Lifetime’s competition series, “Child Genius: Battle of the Brightest” (#ChildGenius) returns for season two, featuring America’s most extraordinary and gifted children as they prep for the ultimate battle of the brains. Premiering Thursday, January 7th, 2016, at 8pm ET/PT, the competition, created in cooperation with American Mensa, takes place over ten weeks and tests the nation’s brightest young minds on their knowledge in categories such as math, spelling, geography, and current events. With a $100,000 college fund and the title of Child Genius 2016 at stake, the kids – and their families – will stop at nothing to make it to the top of the class. Former NASA astronaut, Leland Melvin, returns as the host.
The “Child Genius: Battle of the Brightest” contestants include:
- Adrian – 10 Peachtree City, GA. A musical prodigy, Adrian has played at Carnegie Hall and was a breakout performer on America’s Got Talent.
- Arnav – 9 Dobbs Ferry, NY. A budding mathematician and scientist, Arnav loves to challenge and correct his dad.
- Chancellor – 10 Stuart, FL. A self-taught chess player, Chancellor performs at a high school level.
- Claire – 10 Arcadia, CA. For talkative and bubbly Claire, attending school is her “playtime.”
- Drake – 10 Los Altos Hills, CA. A disciplined tennis player, Drake solves Rubik’s Cubes in his spare time.
- Gianna – 10 Denver, CO. Gianna is a Mensa member who was reading at the 11th grade level when she was only in the second grade.
- Iris – 11 San Antonio, TX. A Shakespeare aficionado, Iris won a writing competition for her very first novel.
- Jaden – 11 Chico, CA. While following a strict Paleo diet, Jaden is a lover of music, math and meat.
- Jenna – 11 San Antonio, TX. Jenna is a gifted Mensa member with an off-the-chart IQ.
- Sam – 12 Sugar Land, TX. Sam competes against 8th graders in math and is also fluent in Russian and French.
- Selah – 9 Kissimmee, FL. Selah skipped first grade and reads five years above her grade level.
- Vivek – 9 Bloomington, IL. Vivek not only maxed out on an IQ test, he also takes college level courses at Northwestern University.
Based on the popular UK format, “Child Genius: Battle of the Brightest” is produced by Shed Media. Pam Healey (“Who Do You Think You Are?,” “The Real Housewives of New York City”), John Hesling (“Top Gear,” “Long Lost Family”), Dan Snook (“Dare to Wear,” “Growing Up Greek”) and Laurie Girion (“Cheerleader Nation,” “Showville”) serve as executive producers, along with Lifetime’s Eli Lehrer, Mary Donahue and David Hillman.
