WISHING THEM LUCK
Sydney boy wishes remaining ‘Canada’s Smartest Person Junior’ competitors luck
Sydney boy eliminated from ‘Canada’s Smartest Person Junior’.
A Sydney boy’s quest to be named “Canada’s Smartest Person Junior” has come to an abrupt end.
Matthew Shimon was the first person eliminated from the CBC-TV competition, which premiered Wednesday night.
The 12-year-old French immersion student at Whitney Pier Memorial Middle School had the lowest score after the show’s opening speed round.
A singer and musician who plans to become a professional actor, Shimon seemed particularly dejected after he struggled in a melody game, but expressed confidence heading into a challenge that had the 12 contestants match the expressions on different photos.
“I’m good in social intelligence because as an actor I feel the emotional ties between the actors and their characters,” said Shimon, who played Tiny Tim in the Highland Arts Theatre production of “A Christmas Carol.”
However, after the five tests, Matthew Shimon, 12, a Grade 7 student at Whitney Pier Memorial Middle School, was eliminated from “Canada’s Smartest Person Junior” on Wednesday.
Shimon scored 54 and left the show.
“I’ve had a great experience on ‘Canada’s Smartest Person Junior,’” a teary-eyed Shimon
told his fellow contestants. “I hope everybody else has a good run, and best of luck to them.”
Liam Henderson of Sarnia, Ont., was also later eliminated from the show, which has contestants showcase their smarts in fun challenges across six categories: physical, musical, social, linguistic, logical and visual.
Shimon was one of nearly 1,000 young Canadians who applied to be a competitor on “Canada’s Smartest Person Junior.”
Two contestants from Atlantic Canada remain in the competition.
Danica Scully, 11, from Halifax and Liam Veale, 12, from Saint John, N.B., will face off against Alexia Sabau, 12, from Calgary, Alta., Arjun Ram, 12, from Hamilton, Ont.; Ashley Taylor, 11, from Guelph, Ont.; Mateus Soto, 11, from Toronto, Ont.; Matthew Yu, 10, from West Vancouver, B.C.; Misuzu Tamaki, 11, from Markham, Ont.; Sandra Nitchi, 11, from Montreal, Que.; and Zoe Devalia, 11, from Scarborough, Ont., when the six-episode series continues Wednesday at 8 p.m. on CBC, the CBC TV streaming app, and cbc.ca/watch.