Monday night Canada found out that the country's greatest know-it-all was Ted Coffey, a former Carlyle area resident.
Although the 57-year- old now runs a drilling company in Irricana, Alberta, the majority of his family still resides in Saskatchewan.
"I have many fond memories of Carlyle and area. The welcome we received from our neighbours when we moved to the farm, the many pleasant afternoons spent with U.C.W. members of both the Dalesboro and the Moose Creek Churches; the activities such as shuffleboard and Line Dancing at the Happy Gang Center; the unique balloon drop sponsored by the town merchants; the very special Christmas cakes prepared by the Carlyle Bakery; the enjoyable live action plays presented by the theatre group at the Memorial Hall; the annual Craft Show; and the wonderful celebrations held during the Dickens's Day Festivals," remembers Ilien Coffey, Ted's mother.
While he never graduated from high school, it wasn't due to a lack of smarts. He enjoyed hanging out at the University library so much that he missed a large percentage of his high school classes. The school suspended him in grade 9 for truancy.
After which, Coffey began showing up for all of his classes, homework in hand. This angered the school administration and he was expelled all together.
"We were very disappointed of course when Ted left high school, every parent naturally wants what they think is best for their children. Having three older teenagers at the time, who were all engaged in various educational pursuits, we certainly knew the value of education, but we also knew that not everyone fits into the academic model," says Ilien. "We hoped that Ted would either decide to go back to school eventually, or that he would discover a path that better suited him and his interests, and he would successfully pursue that with his formidable intelligence and passion."
This proved to be the case. Dropping out hasn't affected him, as Ted has been approached by groups such as Mensa to become a member.
"Ted's father, my late husband, George, also had a diverse knowledge of a great variety of subjects," Ilien proudly announces. "Many of those who knew him may have considered him to be a know-it-all. To me, George was simply fascinated by life in all its aspects, and if asked, he was more than willing to share what he knew. "
According to Discovery Channel, Canada's Greatest Know It All is the ultimate brain-busting competition. It features 10 of Canada's biggest self-proclaimed smarties, competing head-to-head in a super-sized arena of grit and wit.
The competition started out with 10 self-proclaimed Know it alls, from all across the country. The majority of the other contestants were holding university degrees.
"My initial reaction to hearing that Ted had applied for the show Canada's Greatest Know -it-All was complete surprise since Ted does not consider himself to be a "Know-it-All", Ted's mother explains. "It was Ted's wife Debbie who urged him to apply and Ted, who always welcomes any new challenge, entered, seeing this as another opportunity for a new and exciting adventure."
The competition consisted of 23 intellectually and physically draining challenges, over eight grueling weeks. Each episode contained several group and individual tasks, each with a built-in secret twist. The contestant with the fewest points after each episode was eliminated.
The show was filmed last June, but no one was allowed to reveal the winner until after the final show aired.
"You don't want to shut people out but you don't want to spoil the show either," he explains.
Ted says he never expected to win. He always thought that runner- up, Dave Spencer, had it in the bag.
"Right up until the actual announcement, I thought he had won," Ted explained to the host of Canada AM, Tuesday morning.
A finale party was held Monday night where contestants and their families flew in from around the country, to watch the final episode together
"I had no idea until the final moment of the last episode that he had won." says Ilien. "I was very happy for his wife Debbie who had spent countless hours in support throughout the year long venture .I shared the most exciting night with my daughters, Maxine and Linda and received a phone call from my other son Jerry, who are all equally proud of their brother Ted."
Casting for season two is currently underway. If you think you have what it takes, or know someone who does, fill out an application form at www.knowitall-tv.com. The deadline to apply is April 15th, and the show will be filmed in June 2012.
