Hi again,

A lot of my friends who have seen me on “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader” ask me the same question...”Why do you wear the same outfit every show?” Well, if you've noticed, we all do! In fact I had four or five of the same outfit, just in case something happened to one of them! Just look back at my earlier pics, and you'll see me in the same outfit each time, purple shirt, skirt, gray leggings and very sparkly shoes with pink laces. The producers did this to make taping the shows easier. There were times where we had to shoot things over - things that didn't affect the score of the game. Sometimes, we had to re-shoot something that happened in a different show. Also, they did a lot of shots of us doing things like thinking at our desks, and writing things down. Since we wear the same clothes all the time, the extra shots can be edited into different shows!

Gotta go - see ya' soon!

Danielle

Hey!

Hi everyone! It's been a long time since my last post, because I have been pretty busy with 6th grade!! If they every make a new show called "Are You Smarter Than a 6th Grader?", I'll be ready!

Hope you all have been watching "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?"! I have a story to share from a recent episode. It's about Elizabeth Miller, an "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" contestant who won $250,000. Taping that show was unbelievable, because she actually went for the bonus question after winning $25,000. That was the first time I saw anyone try the question with that much money already in the bank. When she got the bonus right, the whole audience went nuts, right along with us kids! Jeff was pretty excited too! Elizabeth was actually able to keep her big win a secret from her husband for about 7 months, until the show aired. On the day the show aired, the producers decided to surprise her and her husband. We went to her apartment in the morning with a huge check for $250,000. They played a tape of the show for Elizabeth's husband. You should have seen his reactions! He was so shocked! "Good Day LA", "Inside Edition", and the "Daily News" were there to see the presentation of the check! Elizabeth made sure that her husband wouldn't get suspicious by telling him that the TV crews were coming to do a pregnancy story (as she is pregnant with her second child). He didn't suspect a thing, and got a huge, great surprise!

See you soon!

Dani

Hey Everybody!

The Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders had a routine that they performed before the 1st show. For some reason, (to my enjoyment) the producers had them do the routine four times. I loved watching them perform!

We filmed the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader episodes on Father's Day. For a few weeks I had been wondering what to get my dad. When I found out we were filming the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader episodes... I had the perfect present! My dad got to talk to the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders! (Great present, right?) Don't worry, my mom was there to keep him in line!

The Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders definitely broke the stereotype that cheerleaders aren't smart! Altogether, the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders won $78,000 for the USO. Congrats Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders!

See ya!
Danielle

Hey everybody!

Here is a pic of me and Jack Ingram. I met him right after I finished taping a different episode! I first saw him when he got out of his limo at the studio. I was sitting on the steps of our building, eating a snack (I always brought snacks and lunch from home because of my nut allergies). Jack walked up to where I was sitting and said, "Hey I know you....you're the girl from "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader!". I don't think he really knew me, since our shows weren't on TV yet. But I thought it was nice of him to pretend to recognize me. He was very nice and we took this photo together. Jack was also funny when he made his entrance onto the set of the show. He rode in on a girls bicycle with a flower basket they had on the set as a prop! He was way too big for the bike, and it was tough for him to ride, because the bike had flat tires! He did great, and I really enjoyed meeting him, and helping him raise money for a great organization like TOM'S SHOES!

I hope you all saw Friday night's episode, country singer Emily West played for the ALZHEIMER'S FOUNDATION OF AMERICA. Emily picked 5th Grade Geography when I was at the podium. The question was "If Danielle was visiting the country whose name comes last alphabetically in the world, what country is she in?" She decided to copy my answer. I got it right! It was Zimbabwe! She had $14,500 after that question, but all her cheats were gone. In the end, she won the whole $25,000 for her charity. Yeah Emily!!

I thought you guys might want a quick overview of the Celeb Week episodes! Here it is:

LOVE EVERYBODY: BIG KENNY, $2,500
NATIONAL MS SOCIETY: HEIDI NEWFIELD, $14,000
ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION: BUCKY COVINGTON:$25,000
TOM'S SHOES: JACK INGRAM: $ 25,000
ALZHEIMER FOUNDATION OF AMERICA: EMILY WEST, $25,000.

It felt great to help these country stars raise money for all their charities!!
Congratulations to a great group of singers!!

Hope you guys enjoyed country week! Keep checking my blog for new posts, I post every weekend (too busy doing middle school homework during the week)!!!!

Thanks for watching the show!!

Keep watching!
Danielle the 5th grader!



Well, that concludes country week!

"Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader" Airs!

I had the greatest day if my life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My episodes aired on FOX11 at 1 pm in Los Angeles, and Country Music Television (CMT) at 5 pm. My grandma & family/friends in Canada were making our phone ring off the hook! And, to top it off, I found the 5th grader website!!!! (www.5thgradertvshow.com) AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was SO cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They have pictures of us and info about us and downloadable wallpaper and screensavers!!!!!!!! They also have the show schedules on the website, so you don’t have to miss a thing!!!

