This program brought to you in part by the Erika Lewis Endowment Fund.

-Tonight, it's Team Krafve... [cheers and applause] ...taking on Team Betancourt!

[cheers and applause] This is the Blue League All-Star match of Varsity Quiz!

[crashing sound] ♪♪♪ [cheers and applause] (Nathan Tannenbaum) Hello and welcome.

This is the 55th season of Varasity Quiz.

We've got the best and the brightest high school students matching wits in this challenging academic competition.

Now, in this match, we're saluting the young men and women of the Blue League with this year's All-Star match, featuring superstars from some of the 10 Blue League schools that participated this year.

Students have been randomly assigned to our two different teams.

This All-Star match, a little bit different than our regular season matches.

We're going to have four timed rounds with up to 20 toss-up questions.

Each question in this round, it's kind of a lighthearted match, worth 5 points.

Let's meet our first round players starting with Team Krafve.

Students, remember, tell us your name, your grade, and your school.

We'll start with Carly.

-Hi.

I'm Carly.

I'm a senior, and I'm from Centennial High School.

-Hi.

I'm Sage.

I am also a senior from Centennial High School.

-Hi.

My name is Ellowyn, and I'm a senior at Southeast Tech.

-Hi.

My name is Devin, and I'm a senior at Valley High School.

-And the coach for Team Krafve, Sarah Moore.

Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Team Krafve!

[cheers and applause] And now let's meet our players for Team Betancourt.

Again, we'll start with Naomi, your name, your grade, and what school you go to.

-Hi.

I'm Naomi, and I'm a sophomore at Silverado High School.

-Hi.

I'm Rhysten.

I'm a freshman, and I'm from Northeast Career & Tech.

-Hi.

I'm Dietrich.

I'm a senior from Del Sol Academy.

-Hi.

I'm James, and I'm a senior attending Mojave High School.

-And the coach for Team Betancourt, Jason Bates.

Ladies and gentlemen, that's Team Betancourt!

[cheers and applause] And we will explain why those teams are given those names, but we want to get into the competition here.

And students, a reminder to please speak up.

If you're a shy person, unfortunately you're going to have to kind of kick it up here.

We want to make sure that the judges can hear you.

The microphones will be great for the viewers at home, but you have to be loud and clear for all of us here in the studio.

In the meantime, remember that you have to wait until you are recognized, and no answers will be allowed.

We're going to control your buzzers.

You won't be able to buzz in until the entire question has been read.

Are you ready?

Let's play Varsity Quiz.

Which part of the brain controls balance and equilibrium?

Team Betancourt, Rhyston: the cerebellum -Correct.

Points on the board for Betancourt.

Next question.

The name of which popular '80s video game is derived from a Japanese slang term for opening and closing your mouth?

[bell chimes, time expires] Oh, you're gonna kick yourself.

Don't y'all play Pac-Man?

Okay, next question.

In the sentence, "The squirrel ran into the tree," which word in that sentence is a preposition?

That's Krafve, Devin: into -Correct.

Points on the board for Krafve.

Let's keep going.

Which social media platform is known for its disappearing photo and video messages?

Betancourt, Detrich: Snapchat -Yeah.

Is Snapchat still a thing?

For a little bit?

Okay, for some of you.

All right.

Hey, imaginary lines that run parallel to the equator, those are called lines of what?

Team Krafve, Carly: latitude -That is correct.

We had a correct answer there, Detrich.

You're good.

Next question.

Name the car company that went out of business before the Back to the Future movie came out where that car was featured.

Betancourt, Detrich: DeLorean -Yeah.

Love the DeLorean.

Next question.

Hernando de Soto was the first European explorer to see which body of water?

Krafve, Devin: the Pacific Ocean -No.

Betancourt, Detrich: Gulf of Mexico -No.

He saw the Mississippi River.

Next question.

In November 1983, a shortage of one of the most sought-after dolls led to mom riots in toy stores.

What toy was it?

Betancourt, Deitrich: Cabbage Patch Kid -Yeah.

Anybody got Cabbage Patch dolls?

Yeah, it's a beautiful thing.

Hey, Clark Kent is the mild-mannered reporter for what newspaper?

Krafve, Ellowyn: The Daily Planet -Well, I was gonna say, Ellowyn, your voice changed.

[laughter] Yeah.

I mean, that's Superman, right?

Hopefully, you all are fans of Superman.

Who invented the electric generator?

