2012 Special

The 2012 Special of *Canada's Smartest Person* aired on CBC at 8:00 PM on Sunday, March 18, 2012.

## Contestants

 **Peter Dyakowski** | 27
 **Greg Frankson** | 37
 **Laura Suen** | 23

## Synopsis

The special began with host Gerry Dee introducing himself, the show, the Canada's Smartest Person app, and the Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Then, a clip of Mindy Kornhaber, who briefly explained the theory to the viewers, was shown. Towards the end of this clip, Mindy had also claimed that viewers would have the opportunity to discover the ways that they are individually intelligent throughout the show and that whoever is Canada's Smartest Person would be able to excel across all areas of intelligence. Gerry then listed the six intelligences, Musical, Visual, Logical, Physical, Social, and Linguistic, and explained that the show used various special multiple intelligence tests in order to narrow down its four finalists from the many applicants. In order to present the finalists, a clip of Greg Frankson, Laura Suen, Marshall Carroll, and Peter Dyakowski introducing themselves in that order was shown. Gerry personally introduced the contestants to the viewers and summoned them to the stage before explaining to them how the evening would proceed. He also gave a deeper explanation about how the viewers can play along by downloading and using the Canada's Smartest Person app. The competition got started right away with Gerry announcing that linguistic intelligence was going to be the first intelligence that the contestants would be tested on before a comedic clip of Matt Baram and Naomi Snieckus explaining and demonstrating how they incorporate linguistic intelligence into their daily lives was shown. In this clip, Matt and Naomi introduce themselves, state that they've been together for three years, and claim that the most important part of a marriage is communication. Then, as she is putting on an earring, Naomi informs Matt, who is exiting their washroom in a bathrobe, that they are going to be late using portmanteau words to substitute various strings of words in her sentences. Finally, Matt claims that the use of these portmanteau words in their sentences has been great for their marriage while using some of these portmanteau words at the same time, to which Naomi stated that she didn't understand what he just said. The first of the two challenges of linguistic intelligence and the first challenge overall was Word Mix. By the end of the challenge, Marshall got 18 words, Peter got 19, Greg got 13, and Laura got 18. Therefore, Peter was awarded 5 overall points for finishing in 1st place, Marshall and Laura were each awarded 3 for tying for 2nd place, and Greg was not awarded any for finishing in last place. Gerry stated that the show was going into a commercial break before Greg stated in a confessional backstage that although he was terrible at Word Mix, he hoped that the next challenge would go better and that he would bounce back by the end of the night.

After Gerry restated the objective of the show, he introduced Seán Cullen, stating that he would serve as a guest judge in the second challenge of linguistic intelligence and the second challenge overall, Spin a Speech. Seán stated that he was excited to be there, that he liked to extemporize himself, and that he couldn't wait to see how the contestants would handle the challenge. Gerry joked that he didn't know what 'extemporize' meant, but that he'll find out soon enough. By the end of the challenge, Marshall received 20 points, Peter received 28, Greg received 21, and Laura received 13. Therefore, Peter was awarded 5 overall points for finishing in 1st place, Greg was awarded 3 for finishing in 2nd place, Marshall was awarded 2 for finishing in 3rd place, and Laura was not awarded any for finishing in last place. Gerry prompted applause for Seán once more before the latter waved and left the stage, wishing the contestants good luck on his way off. Gerry then revealed that, after the first two challenges, Peter had received a total of 10 overall points, Marshall had received a total of 5, and Greg and Laura had each received a total of 3. Gerry stated that the show was going into another commercial break before Laura and her sisters, Flora and Victoria, discussed Laura's performance so far in a confessional backstage and hugged.

Gerry announced that visual intelligence was going to be the second intelligence that the contestants would be tested on before another comedic clip of Matt and Naomi was shown, this time explaining and demonstrating how they incorporate visual intelligence into their daily lives. In this clip, Matt claims that he is the more visually intelligent of the two, to which Naomi sarcastically agrees. Then, as they are entering a parking garage, Matt and Naomi argue about the location of their car and Naomi is soon proven to be correct. Finally, Matt concedes that they both have spatial intelligence, but when Naomi offers him a high five, he misses completely. The first of the two challenges of visual intelligence and the third challenge overall was Spaced Out. Having finished both of his shapes and being the only one to do so, Greg was awarded 1st place and received 5 overall points. Though Laura did so a number of milliseconds before Peter, because they both finished their '7' shapes at the 15 second mark, Peter and Laura were both awarded 2nd place and each received 3 overall points. Lastly, having finished his '7' shape 1 minute and 27 seconds into the challenge, Marshall was awarded last place and received no overall points. Gerry stated that the show was going into another commercial break before Greg stated in a confessional backstage that he felt great because he needed the win and that he was back in the game. He also hugged his mom.

