Lifetime 'Child Genius' Returns January 7th, Season Two Premiere

Lifetime’s competition series, Child Genius: Battle of the Brightest (#ChildGenius) returns for season two, featuring America’s most extraordinary and gifted children as they prep for the ultimate battle of the brains. Premiering Thursday, January 7, 2016, at 8pm. ET/PT, the competition, created in cooperation with American Mensa, takes place over ten weeks and tests the nation’s brightest young minds on their knowledge in categories such as math, spelling, geography, and current events. With a $100,000 college fund and the title of Child Genius 2016 at stake, the kids – and their families – will stop at nothing to make it to the top of the class. Former NASA astronaut, Leland Melvin, returns as the host.

The Child Genius: Battle of the Brightest contestants include:

Name		Age		Hometown	Mark of Genius
Adrian		10		Peachtree City, GA	A musical prodigy, Adrian has played at Carnegie Hall and was a breakout performer on America's Got Talent.
Arnav		9		Dobbs Ferry, NY	A budding mathematician and scientist, Arnav loves to challenge and correct his dad.
Chancellor		10		Stuart, FL	A self-taught chess player, Chancellor performs at a high school level.
Claire		10		Arcadia, CA	For talkative and bubbly Claire, attending school is her "playtime."
Drake		10		Los Altos Hills, CA	A disciplined tennis player, Drake solves Rubik's Cubes in his spare time.
Gianna		10		Denver, CO	Gianna is a Mensa member who was reading at the 11th grade level when she was only in the second grade.
Iris		11		San Antonio, TX	A Shakespeare aficionado, Iris won a writing competition for her very first novel.
Jaden		11		Chico, CA	While following a strict Paleo diet, Jaden is a lover of music, math and meat.
Jenna		11		San Antonio, TX	Jenna is a gifted Mensa member with an off-the-chart IQ.
Sam		12		Sugar Land, TX	Sam competes against 8th graders in math and is also fluent in Russian and French.
Selah		9		Kissimmee, FL	Selah skipped first grade and reads five years above her grade level.
Vivek		9		Bloomington, IL	Vivek not only maxed out on an IQ test, he also takes college level courses at Northwestern University.

Based on the popular UK format, Child Genius: Battle of the Brightest is produced by Shed Media. Pam Healey (Who Do You Think You Are?, The Real Housewives of New York City), John Hesling (Top Gear, Long Lost Family), Dan Snook (Dare to Wear, Growing Up Greek) and Laurie Girion (Cheerleader Nation, Showville) serve as executive producers, along with Lifetime’s Eli Lehrer, Mary Donahue and David Hillman.

ABOUT SHED MEDIA

Shed Media is one of America’s most prolific non-scripted production companies, boasting a successful  and diverse slate of Emmy nominated series ranging from docu-soaps to entertainment formats. Part of Warner Brothers Television Group, Shed is currently producing nine series across five networks and will produce more than 150 hours of finished television programs in 2015. Series produced by Shed Media include The Real Housewives of New York City for Bravo; First Dates for NBC; Who Do You Think You Are? for TLC; Basketball Wives for VH1; Long Lost Family for TLC; and Child Genius for Lifetime, among others.

ABOUT LIFETIME

Lifetime is a premier female focused entertainment destination dedicated to offering the highest quality original programming that spans scripted series, nonfiction series and movies. As a result of the network’s aggressive programming strategy, which has doubled the hours of its original programming, 2013 marked Lifetime’s second straight year of growth among total viewers. Lifetime Television®, LMN®, Lifetime Real Women® and Lifetime® Digital are part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, LLC, a subsidiary of A+E Networks. A+E Networks is a joint venture of the Disney/ABC Television Group and Hearst Corporation.