Canada's Greatest Know-It-All is a reality series that debuted January 30, 2012, on Discovery Channel (Canada).
In the series, ten competitors claim to be "know-it-alls" and compete in a series of challenges. The challengers depend upon practical knowledge of physics, mathematics, and engineering to succeed at the challenges, as well as an ability to overcome the stereotype of know-it-alls, that a know-it-all believes that he or she knows everything and does not depend on other people's knowledge. The series is hosted and narrated by Daniel Fathers.
Episode format Each episode contains three challenges. All competitors compete in the first two challenges: at the end of each challenge, one competitor is sent to the Danger Zone for the poorest performance. The Danger Zone is the last challenge, at which one competitor succeeds and stays in the competition; the other is eliminated. A ritual at the end of each episode has the eliminated contestant walk over to a switch near a row of light bulbs; flipping the switch causes one light bulb to drop onto the floor.
Most challenges include at least one twist: a detail that is not announced or provided until the challenge is underway or is completed.
In some challenges, the competitors are organized into teams. Teams stay together for one episode.
Seasons
Season 1
Competitors Ted Coffey, 56, oil- and gas-drilling consultant. Sabina Dawson, 39, accountant. Dan Dicaire, 25, energy-efficiency expert. Stephen Drooker, 65, high-school teacher, retired. Nick Nelson, 32, media producer. Cary Lucier, 46, Windsor, Ontario inventor and entrepreneur. Thomas Porter, 36, Prince Albert, Saskatchewan photographer. Jennifer Salisbury, 33, naval nuclear engineer. Wayne Skuhala, 37, carpenter. Dave Spencer, 38, millwright.
Progress #ContestantsEpisodes12345678 1 TedDangerDangerDangerGreatest 2 DaveDangerDangerRunner-Up 3 WayneDangerDangerEliminated 4 JenniferDangerDangerEliminated 5 ThomasEliminated 6 SabinaEliminated 7 DanEliminated 8 NickEliminated 9 CaryEliminated 10 StephenEliminated
Episodes
Episode 101: January 30, 2012 Team 1: Thomas, Jennifer, Stephen, Ted, and Dan. Team 2: Cary, Sabina, Nick, Dave, and Wayne.
First Challenge: Each team constructs a small building out of cardboard and twine. The building is perched at the edge of a cliff, and a model pig is placed inside each building. The buildings are subjected to giant fans which try to blow the buildings off the cliff. "The first pig that flies off the cliff," according to the host, "loses."
The Twist: Each team may rotate the opposing team's building in an attempt to make the building more vulnerable to the fans.
The Result: Both teams construct buildings that partially blow off, but neither team's pig flies off, no matter how much power is applied to the fans, and the challenge is called a draw.
Second Challenge: Each team is given ten cutouts, shaped like humans, which are to be placed near a trailer. The trailer is at the centre of twenty concentric-circular zones; the innermost zone is worth 100 points, and the outermost zone is worth 5 points. Each team may place their cutouts anywhere they wish, but at least one must be in the 100-point zone, and at least one each must be in the 95-point zone, 90-point zone, 85-point zone, and 80-point zone. Once the cutouts are placed, the trailer is blown up with dynamite; each team then receives the sum of the points for each cutout that still stands and is not burning.
The Result: Both teams' 100-point, 95-point, 90-point, 85-point, and 80-point cutouts are destroyed or burned, and count for no points. Team 1 earns 85 points (5+10+15+25+30) and Team 2 earns 130 points (20+25+25+30+30). Ted volunteers to compete in the Danger Zone. Because no team lost the first challenge, Ted must nominate one of his teammates for the Danger Zone, and he chooses Stephen.
The Danger Zone: Ted and Stephen have fifteen minutes to earn five merit badges. To earn a merit badge, he must complete a task to the satisfaction of a Scoutmaster.
The Result: Ted completes four and Stephen completes two. Stephen drops the first light bulb to represent his elimination.
Episode 102: February 6, 2012 Team 1: Thomas, Wayne, Jennifer, Nick, and Dave. Team 2: Dan, Ted, Sabina, and Cary.
The First Challenge: Each team is given a storage container and fifty boxes. Each box contains two labels: one label on one side names a product (for example, Vasanti Soft Finish Matte Lipstick with Anti-Oxidants), and the other label on the opposite side names a "related" product (for example, Guerlain KissKiss Gold and Diamonds Lipstick). All the boxes must be placed in the storage container with the label naming the more expensive product facing the opening of the storage container. The prices of the products that the team deems to be more expensive are totalled, and the larger total wins the challenge.
The Trick: The difference in retail value of some pairs is larger than it appears. The announced value of the Vasanti Lipstick is $15; the announced value of the Guerlain Lipstick is $62000.
The Result: Team 2 wins this challenge. Team 1 must choose one member for the Danger Zone as described below. Cary Suffers "Heat Stroke" on the first day of competition and has to be persuaded to staying in the competition. This fact is never aired to the public but the footage is used to make Cary look like he didn't support his team.
The Second Challenge: Each team has $1000 with which to buy supplies; with these supplies, each team must build a boat capable of hauling all four team members and a quantity of sand. These boats are to be used in two heats to transport a thousand pounds of sand, in one or more trips, to an island in the middle of a pond.