Gerry stated that the contestants were there to prove that they could excel at all of the intelligences. Right after, a clip of the contestants stating which of the intelligences they thought that they would excel at and which one they thought that they would have trouble with was shown. The clip showed that Marshall was confident in his social intelligence, Peter was confident in his physical intelligence, Greg was confident in his social, musical, and linguistic intelligences, and Laura was confident in her visual intelligence. It also showed that Greg was not confident in his logical intelligence, Marshall was not confident in his visual intelligence, Laura was not confident in her musical intelligence, and Peter was not confident in his musical intelligence. The second of the two challenges of visual intelligence and the fourth challenge overall was Double Take. By the end of the challenge, Marshall selected 9 correct items for his model, Peter also selected 9 for his, Greg selected 8 for his, and Laura selected 11 for hers. Therefore, Laura was awarded 5 overall points for finishing in 1st place, Marshall and Peter were each awarded 3 for tying for 2nd place, and Greg was not awarded any for finishing in last place. Gerry then revealed that, after the first four challenges, Peter had received a total of 16 overall points, Laura had received a total of 11, and Marshall and Greg had each received a total of 8. Gerry stated that the show was going into another commercial break before Peter stated in a confessional backstage that he brought the "prettiest girl in Ontario" to the show with him, hugging his girlfriend, Rachel, meanwhile. Also, Rachel claimed that she would've excelled at the Double Take challenge, but she was concerned that he wouldn't because she felt that he couldn't even tell women apart.

Gerry restated the objective of the show and announced that logical intelligence was going to be the third intelligence that the contestants would be tested on. Then, a clip of Mindy explaining logical intelligence was shown in which she explained that people with strong logical intelligence are good at recognizing patterns and solving abstract problems and that scientists, computer programmers, and accountants all have strong logical intelligence. She also claimed that David Suzuki and Alexander Graham Bell are strong logical thinkers. Then, yet another comedic clip of Matt and Naomi was shown, this time explaining and demonstrating how they incorporate logical intelligence into their daily lives. In this clip, Naomi states that she and Matt are planning a vacation to Aruba and Matt adds that he has developed a savings plan, which consists of cutting their car usages, clothing purchases, and restaurant dining for 48 days. Then, Matt narrates that they have a change jar and a swear jar and that he used to have a credit card jar, but misplaced it. As Matt narrates this, he is shown writing 'CHANGE JAR' and 'SWEAR JAR' on pieces of paper and Naomi is shown throwing his credit card jar in a recycling bin. Finally, after Matt points out that they are $50 short, Naomi claims that she bought Matt an anniversary present, to which Matt swears, to which Naomi shakes their swear jar. The first of the two challenges of logical intelligence and the fifth challenge overall was Human Calculator. By the end of the challenge, Marshall got 15 correct answers, Peter got 18, Greg got 8, and Laura got 12. Therefore, Peter was awarded 5 overall points for finishing in 1st place, Marshall was awarded 3 for finishing in 2nd place, Laura was awarded 2 for finishing in 3rd place, and Greg was not awarded any for finishing in last place. The contestants then competed in the second of the two challenges of logical intelligence and the sixth challenge overall, Logic Towers, directly after. By the end of the challenge, Peter was awarded 1st place and 5 overall points for successfully relocating his block tower first, Laura was awarded 2nd place and 3 overall points for successfully relocating her block tower second, and Marshall and Greg were both awarded last place and neither received any overall points because they failed to fully relocate their block towers. Gerry then revealed that, after the first six challenges, Peter had received a total of 26 overall points, Laura had received a total of 16, Marshall had received a total of 11, and Greg had received a total of 8. Gerry reminded the contestants that the two highest-scoring contestants overall would compete head-to-head in the Multiple Intelligence Obstacle Course before stating that the show was going into another commercial break. Backstage, Peter stated that he had missed his workout that day and that the Logic Towers challenge fired him up before Marshall, in a different confessional, introduced his friend Laurence. Laurence told Marshall that he has a decent rooting section and that they think that he is the smartest.

