NEW CLASS SCORES IN SOPHOMORE SEASON OF "ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5th GRADER?" BEGINNING THURSDAY, OCT. 4

Bonus Episode Airs Friday, Oct. 5

After this summer's nationwide search, a new class of stellar students will assemble for the first time as classes resume on the second season of the hit game show ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5th GRADER? beginning Thursday, Oct. 4 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT). As previously announced, an all-new bonus episode with the new class will air Friday, Oct. 5 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT).

Now that former classmates Alana, Marki, Jacob, Kyle and Spencer have graduated to middle school, the bell rings for a new batch of 5th graders. The star scholars include:

Mackenzie, an 11-year-old from San Diego, CA, once won a contest for reading 30 books. She loves to sing and pretend she is a contestant on SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE. When she grows up she wants to be a pop singer, actress or fashion designer.

Olivia, 10, lives in Chicago, IL. Her favorite subject is writing and she is a Greek mythology enthusiast. As her idol is Eleanor Roosevelt, Olivia would love to be able to go back in time to visit the 1950s. Olivia hopes to visit France one day and wants to be a neurologist when she grows up

Sierra, a 9-year-old Southern California native, is an honor student who likes to socialize and read the dictionary in her free time. This avid pizza lover wants to visit Tokyo one day and aspires to be a medical examiner. Her idols include Arnold Schwarzenegger and Wonder Woman.

Cody, 10, a Southern California native and an identical twin, loves math and would dye his hair yellow if he could. When he is not break-dancing, Cody likes collecting rocks and coins. Cody would like to be a writer or professional soccer player.

Nathan, a 9-year-old Colorado native, loves math, reading and playing the piano. Because Nathan thinks Albert Einstein is the smartest person of all time, it is no surprise he wants to be an inventor when he grows up. When he's not playing competitive sports, Nathan's reading the latest "Harry Potter" book or watching his favorite team, the New York Yankees.

In addition to a new set of pupils, the second season of this atypical game show, hosted by comedian Jeff Foxworthy, will also feature celebrity contestants Regis Philbin ("Live with Regis and Kelly"), on-air personality Billy Bush ("Access Hollywood"), AMERICAN IDOL finalists Clay Aiken and Kellie Pickler, skateboarding icon Tony Hawk, and Miss America Lauren Nelson testing their knowledge for charity.

ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5TH GRADER? measures adults' lack of knowledge � as revealed by how much they've forgotten since grammar school But there is a way to "cheat" in this classroom. Adults can get some elementary help by using a "peek," "copy" or "save" from actual 5th grade classmates to determine the correct a-n-s-w-e-r and graduate toward the top prize of $1 million.

Mark Burnett Productions produces ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5th GRADER? in association with ZOO Productions. Burnett, Roy Bank, Barry Poznick and John Stevens serve as executive producers.