♪♪ -On this wild card match, the team from Fall Mountain Regional High School, [applause] is taking on the team from Lin-Wood High School.

[applause continues] Only one team will advance!

Granite State Challenge starts now!

♪♪ -Major funding for the production of Granite State Challenge is provided by Unitil.

♪♪ Additional funding provided by Safety Insurance, NEA New Hampshire, and viewers like you.

Thank you!

♪♪ Get ready, it's time for New Hampshire high schools to match wits in a high stakes scholastic showdown.

It's time for Granite State Challenge!

Here's your host, John Cannon!

[applause] -Hello everyone, and welcome to this first wild card match of season 44 of Granite State Challenge.

Back in November we had 32 teams from around the state qualify or take the 100 question test to qualify, for this year's tournament.

Of those that didn't quite score high enough, we've got two here in a wild card match to see who is going to take one of those last two spots.

So, let's introduce those teams to you.

First up, we have the team from Fall Mountain Regional High School.

♪♪ -I’m Ben I’m a senior.

-I'm Lennon I'm a senior.

-I'm Josh I'm a senior.

-I'm Rylie I'm a junior.

-The team is coached by Nick Belsky, social studies teacher and the alternates are Keegan and Nate, and they are the team from Fall Mountain Regional High School.

[applause] And facing off against them in this wild card match is the team from Lin-Wood High School.

-I'm Maisie, I'm a junior.

-I'm Kai, I'm a sophomore.

-I'm Evan, I'm a senior.

-I'm chuck, I'm a sophomore.

-Their alternates are Hazel and Willa and the team is coached by science teacher David Webster, and they are the team from Lin-Wood High School.

[applause] Alright those are our teams this week and of course, we are always in love with our judge Ann Boulanger back with us again for another season on the Ann Cam!

[applause] Alright.

Teams have been introduced.

Ann has been introduced.

Alright teams, let's play some Granite State challenge.

As you know, we play in four rounds and in round one we play ten point toss up questions.

So grab those signaling devices Fall Mountain and Lin-Wood good luck, here we go.

Ian Fleming named this British spy after an American ornithologist and author of the 1936 field guide, birds of the West Indies.

[buzzer chimes] Lennon of Fall Mountain?

-James Bond.

-James Bond is right!

At 3212ft, Angel Falls is the highest uninterrupted waterfall in the world.

In what South American country will you find it?

[buzzer chimes] Ben of Fall Mountain?

-Venezuela?

-That is correct.

Athos, Porthos and Aramis, characters created by French author Alexandre Dumas, are better known by this collective name that is also the name of a candy bar.

[buzzer chimes] Lennon of Fall Mountain?

-Three musketeers?

-That's right.

[correct chime] This scientist received the first Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901 for his 1895 discovery of X-rays.

His name was Wilhelm öntgen.

Alright teams, this baked steak dish wrapped in pastry might be named for the British Army officer who helped to defeat Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo.

[buzzer chimes] Ben of Fall Mountain?

-Beef Wellington?

-That's right!

With 54 recognized countries, this continent has more countries than any other continent.

Kai of Lin-Wood?

-Africa?

-That's right!

Beethoven's fifth and ninth are both examples of this large scale musical work for orchestra, typically with four movements.

[buzzer chimes] Evan of Lin-Wood?

-Symphony?

-Yes!

Each day of the Tour de France, the leader, based on cumulative time, wears this color jersey.

Kai of Lin-Wood?

-Yellow?

-The yellow jersey is right.

[chiming] The Portsmouth Peace Treaty negotiated in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in 1905, ended the Russo-Japanese War and earned this president the Nobel Peace Prize.

Ben of Fall Mountain?

-Teddy Roosevelt?

-Yes!

Alright, team, our next question is from New Hampshire Kid Governor Jade Adams, and it comes to you on your monitors, take a look.

-Hi I'm Jade Adams, the 2025 New Hampshire's Kid Governor, and I have a civics question for you.

