(gentle glittery music) - Welcome to "High School Quiz Show: Maine" where there is one slot remaining in the quarterfinals.

Which of today's teams will have their chance at the $1,000 prize?

Will it be the Panthers of North Yarmouth Academy?

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(dramatic epic music) Find out next on "High School Quiz Show: Maine."

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Thank you.

(upbeat triumphant music) - Welcome to "High School Quiz Show: Maine."

I'm Todd Gutner.

Today, we will fill the final slot in the quarterfinals on our way to the season 9 championship and the $1,000 grand prize.

In our eighth and final qualifying match, we have two veteran teams who are each looking for their first trip to the finals.

The Panthers of North Yarmouth Academy are making their fifth appearance on the show, and they'll take on the Blue Blazes of Westbrook High School in their second time with us.

Last year, they made it to the semis.

Will they make it that far again or will it be NYA's year?

Let's get things going by meeting our teams.

For NYA, we have Ella, Chloe, Hadley, and Denali, with alternates Liam and Leah, and they're coached by Jennifer Michaelis.

And for Westbrook, we have Chris, Isaac, Ezra, and Joel, with alternates Kevin and David, and they're coached by Rebecca Bailey.

The competition has four rounds: the toss-up round, the head-to-head round, the category round, and the lightning round.

We'll start with the toss-up round.

All answers are worth 10 points, and this is the only round with no point deductions for wrong answers.

Players must wait for me to complete the question, and if one team answers incorrectly, the other team will be given a chance to answer.

I wish you both good luck.

Let's have a good match.

Here we go.

A classic American joke that dates back to the 1840s begins by asking why a certain bird crossed the road.

What kind of bird is it?

(buzzer dings) Go ahead, Joel.

- A chicken.

- Chicken, yes.

What noun can refer to a student in elementary school or to the opening in the eye that allows light to reach the retina?

(buzzer dings) Ezra.

- Pupil.

- Pupil, yes.

A certain tax imposed by the federal government led to what rebellion in Pennsylvania in 1794?

(buzzer dings) Joel.

- Whiskey.

- Whiskey, right.

An election result that made national news in June 2025.

What New York State Assemblyman and Bowdoin College alum defeated former Governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary for mayor of New York City?

(buzzer dings) Go ahead, Ella.

- Zohran Mamdani.

- That is correct.

Up next, we have a picture question, so take a look at the monitor.

The greatest American naval loss prior to Pearl Harbor was the result of what 1779 Revolutionary War naval operation, which was a failed attempt to dislodge the British from modern-day Maine?

(buzzer dings) Hadley.

- Burning of Falmouth.

- [Todd] That's incorrect.

Westbrook, do you wanna give it a shot?

(buzzer dings) - Machias?

- [Todd] What was it?

- The Battle of Machias?

- Incorrect.

It's the Penobscot Expedition.

Here's our next question.

What geological fault line that caused the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 stretches from Mendocino Bay in northern California to the US border with Mexico?

(buzzer dings) Isaac.

- San Andreas Fault?

- Yes.

The FBI is a government law enforcement agency.

What do the letters FBI stand for?

(buzzer dings) Ezra.

- Federal Bureau of Investigation.

- That is right.

What two-word phrase that derives from a sneak attack by ancient Greeks now refers to something that looks harmless on the outside but contains a malicious surprise within, like a download that unleashes a virus on a computer?

(buzzer dings) Chris.

- Trojan horse.

- That's right.

More than 38 tons of what fruit were served with cream to spectators at the Wimbledon Tennis Championship in 2024?

(buzzer dings) Joel.

- Peaches.

- [Todd] Incorrect.

NYA.

(buzzer dings) Go ahead, Chloe.

- Strawberries.

- Yeah, that's the right one.

All right, up next, we have a video question.

Again, take a look at the monitor.

- Hi, I'm Aislinn Sarnacki, the host of "Borealis" on Maine Public Television, and here's my question for you.

Cornelia Fly Rod Crosby, born in Phillips, Maine in 1854, promoted Maine's outdoor industry.

And in 1897, she became Maine's first what?

(timer buzzes) - This was a tough one.

Maine's first registered Maine guide.

That is the answer.

Here's our next question.

Composer Engelbert Humperdinck is known for an opera based on the tale of what brother and sister who get lost in the woods?

(buzzer dings) Go ahead, Chloe.

- Hansel and Gretel.

- Yes.

A place on the internet where public discussion takes place is known by what name that comes from a place in ancient Rome where people gathered for public discussion and debate?

(buzzer dings) Isaac.

