Chicago’s very own Dash Family won the coveted title of champions on the first season of Zee TV’s America’s Smartest Family and took home the cash prize of $10,000.
“We are super excited to be the winners of America’s Smartest Family. It was our first national TV experience and we enjoyed it thoroughly. It was a great platform for Anmol to showcase his talent. Many thanks to Zee and Touchdown Media for a great experience” said Bibhudatta Dash
The Somani Family from Monroe, New Jersey was the Runner-Up of the show and took home a cash prize of $5000.
“It was a great experience to participate in America’s Smartest Family. We had a lot of fun going through various rounds. It made us realize the importance of keeping your eyes and ears open. There is so
much to learn in this world. It also gave our son Rishi a great exposure to the world of quizzing.
Hopefully, this experience will help him read and learn a lot about the world rather than just US and India. Definitely, the most enriching experience in our lives. The crew and host were awesome. They took good care of us and I would like to thank them for giving us the opportunity” said Rashmi Somani
Zee TV’s original production – Americas’ Smartest Family, has become a popular reality TV show amongst the South Asian community which attracted a huge audience throughout the season.
The show initially began with 16 families dwindling down as the families battled it out until there were only two of the smartest families remaining. They both had to compete against each other in the finale for 10,000 cash prize and the title of America’s Smartest Family.
In the previous episodes, round one and two consisted of four questions, with a dice roll deciding which family goes first. Participants could choose from one of five topics – science, math, arts & entertainment, history, and geography. But there was a small twist in the grand finale; once a category is chosen at the end, the participants were forced to answer from the last remaining category. There were no deductions for the wrong answer.
As the game progressed, questions became tougher and lot more challenging. By rounds three and four – each correct answer was worth 200 points. During the fifth and final round, the game took a turn and host Zaid Ali made the round stimulating by offering clues. If the team answered correctly without a clue, a maximum of 1000 points was awarded. If the family chose to get clues, each clue cost them 200 points. For the grand finale, the category for the final round was math and in the end, the Dash family won by 300 points.
America’s Smartest Family was conceptualized as a Zee Originals property and produced by Touchdown Productions.