The term for a kid governor is one year.

How long is the term for a New Hampshire governor?

[buzzer chimes] -Evan of Lin-Wood?

-Two years?

-Two years is right!

Actor Bob Newhart was the star of both the Bob Newhart Show and Newhart.

In the first show, he played a Chicago psychologist, and in the second show, he played a Vermont innkeeper.

You may know him from The Big Bang Theory, where he played this host of a children's science show.

[buzzer chimes] Maisie of Lin-Wood?

-Professor Proton?

-That is correct.

[chiming] The German band Kraftwerk has a 1975 song called Radioactivity.

That name checks this famous scientist who won a 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics for groundbreaking work with radioactivity.

[buzzer chimes] Ben of Fall Mountain?

-Marie Curie?

-That is right.

[chiming] Invented by Wilbert L Gore and his son, Robert W Gore, this fabric, made with expanded Polytetrafluoroethylene, helps keep you warm and dry in the winter.

That fabric is known as Gore-Tex Alright teams, our next question celebrates the United States’ Semi-quinti-sense-- Semiquincentennial celebrating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States and this question is worth 25 points.

This last major land battle in the American Revolution led to a decisive victory for the Continental Army, Ben of Fall Mountain?

-Battle of Yorktown?

-That is right.

[chiming] Dan Povenmire, one of the creators of the Disney animated series Phineas and Ferb, named Phineas Flynn after Phileas Fogg, the main character in this novel by Jules Verne.

You'll find Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 days.

Alright teams, what organization's informal motto is neither snow nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.

Ben of Fall Mountain?

-Marines?

-Sorry no [incorrect buzzer] Lin-Wood?

Kai?

-The postal service?

-The postal service yeah the post office is right.

This Jamaican sprinter is known for wearing gold running shoes, which is appropriate given that he won the Olympic gold in the 100 and 200 meter races in the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympics.

Lennon of Fall Mountain?

-Usain Bolt?

-Yes.

[correct chime] This rap group is famous for the 1986 hit Walk This Way in collaboration with the rock band Aerosmith.

That collaborator is Run DMC.

Alright teams at close to 3,000,000 square miles this is the largest island that is not a continent.

[buzzer chimes] Kai of Lin-Wood?

-Greenland?

Yes, Greenland is right.

Alright, teams, our next question is our Unitil Power Question, and it is worth 20 points and it comes to you on your monitors, take a look.

-This US president used the quote, knowledge is power.

Attributed to Francis Bacon in at least four letters he wrote about the establishment of the University of Virginia.

[buzzer chimes] -Lennon of Fall Mountain?

-Thomas Jefferson?

-That is right!

[alarm blares] Oh, and that sound ends the round, and at the end of round one looks like Fall Mountain’s out to a bit of a lead by a score of 115 to 70.

[applause] Alright, teams, great job in round one.

We're going to take a break in the action right now and get to know our players a little bit and we're going to start with the team from Fall Mountain Regional High School.

Fall mountain is located in Sullivan County and it serves the towns of Langdon, Acworth, Alstead, Charlestown and Walpole.

And we're going to start down here at the end with Rylie.

Now Rylie, I've been watching a little bit on the camera, and, we've got three tall teammates, right?

And so you wrote on your card as the shortest member of the team.

How do you feel about that?

Do you feel okay about that?

-Yeah I think I can accept that.

-Okay.

-Most of my life I’ve been pretty short.

[chuckling] -Yeah same.

But they gave you something to stand on.

-Yeah!

-Right?

And, you know what you answer the most questions you'll be the tallest one on the team.

-Yeah, yeah.

-Right?

How about that.

Alright.

Joining Rylie is Josh.

Josh is a good cook, but he has a specialty.

What is it?

-It's my hot co.

-Your hot co?

And co is like code word for what?

For the folks at home.

-Hot chocolate for those who don’t know.

-For those who don’t know about hot co.

Alright.

What is the secret to a good hot co?