- Forum.

- Forum, right.

Elias Howe and Isaac Singer are best known for patenting designs for what type of machine, an ice cream maker, a dishwasher, or a sewing machine?

(buzzer dings) Hadley.

- Sewing machine.

- Sewing machine, yes.

All right, here's a math question.

There's a piece of paper and there's a pencil in front of you.

What is the perimeter of a triangle with sides measuring 12, 17, and 24 inches?

(timer buzzes) (buzzer dings) You just missed it, Hadley.

The answer is 53 inches.

Is that what you had?

Oh, that's such a bummer.

All right, we're gonna move on, though.

"The Souls of Black Folk" is a collection of essays published in 1903 by what man who was a founder of the NAACP and the first Black person to earn a PhD from Harvard?

(buzzer dings) Go ahead, Chris.

- Frederick Douglas.

- That's incorrect.

NYA.

You got anything.

(timer buzzes) (buzzer dings) Again, just late, Denali.

It's WEB Du Bois.

WEB Du Bois.

All right, next question.

Travis Hunter, Jayden Daniels, and Caleb Williams are recent winners of what trophy established in 1935 by the Downtown Athletic Club that's awarded to outstanding college football players?

(buzzer dings) Go ahead, Ezra.

- The Heisman Trophy.

- Heisman, yes.

What ballet with music by Aaron Copland is based on the true story of a bandit in the American Wild West who was shot and killed by an a lawman named Pat Garrett?

(timer buzzes) The answer is "Billy the Kid."

"Billy the Kid."

The 19th century famine in Ireland was caused mainly by the blight that affected what food crop?

(buzzer dings) Hadley.

- Potatoes.

- Potato, yes.

By definition, a person described as lethargic is lacking which of these things, energy, beauty, or wealth?

(buzzer dings) Hadley again.

- Energy.

- And energy is right again.

Compact fluorescent light bulbs should be recycled rather than tossed in the trash because they contain small amounts of what toxic element?

(timer buzzes) Mercury is the element.

The Reign of Terror in France took place from 1793 to 1794 when what man took control of the government and began a campaign to have his political enemies executed?

(buzzer dings) Go ahead, Chris.

- Robespierre.

- Robespierre, yes.

Although Nebraska is nicknamed the Cornhusker State, which state that borders Nebraska to the east is the biggest producer of corn in the US?

(buzzer dings) Ezra.

- Iowa.

- Iowa, right.

We have our second math question now.

What is the value of x in the following equation?

x squared - 10 = 90.

(buzzer dings) Joel.

- 10.

- 10 is correct.

Here's our next question.

Players work as a team aboard a spaceship trying to accomplish tasks before they are overrun by imposters in what online game developed by Innersloth?

(buzzer dings) Denali.

- "Among Us."

- "Among Us," yes.

(timer ringing) Ooh, okay.

That's the end of our first round.

We've got a score of NYA 70, Westbrook 110.

It's real close, so don't go anywhere.

We'll meet the players when we get back.

(upbeat triumphant music) Before we go to the head-to-head round, we like to pause and get to know our players with a slightly silly question, and it is, what activity that is part of your life would you like to be able to automate?

And your answer cannot include the obvious schoolwork, right?

Ella, we'll begin with you.

- I would probably say cleaning my cat's litter box.

(Todd laughs) - I 100% agree with that, and I love that you're a cat mom.

- Yeah.

Chloe, your turn.

- For me, it would probably be driving.

- [Todd] Driving?

Why?

- Because, I don't know, I don't really like in the morning, like having to drive to school.

I'd rather just, like, space out, maybe, like, read a book on my way to school or something, so.

- We're not that far, I don't think, from, like, automated driving, right?

Hadley, your turn.

- I think I would say making my bed in the morning.

(Todd laughs) - Now, do you do it because your parents make you or do you do it by choice?

- Used to be because my parents made me, now it's by choice, mostly.

- Now it's, like habit, right?

- Yeah.

- All right, Denali.

- Mine might be a little more impossible than Chloe's, but I try to take away the hours between 5 and 7:00 AM - Are those, like, your witching hours?

Do you not like those hours?

What happens?

- No, I just, I wake up and everything's done for me.

No morning routine.

- Oh, oh, oh, you just want it really simple.

You just want to ease into the day.

- Yeah.

- I love that.

Westbrook, Chris, your turn.

- I'd have to say the dishes.

I mean, I hate having a long day of school and then being back and then having to do the dishes.

(Todd drowns out Chris) - So that's one of your chores that you have in your house?

- Yeah.

