Where do I play the weekly league games?

If you're a league member, you'll receive an invitation link to join the game (on Zoom) each week. You'll always receive the link via your provided email a few days before the event. All you have to do is click the link at game time, and you're ready!

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What do I need to download in order to play?

Nothing! You just need a place to display the game on Zoom (like a computer, your TV, or a tablet) and a device to use as your buzzer (like a phone or tablet). There is no app to download. On your buzzer device, you'll simply go to buzzerpad.com at game time and enter the code the host gives you (it will also be displayed on the game screen). 

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Just how hard is the trivia?

This league tests your breadth of knowledge across multiple subjects, more than your depth of knowledge on any particular subject. In other words, you're more likely to see medium-difficulty questions across a wide variety of topics, than a bunch of extremely difficult, obscure questions about marine engineering or British royalty of the 16th century... BORING!

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Can we play in teams?

The Smartest Person in America is designed as a single-player game. After all, we're trying to find the smartest person, not the smartest group! However, you can absolutely have multiple players/league members in one room viewing the game on the same screen, and using their own devices to play. Each player will need to apply and register separately.​

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How much are league dues?

The standard league dues are $40 per 10-week season. Considering a trivia night at a bar/restaurant can run you close to, or over $40 for food and drink just for one night, it's a pretty good deal. Plus our trivia is probably more fun (if we do say so)!

 

INAUGURAL LEAGUE SEASON SPECIAL: Take $5 off your Fall 2025 dues if you apply by August 30, 2025 (and are approved to join.)

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Can I join both the Sunday and Tuesday league?

Yes. In fact, we offer a multi-league discount. If you are approved to join (or if you're an existing member), you'll get 25% off your dues if you join both the Sunday and Tuesday night leagues of the upcoming season ($60 instead of $80). 

 

When does the next league start and when are the games?

The Fall 2025 leagues begin Sunday, September 21 and Tuesday, September 23. Games always begin at 9:00 p.m. Eastern / 8:00 p.m. Central / 7:00 p.m. Mountain / 6:00 p.m. Pacific times. 

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How long is the season?

Each season is 10 weeks long. The Fall 2025 leagues run from September 21 - November 23 (Sunday league) and September 23 - November 25 (Tuesday league).  

 

FYI: The Winter 2026 season begins January 4, 2026 (Sunday league) and January 6, 2026 (Tuesday league).

 

Are there prizes?

Yes! The top 3 finishers in each league (Winter Sunday league, Winter Tuesday league, Spring Sunday league, Spring Tuesday league, Summer Sunday league, Summer Tuesday league, Fall Sunday league, and Fall Tuesday league) receive trophies and free entry into the next consecutive season's league!

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How is The Smartest Person in America title decided? 

At the end of each calendar year, we will look back at the 1st-place scores from each of the 8 leagues that year. Whichever 1st-place finisher had the highest league score will be crowned The Smartest Person in America for that year, and will win a special trophy, T-shirt, and free lifetime membership in The Smartest Person in America trivia leagues! Plus, we will create a custom, approximately 5-minute mini-documentary on YouTube announcing that year's Smartest Person in America. See official rules at the bottom of this page for more detail and tie-breaker guidelines.

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What if I miss a week?

No problem. Ideally, we'd like everyone to be there each week to create the most robust competition possible. But things happen. The top 22 players each week receive points, but no one loses any points for not finishing in the top 22. So if you miss a game, it would be exactly like if you had played, but didn't finish in the top 22.

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So how hard are the questions again?

The league is designed to be fun and accessible to everyone, so it's not a quantum physics exam! But it is challenging, and you probably won't ace every question. Then again, maybe you will! Questions always cover a wide variety of topics: animals, food, literature, science, current events, and of course, pop culture categories like movies, music, TV, and sports. And there's a bit of humor mixed in too. See a few examples on our "How To" page.

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How do you keep people from cheating?

During a game, questions are timed. You get more points the earlier you buzz in, and fewer points the later you buzz in. Anyone attempting to look up answers will either a) run out of time or b) forfeit the points they could have had by buzzing in earlier. In other words, we can't keep people from cheating, but we can keep people who cheat from winning! Also: don't cheat. No one likes a cheater.

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What if the internet goes out?

Unfortunately, tech glitches and internet problems occur. We can't control that, but on our end we do our best to minimize the possibility, and if it happens, we will do our best to ensure a fair resolution. We have done hundreds of virtual trivia events and very very rarely do glitches occur. By signing up for the league, you agree that stuff happens, and we reserve the right to determine any and all remedies. See official rules.

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Once I join the league and pay my first season's dues, am I a lifetime member?