-You got to be able to mix it really well.

-Okay.

-Make sure that it comes out and make sure that it's not too hot, not too cold, perfect temperature.

-Oh, Alright.

Alright you got to Goldilocks that hot co?

I gotcha.

Alright, well, listen, if we see you, next time, then you'll have to bring me some hot co so I can test that theory myself.

Alright.

Joining him is Lennon.

Now, Lennon, you are, in the top 500 in North America in what?

-Console Overwatch.

-Console Overwatch.

So for folks who don't know what Overwatch is, what is Overwatch?

-Overwatch is 5v5, team based video game.

You get a selection of a ton of different characters, and you basically battle it out to win objectives.

-Okay.

And, this is top 500 in North America how long do you have to play Overwatch in order to be in the top 500?

-I've played for about 4000 hours or a little bit more than that.

It's probably not worth it, but, you just got to commit, you know, you it's all about, like, the knowledge of the game.

You know, if if you got good knowledge with the game, you're able to, you know, carry your team.

-So much as in life.

Well, good luck.

Hopefully, maybe you play it in college.

Alright.

And team captain Ben.

We all have favorite foods.

But, Ben, your favorite food is a little bit unique.

What is it?

-It’s lettuce.

-It’s lettuce!

Okay, so what is it you love about lettuce?

Convince me.

-Like I'm, I try to eat healthy.

It's a very healthy food-- It's a superfood.

Like, it's an option that fast food places.

It's very versatile.

-Yeah.

-You know, I can eat it with almost anything-- -Yeah, yeah, man, everything's better with lettuce.

Do you have a favorite variety of lettuce?

-Probably iceberg.

-What-- what is it called?

-Iceberg.

-Iceberg lettuce man, classic.

Who doesn't love iceberg lettuce?

Alright, that is Ben and that is the team from Fall Mountain Regional High School.

[applause] Alright.

Moving on to their opponents in this wild card match, we have the team from Lin-Wood High School up in Grafton County, about 120 students serving the towns of Lincoln and Woodstock.

We'll start at the end here with Charles or Chuck, as you are known.

Chuck, how are you with time?

-I'm okay with time, but I think showing up on time is a real issue for me.

-It's tough for Chuck to show up on time.

You're on Chuck time.

-Always.

-Always late?

You're that guy who's always late?

-Yeah definitely.

-Okay.

Does everyone sort of in your life accept that that is just the way that you are and?-- -It seems like people have.

-Okay, excellent.

Alright, well, maybe you were late for, this today, but you're, you're right on time for the show so-- -Glad that-- It is all that matters you're right.

Alright, Evan, joining is, goes to the gym a lot.

He's been working for, how many years you been going to the gym?

-Four probably.

Alright, so for four years, you've been focused and, what is your personal record for the bench press at this point?

-Personal bests is 255 pounds for two reps.

-For two reps, not just one guys but for two reps, 255.

Alright, what's your goal?

Do you have a goal?

-Like, you know, it'd be pretty cool to bench 400 pounds-- -Are there people, there's people out there that can bench 400 pounds?

-I think so.

-You think so?

If not-- -I bet I could.

-Maybe you'll be the first?

-You know maybe, maybe it will take me four more years but I think I can do it.

-Listen, it's something you could do for most of your life.

So even if it takes you 40 more years.

-Yeah.

-You can do it!

Right?

Why not?

-I’ll get there someday.

-You'll get there.

I will not, but that is okay.

Alright, Kai, different kind of athletic, enterprise.

What is your sport of choice?

-I'm an alpine ski racer.

-Alpine ski racer.

So, it says here that you have 218.30 USSA slalom points, explain to us what that means.

-So that number is not actually that good, but, -I didn't think I would get asked about it.

-But -You put it on the card.

[chuckling] -No, that is the, points are a measure of how good skiers are against everyone in the US, for my age group, through 16.

-Okay.

-So does that mean your number 200 ranked, like 218?

-No, no.