- Are you allowed to use the dishwasher or do you have to hand wash?

- Yeah, the dishwasher.

- You can use the dishwasher.

All right, when I was a kid, my parents didn't let me use the dishwasher.

I had to hand wash.

So you actually have it pretty easy, Chris.

(laughs) Isaac, you're up.

- I would have to say putting on clean sheets 'cause I feel like when it's the fitted sheet, I'm always fighting for that last corner.

- I hear you, I hear you.

It's tough, right?

Ezra, you're up.

- Oh, like when you're getting back from, like, a long road trip or, like, getting back from my grandparents' house, like, an hour up the coast, and, like, you just, like, want that, like, hour to go by, but it just, like, takes so long, you know.

- Yeah, you just wanna, like, instantly be home.

- Exactly, just like fast forward or something.

- Let's do that.

Joel, lastly.

- I would say, like, shoveling the driveway when it snows and it's really heavy.

- Man, I totally agree with you right there.

I have the worst driveway.

It's a hill.

It's icy all and I did, ugh.

I agree with you.

Thank you, guys.

That was fun.

The head-to-head round is next, but let's see how well you do with our viewer question of the week.

(upbeat triumphant music) - Hi, I'm Casey Turner from Bangor Savings Bank, and here is your America at 250 Viewer Question of the Week.

When the Commonwealth of Massachusetts ratified its Constitution, the three Maine counties that made up its northern district were York, Cumberland, and which other Maine county?

(upbeat music) The answer is Lincoln County.

At its founding in 1760, the county encompassed more than 3/5 of the state's land, stretching as far as the eastern border.

13 counties were eventually carved from it, leaving Lincoln as Maine's third smallest county.

(upbeat music continues) - It's time now for the head-to-head round.

Players alternate facing off one-on-one right here at the desk.

Correct answers are worth 10 points.

Incorrect answers will cost you 10 points.

We have 90 seconds on the clock.

Players, ready?

Here we go.

The office of the Prime Minister is at number 10 on what street?

(timer buzzes) Downing Street.

Before it turns to a white puff ball, what color is the flower of a dandelion?

(timer buzzes) (buzzer dings) You got it.

One- - Yellow.

- Yellow, yes.

In the nursery rhyme, "Hey Diddle Diddle," what animal jumped over the moon?

(buzzer dings) - Cow.

- Cow, right.

A Hawaiian style-pizza is topped with ham and what- (buzzer dings) - Pineapple.

- Pineapple, right.

The preamble to the US Constitution begins with what- (buzzer dings) - "We the people."

- "We the people," yes.

Which character from the "Peanuts" comic strip has a blue security blanket?

(buzzer dings) - Linus.

- Linus.

The asteroid belt is located between the orbits of Mars and what- (buzzer dings) - Jupiter.

- Jupiter, right.

What is the name for the disc-shaped cells that cause bloods to clot?

(buzzer dings) - Red blood cells.

- Incorrect.

Platelets.

What element forms an ionic bond with sodium to make table salt?

(timer buzzes) (buzzer dings) Came in a little late.

Chlorine.

Which mid-Atlantic state is nicknamed the Empire State?

(timer buzzes) New York.

Goa is the smallest state by area in what country?

(timer buzzes) India.

What country split from Serbia to become an independent nation in 2006?

(timer buzzes) Montenegro.

One of the seven wonders of the ancient world is the Colossus of what Greek Island?

(buzzer dings) - Crete.

- Incorrect.

Rhodes.

From the French for morning, what M word refers to a date- (buzzer dings) (timer ringing) (Chloe speaks faintly) - What?

- [Chloe] My time.

- The answer is matinee.

Matinee.

And that's the end of our head-to-head round.

Let's check the score.

NYA 70, Westbrook 140.

The category round is next, so don't go away.

- [Announcer] Production support for "High School Quiz Show: Maine" is provided by- - [Narrator] The Worthington Scholarship Foundation dedicated to the success of Maine students by providing scholarships and personalized support throughout their college journeys.

Learn more at worthingtonscholars.org.

- Sit up.

Ready to learn?

I'm a proud member of the Maine Education Association.

English is my second language, and I am a teacher that teaches multilingual learners.

My name is Nes Griffin, and I am MEA.

- And by viewers like you.

Thank you.

(upbeat triumphant music) - Next up is the category round with the following choices: Medieval Times, Fully Baked, Magical Menagerie, Do You Mind?

The Future is Now, and Sea Here.

Each team will alternate control of two categories.

Questions have increasing point values.

