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NEW SEASON! THE GREAT CHICAGO QUIZ SHOW Thursday, April 21 at 8:00 pm on WTTW

In this fast-paced weekly series, host Geoffrey Baer activates the curiosity in all of us and makes you laugh along the way

For immediate release
Chicago, IL - April 4, 2022

Do you know which Chicagoan was America’s first Black female millionaire? Which animals were the first residents of the Lincoln Park Zoo? What street is called the “Mexican Magnificent Mile?” And if the iconic Chicago Water Tower was really the model for White Castle hamburger stands? You’ll find out all this and more in season two of THE GREAT CHICAGO QUIZ SHOW, hosted by Geoffrey Baer. In six fast-paced weekly half-hour episodes premiering on Thursday, April 21 at 8:00 pm on all WTTW platforms, Chicago’s TikTok historian Shermann “Dilla” Thomas joins Geoffrey to test contestants -- and viewers at home -- to discover just how much they really know about Chicago food, sports, geography, business, historical figures and events, and more.

Quiz contestants take part in lightning rounds and a pop quiz, band together to answer team questions, and one of the contenders will be offered a “Geek of the Week” question. The variety of contestants add their own surprising stories to the mix, including a former punk rock drummer who performed with Johnny Rotten, a social justice artist who created Chicago’s “Folded Map” project exposing inequities along the same street on different sides of the city, jazz legend Kurt Elling who teaches Geoffrey how to scat sing, and a journalist who once ate every single dish at Taste of Chicago in one sitting. 

The companion website (wttw.com/quiz) will feature four new quizzes – Chicago Trivia Mix, Familiar Faces, Food, and On the Move – for play-at-home and shareable fun. 

“In this exciting next round of THE GREAT CHICAGO QUIZ SHOW, our naturally curious audience will discover new fun facts about our vibrant and fascinating city and region,” said Sandra Cordova Micek, President & CEO of WTTW. “We hope our viewers will enjoy this entertaining and interactive family content that enriches lives, engages communities, and activates the explorer in all of us.” 

“I’ve spent decades writing and hosting WTTW programs about Chicago’s rich history, architecture, and culture. Now it’s time to see if you’ve been paying attention,” said quiz host Geoffrey Baer. “There are no winners or losers in this game because everyone learns something new and has a ton of fun.” 

Season 2 of THE GREAT CHICAGO QUIZ SHOW is hosted and written by Geoffrey Baer and produced and written by Eddie Griffin. Associate Producers: Lauren R. Drell, Stephanie Jeter. Written by and featuring Shermann “Dilla” Thomas. Director: Marc Shaykin. Editor: Patty Kaniff. Graphic Design: Reed Marvine, Linda Fox. Executive Producer: Geoffrey Baer. The website is produced by Meredith Francis, designed by Justin Henderson, produced by Mike Scipioni, and executive produced by Anne Gleason.

Lead support for THE GREAT CHICAGO QUIZ SHOW is provided by The Negaunee Foundation. Major support is provided by Gwen Cohen & Antonio Monk, Wealth Advisors at Morgan Stanley. Additional support is provided by ComEd and Carl Buddig & Company.

Geoffrey Baer is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning public television writer, producer, and program host. Known for feature-length programs about the architecture and history of Chicago, including most recently Chicago by ‘L’ and Beyond Chicago from the Air, he has hosted the PBS primetime series 10 that Changed America about the built environment across the country and the PBS primetime special Weekend in Havana. Geoffrey has been a docent for the Chicago Architecture Center since 1987. He has been honored by the American Institute of Architects Chicago, the Society of Architectural Historians, the American Society of Landscape Architects, and the Chicago Headline Club.

Eddie Griffin is a three-time Emmy Award-winning producer, and has produced the WTTW documentaries Chicago from the Air and its sequel, Chicago by ‘L’, Chicago on Vacation, The Chicago River Tour, Navy Pier: A Century of Reinvention, Chicago’s South Side, and the street quiz show Where in Chicago?, all with Geoffrey Baer. In 2007, he took over the long-running WTTW independent film series Image Union, which garnered two Emmy Awards.

WTTW is the PBS member station in Chicago, committed to creating and presenting unique media content across distinct television and digital channels – WTTW, WTTW Prime, WTTW Create, WTTW World, WTTW PBS Kids 24/7, wttw.com, and the PBS/WTTW video app. Recognized for award-winning journalism and local productions – such as Chicago Tonight, Black Voices, Latino Voices, The Great Chicago Fire, Chicago from the Air, Chicago by ‘L’, Check, Please!; digital-first series FIRSTHAND, Urban Nature, and Foodphiles; and national productions Prehistoric Road Trip and Nature Cat – WTTW presents the very best in public affairs, arts and culture, nature and science, history and documentary, and children’s public media content. Connect with WTTW on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.