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10 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
Good idea, nice set, poor execution, 15 May 2007
5/10
Author: telmnstr from Norfolk, VA

The idea is fun. See what you remember of the knowledge you may not use on a daily basis. Jeff Foxworthy is a decent host. The set is elaborate and nice. But the questions come along way too slowly. I almost get the feeling that the guests are delaying their answers in order to expand the time, perhaps there is an off-camera indicator. I can only imagine what the contestant screening must be like, because I'm sure there are many people that could whip thru the questions with ease and take home the money. Anyone that knew they were going on the show could probably cram, I mean, the jackpot is a million dollars. So overall, to the producers, we want a number of questions equal to that of Jeopardy per episode or something. Of course, given the limited pool of questions they may run out pretty quickly, and the reason they move slowly could be the amount of money that is offered as a prize.

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31 out of 55 people found the following comment useful :-
Moves along too slowly, 28 February 2007
3/10
Author: GeneralGore from United States

This might have been an OK show, but it is very slow paced. There are about 6 questions answered per 30 minute episode, and there is a commercial after every question. They try to make a cliffhanger by having a commercial after a contestant has chosen an answer but it doesn't work. It just helps to bore the viewer even more.

The questions range from 1st to 5th grade questions and contestants are college graduates that have great difficulty with these questions. It may not be scripted, but it is really hard not to think that it is. The contestants are just stupid and use all of their 'lifelines' (copy, peek, and save) in the first few questions.

What makes the show even more unbearable is the children. They have five 5th graders (the classmates) and a contestant can choose one kid every two questions. The kids always get the question right and do it quickly while the adult struggles with it.

When Jeff Foxworthy makes a joke they will laugh obnoxiously right on cue, and the camera has to zoom in on their faces to show you how faked the laughs are. If only the jokes were actually funny.

Don't watch this show. It may have sounded like a good concept of a game, but you will be pulling your hair out after sitting through commercial after commercial so you can look at pathetic adults struggle with easy questions.

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7 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
Great show for family or TIVO, 31 May 2007
8/10
Author: garretsr from Irvine, CA

This is a great show because it can be watched in two ways: First, you can watch it with kids. That was the key to "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" and it works here as well. The kids love it, especially if the adults don't know the answer (it doesn't matter whether it's the adults on the screen or at home).

Second, this show is sufficiently predictable that, without kids around, you can watch it in ten minutes or less on TIVO. Like "Deal or No Deal," the interesting part is watching the contestant mess up by going for a question they don't know or risking $425,000 on the $1,000,000 question. Since the questions come about every 6 minutes, you just skip forward. And unlike "Deal or No Deal," there's no incentive to stop to watch the banter between the host and the regulars.

Additionally, there are enough questions on subjects that we never use that most adults have a Paul Simon moment every couple of shows (realizing just how much they learned in grade school but forgot).

Finally, although Foxworthy's not at the top of his game (and probably cannot be on a family show); he's far more entertaining than Howie and probably as good as Regis was. Likewise, even though some of the kids' comments appear strained and were likely fed to the kids (through their ear pieces), the ids are still funnier and more articulate than the "Deal Or Not Deal" supporting staff.

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4 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
Ick., 27 September 2007
1/10
Author: rabidmonkey from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Terrible. Figured I'd give it a watch since little else was on TV; what a mistake. I find it hard to believe that someone who scored 1100 on their SATs can have such trouble with first-grade level questions, such as what color to mix with white to get pink, which state is the farthest south (Utah, Nebraska or New Mexico?) or other very elementary questions. Not to mention that the contestants seem to drag out their answers and take veritable ages to answer one question, before it cuts to a commercial break. Even when someone messes up it's pretty painful to watch and not very entertaining. I have nothing against Jeff Foxworthy, but the decision to cast him as the host of a family show is a poor choice; since he can't even crack any worthwhile jokes. Needless to say I'm never going to watch this again...

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4 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
an average show not greatly executed (review by a somebody only 3 years older than a fifth grader), 22 July 2007
3/10
Author: HarryPotterADC from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

(((Caution: could possibly contain spoilers))) I have read a good sum of reviews saying that most American adults (especially on the show) are just stupid because of the fact that they cannot answer the questions without stumbling over them. I highly doubt this. American adults aren't necessarily stupid because they cannot answer these questions. (Notice how I do not say "1st to 5th grade questions.) I just think that they cannot recall what they have learned some years ago. The people trying to win money aren't necessarily idiots (except maybe for the exception of some people), just unprepared and a tad bit forgetful. We should not classify them as morons because of their inability to answer.

You may have read in my review that I said, "Notice how I do not say '1st to 5th grade questions.'" Now, I feel that I can elaborate; these questions are definitely not matched to their grade level. I should know, I'm still in school; and not just any school, a PRIVATE school. Being in a private school, I am probably a little ahead of those who go to public schools (but only a tiny, tiny bit. Not a lot). For example (to the fact that these questions are not accurately matched to the grade level), one question on one of the shows asked the contestant something to the effect of, "What is the organ that connects the mouth to the stomach?" answer: esophagus. (Again, the question is something like that of which I have typed.) This was listed as one of the earlier grade levels; I believe it to be first grade. (I hope I'm correct.) That is definitely not FIRST grade level. There's barely a chance it is even second grade level. Maybe this is the reason why the adults can't answer the questions.