Gerry announced that social intelligence was going to be the fourth intelligence that the contestants would be tested on before another comedic clip of Matt and Naomi was shown, this time explaining and demonstrating how they incorporate social intelligence into their daily lives. In this clip, Matt states that their gas went out the other day and that their furnace didn't work as a result, but that Naomi managed to sort the situation out with her interpersonal skills. Then, as Matt and Naomi sit on their couch wearing winter clothing, Naomi shouts various profanities at the receiver of her phone call, who had just before put her on hold, before passing the phone to Matt, who communicated more effectively and calmly whilst Naomi continued to shout profanities in another room. Finally, Naomi lifts their swear jar and states that the good news is that they are going to Aruba, to which Matt agrees somewhat insincerely. Gerry also informed the contestants that, from that point on (excluding the Multiple Intelligence Obstacle Course), each intelligence would have one representative challenge instead of two and that overall point values would be doubled. He then introduced Arlene Dickinson, stating that she would serve as a guest judge in the sole challenge of social intelligence and the seventh challenge overall, Power of Persuasion. When asked by Gerry how some people are more persuasive than others when presenting themselves on *Dragon's Den*, Arlene replied that people have to be honest about what they are saying, they have to be authentic and genuine about who they are, and they have to believe in a win-win. By the end of the challenge, Arlene ranked Marshall in 1st place, Greg in 2nd place, Peter in 3rd place, and Laura in last place. Therefore, Marshall was awarded 10 overall points for finishing in 1st place, Greg was awarded 6 for finishing in 2nd place, Peter was awarded 4 for finishing in 3rd place, and Laura was not awarded any for finishing in last place. Gerry prompted applause for Arlene once more before the latter waved and left the stage, wishing the contestants good luck on her way off. Gerry then revealed that, after the first seven challenges, Peter had received a total of 30 overall points, Marshall had received a total of 21, Laura had received a total of 16, and Greg had received a total of 14. Gerry reminded the contestants that, despite their positions, anything could happen due to the doubled point values of the upcoming two challenges before stating that the show was going into another commercial break. Backstage, Laura stated that all she could and had to do at that point is win in the upcoming challenges before Marshall, in a different confessional, stated that he was happy that Arlene Dickinson, one of the most powerful people in the world, thought that he was the best performer.

Gerry restated the objective of the show and announced that musical intelligence was going to be the fifth intelligence that the contestants would be tested on. Then, a clip of Mindy explaining musical intelligence was shown in which she explained that people with strong musical intelligence are good at understanding sound, rhythm, and melody and composing. She also claimed that Glenn Gould and Michael Bublé are able to inspire and move people through their music and that this ability comes naturally for some but doesn't for others. Then, yet another comedic clip of Matt and Naomi was shown, this time explaining and demonstrating how they incorporate musical intelligence into their daily lives. In this clip, Naomi claims that music is a huge part of their lives and that she is always "feeling it" and Matt adds on that she is always singing it as well. Then, as Matt and Naomi are walking outside, going up an elevator, playing billiards, and sharing a treadmill, Naomi annoys Matt with a tune in order to determine if he has remembered what that song is called. Finally, Naomi claims that it is their song and then retracts that claim after realizing that she had made it up the whole time. The sole challenge of musical intelligence and the eighth challenge overall was Lost Instrument. By the end of the challenge, Marshall earned 2 points, Peter earned 6, Greg earned 4, and Laura earned 5. Therefore, Peter was awarded 10 overall points for finishing in 1st place, Laura was awarded 6 for finishing in 2nd place, Greg was awarded 4 for finishing in 3rd place, and Marshall was not awarded any for finishing in last place. Gerry then revealed that, after the first eight challenges, Peter had received a total of 40 overall points, Laura had received a total of 22, Marshall had received a total of 21, and Greg had received a total of 18. Gerry informed Peter that, due to his current overall score, he had guaranteed himself a spot in the Multiple Intelligence Obstacle Course, but reminded the other three that they were just about as likely as one another to take the other spot before stating that the show was going into another commercial break. Backstage, Marshall stated that he was in the middle of the pack and that viewers would have to stay tuned to see if he "wins the Stanley Cup."