Krafve, Carly: Nikola Tesla -Incorrect.

You're on the right track, though.

[buzzer sound] [bell chimes] Did he get it in time?

Betancourt, Detrich: Elon Musk -No.

[laughter] I'm sure he would like to think so.

But it was Michael Faraday.

Next question.

In which state will you find the Wasatch Mountains?

Betancourt, Detrich: South Dakota -No.

Krafve, Devin: North Dakota -No.

It's right next door.

They're in Utah.

Next question.

Amazon.com was launched in 1994, but originally they only sold what?

Betancourt, James: books -Yeah.

Can you imagine that?

Books.

All right.

What was the first successful type of photography?

Betancourt, Rhysten: portraits -Incorrect.

[bell chimes, time expires] -Hopefully, you've heard of this.

It's daguerreotype.

It's a good word to look up, and they're cool pictures.

All right.

Next question.

In the United States government, who signs national bills that become law?

Betancourt, Detrich: the President -Yes, sir.

Maggie Smith played which character in the popular Harry Potter movies?

That's Krafve, Ellowyn: Professor McGonagall -I think we can take that.

Yeah, absolutely.

We got to love our Harry Potter.

You guys are still Potter people, right?

Okay.

Causing a major uproar, the recipe for which popular soft drink was famously changed in 1985?

Betancourt, Detrich: Coke -Yeah.

They called it "New Coke."

Nobody liked it.

Next question.

Who was the Greek goddess of the dawn?

Betancourt, Naomi: Eos -Yes.

There you go, yes.

You've got to speak up.

Use your playground voice.

Remember those?

Next question.

How many US Senators are there?

[buzzer sound] [bell chimes] Krafve, Ellowyn: 100 -Yeah.

Are we out of time?

[confers with judges] Oh, good.

Let's keep going then.

What branch of science focuses on the study of rocks and minerals?

That's Krafve, Devin: geology -Yes.

And we are out of time.

All right.

Now, before we go on, we did want to say-- well, let's explain the All-Star team names.

Team Betancourt is named for Carlos Betancourt.

Now, Carlos coached Varsity Quiz teams for 16 years, served as a moderator for both Junior Varsity Quiz and Varsity Quiz in the school competitions, one of the very first members of the Varsity Quiz Hall of Fame.

So that's where Team Betancourt comes from.

Now, Team Krafve.

Team Krafve is named in the memory of Dick Krafve.

Dick was a member of the Kiwanis Club of Las Vegas, honorary Varsity Quiz head judge.

Man, he judged matches twice a week for 32 years.

Dick also an inaugural member of the Varsity Quiz Hall of Fame, also a member of the CCSD Hall of Fame.

All right.

Let's move on to Round 2.

[crashinig sound] All right.

The score getting ready for Round 2 here, Team Krafve has 30 points to Team Betancourt's 40.

We have a couple of new players for Team Krafve.

We'll start with Nestor.

Remember, your name, your grade, and your school.

-Hi, I'm Nestor.

I'm from Northeast Career & Technical Academy, and I'm a freshman.

-Excellent.

-Hi.

I'm Jacob from Mojave High School, and I'm in grade 10.

-Wonderful.

And we know Ellowyn.

She was here before.

-Hi.

I'm Absalon, and I'm a senior at Del Sol Academy.

-Wonderful.

Ladies and gentlemen, Team Krafve!

Give it up.

[applause] And Team Betancourt is staying the same.

We'll see if they sub out some players, but Naomi, Rhysten, Detrich, James, good luck here in Round 2.

Let's keep going.

All right.

In what book is the planet Arrakis the only sort of the sought-after drug melange?

Krafve, Ellowyn: Dune -Yes.

What album released in 1982 by the King of Pop is the best-selling album of all time?

Krafve, Absalon: Thriller -Yeah.

Don't you guys-- everybody has that, don't they?

Isn't it on your Spotify?

Okay.

Next question.

If you're wearing Chuck Taylors, which company made them?

Team Betancourt, James: Converse -Yeah.

No need to lean into the mic.

We got you, James.

You're all good.

Yeah, anybody got Chucks?

Everybody has Chucks.

Yeah.

Next question.

Remember the young hero of the movie E.T.?

Elliott uses a trail of which candy to lure the alien out of hiding?

Betancourt, Detrich: Skittles -No.

Krafve, Absalon: m&m's -No.

You guys have all seen E.T., haven't you?

Oh, you got to.

