Junior Robert Chitic Patapievici and freshmen Bharat Karla and Will Tedesco represented the Marshall Quiz Bowl team, placing second on the game show “It’s Academic” against Hayfield secondary school and James Hubert Blake High School on Jan. 12. The final score was 610-400-250.
“It’s Academic” is a game show that has aired on NBC Washington since 1961, and the Guinness Book of World Records recognizes it as the longest running quiz program in TV history. The show consists of three teams made up of three students each who answer a wide variety of questions in multiple fields, including sports, religon, literature and more. The show consists of a 15 question toss up round, followed by the host asking 10 more to each team and ending with another 15 question toss up round.
“It’s one of the longest running game shows of any kind,” physical education teacher and Quiz Bowl coach Laura Campbell said. “It’s been on NBC Washington for a very long time and it’s good for our students to be able to represent the school and go there and play against other teams.”
Quiz Bowl member Bharat Karla said being on “It’s Academic,” as well as facing his opponents, made him feel intimidated.
“It was nerve-wracking because I didn’t want to mess up,” Karla said. “I felt intimidated because I was going up against kids older than me.”
Karla said he is proud of his team.
“I am very happy with our performance,” Karla said. “Especially mine because I know I have three years to go.”
Quiz Bowl member Robert Chitic Patapievici said “It’s Academic” differs from normal Quiz Bowl competitions. “It’s Academic” has different rounds and the host can also ask questions in a variety of ways compared to a Quiz Bowl competition where the host asks questions.
“‘It’s Academic’ has a toss up round where anyone can buzz in and you can confer with your teammates,” Patapievici said. “Usually in Quiz Bowl the questions are spoken, but in ‘It’s Academic,’ they can unscramble letters or look at [a] photo or any type of question.”
The team played Blake High School, the first team in the show’s history to win the “It’s Academic” Superbowl three times in a row. Patapievici said their lack of experience in the game show, as well as the team they played, is what lead to them placing second.
“We weren’t as experienced as the team that won,” Patapievici said. “The other team had done the show two times before [Jan. 12].”
The episode will air Mar. 24 at 10:30 a.m. on NBC Washington.
2019-01-22