WHO (our very own Felix Knutsson)
WHAT (Who, What, Where, When—Junior Edition)
WHERE (CBC Building, Vancouver)
WHEN (last night on live TV!!!)
Oh, what a night. What a fascinating, gripping, heart-pounding night!
This reporter had a front-row seat for the first round ever of Who, What, Where, When—Junior Edition, held right here in Vancouver, where Blenheim School’s very own Felix Knutsson was a contestant on live TV. This reporter had hoped to get you an exclusive preshow interview with Felix, even though, for ridiculous reasons that I won’t get into here, Mr. Knutsson was not talking to her. But the show’s producers wouldn’t let her anywhere near backstage before the show, stating that “school newspaper credentials don’t cut it.” This reporter tried to sneak back anyway but was thwarted by a large security guard.
So the first time this reporter glimpsed Felix was when the cameras started rolling and his name was called and he stepped onstage. If you were watching from home you’d have seen him in close-up and maybe you would’ve been able to tell whether he was nervous, but from my seat he looked calm. His hair looked like a halo of blond cotton candy. The other contestants were Freddie Owen from London, Ontario; Azar Farzan, who’d flown in all the way from Saint John, New Brunswick; and Helen Mair from Gatineau, Quebec. There was a lot of applause, but there was extra for Felix, the hometown boy. Blenheim had a big cheering section courtesy of our teacher, Monsieur Thibault.
Horatio Blass was introduced and he came onstage. It was a thrill to see him in real life.
Round one of the questions began. This reporter tried to write everything down, but they wouldn’t allow laptops and therefore this reporter had to scribble everything in a notebook and, well, you try writing that fast. So I didn’t catch every last question, but here are some highlights:
What is the name of the second-highest mountain in the world? (K2)
Who wrote Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea? (Jules Verne)
When was Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea first published? (1870)
Where is Timbuktu? (The West African country of Mali)
Our Felix got off to a rough start. He seemed to be having trouble with his buzzer. At the end of the first round (with one question left on the board), the scores were: Freddie Owen, fourteen. Azar Farzan, ten. Felix Knutsson, eight. Helen Mair, six.
I know this reporter speaks for all of Felix’s supporters when I say the mood was bleak during the first commercial break. We watched in silence as the hair and makeup people came running out and did a few touch-ups, mostly on Horatio. Then the studio director was counting down: “In three…two…one.” And the show was beaming live again, to households all across Canada.
Before they got into round two, Horatio asked the contestants about themselves. Freddie shared that everyone called him “Pud” because his favorite food in the world was rice pudding. Azar talked about once boarding a plane for Saint John’s, Newfoundland, instead of Saint John, New Brunswick. Helen talked about her passion for adult coloring books.
“Felix,” said Horatio Blass when it was his turn, “I understand you named a pet after me.”
“Yes, sir. My gerbil, Horatio Blass.”
Horatio looked straight into the camera and raised his eyebrows. The studio audience laughed. “Might I ask why?”
“Well, your show is my favorite. And my gerbil had a black patch of fur on his head and it reminded me of your hair.”
More laughter. “I’ve never been told I resemble a gerbil before. I believe we have a photo of him.” A photo flashed on a large screen behind the contestants. In this reporter’s opinion, the resemblance to the real Horatio Blass was uncanny. “He’s adorable. I hope he’s watching from home.”
“Oh, that would be impossible. He’s dead.”
Horatio cleared his throat. “Ahem. On that sad note, I guess it’s time for us to move on to round two!”
Now, this reporter doesn’t want to take too much credit, but all the practice rounds she did with Felix—along with Dylan and Alberta Brinkerhoff, Astrid Knutsson and Henry Larsen—started to pay off, big time.
He missed the first two questions in round two. Then it was like a match had been lit underneath him. He was on fire.
Where would you find Pashupatinath Temple? (Kathmandu, Nepal)
Who discovered insulin? (Banting and Best)
When did the Russian Revolution take place? (1917)
What does the Latin phrase “caveat emptor” mean? (Buyer beware)
Felix answered all of the above correctly.
The scores at the end of the second round: Freddie, twenty-six. Felix, twenty-four. Azar, eighteen. Helen, twelve.
It was dead quiet in the studio during the next commercial break. The contestants and the audience were on tenterhooks (if you don’t know what that word means, I suggest you look it up).
It was time for the final round. Only ten questions, harder this time, and worth three points each.
What does the symbol K stand for in the periodic table? (Potassium)
Who composed The Rite of Spring? (Stravinsky)
Where in the world can you swim between tectonic plates? (Iceland)
When did the Titanic sink? (April 14–15, 1912)
Out of the first nine questions, Azar got one right. Helen got two. Freddie and Felix got three. The scores: Helen, eighteen. Azar, twenty-one. Freddie, thirty-five. Felix, thirty-three.
Then came the last question.
Whose assassination led to the outbreak of World War I?
This reporter’s heart leapt; we’d quizzed Felix on this very subject.
Felix buzzed in.
“Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria.”
The score on the front of his podium jumped to thirty-six.
Our very own Felix Knutsson had won the first day of Who, What, Where, When—Junior Edition.
The audience—including this reporter—went wild.
Now he will be in the finals on Friday. This reporter has convinced the editor of our paper to publish a special edition to cover this incredible event.
So stay tuned!
(For the French edition of this article, please go to page 6. This reporter convinced the editor that a story of this scope and importance should be published in both English and French.)