Sai International’s Suswet and Chinmay became the first finalists of News Wiz but they faced good competition from Delhi’s Tagore International School and St Patrick Matriculation Higher Secondary School from Puducherry.
In episode 10 of the nation’s first and the biggest news quiz, News Wiz, three school teams tested their knowledge and ability to handle pressure in the first of the semifinals.At the end, Sai International School from Bhubaneswar won and entered the final of the popular quiz show, hosted by Rajdeep Sardesai on India Today Television. Sai International’s Suswet and Chinmay became the first finalists of News Wiz but they faced good competition from Delhi’s Tagore International School and St Patrick Matriculation Higher Secondary School from Puducherry. Former Union Cabinet minister Shashi Tharoor and renowned Aaj Tak news anchor Anjana Om Kashyap were the special guests on the show. At the end of the first round of News Cluster, Sai International scored a perfect 400 points while Tagore International and St Patrick’s managed only 250 points.
The second round- Top Story- was tough for all the school teams. While Sai International maintained its lead with 500 points, Tagore International gained ground to move to second place with 400 points. St Patrick of Puducherry finished the round with 300 points. The third round of Match Time brought out the best from every team. St Patrick played brilliantly and secured 500 points in this round to grab second place even as Tagore International bagged 250 points and slipped to third position. Sai International maintained its lead of the previous two rounds and ended the third round with 850 points. They were now closely followed by St Patrick with 800 points. In the crucial fourth round called News Buzz, Tagore International Delhi answered one question to secure 100 points but also lost 100 points for failing to answer the question after pressing the buzzer. It finished third at 650 points, the same score as the third round. For St Patrick and Sai International, it boiled down to the last question. St Patrick boys were at 900 points and Sai International had scored 950 before the final question. It was touch and go.When it mattered the most, Sai International boys took their chance and got the answer right, emerging winner of the first semi-final with 1050 points.