Everyone who participates in a season (ex. Fall Season 2025) is automatically guaranteed a spot in the following consecutive season (in this example, the Winter Season 2026). For instance, if you play in the Fall 2025 Sunday night league, you could then choose to play in the Winter 2026 Sunday or Tuesday night league. You will owe new dues for the next season. And you can keep rejoining future consecutive seasons, as long as you don't skip a season.

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If, however, you choose not to re-join the next consecutive season, then your spot will be open to the public. As spaces in each league are limited, this would mean that you would have to hope the leagues were not already full if you decide to rejoin at a later date. We'll always announce when registration will begin for upcoming seasons a few weeks in advance, so if this is your situation, keep checking the website.

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So will there be a Smartest Person in America for 2025?

Yes! This is the best part about joining our inaugural season. Normally, you would have to score the highest league score of all 8 yearly leagues (Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall - Sunday & Tuesday night leagues). But for this first season, you'll only have to be the highest score of the two leagues - Fall 2025 Sunday and Fall 2025 Tuesday. Now's the time to get in, secure your membership for future leagues, and have the best shot at being named The Smartest Person in America.

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Do you really believe this trivia league can accurately identify the smartest person in America? I mean, come on.

Okay, maybe not. But we'll get close! If you win the title, no one can take it away from you. And it looks great on a resumé!

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How many spots are available in each league?

Each league (for example, Spring 2026 Tuesday league) is capped at 500 players, for now. So for now, the maximum number of people you'd need to beat to win the 1st-place trophy and a shot at being The Smartest Person in America is 499. As the leagues grow, we may expand the capacity to 1000 players per league. So, again, it's a good time to get in now.

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Are the questions different in each league?

Yes, questions are never repeated. The Sunday night and Tuesday night leagues in any given season will have totally different questions. You can even join both nights' leagues at a discount, if you'd like.​

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Who's the host?

The host is Steve Heinrich, a trivia lifer who founded Game Show Nite Productions; helped design popular Jackbox Games titles like You Don't Know Jack, Quiplash, and Fibbage; published multiple puzzle and trivia books (like this and this), produced two party games called Duh and Blank It, and therefore is qualified to host trivia nights more than an estimated 99.97287% of people.

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How old must you be to join? 

Currently, we require that players be 16 years or older to join. If you're that young, though, we suggest really beefing up on your pop culture knowledge from many decades past!

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Do you have to live in America to join?

Nope. While it's called The Smartest Person in America, you are welcome to play from anywhere. Just know that if you win, we're calling you The Smartest Person in America, not The Smartest Person in Liechtenstein, or wherever you are. And, it's important to note that some questions will definitely have an American pop culture tinge.

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Are there discounts for joining for a whole year?

Yes, after the Fall 2025 season, when we open enrollment for the Winter 2026 season, we will give existing members the option to register for all four 2026 seasons at a sizeable discount. You must be an existing member to get the discount (so you must play in the Fall 2025 season to get the 2026 discount). Stay tuned for announcements. You can keep abreast of all our news and updates by joining our mailing list here.  

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Okay, I'm ready. How do I join again?

Simply register here and  pay your league dues for the upcoming season. Once complete, you'll officially be a member and ready to play!

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Other questions? Just ask us.

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OFFICIAL LEAGUE RULES

1. You’ll play live, online trivia games against up to 499 other online contestants per league.

2. Each week, you’ll receive, via email, a link to the next game. You may join the Zoom room up to 15 minutes prior to the start of the game. You do not need a Zoom account to join a game.

3. Once you've joined the game, go to buzzerpad.com on a separate mobile phone or tablet, or open a second window on the computer you're using. This will be your controller and allow you to buzz in and answer questions. (Watch on one device/window, answer on the other.)

4. You'll see a PINCODE on the Zoom welcome screen. Enter the PINCODE onto your buzzerpad.com device or window.

5. ENTER YOUR FULL, REAL NAME where it says "NICKNAME" on your buzzerpad.com screen. Enter your full real name (first and last name) that you used when you registered for the game show. If you don’t wish to use your full name, you may use your first name and last initial – if it is not already taken by another player. Once you establish your name in the first game of the season, you must use this same name throughout the season in order to get proper credit on the league standings and scoreboards.

6. All decisions of Game Show Nite Productions and The Smartest Person in America Trivia League are final. In the event of a technological glitch during the show, contested answer, or other similar situation, Game Show Nite Productions will be the sole and final arbiter of how to fairly and equitably move forward.

7. Your registration for the league is for entertainment purposes only, for 10 weekly trivia games of approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour each. No prizes are guaranteed to any player.

8. Weekly league points: League points are awarded each week to the top 22 players for that week as follows: 1st: 300 points, 2nd: 250 points, 3rd: 200 points, 4th: 190 points, 5th: 180 points, 6th: 170 points, 7th: 160 points, 8th: 150 points; 9th: 140 points, 10th: 130 points, 11th: 120 points, 12th: 110 points, 13th: 100 points, 14th: 90 points; 15th: 80 points, 16th: 70 points, 17th: 60 points, 18th: 50 points, 19th: 40 points, 20th: 30 points; 21st: 20 points, 22nd: 10 points.