It's Reese's Pieces.

Reese's Pieces.

That was a very young Drew Barrymore.

Okay, nevermind.

Next question.

How many years are there in one Presidential term?

Krafve, Ellowyn: four -Correct.

What haircut named for a character on the sitcom Friends was very popular in the '90s?

Team Betancourt, Rhysten: a bobcut -No.

[bell chimes, time expires] Nobody watched friends?

It was the Rachel.

Go back and Google it or it's on the YouTubes.

Next question.

What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?

Betancourt, Detrich: the Louisiana Territory -You got it.

The hottest temperature ever recorded on our planet, 134 degrees in 1913, in which desert valley in the southwestern US?

Betancourt, Detrich: Death Valley -Yes.

Remember you can't buzz in until the question has been asked in its entirety.

Yeah, it's different than the regular Varsity Quiz match, Absalon.

Here we go.

Next question.

What month is the US Presidential election held in?

Betancourt, Naomi: November -Yes.

Which ambitious wife of a Shakespearean title character goads her husband into committing regicide so she could be the Queen of Scotland?

Krafve, Absalon: Mary -No.

[bell chimes, time exires] It was Lady Macbeth.

Okay.

Who started the first free libraries in the United States?

Betancourt, Naomi: Benjamin Franklin -Yeah, he sure did.

I mean, he was ahead of his time.

Hopefully, you all have library cards.

Libraries?

Awesome.

Next question.

Which gadget developed in the 1980s was originally marketed in the United States as something called a "Soundabout"?

Betancourt, Detrich: a Sony Walkman -Yeah.

Good for you, man, because I was-- I'm surprised you guys even know what a Walkman is.

I mean, do you remember cassette tapes?

Yeah, all right.

Let's see.

How many amendments are there to the United States Constitution?

Krafve, Absalon: 28 Nope.

Betancourt, James: 24 -No, 27.

All good.

Next question.

The Erie Canal connects Lake Erie to what river?

Krafve, Nestor: Lake Ontario -Nope.

Betancourt, Naomi: the Mississippi River -No.

It connects it to the Hudson River.

Next question.

Superhero Batman, they also call him the Caped Crusader.

What superhero is known as the Man Without Fear?

Krafve, Absalon: Superman -Nope.

Betancourt, Detrich: Spider Man -No.

Have you guys heard of Daredevil?

Oh, Absalon is hitting himself.

All right.

Next question.

This was in 1982.

Great Britain fought an undeclared war with what nation to maintain control of the Falkland Islands?

Krafve, Nestor: Argentina -Yes.

Who was President of the United States during the swearing in of the first female US Supreme Court Justice?

Krafve, Absalon: Barack Obama -No.

Betancourt, Detrich: Bill Clinton -No.

It was Ronald Reagan.

And we're out of time for the second round.

[crashing sound] All right.

We're going into Round 3 of our Blue League All-Star match.

Team Krafve has 50 points to Team Betancourt's 70.

[crashing sound] -We got a couple of returning players, but we'll have you guys reintroduce yourselves.

We'll start with Carly.

-Hi, I'm Carly.

I'm a senior, and I'm from Centennial High School.

-Hi, I'm Sage.

I am also a senior from Centennial High School.

-Nestor and Jacob were with us last round.

Thank you, guys.

We have a couple of new players for Team Betancourt.

We'll start with Christopher.

Name, grade, and your school.

-Hi, I'm Christopher.

I'm from SECTA, and I'm a 12th grader.

-Excellent.

-Hi, I'm Maddie.

I'm a freshman from Valley High School.

-Wonderful.

Rhysten and James were with us in the last round.

So here we go.

Which Hall of Fame athlete retired from basketball in 1993 because he wanted to play minor league baseball?

Krafve, Jacob: Michael Jordan -You got it.

Next question.

How many voting members does the House of Representatives have?

It's your government question.

Betancourt, James: 452 -Nope.

You don't have to lean in.

We got you, man.

Team Krafve, Carly: 523 -Wow!

That's a random number.

It's 435.

Now, the total number of Congress people that serve at any given time is 535 because of the 100 Senators and the 430-- [yawning] Okay, moving on.

History's worst nuclear accident was the Chernobyl meltdown of 1986.

It occurred in the Soviet Union where what country is now?

And that's Team Betancourt, Christopher: Russia -No.

That's Team Krafve, Nestor: Ukraine -Yeah.

Bizarre, right?