-Okay.

Is slalom your event?

-Slalom is my event.

-Is your event, okay.

And, you're on the school team?

I am on the Lin-Wood school team-- -And the Lin-Wood school team-- -we’re a very good team I have to say.

-Okay, how good?

-State champs, two years in a row.

-Okay.

-Soon to be three.

-Hoping to be three.

Alright, I love it.

But also, you ski sort of independently.

-I ski with the club team, at Loon Mountain, which is right near our school.

-Gotcha.

Okay, excellent.

Well, keep it up it's a great sport again, a lifelong thing.

And rounding out the team, team captain Maisie, did some humanitarian work.

Tell us about it.

-I went down to Belize in February of 2024, and we did three main service projects down there.

-Okay was this with the school?

-It was with the local Interact club.

-Okay so interact is a club that's based, or built around rotary-- -Yes.

-Like local rotary clubs.

What’d you do in Belize?

-So we refurbished a snack shack, we built a security shed, and then we gave all the tools we had used to do those two projects to the local high school shop class.

-Awesome, fantastic.

Hoping to go back, maybe?

-Yes, I am going back in February of 2026.

-Oh great!

Same place?

-Yep.

-Alright awesome.

That's fantastic.

Alright.

And that is the team from Lin-Wood Regional High School.

[applause] Alright.

Thank you very much teams for that.

We're going to get right back into the show.

Actually I'm going to leave these cards here because in round two we do what we call our three strikes and you're out round.

So the way that this works is that each team gets ten questions and we go right down the line.

Player by player, alright?

If you get the question right, we give you ten points.

If you get it wrong, we give you a strike and we keep going until there's three strikes and you're out.

If you don't know the answer, you can pass it to the teammate next to you.

Each team gets three passes.

And like I said, we keep going until we answer all ten questions, til three strikes, you're out.

Alright?

And so we'll start with Fall Mountain, the first team alphabetically, and then we'll move on to Lin-Wood.

So Ben, this is your question.

This classic 1946 Christmas movie, directed by Frank Capra, features banker George Bailey and Clarence the Ghost.

-Pass.

-Alright, Lennon pass to you, same question.

-Could you repeat the question?

-Sure.

This classic 1946 Christmas movie directed by Frank Capra, features banker George Bailey and Clarence the Ghost.

-Miracle on 34th Street?

-It’s a won-- It's a Wonderful Life.

Josh, Frank Capra also directed the 1936 movie Mr.

Deeds Goes to Town, starring Gary Cooper as a Vermont man who inherited $20 million from his uncle.

The 2002 remake Mr.

Deeds, starred this actor as a New Hampshire man who inherited a multi-billion dollar company from his great uncle.

-Pass.

-Alright, Rylie can you repeat the question?

-I can.

Frank Capra also directed the 1936 movie Mr.

Deeds Goes to Town, starring Gary Cooper as a Vermont man who inherited $20 million from his uncle.

The 2002 remake Mr.

Deeds, starred this actor as a New Hampshire man who inherited a multi-billion dollar company from his great uncle, -Tom Hanks?

-Sorry no, it is Adam Sandler.

Alright, Ben, back to you.

Adam Sandler is famous for a novelty song about this holiday that begins tonight.

-Hanukkah?

-Hanukkah is right, Lennon.

Hanukkah lasts for this many days and nights.

[chime] -It is eight days or nights.

And that is your third strike.

And at the end of your round.

And that ends your round.

[applause] Alright, Lin-Wood we move on to you.

Same drill.

You've got three passes and we keep going till three strikes and you're out.

Maisie we'll start with you.

This is your question.

This 1957 book by Doctor Seuss tells the story of someone with a heart that was two sizes too small.

-How the Grinch Stole Christmas?

-Correct.

Kai, The 2000 movie How the Grinch Stole Christmas starred this actor as the Grinch.

-Jim Carrey?

-That is right.

Evan, In 1998, Jim Carrey starred in this movie about a man whose entire life was a reality TV show.