9. Season awards: The 1st place, 2nd place, and 3rd place finishers in each league season will receive a trophy mailed to the address they registered with, within 30 days of the end of the season. In addition, fees for the next consecutive season will be waived for these three players, if they wish to join. The player has the choice between which nightly league (currently Sunday and Tuesday are offered) to join, provided it is in the next consecutive season (Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall).

10. TIES: In the event of a tie for 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place in a given league season, all tied players will receive equivalent trophies. For example, if three players tie for 1st, all three will receive 1st place trophies, and in addition all players finishing in 2nd and 3rd (including ties) will receive their respective trophies as well, and will receive the waived fees for the next consecutive upcoming season.

11. The Smartest Person in America and all Game Show Nite programs are games of skill and do not constitute gambling in any manner. On all questions, time-based scoring is used; answers are worth more the sooner a contestant buzzes in. This ensures fairness by discouraging the looking up of answers during gameplay.

12. You may not share your link to join a game with anyone who is not a current member of the league. Sharing your link with a non-member of the league will result in disqualification from receiving any of that season's league prizes, and you will be barred from joining future seasons.

13. You may not share the PINCODE to the game with anyone else. You MAY play with multiple people in the same room viewing one screen IF all players have registered for the league separately, or if some are just watching. Only contestants who have registered may play and be eligible for prizes. Sharing a PINCODE with a non-member of the league will result in disqualification from receiving any of that season's league prizes, and you will be barred from joining future seasons.

14. Only registered players are eligible for prizes.

15. At the end of the Fall season in each year that The Smartest Person in America league is active, we will identify the highest league score attained by first-place finishers across all leagues that year. That person will be named The Smartest Person in America (insert year here). This player will receive a trophy, t-shirt, and all fees for future The Smartest Person in America trivia leagues waived. In addition, we will create an approximately 5-minute YouTube mini-documentary announcing them as The Smartest Person in America for that year. The video may be shared by Game Show Nite Productions and The Smartest Person in America Trivia League on other platforms. BY APPLYING AND REGISTERING FOR A LEAGUE, YOU AGREE TO ALLOW YOUR NAME AND LIKENESS TO BE USED IN THIS AND OTHER PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS, AT THE SOLE DISCRETION OF GAME SHOW NITE PRODUCTIONS AND THE SMARTEST PERSON IN AMERICA TRIVIA LEAGUE.

16. TIES: In case of a tie between multiple players’ final league scores in determining The Smartest Person in America as outlined in (15) above, the tie will be broken by tallying the cumulative weekly game scores for each player tied for the highest league score that year. By game scores, we mean the sum of the total game points accumulated in each individual game of the season – not the league points awarded for finishing between 1st and 22nd place. The person with the highest sum of total game points from each of the 10 games that season will win the tiebreaker.

17. League dues: League dues are payable before the beginning of each season. Existing members or new registrant will be sent a link to pay dues prior to each season.

18. Membership: Once you join and participate in a league season, you have the option to continue playing the next consecutive season (any night offered in that season). New dues will be applicable. If you choose not to rejoin for the next consecutive season but would like to rejoin in a future season, you will need to rejoin via the "Join" page on our website, thesmartest.net. Your registration will be dependent on spaces being available in the league night you're applying for.

19. Game Show Nite Productions and The Smartest Person in America Trivia League reserve the right to increase or decrease the number of players allowed into each league at their sole discretion; however, this announcement must be made prior to the season. Once registration begins for a season, the announced capacity for each league will not be changed.

20. There are currently 8 seasons each year: Winter Sunday, Winter Tuesday, Spring Sunday, Spring Tuesday, Summer Sunday, Summer Tuesday, Fall Sunday, and Fall Tuesday. Dates for the upcoming season’s leagues will be announced in December. There are no league games in December. Game Show Nite Productions and The Smartest Person in America Trivia League reserve the right to add additional leagues, or reduce the number of leagues, at any time at their sole discretion.

21. Per Arizona law regarding "intellectual contests," the names and addresses of all prize winners must be supplied to the Secretary of State's office. This is a formality to ensure that we give away the prizes we say we will. No further communication is likely to occur.

22. Game Show Nite Productions reserves the right to permanently end The Smartest Person in America Trivia League at any time following a season and before registration for the next season, with announcement made on thesmartest.net and/or other public forum. All players who have won a waived entry into the next consecutive season OR all future seasons (for annual winners) agree to forfeit these potential future prizes and instead be awarded the cash value of ONE upcoming season's standard membership fee (currently $40) via a refund of their most previously completed season's dues.