Brain Busters
Brain Busters, stylized as BrainBusters, is a high school quiz bowl tournament sponsored by WGAL 8 of Lancaster Pennsylvania.
History
Brain Busters was first held in 2001-2002. It is hosted by Rich Rosen, a gifted education teacher and television show host. From 1998 to 2001 it was preceded by a similar program known as High Q, televised by WHTM of Harrisburg and also hosted by Rosen. Rich Rosen is well-regarded for his extremely charismatic, friendly, and welcoming qualities. Similar to other televised academic competitions, Brain Busters is fast paced and includes a variety of different rounds. Rich Rosen is professional and an enthusiastic supporter of academic competition. For many years, teamss of four competed head-to-head. Since 2021-2022, the set has been reconfigured for competition between teams of 3.
Format
The tournament is structured as a single-elimination bracket; Some years, as many as 40-50 teams have competed. Some years, a "wild card" slot has been included, depending on the field structure, to let the team with the highest losing score return. However, in recent years, the competition has typically involved 32 teams in a traditional single-elimination format. When more teams apply than spots that exist, teams are typically chosen by random drawing; Pennsylvania teams compete from throughout the Susquehanna Valley, especially teams from Lancaster Lebanon, York, Dauphin, and Cumberland Counties, and sometimes including teams from further away (ie. Franklin or Mifflin Counties).
The format includes five rounds as follows:
- first round: 10-point tossups.
- second round: one-on-one face-off between individual players on three 10-point tossups.
- third round: 60-second lightning round with three category choices.
- fourth round: wager round where teams wager up to 25 points (only round scores can decrease).
- fifth round: 20-point tossups.
Prizes
Prizes have changed over the years, as have the show's sponsors.
- Capital Blue Cross Blue Shield -- 8 Seasons ('01-'02 until '08-'09)
- Westfield Insurance -- 7 seasons ('09-'10 until '15-'16)
- Wellspan Health -- 4 seasons ('16-'17 until '19-'20)
- note: 2019-2020 season was cut short, and 2020-2021 season did not run due to shutdowns.
- WGAL -- 4 seasons so far ('22-present)
For many years, each show included a "bonus question" during the first round that awarded all players on the team who answered it correctly with a coupon for free Turkey Hill ice cream, or a similar prize.
In early years, PASSHE colleges of PA awarded scholarships to students from the winning school. One year, the entire student body of the winning school was awarded free entrance tickets to Hershey Park. For several years, members of the first place team were awarded an iPad.
In more recent years, the sponsor (WGAL-8) generously awards grants to the top finishing schools. Teams that make it to the final four are guaranteed a certain level of grant. Currently, the champions win $5,000, 2nd place wins $3,000, and the 3rd/4th place teams each win $1,000, for total award value of $10,000 per season.
In many seasons, players from all teams have been given a small gift from the sponsor during their first round of play, ensuring that all teams walk away with something. Some years, this has been a portable phone charger, a flash drive, a travel mug or something else, at the discretion of the sponsor.
Explanation of Quality
The tossups used in Brain Busters are not pyramidal. Questions are typically 1-2 sentences, and mostly require an answerline to be given; Occasionally, a question may be formatted as a quick multiple choice with several options given in the question (for example when asking in what decade or century something occurred.
Some questions, though, do start with more obscure information, then ask for something specific in the second sentence. However, these again are not designed to be pyramidal. Many questions result in a buzzer race.
In terms of content, Brain Busters essentially covers the same high school canon in its tossups as NAQT and other question sets, just not at the same level of depth. Some might argue that history, geography, literature, fine arts, and science make up the backbone of the content. Additionally, topics also include political science, current events, popular culture, mythology, world religions, math, and various other topics.
In the lightning round, three categories are given for teams to answer as many questions as possible in 60 seconds, with the team that is behind getting to pick the category first. The category titles often include clever puns or fun naming that makes it challenging for players to predict exactly what will be asked. Often, one category will require all answers to start with the same letter or sound. Sometimes, this category is seen as the safer bet. Teams will attempt to select the category they think will move quickly and give them more chances to score points.
The Bonus BrainBuster round allows players to wager between 5 and 25 points. The question is read twice by a recording of a WGAL news anchor and is often formatted like a pyramidal bonus.
Sometimes, questions will repeat within the same season, but this usually only happens when the previous episode has not yet aired. However, some players will record the airings of the show and write down the questions used as a method of studying. The repeats include both the tossups, as well as unused categories in the lightning round. When asked if the questions are written in-house, Rich Rosen has said that "the questions are from another company the studio hires."
Results
| Year | Champion | Runner-Up | Link | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | TBD ___ | TBD ___ | ||
| 2024 | Ephrata 240 | Hempfield 215 | Link | |
| 2023 | Elizabethtown 330 | Hempfield 180 | Link | |
| 2022 | Cedar Crest 460 | Trinity 235 | Link | |
| 2021 | Season Cancelled | Due to Covid Restrictions | ||
| 2020 | 10-way split | Carlisle, Con. Valley, Cumb. Valley, E-town, Hempfield,
Hershey, Mechanicsburg, Penn Manor, Spring Grove, Trinity |
||
| 2019 | Lancaster Mennonite 425 | Elizabethtown 405 | ||
| 2018 | Hempfield 365 | Ephrata 285 | ||
| 2017 | Hempfield 465 | Lancaster Mennonite 335 | ||
| 2016 | Cedar Crest 440 | Spring Grove 110 | Link | |
| 2015 | Carlisle ___ | Lancaster Mennonite __ | ||
| 2014 | Manheim Township ___ | Harrisburg Academy ___ | ||
| 2013 | Manheim Township 480 | Hershey 305 | ||
| 2012 | Manheim Township 545 | Lower Dauphin 345 | Link | |
| 2011 | Lancaster Catholic 420 | Manheim Township 380 | ||
| 2010 | Hershey 470 | Penn Manor 370 | Link | |
| 2009 | Cumberland Valley 415 | Lancaster Country Day 385 | Link | |
| 2008 | [[___]] ___ | Manheim Township? | ||
| 2007 | [[___]] ___ | [[___]] ___ | ||
| 2006 | Penn Manor | Manheim Township | Link | |
| 2005 | Elizabethtown ___ | Carlisle ___ | ||
| 2004 | [[___]] ___ | [[___]] ___ | ||
| 2003 | [[___]] ___ | [[___]] ___ | ||
| 2002 | Carlisle ___ | [[___]] ___ |