Difference between revisions of "Brain Busters"
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==Prizes== | ==Prizes== | ||
− | Prizes have | + | Prizes have changed over the years, as have the show's sponsors. |
+ | :* Capital Blue Cross Blue Shield -- 8 Seasons ('01-'02 until '08-'09) | ||
+ | :* Westfield Insurance -- 7 seasons ('09-'10 until '15-'16) | ||
+ | :* Wellspan Health -- 4 seasons ('16-'17 until '19-'20) | ||
+ | ::* note: 2019-2020 season was cut short, and 2020-2021 season did not run due to shutdowns. | ||
+ | :* WGAL -- 4 seasons so far ('22-present) | ||
− | In | + | In early years, sponsors often awarded top teams with small college scholarships. Tickets for free entry to a local amusement park were sometimes given to the student body of the winning high school. For many years, each show included a "bonus question" during the first round that awarded all players on the team who answered it correctly with a coupon for free Turkey Hill ice cream, or a similar prize. |
− | + | In more recent years, the program generally hands out grants to the schools on behalf of their sponsor. Teams that make it to the final four are guaranteed a certain level of grant. Currently, the champions win $5,000, 2nd place wins $3,000, and the 3rd/4th place teams each win $1,000, for total award value of $10,000 per season. | |
+ | |||
+ | In many seasons, players from all teams have been given a small gift from the sponsor during their first round of play, ensuring that all teams walk away with something. Some years, this has been a portable phone charger, a flash drive, or a travel mug, often with the logo of the sponsor on the side. | ||
==Explanation of Quality== | ==Explanation of Quality== |
Revision as of 15:27, 15 March 2025
Brain Busters, stylized as BrainBusters, is a high school quiz bowl tournament sponsored by WellSpan Health (formerly by Westfield Insurance and Capital Blue Cross) and televised by WGAL 8 of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
History
Brain Busters was first held in 2001-2002. It is hosted by Rich Rosen, a gifted education teacher and television show host. From 1998 to 2001 it was preceded by a similar program known as High Q, televised by WHTM of Harrisburg and also hosted by Rosen. Rich Rosen is well-regarded for his extremely charismatic, friendly, and welcoming qualities. Similar to other televised academic competitions, Brain Busters is fast paced and includes a variety of different rounds. Rich Rosen is professional and an enthusiastic supporter of academic competition. For many years, teamss of four competed head-to-head. Since 2021-2022, the set has been reconfigured for competition between teams of 3.
Format
The tournament is structured as a single-elimination bracket; Some years, as many as 40-50 teams have competed. Some years, a "wild card" slot has been included, depending on the field structure, to let the team with the highest losing score return. However, in recent years, the competition has typically involved 32 teams in a traditional single-elimination format. When more teams apply than spots that exist, teams are typically chosen by random drawing; Pennsylvania teams compete from throughout the Susquehanna Valley, especially teams from Lancaster Lebanon, York, Dauphin, and Cumberland Counties, and sometimes including teams from further away (ie. Franklin or Mifflin Counties).
The format includes five rounds as follows:
- first round: 10-point tossups.
- second round: one-on-one face-off between individual players on three 10-point tossups.
- third round: 60-second lightning round with three category choices.
- fourth round: wager round where teams wager up to 25 points (only round scores can decrease).
- fifth round: 20-point tossups.
Prizes
Prizes have changed over the years, as have the show's sponsors.
- Capital Blue Cross Blue Shield -- 8 Seasons ('01-'02 until '08-'09)
- Westfield Insurance -- 7 seasons ('09-'10 until '15-'16)
- Wellspan Health -- 4 seasons ('16-'17 until '19-'20)
- note: 2019-2020 season was cut short, and 2020-2021 season did not run due to shutdowns.
- WGAL -- 4 seasons so far ('22-present)
In early years, sponsors often awarded top teams with small college scholarships. Tickets for free entry to a local amusement park were sometimes given to the student body of the winning high school. For many years, each show included a "bonus question" during the first round that awarded all players on the team who answered it correctly with a coupon for free Turkey Hill ice cream, or a similar prize.
In more recent years, the program generally hands out grants to the schools on behalf of their sponsor. Teams that make it to the final four are guaranteed a certain level of grant. Currently, the champions win $5,000, 2nd place wins $3,000, and the 3rd/4th place teams each win $1,000, for total award value of $10,000 per season.
In many seasons, players from all teams have been given a small gift from the sponsor during their first round of play, ensuring that all teams walk away with something. Some years, this has been a portable phone charger, a flash drive, or a travel mug, often with the logo of the sponsor on the side.
Explanation of Quality
The tossups used in Brain Busters are not pyramidal, and often vary in quality. Questions are rarely longer than two sentences, and mostly require an answerline to be given; others, though, are multiple choice. Multiple choice tossups generally ask for players to name a year an event occurred.
Some questions, though, do start with more obscure information, then ask for something specific in the second sentence. However, these again are not always truly pyramidal, as many of the first sentences include a giveaway clue, leading to buzzer races. Usually, a handful of the tossups each game are hoses.
In terms of content, Brain Busters actually covers some of the basic high school canon in its tossups, especially in history and literature, as well as current events, sports, and other various trash.
In the lightning round, though, the question quality changes significantly. Three categories are given for teams to answer as many questions as possible in 60 seconds, with the team losing getting to pick the category first. The categories, though, are often misleading, except for the almost-always-included category where all answers start with the same letter. Generally speaking, this category is much simpler than others, and is almost always chosen first. The answerlines in this category vary wildly.
The wager round allows players to gamble between 0 and 25 points. The question is read twice by a recording of a WGAL news anchor and, surprisingly, is often formatted like a pyramidal bonus.
The questions have had numerous repeats, even within the same season, leading to players recording the airings of the show and writing down the questions used. The repeats include both the tossups, as well as unused categories in the lightning round. When asked if the questions are written in-house, Rich Rosen replied that "the questions are from another company the studio hires."
Results
Year | Champion | Runner-Up | Link | |
---|---|---|---|---|
2025 | TBD ___ | TBD ___ | ||
2024 | Ephrata 240 | Hempfield 215 | ||
2023 | Elizabethtown 300 | Hempfield 180 | ||
2022 | Cedar Crest 460 | Trinity 235 | ||
2021 | [[___]] ___ | [[___]] ___ | ||
2020 | 10-way split | Carlisle, Con. Valley, Cumb. Valley, E-town, Hempfield,
Hershey, Mechanicsburg, Penn Manor, Spring Grove, Trinity |
||
2019 | Lancaster Mennonite W | Elizabethtown L | ||
2018 | [[___]] ___ | [[___]] ___ | ||
2017 | Hempfield 365 | Ephrata 285 | ||
2016 | Cedar Crest 440 | Spring Grove 110 | Link | |
2015 | ||||
2014 | Manheim Township ___ | Harrisburg Academy ___ | ||
2013 | Manheim Township 480 | Hershey 305 | ||
2012 | Manheim Township 545 | Lower Dauphin 345 | Link | |
2011 | Lancaster Catholic 420 | Manheim Township 380 | ||
2010 | Hershey 470 | Penn Manor 370 | Link | |
2009 | Cumberland Valley 415 | Lancaster Country Day 385 | ||
2008 | Manheim Township | |||
2007 | ||||
2006 | Penn Manor | Manheim Township | Link |
External Links
Brain Busters on Westfield's site
Capital Blue Cross press release for the 2002 Brain Busters season