WRAL’s Brain Game features smart students putting their knowledge to the test. High schools, including Leesville, compete on Saturdays at 11:30 am on this local, high school version of Jeopardy.
The game consists of several segments including Pop Up Culture, Headliners and Word Power, in which the answer to all questions are found in a crossword puzzle. Mark Roberts, the show’s host, leads these question and answer segments.
High schools from North Carolina choose to compete, including Leesville. Their team is made up of five students: Monica
Ronk, Max Gordon, Zach Gutierrez, Jeremy Park and JC Zargo.
“I was watching the show for years,” said Zach Gutierrez, the unofficial captain of Leesville’s team. This opportunity leaves smart, aspiring students like Gutierrez with the desire to participate in this high school game show.
Brain Game’s first season premiered on January 11, 1997, and has continued to provide students with the spotlight to showcase their knowledge. In 2005, Leesville made history by making it to championships and winning Brain Game. Back then, the team had immense popularity and required students to apply.
For Leesville students today, the process for getting on the team was as simple as showing up.
“There was not enough people to compete, when I was there. So it was basically show up, and you’re on the team,” said Gutierrez.
Other participants, including Jeremy Park, were discovered and recommended by their teachers.
Leesville’s team competed in the first round on Saturday, January 11. They finished a close second against Raleigh Charter and Union Pines. Their score at the end of the game was 420, leaving them as a wildcard, competing again on February 8.
