How Far Can Adults Get in a 12-Grade Challenge?

TL;DR

Contestants must answer at least 8 of 10 questions correctly in each grade to advance, while anyone missing more than two is eliminated and pelted with water balloons. Chandler fails second grade, Garrett and Ethan leave after fifth grade, and Jimmy fails seventh-grade spelling, leaving Bailey and Chris to reach high school in the provided transcript.

Transcript

• Today me and the crew are going back to 1st grade. At the end of the class, we'll receive a 10 question test. And if you miss more than two questions on the test you fail and get pelted by water balloons, and you don't proceed to the next grade. Last person to fail school gets $10,000, or if everyone makes it to 12th grade, we all get it. All rig... Read More

Key Insights

• The challenge requires contestants to complete a 10-question test after every grade and miss no more than two questions. Anyone who misses three or more fails, leaves the competition, and receives a water-balloon punishment before the remaining players advance.
• The prize structure rewards endurance through the school curriculum. The last person to fail can receive $10,000, but the full crew can share the reward if everyone successfully reaches twelfth grade, giving contestants both individual and collective incentives to continue.
• Chandler is the first contestant eliminated after missing three questions on the second-grade test. He says he deliberately tried to get two answers wrong for humor, but an unintended third mistake pushed him beyond the allowed limit and ended his run.
• The third-grade test includes questions about the adult human skeleton and body systems. Garrett answers that an adult has 127 bones, but the graded answer is 206. Despite that mistake, every remaining contestant stays within the two-error allowance and advances.
• The fifth-grade test eliminates Garrett and Ethan after lessons involving order of operations, the American Revolution, and language. Ethan earns 10 percent with one correct answer, while Garrett also exceeds the permitted number of errors. Jimmy, Bailey, and Chris proceed to sixth grade.
• The sixth-grade assessment focuses on language arts and science, including planets, orbit shapes, and gravity. Bailey and Chris answer every question correctly, while Jimmy misses two questions. Because two errors are permitted, all three contestants advance to seventh grade.
• Jimmy is eliminated in seventh grade because he struggles with the spelling portion of the assessment. His misspellings include an incorrect rendering of “quarrelsome,” and he later says he expected spelling to become a problem because it is a personal weakness.
• Bailey and Chris earn perfect scores in eighth grade after reviewing amendments and order of operations. They then enter high school and begin a geography lesson that includes the number of states bordering Mexico and a discussion about Kansas and its capital.

Questions & Answers

Q: How does the 12-grade school challenge work?

The contestants begin in first grade and receive a lesson followed by a 10-question test in each grade. A player can miss no more than two questions and still advance. Missing more than two causes immediate elimination and a water-balloon punishment. The competition continues toward twelfth grade, with $10,000 available to the last person who fails or to everyone if the entire group reaches the end.

Q: Why did Chandler fail the second-grade test?

Chandler missed three questions on the second-grade test, which exceeded the limit of two errors. He later says he was trying to get exactly two answers wrong on purpose, apparently to be funny, but he unintentionally missed another one. Although Ethan and Garrett scored 80 and Chris and Bailey scored 100, Chandler’s third mistake eliminated him and led to the water-balloon punishment.

Q: What subjects and questions appear in the early grades?

The early grades combine reading, mathematics, science, grammar, and regional knowledge. First grade includes a story and math, while second grade asks about a state of matter, addition, and the past tense of a word. Third grade covers multiplication, the adult skeleton, and body systems. Fourth grade includes state colors, the state bird, and identifying a fraction represented by a picture.

Q: Who fails the fifth-grade test and why?

Garrett and Ethan fail during fifth grade because each misses more than the permitted two questions. The assessment follows lessons on order of operations and the American Revolution, and its questions include the author of the Declaration of Independence, an equation, a gallon measurement, and personification. Ethan gets only one answer correct for a score of 10 percent, while Garrett also accumulates enough mistakes to be eliminated.

Q: What happens during the sixth-grade assessment?

The sixth-grade class covers language arts and science, with particular attention to planets and their moons. The 10-question test asks about the fifth planet from the sun, the shape of orbits, and the force of attraction between two objects. Bailey and Chris answer every question correctly. Jimmy misses two, but that remains within the passing allowance, so all three advance to seventh grade.

Q: Why does Jimmy fail in seventh grade?

Jimmy fails the seventh-grade assessment because of spelling mistakes. The test includes words supplied by the teacher, including “susceptible” and “quarrelsome.” His attempt at “quarrelsome” is judged far from correct, and he exceeds the permitted number of errors. After receiving the water-balloon punishment, Jimmy says he expected spelling to eliminate him eventually because he considers it a major weakness.

Q: Who reaches high school in the challenge?

Bailey and Chris reach high school in the provided transcript. Both survive the sixth and seventh grades, then earn perfect scores on the eighth-grade assessment after reviewing amendments and order of operations. They enter ninth grade and begin studying geography, including how many states border Mexico and facts involving Kansas. The provided transcript ends during that high-school lesson, so it does not reveal their final results.

Q: What is the prize and punishment in the school challenge?

The announced prize is $10,000. The last contestant to fail school can win that amount, while everyone can receive it if the whole group makes it to twelfth grade. The punishment for failing a test is being pelted with water balloons. Eliminated contestants describe the balloons as painful, with some failing to break on impact and feeling like baseballs, and one contestant reports welts afterward.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The crew returns to first grade for a school challenge spanning as many as 12 grades. Each class ends with a 10-question test, and missing more than two questions causes elimination. The last contestant to fail can win $10,000, while everyone would share the reward if the full group reached twelfth grade.

• Everyone passes first grade, but Chandler intentionally tries to miss two second-grade questions and accidentally misses a third, eliminating him. The remaining contestants survive third and fourth grades. Fifth grade removes Garrett and Ethan after a test covering the American Revolution, mathematics, measurements, and literary devices, leaving Jimmy, Bailey, and Chris.

• Jimmy, Bailey, and Chris pass sixth grade after studying language arts, science, planets, orbits, and gravity. Jimmy then fails seventh grade because of spelling errors, including his attempt at “quarrelsome.” Bailey and Chris pass eighth grade with perfect scores and enter high school, where the provided transcript begins a geography lesson.