My parents also got me congratulation balloons and presents to congratulate me on my success!! I was so excited, and this made my day even more special! Above are some pictures of me on my special day!

The CMT show with Big Kenny was funnier than I remember (does my memory really fade that quickly?) After 2 episodes today, and seeing the website, I must say this has been an AWESOME day : ). Good thing we have picture day at school tomorrow. I'll have the biggest smile in my class!

Heidi Newfield was so sweet, and I really enjoyed filming with her. Her episode was quite the nail bitter! It was great to have someone from the military in the audience especially when the question came up about Armistice Day, which is now known as Veterans Day. Jeff liked that Heidi and I had matching hairstyles! She won 14,000 for the MS society, a charity close to her heart relating to her mothers battle with Multiple Sclerosis.

For those of you that saw Bucky Covington’s episode, he was incredible! He went all the way to $25,000! That was one VERY smart musician. Deciding not to go for the bonus question was a good move on his part especially since he gets to donate 25,000 to the Arthritis foundation.

I hope you guys all watched the show, and I will update my blog A.S.A.P!!!!

Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader Commercials

Hey everybody,

I was watching country music channel and saw a "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader" commercials with me & and the country stars in it! I thought you guys might want to see the commercial, so here it is!


Love,
Danielle

Are You Smarter Than 5th Grader On Fox Reality Channel

Photo Credit:
Barry Holmes

Hey guys!

I was watching some reruns of Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader on Fox Reality Network, and I saw a promo for Country Music Week with Hedi Newfield, Big Kenny, and my classmates and I! It was really cool to see a clip of the upcoming shows on T.V. because it's the first time I've ever been able to see myself on Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader! Country Week is going to be so amazing, with PLENTY of surprises for all country music fans! Hope your watching the premier episodes staring on September 21st on CMT!!!

Love,
Danielle

More Photos from "Country Music Week".

Photo Credit:
Barry Holmes

CMT (Country Music Television) just posted a press release with pictures from "Country Music Week" on Smarter Than a 5th Grader. Here are some of the pics!

Country Music Stars on Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader!

Hey everybody!

Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader begins September 21 in syndication - check your local listings! CMT (Country Music Television), is also picking up the show, and will air it 5 day a week at 8 p.m. I just found out that the first week of shows on CMT is a theme week. The theme is country music stars! I had a great time filming these shows. Here are the dates:

Monday, 9/21 Big Kenny plays the game for the benefit of his charity called Love Everybody. Big Kenny was so amazing! He gave all of the kids gifts after the show. He gave us Love Everybody frisbee's, patches,t-shirts, and even computer flash drives! Big Kenny was really, really nice, and I loved working with him! The picture with this post is me with Big Kenny.

Tuesday, 9/22 Heidi Newfield is playing to raise money for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Heidi Newfield was really sweet and VERY smart.

Wednesday, 9/23 Bucky Covington, from American Idol season 5, plays for the Arthritis Foundation. Bucky was really amazing and was so fun to work with. The audience was really excited, and he had a lot of loyal fans at the taping!

Thursday, 9/24 Jack Ingram donates to Tom's Shoes, which donates shoes to less fortunate children. Jack Ingram was also just in the news, when he broke the Guiness World record for most interviews given in 24 hours. Jack is great on the show, and he played the game really well!

Friday, 9/25 Emily West plays for the Alzheimer Foundation of America. She is an amazing person an works really hard for her charity.

Hope you all tune in to see my first week of shows. After spending the whole summer filming episodes, it's so exciting that they are finally going to be on T.V.!

Backstage at Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader

Hey everybody! Here is a picture in the giant white shirt from Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader right before lunch! I have to keep my outfit clean! We all had to wear these shirts. I kept mine normal. Other kids had everybody sign their shirts, and kept it at the end of shooting for a souvenir.

Backstage!!

Hey guys,

I thought you might want to know some fun backstage info. I'll add a couple of pic's for everyone to see.

When we went to eat lunch on set, we were usually wearing our outfits. To make sure we didn't get the taco day toppings on them, we wore huge white men's dress shirts!!! They were like dresses on most of us!!! Some people decorated them, and we wore them all the time. Some people printed photos onto there shirts, some people decorated it with markers, and some people had the cast and crew sign it!

I'll update soon! Don't forget, "Ar eYou Smarter Than a 5th Grader" airs on September 21st on channel 13 and fox reality on fridays! While I won't be on every episode, you will definitely see me!

Love,
Danielle

Filming Concludes!

Hey everyone,

I am sad to say that "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader" taping is over. I have had such a great time on set. One of my favorite memories was being on Good Day L.A. It was so awesome! They taped it live, and they talked about the show. I had a fabulous time! Three different parts were shown! I also enjoyed all of the celebrities.