Anyways, this is a good family show. I would recommend it to younger children (between 1rd and 5th) who just want to learn a little something, something above their grade level or (if the questions are actually matched correctly) review. I enjoy it myself, when I have really nothing else to do. My only problems are the mismatched question (to grade level) and the fact that everything goes to slowly. Jeff Foxworthy, I believe, tries to hard to be funny too, and his almost random comments are just slowing the whole thing even more. What would make this show faster and more exciting is a time limit; a 30 second time limit to lock in an answer, a decision to use a cheat, or a decision to drop out would make the show slightly faster and slightly more exciting. Watch them panic as they run out of time! LOL. But seriously, put a time limit and start laughing as they panic; if they did, 1) the show will be faster, and 2) my review would be at least 5 stars.

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14 out of 25 people found the following comment useful :-
"Fifth grader's" cheating, 5 May 2007
10/10
Author: tony_andrew from United States

Show is cheating!!!! On the show that aired on 3 May, if you listen carefully you can here someone whispering the answers to a few of the questions right before he (the first contestant, a male) gets that ah-ha moment of "I got it!"

One was an answer of "Xylophone" when asked a question about which one of these items are considered a percussion instrument.

The other was "Hieroglyphics" when asked what was the ancient Egyptian language of writing on walls called.

If you have the show saved, go listen for yourself. We played it over and over and everyone in our room heard it.

We thought we've heard things before, but didn't save the episodes to verify earlier suspicions. If anyone else is hearing these same things, please post. Nothing pisses me off more than a corporate scandal, especially from Hollywood. Shame is... I like this show....

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10 out of 18 people found the following comment useful :-
wtf?, 29 March 2007
1/10
Author: from United States

How in the world does this show get away with having so many commercials? Aren't there standards that require a certain amount of programming per hour or something? There is literally a commercial after every question. The show is excruciating enough, but the commercial to program ratio makes it downright unbearable. I'm half tempted to watch it one more time...just to time the commercial breaks. I'm guessing it comes close to 40 minutes of commercial and maybe 20 minutes of show. But no...I don't think I can stomach another hour of the painfully unfunny Jeff Foxworthy and the idiot contestants. 5 cute, precocious kids does not a show make.

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35 out of 68 people found the following comment useful :-
Why?, 27 February 2007
1/10
Author: m_bratsch from United States

I admit the concept looked kind of amusing, so I anticipated watching the show when it was coming on after American Idol.

It's really just a gag though. OK, so some adults are dumb. Point made. And? Do people really get a kick out of watching an idiot stand up on stage and not know what in month a national holiday is observed? How long could this show really go on for? I remember watching Who Wants To Be A Millionaire when it first became a hit, and one of the parts of the show was the first 5 questions they ask, which were always extremely simple and almost joke quality. Contestants would breeze through them 99% of the time, and the only real point of it was to help relieve their nervousness and provide a little humor (some of the gag answer choices were funny). It was occasionally amusing as well when someone blew an early question. That part of the show went by fast though, and then they got into the real questions with all the super-drama.

Foxworthy's game however takes that drama of the latter stages of Millionaire and applies it to questions of the first bit quality. Watching a guy sweat over the area of a triangle? What is there to gain from watching this show? As a viewer you can't play along because the questions are too mind-numbingly stupid. The only thing there is to do is laugh at how dumb these adults are. But can that last? I couldn't make it past the first commercial break. My question really is how long will America tune into it? Does FOX really think this can be a series? It would have been better as a 3 night special and not have any hopes beyond that, then it might actually have had a point.

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
This proves something else, 22 August 2008
4/10
Author: crash21 from Tampa, FL

I think all "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" really proves is how many worthless facts they make you memorize in the school system, only to have you forget it shortly after. Because there is really no true use for it.

It would be one thing if these people couldn't answer questions from something like 5th Grade math. Because math skills are something you are constantly adding to, and work with throughout your entire life. But, most of the questions in this show are made up of historical questions and the government. Things most people aren't going to remember, unless they have their own interest in these subjects.

I also agree with the other people who said that the show was slow, they delay answers, and Foxworthy babbles too much.

This show certainly did not deserve all the hype it got.

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6 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
Absolutely Painful to Watch, 1 March 2007
1/10
Author: jaurrgu6 from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Like other IMDb users, I wish there was an option for zero, perhaps maybe negative stars. This is probably the worst excuse for a game show since Show Me the Money (then again, I'm not saying much). America is dumbing down and "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?" proves it. Seeing grown-ups stumble on questions that ten-year-olds can answer? Come on! Where do they pick these contestants!? Do they search random streets and bring the most moronic people they can find? The very first contestant really took the cake. He was a UCLA grad (or he says he was) and he had no clue that Andrew Johnson was the first president to be impeached. The next contestant thought Mexico had the longest border with the United States. Ugh. The only person who is about as clueless as the contestants is Jeff Foxworthy.

How many times can the camera focus on the fifth graders taunting the contestants and raising their hands before a question!? It makes me sick and I hope they get a taste of their own medicine.

The format is absolutely the worst part of the show. The pacing is horribly sloth-like and sometimes before they answer one question they cut to commercial. Hel-LO? They were at a commercial just before that one was asked! The worst thing is if a contestant gets a question wrong and the kid s/he called up gets it right, s/he stays in the game. It should be the reverse because THAT proves the fifth grader is smarter than the contestant. The so-called UCLA grad did not answer a single question by himself, yet because of the flawed format (using his "cheats"), he won $5,000. Every contestant so far has walked away in the middle of a question. They should make a new rule saying that the contestant MUST answer the question once he/she has seen it. If they walk with what they have, it just proves that they're absolutely retarded.

This show also seems rigged. Some of these questions I had no idea about at least until I was in tenth grade, yet all the kids answered it correctly. Anybody sense a hint of "Twenty-One"? I think the kids were given the answers.

This show should be called "Do You Know More Useless Facts Than a Fifth Grader?" I can't believe FOX still insists on keeping it.

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