Gerry announced that physical intelligence was going to be the sixth and final intelligence that the contestants would be tested on before one final comedic clip of Matt and Naomi was shown, this time explaining and demonstrating how they incorporate physical intelligence into their daily lives. In this clip, Matt reveals that he wanted to get Naomi something special for her birthday. Then, Matt and Naomi enter a dance practice room and both begin to dance since Matt's birthday present to Naomi was that he was going to learn how to dance. Finally, Naomi reveals that Matt ended up giving her a necklace since him learning how to dance didn't work out. Matt leans in and hugs Naomi with one arm, but she groans in pain, implying that he had accidentally injured her shoulder while they were dancing. The sole challenge of physical intelligence and the ninth challenge overall was Sport Stacking. He then introduced Jackie Huang in order to demonstrate how the challenge works. After teaching the contestants how to perform a 3-6-3 stack, Jackie did it as fast as she could and received a time of 3.38 seconds. The last thing that Gerry asked of Jackie was for her to perform a cycle stack, which she did with a time of 8.3 seconds. Gerry prompted applause for Jackie once more before the latter shook his hand and left the stage, Gerry wishing her good luck in her sport stacking on her way off. By the end of the challenge, Laura was awarded 1st place and received 10 overall points for performing the 3-6-3 stack in 8.18 seconds in her third attempt, Peter was awarded 2nd place and received 6 overall points for performing the 3-6-3 stack in 8.5 seconds in his first attempt, Greg was awarded 3rd place and received 4 overall points for performing the 3-6-3 stack in 9.02 seconds in his first attempt, and Marshall was awarded last place and received no overall points for performing the 3-6-3 stack in 11.16 seconds in his second attempt. Gerry then revealed that, as a final total score for the first nine challenges, Peter had received a total of 46 overall points and finished in 1st place, Laura had received a total of 32 and finished in 2nd place, Greg had received a total of 22 and finished in 3rd place, and Marshall had received a total of 21 and finished in last place. Since only the top two finishers could advance to the Multiple Intelligence Obstacle Course, Gerry congratulated Peter and Laura on making it to the Multiple Intelligence Obstacle Course and prompted applause for Greg and Marshall because, despite their shared elimination, they were chosen to be finalists out of thousands of people across Canada. He then stated that the show was going into one last commercial break. Backstage, Marshall stated that he hopes that some of his students try out for Canada's Smartest Person and that he would be happy to be their coach should it ever happen before Greg, in a different confessional, stated that he feels heartbroken because he came very close to making it to the Multiple Intelligence Obstacle Course and lost by one cup.

Gerry stated that everyone would soon know who would be crowned Canada's Smartest Person and told Peter and Laura that they had made it to the Multiple Intelligence Obstacle Course because they tested out the best overall. The Multiple Intelligence Obstacle Course consisted of five sections that would test, in order, the contestants' physical intelligence, visual intelligence, logical intelligence, musical intelligence, and linguistic intelligence. Gerry lead the contestants to their starting positions and wished them both luck before the challenge began. Laura took the lead early on because Peter was having difficulty getting past the physical section. However, Peter was slowly catching up and Laura struggled at the logical section. Ultimately, Laura remained stuck at the logical section as Peter surpassed her, finishing the remaining sections and squeezing the horn, which signalled his victory. Peter was crowned Canada's Smartest Person and white and red confetti and white, red, and transparent balloons descended onto the stage as the audience cheered and applauded. Gerry explained to the viewers how they could share their scores online and compare them to those of other Canadians. The show closed with the four finalists, their loved ones, and Gerry celebrating onstage.

## Contestant Progress

  WINNER  This contestant won the final challenge and the competition.
  RUNNER-UP  This contestant was the runner-up of the final challenge and the competition.
  ELIMINATED  This contestant was already eliminated from the competition.
     This contestant qualified for the final challenge due to a sufficient total score.
     This contestant was eliminated from the competition due to an insufficient total score.
     Denotes a challenge that is based on linguistic intelligence.
     Denotes a challenge that is based on physical intelligence.
     Denotes a challenge that is based on musical intelligence.
     Denotes a challenge that is based on visual intelligence.
     Denotes a challenge that is based on social intelligence.
     Denotes a challenge that is based on logical intelligence.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 https://www.cbc.ca/mediacentre/press-release/how-smart-are-you-canada-play-along-with-canadas-smartest-person-sunday-mar
2. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8ofUJ\_9e18