What company's tanker spilled 11 million gallons of crude oil across Alaskan waters in 1989?

Krafve, Nestor: Exxon -Yes.

Responding to a question from an elementary school student, what imperative demand did First Lady Nancy Reagan respond, which kind of turned into a slogan to keep kids drug free?

Team Krafve, Carly: D.A.R.E.

-No.

No, I think you're gonna kick yourself when you hear it.

[bell chime, time expires] Have you guys ever heard "Just say no"?

Yeah.

That was Nancy Reagan.

Next question.

What's the name of the doctor's time machine in the TV show Doctor Who?

Krafve, Jacob: the TARDIS -Yes.

I was hoping we had some Doctor Who fans here.

Thank you, Jacob.

Next question.

What is the acronym VPN stand for in internet security?

Betancourt, James: Virtual Private Network -You got it.

What song by Los del Rio that goes with a dance spent 14 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1996?

Man, does that get stuck in your head.

Team Krafve, Jacob: "Macarena" -Yeah.

Can you do the Macarena?

No.

We're all better off.

Next question.

Delhi, the largest in terms of area, but what city in India is the biggest by population?

Krafve, Nestor: Mumbai -Yes.

Who wrote The Color Purple?

[bell chimes, time expires] -Oh, Alice Walker.

And I guess there's a new movie out, a new version.

Next question.

The first major international crisis of the post-Cold War era was the Persian Gulf War, started in August 1990, when Iraq invaded what country?

Krafve, Nestor: Kuwait -Yes.

Their energy comes from matter falling into a black hole.

What are these brightest objects in the universe?

Krafve, Nestor: stars -Nope.

Betancourt, James: magnetars -Nope.

They are quasars.

Oh, you'll kick yourself.

And remember, James, we got you.

You don't need to lean in.

I know it's like it's cool, but we got you.

Next question.

What social media platform is primarily focused on professional networking Krafve, Carly: LinkedIn -Yeah.

How many of you have LinkedIns?

Nobody?

All right.

You guys probably don't even do Facebook.

Yeah, no.

Snapchat?

No?

IG?

You're all on the Gram?

-No.

-All on the Gram.

-No?

Moving on.

The USA's only national park south of the equator lies in the rainforests of which territory?

Krafve, Nestor: Brazil -No.

Betancourt, Rhysten: Argentina -No.

Because this is a territory, we were looking for American Samoa.

Kind of a trick question there.

Next question.

In 1992, which Presidential candidate played the saxophone on the Arsenio Hall Show?

Betancourt, James: Bill Clinton -Yeah.

I mean, look that one up on the YouTube.

He was wearing shades.

That's how cool he was.

Next question.

What city was the birthplace of '90s grunge music, home to Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden?

Krafve, Nestor: St. Louis -No.

Betancourt, James: Seattle -Yeah, baby!

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," man.

Okay.

Oh, darn.

We're out of time.

There's more lighthearted Blue League All-Star fun right around the corner.

[crashing sound] Hey, we're going into our final round, and we have a close Blue League All-Star match.

Team Krafve has 90 points to Team Betancourt's 85.

Can't get a whole lot closer than that.

And we got a couple of returning players.

Let's have everybody introduce themselves all over again, starting with Devin here on Team Krafve.

Name, grade, and school.

-Hi, my name is Devin.

I am a senior at Valley High School.

-Hello, I'm Absalon.

I'm a senior at Del Sol Academy.

-Hi, my name is Carly.

I'm a senior from Centennial High School.

-Hi, I'm Sage.

And I am also a senior from Centennial High School.

-We were just checking to see if that was all still true.

And for Team Betancourt, go ahead.

-I'm Christopher, senior from SECTA.

-Hi, I'm Rhysten.

And I'm a freshman from Northeast Career & Tech.

-Hi, I'm Maddie.

I'm a freshman from Valley High School.

-Hi, I'm James.

And I'm a senior attending Mojave High School.

-So you're still James?

-Most definitely.

-Awesome.

All right.

Here we go with Round 4.

Which cartoon character's main goal is to hunt down Bugs Bunny?

Krafve, Devin: Elmer Fudd -Yeah.

I'm out to get that wascally wabbit.

Best cartoon of all time.

Which country experienced a devastating earthquake in February 2023?

Krafve, Devin: Japan -No.

Betancourt, James: Turkey -No.

This was the Syria or Syria-Pakistan earthquake.

There's, unfortunately, a bunch of them.