Just for fun, I thought I would list some of the celebrities that we filmed with.

Nick Lachey
Drew Lachey
Miss USA
Omarosa (Apprentice)
Sanjaya (American Idol season 5)
Jillian Reynolds(Good Day LA)
Paula Dean (Cooking Show)
(and many others)

Here are some of the theme weeks we filmed

COMEDIAN WEEK
Fred Willard(Comedian/Actor)
Tom Arnold(Comedian/Actor)
Brad Garret(Comedian)
(and others)

DALLAS COWBOY CHEERLEADERS
(5 cheerleaders)

NASCAR RACERS
(5 racers)

SOAP OPERA STAR WEEK
Tuck Watkins
(and others)

COUNTRY MUSIC WEEK
Bucky (American Idol)
Big Kenny
Hedi Neufeild
Emily West
(and others)

My class filmed NASCAR, SOAP OPERA, COUNTRY MUSIC, and DALLAS COWBOY CHEERLEADERS. It has been a blast working with all of these fabulous people. They are all so nice to everyone! I will keep you all updated as the shows begin to air!

Luv Ya,

Danielle

Back to Work!

Hey everybody,

Back from vacation! I was glad to have a break, but being back is fun. I have missed my friends on set so much! I have really been enjoying my time on "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader." Being on a game show is so exciting, especially with the funny Jeff Foxworthy. I can't wait until the episodes air, and everyone can comment and tell me what they think. I love it when people I know come to the studio audience, like my friend did a few days ago. It was fun having her there, and she enjoyed watching the show being taped. This week, I have a lot of visitors! My mom's 2 friends, my grandma's friend, my friend... You get point. I'm filming until August 19th. Then, I go back to school soon after, and the episodes begin to air. See you soon!
Love,
Danielle
(From season 4 of "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader.")

Filming!!!!!!!

I know, I know, its been a while since my last post. What can I say? I've been pretty busy!!! I love every minute of being on set. It is sooo amazing. I actually don't have much time to write this, because I'm leaving for the studio soon! I have met so many kind people, and I am having such a great time. For those of you who follow my blog, you know what's been going on with me for "Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader!" For those of you who are just joining me... read the archive! :). The show is airing in SEPTEMBER so watch for me!!(Danielle, in class with two other boys.) Since there are now three classes of three kids, you might not see me on every episode. But trust me, there are plenty of surprises this season!!! I'll update my blog soon! (Just know... soon could mean 2 minutes or 5 years...)

<3,

Danielle C.

P.S. (About two days ago my 5th grade teacher came!)

Wardrobe & 1st Rehearsal

Hey Guys!!!!

This week has been so fun!!! From rehearsals to wardrobe, I have had a blast. During wardrobe, I tried on a LOT of different outfits. I enjoyed getting to know the kids. Then, we had rehearsal on Monday. We banked school hours for a little while, and then got into wardrobe and got ready tour the stage. After a quick stage tour, we went back to school, except for the group that was rehearsing. My group went next. We had fake questions, we got to write on tablets and watch the writing come onto the screen, and pretend to lock things in. I had a fabulous time. I hope you had as much fun reading this as I did writing this. I wish I could write more, but I want to get to bed early, because tommorrow we start taping!!! Wish me luck! I'll update my blog A.S.A.P!!!

Luv Ya,

Danielle C. (From season three of "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader")

The Audition Process of "Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader"

Hey Everybody!

Hey! A few weeks ago I auditioned for "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?" It started out like this. I went into a room with two boys and two girls. We slated, talked into the camera, and played a trivia game. Then, the audition managers told me and the girls to bring our parents. We were then told to go into the room one at a time. I went in first, and was told to talk about myself again. I also played the trivia game again. Then, I was told to pretend like I was hosting a T.V. show and was interviewing my dad. I called my talk show "Right Here, Right Now." Then, we were told we could go. A few days later, I got a call from "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader." I had gotten the callback! Two days later, I went back to the same place. I also saw the girl who I had auditioned with the first time. The other kids and I talked for a while, and then we were called into groups. They gave us about a half an hour to talk and mingle with our groups. My group went in first, and we saw a projector which had a the classic "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader" board. It had, "first grade science, first grade history," and so on. We were each called to the podium for two questions. When we were done, we went back outside and hung out for about another two hours while the other groups went in. It was so interesting getting to know each other. After each group went, they told a few kids that they could leave. Eventually, only twelve people were left. We went in for one more interview with our parents, and then we left. About a week later, I got a phone call saying that they were faxing the contract. We signed the contract, and now I do a test run this week. Tomorrow after school I have wardrobe. Rehearsals start on Monday, and I can't wait!! I'll let you know what happens next week!

Your 5th Grader,

Dani C.