Brain Game Rules 2014-2015
BGSU Brain Game is a single-elimination bracketed high school academic tournament
that includes qualifying matches, quarterfinals, semifinals and a championship match.
Winners of the championship match are eligible for a 1 (one) year, $1,000 scholarship to
Bowling Green State University.
Game Format
The Game
The following are the rules and game play for the BGSU Brain Game. The program
producers reserve the right to change any of the rules at any time upon notice to all
participants. The game is played in four rounds of a total of
24 minutes.
Teams
Two teams of four players from high schools throughout the WBGU-TV coverage area,
field questions on a diverse range of academic subjects and score points with correct
answers. Player substitutions are only permitted between each round. Only in the event of
a player becoming ill or unable to participate, will the round be stopped and a new player
be permitted to play. At the discretion of the judge, a team may play with three players.
Any student in ninth through twelfth grade may participate on a school team.
The student players must be enrolled in the participating teams school.
All teams must be at the WBGU-TV’s studio at least 30 minutes prior to the announced
match starting time. If any complete team fails to appear before this deadline, that team
may be required to forfeit the game. Teams are given a time to be at the station for each
match. This time is 30-minutes before the match/taping begins.
BGSU BRAIN GAME RULES
Acceptable Answers
If a player gives less than the required information (e.g., just says “Roosevelt” when the
question requires a first initial or name), the host can prompt him/her to elicit more
information. Multiple prompts can be given, as long as the player continues to give more
specific answers.
Any incorrect information given (e.g., the wrong first name for someone) makes the
whole answer wrong.
Titles and quotations must be exact, except that the leading articles (like “a” or “the”) can
be omitted from titles. The host may prompt a player to clarify his/her pronunciation
(“Monet” vs.“Manet”).
Players may spell answers, and phonetic spellings are acceptable.
If the host inadvertently reveals an answer, he/she will replace the question with another
question of the same type and point value.
End of a Round
Questions are repeated at the discretion of the host or judges. If the host is asking a
question at the end of a round and no one has buzzed in, all action stops and the round is
over. If a player already has buzzed in or is in the process of answering a question, he or
she will be permitted to answer.
If the team/player that buzzed in answers a question incorrectly at the end of Round 1, 2
and 3, the other team will be permitted to answer. If a player gives an incorrect answer in
Rounds 4, there will be no opportunity for the other team to answer the question.
Match Tiebreaker
The tiebreaker is a sudden death round. The host will ask a toss-up question worth 20
points. The first team to buzz in will have the opportunity to answer the question. Team
members are allowed to confer before buzzing in. If the answer is correct, the game is
over and the team will be declared the winner. If an answer cannot be given or an answer
is incorrect, the opposing team will have a chance to answer the question in the same
manner. If neither team gives a correct answer, the host will move on to another question
to be answered in the same manner. This will continue until a correct answer is given and
that team will be declared the winner.
Judging
Judges are selected by WBGU-TV for the duration of each season. WBGU-TV will make
every effort to ensure a fair game, but the occasional mistake may arise. If the production
staff becomes aware of a mistake, every effort will be made to correct it. Disputes or
discrepancies can only be voiced by the coach to the Judge or WBGU-TV Floor Director
at the end of a round. If the dispute is determined to be valid by the Judge, play will stop
and the discrepancy will be addressed at the sole discretion of the WBGU-TV production
staff and Judges. Scores may be adjusted, or questions eliminated, if necessary. Play then
resumes. Any ambiguity or disputes that may arise concerning the rules of play and their
interpretation will be clarified or resolved by the WBGU-TV production staff. Once an
individual round is completed and the next round begins, the completed round becomes
final and challenges will not be accepted retroactively. In the event of a tie, the
competition is final once a tiebreaker question has been asked and answered correctly and
any associated disputes or discrepancies have been addressed. No protests will be
accepted after the teams leave the studio.
Rounds
Round 1: Toss-Up Round
Format: Team vs. Team
Time Limit: 8 -10 Minutes
Questions: Random topics; short answer multiple choice (questions may include visual or
audio clues).
Points: All questions are worth 10 points.
Penalty: There will be no deductions for wrong answers in this round.
Buzzing In: Teams may buzz in at any time, even before a question is fully read. Team
members must wait for the host to call on them by name before attempting to answer a
question. Players have five seconds after buzzing in to answer the question. Each team
gets one buzz per question.
Conferring: Team members are permitted to confer before buzzing in, but not after
buzzing in. If a team confers after buzzing in, it will be counted as an incorrect answer.
Bouncing: If a team buzzes in and cannot answer or answers incorrectly, the question is
then posed to the other team.
Score: The score is visible to each team during this round.
Round 2: Head-to-Head
Format: Player vs. Player
The host will begin with the two players to his immediate right and left, one from each
team. The second question will be presented to the second set of players of each team.
The third question is for the third set of players and the fourth set is for the fourth set of
players. The host will continue in this fashion until the end of three minutes. In the
unlikely event that a team only brings three players to the match, the host will call on
player three twice to compensate for the loss of a fourth player as he moves through the
line of players.
Time Limit: 3 minutes
Questions: Random topics; short answer only.
Points: All questions are worth 10 points.
Penalty: There will be no deductions for wrong answers in this round.
Buzzing In: Players may buzz in at any time, even before a question is fully read. Players
must wait for the host to call on them by name before attempting to answer a question.
Conferring: The players are not allowed to confer with his or her team members. If a
team confers, it will be counted as an incorrect answer.
Bouncing: If a player buzzes in and cannot answer or answers incorrectly,
the question is then posed to the other team player.
Score: The score is visible to each team during this round.
Round 3: Category Round
Format: Team vs. Team
Time Limit: 8 -10 Minutes
Questions: Players pick from a board of six themed categories such as "Lost in Space"
(astronomy) or "Chicken and Egg" (putting historical events in chronological order).
Each category has five short answer or multiple-choice questions. There may also be
visual or audio questions.
Selection: The team that is trailing after Round 2 makes the first category selection. In the
event of a tie after Round 2, a coin toss will be used to determine the team to make the
first category selection. From that point on, the team with the last correct answer makes
category selections.
Points: Questions are worth 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 points. A correct response earns the
point value on the board and the opportunity to select another question from the board.
Teams are free to choose any unselected category/point value throughout the round as
they appear on the board; point values representing questions must be answered in order.
Penalty: The point value associated with the question is deducted for wrong answers.
Buzzing: Teams may buzz in at any time, even before a question is fully read. Team
members must wait for the host to call on them by name before attempting to answer a
question.
Conferring: Team members are allowed to confer before, but not after buzzing in. If a
team confers after buzzing in, it will be counted as an incorrect answer.
Bouncing: If a team buzzes in and cannot answer or answers incorrectly, the question is
then posed to the other team. Team members are allowed to confer before buzzing in. If a
team confers after buzzing in, it will be counted as an incorrect answer.
Score: The score is visible to players during this round.
Round 4: Brainstorm Round
Format: Team vs. Team
Time Limit: 2 minutes and 30 seconds
Questions: Random categories, short answer only.
Points: All questions are worth 20 points.
Penalty: Incorrect answers result in a 20-point deduction.
Buzzing In: Teams may buzz in at any time, even before a question is fully read. Team
members must wait for the host to call on them by name before attempting to answer a
question.
Conferring: Team members are permitted to confer before buzzing in, but not after
buzzing in. If a team confers after buzzing in, it will be counted as an incorrect answer.
Bouncing: If a team cannot answer a question or answers incorrectly, the host gives the
correct answer and moves on to the next question. The other team is not given the
opportunity to respond.
Score: The score is visible to players during this round.