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The Ultimate Battle of Brains and Brawn On Discovery

[1]They’ve got an opinion about everything and can get out of a tight spot better than MacGyver with a paperclip! Premiering Monday, Jan. 30 at 10 p.m. ET/PT, Discovery Channel’s [1] biggest series ever – Canada’s Greatest Know-It-All is the ultimate brain-busting competition, featuring 10 of Canada’s biggest self-proclaimed smarties, competing head-to-head in a supersized arena of grit and wit to prove just who is Canada’s Greatest Know-It-All.

Testing their superior knowledge, problem-solving skills, leadership, cooperation and game-playing strategy, this eight-part brains-and-brawn competition series is the perfect forum to test their mettle. They love to be right, despise being wrong, and are usually the loudest voice in the room – and they don’t always play well with others.

Considering airspeed, height, weight, wind direction and gravity, determine the correct release point of a “bomb” dropped from a Lancaster Bomber to hit a target on the ground; race against the clock to extract Host Daniel Fathers (centre) puts 10 self-proclaimed know-it-alls to the ultimate test in Canada's Greatest Know-It-All, premiering Jan. 30 on Discovery Channel [2](synthetic) human bones out of blocks of ice and reassemble them into an anatomically-correct skeleton; design and build unpowered aircraft; construct a massive trebuchet to play the ultimate game of Trojan Basketball…

These are among the diverse and cheeky challenges put to 10 of the country’s most passionate experimenters, super-geeks and jacks-of-all-trades in a quest to be crowned Canada’s ultimate Know-It-All-King – or Queen. An entirely new format, Canada’s Greatest Know-It-All was produced by Boxing Cats [3] and Cream Productions [4] for Discovery Channel.

But the race to the top won’t be easy. The tests demand multi-layered problem-solving, independent thought and – grudgingly – teamwork. Under the eye of host Daniel Fathers (The Transporter, Heartland), they compete with each other and against each other in challenges designed to prove which one of them knows the most about a lot of different stuff – how things are engineered, driven, built, powered, floated and even blown up!  Every episode contains several complex and highly entertaining group and individual tasks – and each challenge has a built-in secret twist. Which Know-It-All will figure it out first? The individual with the fewest points after each episode’s final surprise elimination challenge must leave the series.

Coming from a wide range of professions and educational backgrounds, the competitors think they’re as smart as these challenges. And each is vying to prove that their “know-it-all” moniker is actually justified.  It’s street smarts vs. book-smarts; common sense vs. theory; Ego vs. Id.

Meet Canada’s Greatest Know-It-Alls:

* Jennifer Salisbury, age 34, from Powell River, BC – Jennifer Salisbury says she’s a “typical” woman. But how many average women hunt giant elk for sport or run nuclear reactors on a naval aircraft carrier? A U.S. ex-pat who calls Canada home, Salisbury wants to beat these Canadian Know-It-Alls at their own game.

* Wayne Skuhala, age 37, from Oliver, BC – Wayne Skuhula is a highly-skilled carpenter. But with a degree in physics under his belt, Skuhula’s sharpest power tool may just be his brain. With a perfect balance between book smarts and practical skills, he’s ready to hammer the competition.

* Ted Coffey, age 56, from Irricana, AB – Ted Coffey never finished high school, but he’s a full-time student in the school of life. Coffey doesn’t have any letters behind his name, but don’t underestimate him. With his encyclopaedic knowledge, this oil-driller is out to prove that a diploma won’t win this competition.

* Thomas Porter, age 32, from Prince Albert, SK ? Thomas Porter lives off the land and off the grid. He’s a self-proclaimed neo-pioneer, building a solar-powered eco-friendly compound with no electricity and few comforts. In Porter’s world, knowledge means survival – but will it be enough for him to survive this competition?

* Cary Lucier, age 46, from Windsor, ON – Cary Lucier is told he’s a “genius” every day, but he prefers Renaissance Man. He’s done more jobs than most, and is now an inventor and entrepreneur.

* Sabina Dawson, age 40, from London, ON – Sabina Dawson is an avid sailor, a chartered accountant and mother of two. She’s sailed around the world and learned a thing or two along the way. Whether she’s in the boardroom, the family room, or on the high seas, Dawson tackles it all with calculated analytical skill.

* Dave Spencer, age 38, from Georgetown, ON – Dave Spencer is a Millwright by trade, but he’s also an amateur inventor, a former Canadian Peacekeeper, and wants to be a cake designer (really!). In his spare time Spencer tinkers, creating new gadgets and tech-toys.

* Stephen Drooker, age 65, from Richmond Hill, ON – Stephen Drooker may not always be right, but he says he’s never wrong. When it comes to being a know-it-all, Drooker believes he’s got the life experience to back up his book smarts. And as the eldest player, this retired teacher is looking forward to schooling the competition.

* Nick Nelson, age 32, from Toronto, ON – Nick Nelson is a tech-savvy new-media whiz kid. When it comes to computers, graphics and code, Nelson is at the top of his game. His mind is a vast database and he thinks of himself as a human-Wikipedia. He’s betting his virtual-prowess will win him points in this real-world competition.

* Dan Dicaire, age 26, from Ottawa, ON – Dan Dicaire is an engineer who tackles any problem with youthful intensity and enthusiasm. His mind is a machine with no “off” switch. As the youngest Know-It-All, Dicaire is set to prove that age has nothing to do with what you know.