Baldwin Park neighbors
Sebastian Veras and Ashley Headrick demonstrate their mental brilliance in NBC’s new show “Genius Junior.”
Host Neil Patrick Harris says the new NBC series “Genius Junior” has found the smartest kids in the nation.
Two come from the Baldwin Park neighborhood of Orlando in this weekend’s premiere.
“I thought it was a huge honor,” said Sebastian Veras, 12, a seventh-grader at Glenridge Middle School. “Me and my mom had a joke: It must be something in the water. What are the odds?”
Neighbor Ashley Headrick, 11, a sixth-grader at Trinity Preparatory School in Winter Park, said she was excited they were both on the show. “We met when we were 2 years old. I am best friends with Sebastian’s twin sister, Tatiana,” Ashley said.
But the premiere is kind of awkward, she added. They are on opposing three-member teams in the debut episode at 9 p.m. Sunday. Ashley is part of the Dork Side while Sebastian is part of Team On-a-Roll.
The show lists their skills. Ashley is a member of the high IQ society Mensa, has an IQ of 153 and studies the Navajo language. “My mom has never told me my IQ,” she said after being asked for confirmation.
Sebastian, also a Mensa member, memorized the U.S. Constitution at age 5. And he’s a world traveler, has visited 25 countries and picks China as his favorite. Through “Genius Junior,” he made lifelong friends, he said.
“When I was on the TV show, I was relieved. I felt like I was in the right room,” he said. “Who wouldn’t be glad that they got on national television?”
The kids show their skills at math, memorization and spelling backward in challenges sure to amaze viewers.
For Sebastian, the mental math challenges were most difficult. “I like math. It’s my favorite subject, but I usually do things with pencil and paper,” he said.
“It was just a life-changing experience,” Ashley said of the show. “I was honored to be there. I met so many smart kids and just had an amazing time.”
Sebastian described host Harris as a great fit for the show and noted the actor’s role as a teen physician in “Doogie Howser, M.D.” But Sebastian also said he had never seen the show, which debuted in 1989.
“He was hilarious. I was completely star-struck,” Ashley said of Harris. “I thought it was just so cool to be on camera and onstage, because I’ve always wanted to be a movie star when I grow up.”
She hopes her audio-graphic memory, a skill at recalling sounds, will help her with script memorization.
Sebastian hopes to become a video game developer and sees “Genius Junior” as inspiring young viewers. He is hosting a watch party Sunday at his house.
“We’re having the neighbors over for some brain food, then we’ll stop by their party,” Ashley said.