Our Little Genius
Encyclopedia
Our Little Genius is a game show
produced for the Fox
network that was pulled before making it to air, hosted by Kevin Pollak
. The program was slated to premiere on Fox on January 13, 2010, at 9:15 PM Eastern following American Idol
with a special 45-minute episode, with further episodes being 60 minutes. However, the show was postponed and eventually canceled before any aired due to two separate issues related to the show's integrity.
According to FOX, child prodigies
would answer trivia questions to win money for their families; their parents would be able to appeal to experts for help.
, announced that he'd asked Fox to postpone it due to concerns about its integrity. Burnett said that issues with how information was relayed to contestants were serious enough that he felt compelled to reshoot the episodes. Fox supported Burnett's decision, and added that all contestants would keep their winnings.
The New York Times
reported that some contestants may have known what questions were going to be asked (though not the answers) rather than just the topics to be covered. The Los Angeles Times
reported that Burnett's main concern was that contestants somehow got more information than they should have prior to taping.
Because of the abrupt pulling of the series, American Idol aired for 90 minutes that night, with a repeat showing of the "Once Upon a Time in Springfield
" episode of The Simpsons
following at 9:30 PM.
of the late 1950s. Rigging a game show is a felony under the Communications Act of 1934
, which was added to the law in 1960 in the wake of the scandals. The Federal Communications Commission
has opened an inquiry.
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
produced for the Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
network that was pulled before making it to air, hosted by Kevin Pollak
Kevin Pollak
Kevin Elliot Pollak is an American actor, impressionist, game show host, and comedian. He started performing stand-up comedy at the age of 10 and touring professionally at the age of 20...
. The program was slated to premiere on Fox on January 13, 2010, at 9:15 PM Eastern following American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
with a special 45-minute episode, with further episodes being 60 minutes. However, the show was postponed and eventually canceled before any aired due to two separate issues related to the show's integrity.
According to FOX, child prodigies
Child prodigy
A child prodigy is someone who, at an early age, masters one or more skills far beyond his or her level of maturity. One criterion for classifying prodigies is: a prodigy is a child, typically younger than 18 years old, who is performing at the level of a highly trained adult in a very demanding...
would answer trivia questions to win money for their families; their parents would be able to appeal to experts for help.
Removal from schedule
On January 7, 2010, one week before its scheduled premiere, the show's creator, Mark BurnettMark Burnett
Mark Burnett is a British television producer and executive producer, based in the United States. He currently is the executive producer of five network television series with seven hours of network programming. Works with which Burnett is associated have won multiple awards and recognition...
, announced that he'd asked Fox to postpone it due to concerns about its integrity. Burnett said that issues with how information was relayed to contestants were serious enough that he felt compelled to reshoot the episodes. Fox supported Burnett's decision, and added that all contestants would keep their winnings.
The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
reported that some contestants may have known what questions were going to be asked (though not the answers) rather than just the topics to be covered. The Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
reported that Burnett's main concern was that contestants somehow got more information than they should have prior to taping.
Because of the abrupt pulling of the series, American Idol aired for 90 minutes that night, with a repeat showing of the "Once Upon a Time in Springfield
Once Upon a Time in Springfield
"Once Upon a Time in Springfield" is the tenth episode of The Simpsons twenty-first season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 10, 2010. It was promoted as the 450th episode of the series, but is actually the 451st, and aired alongside The Simpsons 20th...
" episode of The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
following at 9:30 PM.
Allegations of cheating
The New York Times reported that a member of the production team gave a prospective contestant and his parents specific answers to at least four questions. If the show were found to be deliberately rigged, it would mark the first known instance of such a deception in America since the quiz show scandalsQuiz show scandals
The American quiz show scandals of the 1950s were a series of revelations that contestants of several popular television quiz shows were secretly given assistance by the show's producers to arrange the outcome of a supposedly fair competition....
of the late 1950s. Rigging a game show is a felony under the Communications Act of 1934
Communications Act of 1934
The Communications Act of 1934 is a United States federal law, enacted as Public Law Number 416, Act of June 19, 1934, ch. 652, 48 Stat. 1064, by the 73rd Congress, signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, codified as Chapter 5 of Title 47 of the United States Code, et seq. The Act replaced the...
, which was added to the law in 1960 in the wake of the scandals. The Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
has opened an inquiry.
See also
- List of television series canceled before airing an episode
- Quiz show scandalsQuiz show scandalsThe American quiz show scandals of the 1950s were a series of revelations that contestants of several popular television quiz shows were secretly given assistance by the show's producers to arrange the outcome of a supposedly fair competition....