Monday night's premiere of new six-part SBS series Child Genius introduced Australian viewers to some of the country's most intelligent children - and the families who encourage them to excel.
Having whittled hundreds of applicants down to just 19, the program documents a six-stage contest to find Australia's brightest child, - the largest and oldest high IQ society in the world - and quizmaster Dr Susan Carland.
With Dr Carland citing Australia's and tendency to celebrate sporting rather than academic achievements, the combination of brain-numbingly difficult questions and the young contestants' endearing approach to competition were quick to win over Aussie families watching from home.
The high stakes were immediately apparent. The two children with the lowest scores at the end of the first round, which focused on science and memory recall, were to be knocked out of the running.
Speaking of being knocked out....
"My tooth fell out," said 7-year-old James, the show's youngest competitor, moments before the round begins.
"Into an apple, then into a stomach," he added with a toothless grin.
The challenges of being smart
First up is twelve-years-old Nathan, who was entered into Child Genius by his mum Leanne, who hopes it could provide an opportunity for her son to connect with other like-minded young people.
"Being smart can have a negative impact," the Brisbane student reflects, admitting that he's had some trouble making friends.
"Sometimes when you talk about maths and stuff and they [other kids] don't like it and say, 'you know what, you're not the right person for me,'" he says.
"Even though they're the right person for me, I'm not the right person for them, which has made it a bit difficult."
12-year-old Nathan on 'Child Genius'. Source: SBS
While Leanne admits that she finds the process "confronting", she believes it's a "once in a lifetime opportunity to really help him extend himself to his full potential."
Nathan scores an impressive 9 points in the first round, whispering to his fellow competitors that he thinks he did "pretty well".
Support and sportsmanship
Having been accepted into Mensa at just three years old, Regina, 10, is up next - with her single dad, Kevin, cheering her on. We soon learn that Regina's mum died of cancer shortly before Regina’s first birthday, leaving Kevin to dedicate all of his time to ensuring his daughter is able to flourish.
"My life has been devoted to making the very best life I can for Regina," Kevin says.
He adds: "Regina's life has been my life - and this, Child Genius, has been the ultimate so far."
While struggling through the first round with only three points, Regina is offered high-fives and words of reassurance from her fellow child geniuses.
Still, the youngster is clearly hard on herself, whispering: "Why did I have to be so stupid?"
Comebacks and farewells
Needing 11 points to avoid elimination, Regina is ready to "go down fighting" in the second round, which sees contestants face the memory recall challenge. With a clearly nervous Kevin watching on in the audience, Regina scores an unbelievable 15/15 points, placing her out of danger and through to the show's second episode.
An emotional reunion backstage sees Kevin remind his only daughter how proud he is of her.
"You should've seen everyone in that whole place, they all exploded," he tells her.
"You just absolutely nailed it."
However, with only 11 total points, 8-year-old Cathy becomes the first child eliminated from the show - but not without hearty words of encouragement from quizmaster Dr Carland.
"It's sad to see Cathy go, she was such a sweet little girl," Dr Carland says.
"But Cathy is only eight, so to even be in this competition is an outstanding achievement and it suggests there is so much more in her future that she'll be achieving."
Hugging her family, Cathy admits that she's disappointed.
"I'm a bit sad that I'm leaving," she says.
She adds: "My parents think I've been a brave girl and I've gone really well."
However, the episode's second elimination isn't so cut-and-dry - with the next lowest score resulting in a three-way tie between James, 7, Arielle, 12, and Aaron, 11.
After being informed that the tie-breaker round is science-themed, the trio take to the stage.
Dr Carland explains that each child will have a turn at answering a question - they'll need to answer correctly to have a chance at proceeding to the next round.
Aaron, Arielle and James face off in the tie-breaker. Source: SBS
James answers his first question correctly.
Arielle answers incorrectly, meaning it all comes down to Aaron.
Aaron misses his answer, too, meaning James is safe and through to day 2 - and the tie-breaker continues.
With Arielle answering her second tie-breaker question correctly and Aaron answering incorrectly, Arielle proceeds to the next round.
Win or lose, though - many watching at home couldn't escape one impressive truth...
A new six-part SBS series hosted by Dr Susan Carland, follows the lives of Australia's brightest children and their families and will see them testing their abilities in maths, general knowledge, memory and language.
The quiz show will be broadcast over two weeks, with episodes airing Monday to Wednesday at 7.30pm.