-Pass.

-Pass to Chuck.

-The Truman Show?

-The Truman Show is right.

Maisie, back to you.

President Harry Truman became president after the death of this man.

-Pass.

-Alright, pass to Kai.

-Franklin Roosevelt?

-He's the one.

Alright, Evan, your question.

Between 1933 and 1938, Franklin Roosevelt proposed a number of economic, social and political reforms, known collectively as this.

[chime] It is the New Deal.

[buzzer blares] Charles, Deal was a 1972 song written by Jerry Garcia, who was the lead guitarist and vocalist for this band.

-I'm not sure.

-It is The Grateful Dead.

Maisie, devoted followers of the Grateful Dead are known collectively as this.

-Deadheads?

-Deadheads is right.

Kai, What are the two things you can call during a coin toss?

-Heads or tails?

-Heads or tails is right.

Evan, Mrs.

Potts sings the song tale as old as time in this movie.

-Pass.

-Alright, that is your last pass to Chuck.

You'll find that classic number in Beauty and the Beast, and that is your third strike and ends your rounds.

[applause] Alright, things tightening up after round two with Lin-Wood taking a slight lead over Fall Mountain.

That bodes well for you, Fall mountain, because in round three we do our 60 second round.

So I'd like to invite the alternates to come on up and join their teams at the podium.

In the 60 second round, each team gets ten questions in a category.

You can work together as a team, but we take the team captain’s answer as the team answer and Fall Mountain as the team trailing right now, you get to select first from our three categories in this wildcard round.

They are money can't buy you love, in good shape, and fiddle dee dee.

Ben, what is your team’s selection?

[whispering] -In good shape.

-In good shape.

-In good shape.

Alright, sounds good.

So in this category, the answers to the following will all include the name of a shape.

You've got 60 seconds to work with, Ben I'll take your answer as the team answer.

Good luck.

60 seconds, start the clock.

This place is known for the mysterious disappearances of planes and ships.

-Bermuda triangle.

-Yes.

This is where the president works.

-Oval office.

-Correct.

This site in Moscow is located along the eastern wall of the Kremlin -Pass.

-It is the Red square.

The Department of Defense is located here.

-Pentagon.

-Yes.

Chuck Norris must stop Ninja train terrorists in this 1980 martial arts film.

-Pass.

-It is the Octagon.

This imaginary line of latitude lies at approximately 65 degrees north.

[whispering] -Equator?

-It is the Artcic Circle.

This neighborhood in Brooklyn is known for its amusement parks and boardwalk.

Through Times Square, it is Coney Island.

A statue of the man who sailed the ocean blue in 1492 sits at the center of this landmark in New York City.

Pass to.

Columbus Circle.

The tomb of coffer is located in this famous complex in Egypt.

Three Great Pyramids of Giza.

I think that was just after the buzzer, judge.

And.

Alright.

And so it was the Pyramids of Giza.

And at the end of your round, we're counting them up.

How many they get three out of ten on your 62nd round.

Alright, teams, Lynwood, you are up next.

And maybe I will take your answer.

As the team is, you can talk to your team and decide from our remaining two categories.

Money can't buy you love and fiddle de.

Money can't buy you.

Love.

Money can't buy.

You love.

Okay, Lin-Wood, the answers to the following will be real or fictional.

People with a word for money or currency in their name.

Alright, so again, maybe I'll take your answer as a team.

Answer 60s start the clock.

This singer is known as the Man in Black.

Past Johnny Cash.

This American poet was a fascist collaborator in Italy.

Ezra Pound This actor and rapper is known for the song in the club in 21 question.

50 cent.

Yes, he wrote the Lord of the flies.

What?

Pass is.

William Golding.

This comedian actor, along with her sister Laura, was born in Bedford, New Hampshire.

Past Sarah Silverman, he was the governor of Arkansas before becoming president of the US.

Bill Clinton, Bill Clinton.

