CBC today announced the 12 remarkable Canadian kids who will compete on CANADA’S SMARTEST PERSON JUNIOR, premiering Wednesday, Nov. 14 at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) on CBC, the CBC TV streaming app and cbc.ca/watch. Over the course of six episodes, the competition will determine which incredible young Canadian will be crowned as the first ever Canada’s Smartest Person Junior. Like Canada’s Smartest Person, the junior format is inspired by The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Over six weeks, 12 Canadian kids aged 9–12 will showcase their smarts in fun and innovative challenges across six categories: physical, musical, social, linguistic, logical and visual. The new CBC competition series is hosted by two-time Canadian Screen Award Winner Paul Sun-Hyung Lee (Kim’s Convenience).
In a twist on the original format, audiences will see the same competitors week-to-week. Those with the strongest performances each week will advance to the next episode, while the others will be up for elimination. In the season finale, the top six finalists will go head-to-head one final time. The competition will culminate in a heart-stopping showdown between the top two combatants in the world’s most intense intelligence obstacle course, the Super Gauntlet. The young competitors are:
- Alexia Sabau, 12, from Calgary, Alberta
- Arjun Ram, 12, from Hamilton, Ontario
- Ashley Taylor, 11, from Guelph, Ontario
- Danica Scully, 11, from Halifax, Nova Scotia
- Liam Henderson, 11, from Sarnia, Ontario
- Liam Veale, 12, from Saint John, New Brunswick
- Mateus Soto, 11, from Toronto, Ontario
- Matthew Shimon, 12, from Sydney, Nova Scotia
- Matthew Yu, 10, from West Vancouver, B.C.
- Misuzu Tamaki, 11, from Markham, Ontario
- Sandra Nitchi, 11, from Montreal, Quebec
- Zoe Devalia, 11, from Scarborough, Ontario
CANADA’S SMARTEST PERSON JUNIOR is produced by Media Headquarters in association with CBC. The series executive producer and creator is Robert Cohen. For CBC, Sally Catto is General Manager, Programming; Jennifer Dettman is Executive Director, Unscripted Content; and Susan Taylor is Executive in Charge of Production. Media Headquarters, now part of Kew Media Group, retains the international rights. The format has sold in 12 territories worldwide including France, Germany, Sweden, Turkey and Argentina.
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About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster. Through our mandate to inform, enlighten and entertain, we play a central role in strengthening Canadian culture. As Canada’s trusted news source, we offer a uniquely Canadian perspective on news, current affairs and world affairs. Our distinctively homegrown entertainment programming draws audiences from across the country. Deeply rooted in communities, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Indigenous languages. We are leading the transformation to meet the needs of Canadians in a digital world.
About Media Headquarters:
Media Headquarters is a leading Canadian television and digital media production company founded by executive producer Robert Cohen. The company is recognized worldwide for producing popular and innovative original content. Media Headquarters’ productions have earned dozens of international awards and the company has been recognized by Realscreen’s ‘Global 100’ List celebrating the world’s best non-fiction producers for six years in a row. Media Headquarters specializes in the creation of unscripted series, formats, drama and children’s programming. For more information visit mediahqs.net.
For more information, please contact:
Sarah Goddard, publicist, CBC
416-205-2983
sarah.goddard@cbc.ca