With each question, they can choose to answer and either gain or lose points, they can skip it and neither gain nor lose points, or once per category, they can toss and force the other team to answer.

Players will have five seconds to confer and decide what to do.

NYA, you trail by just a little bit.

Hadley, what will your first category be?

- [Hadley] Fully Baked.

- Fully Baked.

This category will test your knowledge in baking and baked goods.

Here's the first question.

What ingredient gives Devil's food cake its flavor and color?

- Cocoa powder?

Cocoa powder.

- Cocoa powder, yes, we'll take that.

Fully Baked for 15.

Baking soda, baking powder, and yeast are ingredients added primarily to have what effect on dough or batter during the baking process?

- They make it rise.

- They do.

Fully Baked for 20.

Many bread recipes require you to use your hands to press and stretch the dough so the ingredients are fully mixed and the gluten develops before it is baked.

What is this name for this action?

- Kneading.

- Kneading, yes.

Fully Baked 25.

Heavily flavored with olive oil and baked in a sheet pan, what flat Italian bread takes its name from the Latin word for hearth.

- Focaccia.

- Focaccia, yes.

Fully Baked for 30 and the final one in the category.

Mashed banana, applesauce, and aquafaba are vegan substitutes for what standard ingredient that serves as a binder in cakes and other baked goods?

- Eggs.

- Eggs is right.

Nice job in that category, NYA.

We're gonna go over to Westbrook now.

Ezra, what will your first category be?

- [Ezra] All right, we'll do Medieval Times.

- Medieval Times.

So these will be questions about people, places, or things from the Middle Ages.

Here's our first question.

What is the four letter name for a ditch that surrounds a castle, sometimes filled with water, that serves as a line of defense against potential attacks?

- Moat.

- Moat is right.

Medieval Times 15.

The word blacksmith came into use in medieval times to describe a person who makes objects from what metal?

- Iron.

- Iron is also right.

Medieval Times for 20.

Used during the middle ages throughout Europe, China, and Japan, what is the name for the social and economic system in which nobles granted use of land to vassals in exchange for services?

- Feudalism.

- [Todd] One more time.

- Feudalism.

- Feudalism is correct.

The Battle of Hastings in 1066 marked the defeat of the Anglo-Saxons in the conquest of England by what group whose name refers to a certain region in France?

- [Westbrook Student] Normans.

- The Normans.

- Normans, yes.

Medieval Times for 30.

In 1381, what man led a peasants revolt marching from the southeast of England to London to protest taxes and demand higher wages?

(group speaking faintly) - We're gonna toss.

- You want to toss it over to NYA.

- Okay, NYA, here's the question.

Medieval Times for 30.

In 1381, what man led a peasants revolt marching from the southeast of England to London to protest taxes and demand higher wages?

(group speaking faintly) - Guy Fawkes.

- That's incorrect.

The answer is Tyler.

This is a good try.

That wraps up Medieval Times with Westbrook.

We go back to NYA .

Hadley, your second one?

- [Hadley] Magical?

Magical Menagerie.

- Alrighty, Magical Menagerie for 10.

These are gonna be questions about mythical and magical creatures.

Here's the first.

In Greek mythology, what is the name of the winged horse that came from the head of Medusa when she was decapitated by Perseus?

- Pegasus?

- Yes, Pegasus.

Magical Menagerie for 15.

What US state capital city shares its name with a mythical bird that dies in flames and is resurrected from the ashes?

- Phoenix.

- Phoenix, yes.

And for 20, Iktomiis a trickster figure in the mythology of the Lakota people.

He is often depicted as what type of creature that is also associated with the Greek myth of Arachne?

- Spider.

- Spider.

- Spider, right.

Magical Menagerie for 25.

A series of tapestries at the Cloisters Museum in New York City depict a hunt for what mythical animal?

(group speaking faintly) - We'll skip.

- The answer is unicorn.

Here's Magical Menagerie for 30.

In Celtic mythology, a selkie is what kind of animal that can transform into a human?

- A seal.

- A seal, nice job.

All right, we go back to Westbrook for the final category.

Ezra, what'll it be?

- [Ezra] Sea Here.

- Sea Here.

These are questions about seas found on Earth.

One of the largest seas on earth is which sea whose name comes from the Latin for middle of the land?

- The Mediterranean Sea.

- That's right.

Sea Here for 15.

The lowest point on Earth's surface is the shoreline of what extremely salty sea on the border between Israel and Jordan?

- [Westbrook Student] Dead sea.

- The Dead Sea.

- You got that right.

Sea Here for 20.