Who was the French military officer and hero of the American Revolution who later played a significant role in the French Revolution?

Krafve, Sage: Marquis de Lafayette -Yes.

Obviously, you're a Hamilton fan.

Me too.

Which character did Bryan Cranston play in Breaking Bad?

Betancourt, James: Walter White -Everybody is into the Breaking Bad.

Absalon is doing a Walter White over there.

Okay.

Carbon dating is used to determine what about the remnants found from the past?

Krafve, Carly: Age -Yeah.

I myself am carbon dated.

Next question.

For which movie did DreamWorks Animation win the first Academy Award for the Best Animated Feature?

Krafve, Devin: Shrek -Yeah.

Shrek fans?

Yes?

No?

Oh, yeah.

"We're crackalackin'."

Oh, no, wait.

That was Madagascar.

Nevermind.

Next question.

What's the name of the brightest star in the night sky in the northern hemisphere?

Krafve, Absalon: Polaris -No.

Betancourt, Christopher: the Northern Star -No.

The answer is Are you "Sirius"?

Thank you.

If both the President and Vice President of the United States can no longer serve, who becomes President?

And that's Betancourt, James: the Speaker of the House -That's correct.

In which romantic comedy did Taylor Swift make her feature-film debut?

Krafve, Sage: Valentine's Day -Shah.

Swifties, everybody?

No, not so much?

All right.

What author wrote the popular novel The Joy Luck Club?

[bell chimes, time expires] -Check it out from your library.

Amy Tan.

Fantastic book.

What aptly titled '80s hit was the first music video ever played on MTV?

Krafve, Sage: "Video Killed the Radio Star" -Wow!

An MTV junkie.

Yeah!

And just for the fun of it, you know who did that song?

-The Beagles?

-Well, it was the Buggles.

[laughter] -Sorry.

-That's okay.

The Subway is to New York as the (blank) is to London.

Krafve, Absalon: the system Ee... ah... no.

-Sounds painful.

Betancourt, Christopher: the monorail system -No.

It's the Tube.

Yes!

Take a ride on the tube!

Next question.

What humorous pop song was released by the South Korean singer Psy in 2012?

Betancourt, James: "Gangnam Style" -Yeah.

Are you gonna do a little bit for us?

[laughter] Well done.

Next question.

When was the Constitution written?

Krafve, Devin: 1980-- no, 1789 -No.

That was fun, though.

Betancourt, Christopher: 1789 -No.

1787.

Whoa!

Next question.

Who provided the voice for the forgetful but lovable Dory in Finding Nemo?

Krafve, Sage: Ellen DeGeneres -Yeah.

You're our showbiz questioner.

There we go.

But everybody loved Finding Nemo, I hope.

I mean, "With fronds like these, who needs anemones?"

What's the name of Michelle Obama's 2018 memoir?

[bell chimes, time expires] Also a fantastic book.

It's called Becoming.

Next question.

If you were in Australia, somebody might greet you by saying, "G'day, (blank)."

Betancourt, Rhysten: Mate -That's right.

Yeah, g'day.

Next question.

Who won the first season of American Idol?

Betancourt, Maddie: Kelly Clarkson -Yeah.

She got her own TV show now.

Oh, darn!

We're out of time.

Hey, we also want to take us a quick moment here to say thank you to the Kiwanis Club of Las Vegas.

Man, they have provided decades of help for the in-school competitions.

They get VQ going every year.

We sure appreciate the Kiwanis Club of Las Vegas.

Salute to their fine work in the community.

Also if you don't mind, a quick shout-out to the staff and the leadership of the Clark County School District's Student Activities department.

They coordinate every step of the program, from early in the school year to the championships.

Let's find out who won.

[crashing sound] The final score of the Blue League All-Star: Team Krafve, 125 points.

[applause] Team Betancourt, 110 points.

[applause] But congratulations to both teams.

But Team Krafve is the champion of the Blue League All-Stars!

[cheers and applause] Hey, before we go, I want to take a second to let you know how grateful we are to all the folks that make Varsity Quiz the success that it is.

We're talking about all of the coaches, we're definitely talking about the teachers of these young men and women, but I think we should also throw out some love to the parents of these students.

Students, can we give it up for your moms and dads?

[cheers and applause] And we hope that you will join us next week when the road to the Silver League Championship begins as Coronado will take on Gorman.

Thanks for tuning in to Varsity Quiz on Vegas PBS.

Good night.