The Trick: For the first heat, each team must give its supplies to the opposing team and build its first boat from the opponents' supplies. The second boat must be built from their own supplies.
Balancing The Teams: Team 1 must choose one member to sit out the second challenge. Because Team 1 lost the first challenge, the member that sits out must compete in the Danger Zone. Team 1 nominates Jennifer.
The Result: Team 2 falls behind early, and after one trip, Cary sits out. This forces Team 2 to forfeit the challenge to Team 1, but both teams complete the challenge anyway. Cary offers himself up to compete in the Danger Zone.
The Danger Zone: Jennifer and Cary are each stationed beside a conveyor belt. For the first round, they must memorize a list of three items, then pick those three items from the conveyor belt, one at a time. The second round is similar to the first, but the list has four items. A five-item, six-item, and seven-item round is played similarly.
The Result: Jennifer picks more items than Cary. Cary must break a second light bulb to signal his elimination.
Episode 103: February 13, 2012 Team 1: Sabina, Dan, Dave, and Wayne. Team 2: Jennifer, Ted, Nick, and Thomas.
The First Challenge: Each team is given a block of ice in which plastic replicas of human bones are buried. Each team must get the bones out of the block of ice and assemble them into a skeleton within an hour. The total of the most bones extricated and most assembled correctly into a skeleton wins the challenge.
The Trick: Each team is given a set of tools with which to break the ice, but not an icepick. An icepick is added to each team's set of tools after about twenty minutes; each team must recognize that the new tool is an icepick in order to make the challenge easier.
The Result: Sabina's team wins the challenge with the most bones extracted. Jennifer's team nominates Ted for the Danger Zone. (Production note: Jennifer's team is called "Team 2" at the start of the episode, but is called "Team 1" at the end of the first challenge.)
The Second Challenge: This challenge consists of four driving challenges, reminiscent of another Discovery Channel series, Canada's Worst Driver. Wayne and Nick must park a 20-foot-long limousine between large rocks. Jennifer and Dan must drive a pickup truck on a stretch of railway (although the rails are actually made of wood), first forward and then backward. Sabina and Ted must make a three-point turn in a school bus, between pylons. Dave and Thomas must drive a large dump truck backwards through a course marked by pylons, and try to put a plumb bob at the back of the truck over a target. Each driver starts with 50 points, and five points are deducted for falling off the rails, for hitting rocks, or for hitting pylons.
The Result: Jennifer's team loses this challenge. Nick's performance was the worst (he scored 15 out of 50, or 30%), and he must compete in the Danger Zone.
The Danger Zone: Ted and Nick are shown thirty-six questions posted on a board. (for example, "What is the only mammal that cannot jump?"). In turns, each competitor asks one of the questions to his opponent. However, the questioner must choose a question to which he knows the answer. One point is awarded for a correct answer; one point is awarded to the answerer if neither he nor the questioner can answer the question. The game is played best-ten-out-of-nineteen.
The Result: Ted wins the round 10 to 5. Nick must break a third light bulb.
Episode 104: February 20, 2012 No Teams: The contestants compete individually in this episode.
The First Challenge: Each competitor must direct a Lancaster ("the most famous Allied bomber of World War II") to drop a "bomb" on a limousine, "parked 1080 feet from the base of this giant gravel mound." The Lancaster flies at 172 miles per hour (150 knots) over the gravel mound and then the limousine, at 400 feet above the pit floor. Each contestant is in radio contact with the pilot and must order "drop, drop, now!" to release the bomb. Contestants do not see the results of other competitors drops until after their own attempt.
The Result: Dave, the last competitor, comes closest at 15 metres. Dan, the furthest away at 187 meters, is in the Danger Zone.
The Second Challenge: The competitors are given a lecture on reptiles from Andre Ngo, Ph.D., curator of the Reptilia zoo.
The Twist: The actual challenge is to improvise a ten-minute lesson to approximately 100 elementary-school students. The students and Dr. Ngo rank the competitors. Additionally, Dan must not finish last or he is eliminated without a Danger Zone challenge.
The Result: Wayne is judged the worst competitor.
The Danger Zone: Dan and Wayne must build, in three hours, a model aircraft of styrofoam, one of plastic, and one of wood and cardboard. Each plane is thrown once by its creator from a height of 55 feet in a hangar. The total distance flown by the three determines the winner and the loser.
The Twist: Unbeknownst to Dan and Wayne, the other five competitors are collaborating on building three planes.
The Result: Wayne's planes fly a total of 192 ft. Dan's planes fly a total of 103 feet. If the team's planes do not fly a total of 103 feet, Dan wins a reprieve and is not eliminated. However, the team's planes manage 151 feet and Dan breaks the fourth light bulb.
Episode 105: February 27, 2012 Team 1: Sabina, Jennifer, and Dave. Team 2: Wayne, Thomas, and Ted.
The First Challenge: Each team must jump a car off a ramp. Each team determines which car to use: a Pontiac Sunfire, a Chevrolet Lumina, or a Lincoln Town Car. Each team decides how fast the car will go (from 30 km/h to 65 km/h) and how high the ramp will be (up to one metre), and must figure out where the car will land in front of the ramp; this position is marked as a spray-painted X and is called their target.
The Result: