Bucky Is Nearly Smarter Than a 5th Grader

“If your dog goes to the doctor more than you do … you just might be a redneck!” Jeff Foxworthy had to break out his trademark jokes after Bucky Covington revealed that he writes a lot of checks to a veterinarian, the answer to the 1st grade vocabulary question, “’Vet’ is the shortened form of what word for a type of doctor who cares for animals.” Last night on Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader, Bucky nearly aced the grade school test on his own. He only had to rely on a 10-year-old for two questions – once to be saved when he incorrectly answered “Amsterdam” as a European country, and the second time when he had absolutely no idea what the period of Roman peace and prosperity was called. In both cases, Bucky’s classmates knew, so he was able to cheat. Combined with his own impressive pool of knowledge, Bucky got to $24,500 with one of his cheats remaining. Seemingly confident in his answer to the last question, he wanted to hold on to the cheat for bragging rights. But just to play along and finish the game with the kids, he peeked at his classmate’s paper just to be sure. After all, it was the dreaded 1st grade spelling question – his worst subject! Either way, the final answer was correct and Bucky earned an A+ and $25,000 for his charity, the Arthritis Foundation. Yet when it came time for the bonus US History question, the enthusiasm Bucky displayed throughout the show toned down to common sense. He said that his mom had been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, and that he had seen the work that the foundation does through other fundraisers. While he knew they’d make good use of $250,000, he decided that they’d love $25,000 more than $2500. Just when it looked like he might be smarter than a 5th grader, Bucky pulled a surprise move and dropped out of school!

Tonight, Jack Ingram wheels up to the desk; and Friday Emily West wraps up country music week.