correct.

..and high drama...

Estonia? Correct.

..these exceptional children...

78? Mm-hm. Good job.

..and their parents...

It's a situation we didn't want to find ourselves in.

..will display their tenacity.

This changes everything.

..brilliance... I believe in you.

..and courage.

You're gonna fight till the end.

But the Child Genius trophy...

All parents want their children to win.

..only belongs to one.

No, Justin!

Justin, don't take something without your name on it.

No! It's mine!

Four big days are ahead to find Australia's brightest child.

Zenith studios? That's the one.

So exciting.

Have you measured up the competition? Definitely.

16 children and their families...

You nervous? Yeah, a bit.

You're gonna be great.

..have arrived from all over Australia.

Where have you travelled from? I forgot. WA.

From WA. OK. Yeah.

The next two days of heats will determine

who will progress to the semi-final.

Really? It was so exciting. Like...

I'd love to see him do well on day one

and for him to sort of see, "Oh, wow. You know what? I'm part of this. I can do this."

I have to be honest, I feel a little bit intimidated.

But, um, it's going to be an exciting experience. (LAUGHS)

I think the best thing really is him meeting kids his age

who have the same interests.

He doesn't have to hide his gift, he doesn't...

He can just let it all out, so to speak. He can just be nerdy with it.

I've actually been using that quite a lot recently. OK.

It's called the Reti Opening. Apparently.

Today, the children face two tough rounds -

spelling and memory recall.

It's not spelt as it sounds. Yeah. I figured.

By day's end, the four children with the lowest scores

will be going home.

Hi!

Meeting the children for the first time,

Quiz Master Dr Susan Carland has some last-minute advice.

Can I give you a hint from last year? Yes.

Anagrams was the thing that the kids found hardest

of the whole competition.

So, if you can do well in anagrams, you will smash it.

Some of the words, not only have I not heard of,

I don't know how to say.

It's a really difficult round

and I am very glad that I am sitting in my chair

and not up on the podium.

Are you ready?

I'm going to have a heart attack.

It's gonna be great. High five, high five. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Good luck, Miss.

This is so exciting.

Stand by.

Welcome to a brand-new season of Child Genius...

Oh, God.

..the competition to find Australia's brightest child.

Let's have a huge round of applause for all the competitors.

I'm... so scared.

16 bright minds are about to be put through their paces,

and at the end of today, four of them will be leaving the competition.

Joining me for this first round is adjudicator Jane Allen

from the International Quizzing Association

and Teresa Wong, our Australian Mensa representative.

Welcome to you both. It's great to have you here for our first round, spelling and anagrams.

In this challenging round

the children must attempt to spell seven words

and unscramble three anagrams for a maximum of 10 points.

Anagrams is one of the hardest rounds

because it involves so many thinking processes.

It's all about fluid intelligence as well as logical thinking.

That's where a lot of the children might come undone.

OK! Let's do this.

I am so nervous right now.

Come on down to the podium, Justin.

Welcome, Justin.

You have 20 seconds for each of the seven words.

You can ask me for the definition, the etymology,

or to hear the word in a sentence.

For the anagrams, you'll have 90 seconds for all three words.

If I go down, I'm going to go down fighting,

not just for me but for my family as well.

Justin lives with his Assyrian parents and three sisters

in outer western Sydney.

Hello!

My mum's a stay-at-home mum and my dad's a truck driver.

Most of the time he's away driving in his truck,

trying to earn us all a living.

Race you! Don't run. Don't run.

What I've done, what I do,

what I'm gonna do, it's all for him, you know.

Thank you, Dad. I love you so much, Justin. I love you more.

You love trucks? No.

Why?

Well, he doesn't really expect me to be a truck driver. I've asked him.

When I grow up I want to be a judge.

I'm just really interested in those kinds of things, like law and order.

You gonna win the competition before you're gonna be a judge?

Yeah. I hope. I hope so.

Justin, your first word is arboreal.

Correct.

Xylophagous.

Incorrect, I'm afraid.

Ratatouille.

Perspicacious.

Correct!

Correct.

Correct. Correct.

All right, Justin, ready to move on to anagrams? Yep.

Your first word will appear on the screen...

..now. Concatenation.

Correct. What?!

Next word's on the screen now.

Malfeasance. Correct.

A score of 7 out of a possible 10 points

impresses everyone.

Most impressive. Very good job. Especially the anagrams.

Always I'm proud of Justin, always. He's good.

Well, they've worked so hard to put me up here

and I'm not about to let them down.

Today's first competitor is a tough act to follow.

But Karin doesn't scare easily.

Come on down to the podium, Karin.

And excels in just about anything she takes on.

She plays tennis,

she plays basketball,

swimming, karate, piano and now she's in school learning the flute.

I like winning and competing.

Originally from Egypt, Karin lives with her mum, dad and little brother

in Wagga, in regional New South Wales.

Yes! Mum! Oh sorry!

First point for the boys!

I'm the mini version of my mum.

I see myself in her, but she is a better version of me.

At her age I was confident, I was stubborn...

I think that's a good thing.

Karin has the passion to do her best in everything.

She is always seeking to go further.

All my friends think I'm competitive.

I beat them because it's fun and to prove who's the best.

Me. I'm the best.

Welcome, Karin.

I hear that this year you want to win it for the girls.

Is that correct? Yep.

Have you noticed we've got an all-female panel here? Yes, I have.

So it could be your year!

Karin, your first word is abomasum.

Can I get the etymology?

From Latin for 'away from' and 'tripe of a bullock'

Correct.

Her confidence will make her calm

to go through the competition.

Sometimes I might be more nervous than her.

Deuteragonist.

Correct.

A-B-U-L-A-T-I-O-N.

Correct. Correct. Correct. Correct!

Karin spells six out of the seven words correctly.

Now she must unscramble two of her anagrams

to overtake Justin on the leaderboard.

Your first word will appear on the screen...

..now.