Yes, Tim Curry and Bill Skarsgard both played this creepy clown created by Stephen King.

Pennywise.

Yes, this British spy is known as 007.

James James Bond.

He was Donald Trump's first vice president.

Mike pence.

Mike Pence yes, this pitcher, known for his bloody sock, helped the Boston Red Sox win the 2004 World Series.

Didn't get to the end of that question.

It was Curt Schilling, and at the end of their round, Lin-Wood makes five.

Correct.

Alright.

Great job Linwood.

Thank you.

Alternates.

You can go ahead and take your seats.

Alright.

Things remaining tight after round three.

We're going to move right on into round four.

In round four teams we're going to pick back up with our toss up questions.

But we're going to double the point value to 20 points.

So these are 20 point toss up questions and incorrect responses will receive a deduction of 20 points.

So a lot can change in round four.

But it's a close match.

So play smart fall Mountain in Lin-Wood.

Good luck here.

We go.

We're going to start with a math question.

You have pen and paper.

If you choose teams.

What is the area of a triangle with a base ten and height five band fall mountain 25.

That's right teams.

What was the name of the massive stone formation on Cannon Mountain that collapsed in 2003?

Chi of Lynwood, old man of the mountain.

That's right.

What is the title of Walt Whitman's poem honoring Abraham Lincoln's death?

As O captain, my captain.

In 2001, this man became the first black U.S.

Secretary of State.

Before that, he served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and National Security Advisor.

Was Colin Powell Buckminster Fuller Green has 60 carbon atoms and looks like a soccer ball.

It was named for this American architect, inventor, futurist and world president of Mensa from 1974 to 1983, who was known for his geodesic domes.

And Buckminster Fuller, his name for Buckminster Fuller.

Alright, teams, what fictional character is famous for saying live long and prosper Ben of Fall Mountain?

Spock?

That's right.

Teams what?

The title of Edgar Allan Poe's famous narrative poem about a talking bird, Riley of Fall Mountain, The Raven.

Yes.

Which 1997 movie features the famous line I'm the King of the world?

I was on the Titanic.

Alright, teams, go ahead and take a look at your monitor.

This Native American leader fought against U.S.

forces in the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876.

Ty of Linwood, sitting bull.

Correct.

Ratified in 1794.

This is the First Amendment ratified after the Bill of rights.

It protects states from being sued in federal court by citizens of another state or a foreign country.

What amendment is it, then?

A fall mountain?

11th.

That's right teams, what have you injured besides your pride?

If you accidentally hit your patella with a hammer?

Evan of Linwood.

In a. Will we take that?

We'll take that.

Your near your kneecap teams.

In what sport will you find?

Scrums, number eights, rucks and caps, but no helmets.

Joshua fall, mountain rugby.

That's right.

Another math question for you.

Teams find the mean of the numbers two, five, seven and ten.

The mean of two, five, seven and ten.

Ben, a full mountain, six and a half.

Sorry.

No.

Linwood.

I can't click.

You can't click.

Try it again right now.

Chi Chi.

13.5.

Sorry.

No, it is six.

Alright.

Teams, the opium wars.

Well, we ended on a math question.

And with a very, very tight game until the very end, it looks like Fall Mountain will be moving on by a score of 235 to 220.

A close fought match.

But congratulations, Fall Mountain.

We will see you when the season starts in February.

And Linwood, it was a tight game.

You were ahead.

You were back.

It was a lot of fun.

It was fun for me to watch.

I hope it was fun for you and for the folks at home.

And speaking for the folks at home, you can go ahead and tune right into our next game.

That puts the team from Conant High School against the team from Malcolm up Valley.

Alright.

That'll do it for us on this wild card match.

And as I like to say, I learned something.

And I hope you did as well.

We'll see you next time.

Major funding for the.

Production of Granite State Challenge is provided by Unitil.

Additional funding provided by Safety Insurance, NEA, New Hampshire and viewers like you.

Thank you.