Jamaica, Cuba, and Belize are among the countries with coastlines on which sea where warm temperatures create conditions that help hurricanes gain strength?

(group speaking faintly) - The Caribbean Sea.

- Caribbean, correct.

Sea Here for 25.

Eight countries including Norway, Belgium, and the UK have coastlines on which sea that connects the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel?

(group speaking faintly) (timer beeping) What it'll be, Ezra?

- Skip.

You wanna skip it?

It's the North Sea.

The North Sea.

Sea Here for 30, last one.

A character in the "Chronicles of Narnia" book series shares his name with what sea between Europe and Central Asia that is the largest inland body of water on Earth?

- [Westbrook Student] Caspian, the Caspian Sea.

- The Caspian Sea.

- Caspian Sea is correct.

And that wraps up our category round.

This one is tight.

NYA 215, Westbrook 285.

Stick around.

Our lightning round is next, and it's gonna be exciting.

(upbeat triumphant music) Okay, we're heading into the final 90 seconds of gameplay, the lightning round.

Players, you do not have to wait for me to finish the question.

You can buzz in any time, but do not answer until I call your name.

You get 20 points for each correct answer.

Incorrect answers will cost you 20, and the other team does not get the chance to answer.

Our clock is set.

Here we go.

Winona Ryder played Lydia Deetz in what 19th- (buzzer dings) Chris.

- "Beetlejuice."

- [Todd] Yes.

Which US state comes first alphabetically?

(buzzer dings) Chris.

- Alabama.

- Alabama, correct.

An old proverb says what animal has nine lives?

(buzzer dings) Hadley.

- Cat.

- Cat, right.

What Z word is the name for a diploid cell that forms from the fusion- (buzzer dings) Hadley.

- Zygote.

- [Todd] Zygote, right.

What former capital of Japan has a name that is the anagram of Tokyo?

(buzzer dings) Chris.

- Kyoto.

- [Todd] Correct.

Not including jokers, a standard deck of playing cards- (buzzer dings) Joel.

- 52.

- [Todd] 52, right.

What element with the atomic number 12 produces an intense white flame when it burns?

(buzzer dings) Isaac.

- Magnesium?

- [Todd] Correct.

Mount Rushmore is located in the Black Hills of which- (buzzer dings) Joel.

- South Dakota.

- [Todd] One more time.

- South Dakota.

- That is correct.

Malagasy is the official language spoken by 99% of people in what island nation of Africa?

(buzzer dings) Denali.

- Madagascar, - Correct.

The Swiss Guard is a group of soldiers who protect what religious leader?

(buzzer dings) Ezra.

- The Pope.

- Pope.

What hard, crunchy breakfast cereal developed by CW Post has been used to flavor ice cream in Maine for more than 100 years.

(timer buzzes) Grape-Nuts.

In taxonomy, which division ranks below class and above family?

(timer buzzes) Order.

What zodiac sign for March and April is known- (buzzer dings) Hadley.

- Pisces.

(timer ringing) - Incorrect, it's Aries.

And that's the end of our lightning round.

And winning team this week is Westbrook with 425 points.

They will be moving on to the quarterfinals.

NYA, great job.

You had 255 points.

Thanks for playing.

Congratulations to both teams.

Next week, we begin the season 9 quarterfinals.

Let's take a look at the bracket.

In Quarterfinal number 1, we have Gould Academy versus Westbrook.

Quarterfinal number 2 is Falmouth versus Hebron.

Number 3, we will see Yarmouth take on Orono.

And battling for the last semifinal slot will be Windham taking on Bangor.

To keep up with this season's bracket or to rewatch an episode, head to mainepublic.org/quizshow.

We will see you next time for the quarterfinals right here on "High School Quiz Show: Maine."

(upbeat triumphant music) - [Announcer] Production support for "High School Quiz Show: Maine" is provided by- - [Narrator] Energy fuels more than homes and businesses.

It fuels dreams, ideas, and growth.

Unitil champions the critical thinkers and team players of tomorrow and is proud to support "High School Quiz Show: Maine," where learning takes center stage.

Welcome to another edition of New England Survivalists, the game we all get to play.

Prepare to win.

You can ask an independent agent about Safety Insurance and learn more at the resource center at safetyinsurance.com.

(gentle bright music) - [Narrator] Since 1852, Bangor Savings Bank has been dedicated to keeping New Englanders at the heart of what they do.

That means investing in communities they serve and supporting families and businesses.

You matter more - [Announcer] And by viewers like you.

Thank you.

(upbeat triumphant music) (upbeat triumphant music continues)