The change of one word makes all the difference.
The inaugural “High School Bowl” taping of the season (my 8th, and the 44th overall for the show) went off with only a hitch or two Friday morning, and it was during it that someone said something that I had to correct. It's a correction I've had to make a lot over the past eight years, in fact.
In all honesty, I may be the only one who thinks it's a big deal, but it's still something I think needs to be pointed out. Dozens of times over the past eight seasons I've been referred to (by various people) as the “star” of “High School Bowl”, and I don't think that's right. I'm the host of the show. The kids who are up on the chairs with the buzzers in their hands? Those are the stars of the show.
I'm just the host, making sure that they get their time in the spotlight.
If there's one thing that I've noticed during the years, it's that these kids are bright. And some of them are more than bright; some of them are scary smart, something you'll notice if you watch any of the episodes. I mean, I can come off as someone who seems to know everything, but we're all aware that that's just a really good facade. Some of these kids, on the other hand, really DO seem to know everything. I've asked questions ranging from hard math to Greek mythology to ancient history to pop culture, and they have it down cold.
THAT'S why they're the stars of the show.
I may have mentioned this before, but my favorite part of hosting (and the favorite part of a lot of people who watch, based on the comment I get) is been the part of the show where I get to spend a couple of minutes talking to the kids and asking them a question about themselves. Before they show up they fill out a sheet with a couple of standard questions, and from their answers I figure out what to ask them. Occasionally, their answers are on the serious side, but I've been able to get enough from the questionnaires to be able to have some fun with them.
In fact, one of those standard comments I previously mentioned goes something along the lines of “you guys look like you have a lot of fun doing the show”, which means that we're doing gets picked up by the audience. That's a good thing...not only for the host of the show, but for its :stars”, as well.
If you're curious, the 44th season premiere is just a few weeks away...Saturday, November 5th, to be precise. Hope you have the chance to check it out!
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