A Northern California whiz kid will test out his smarts on national TV.
Tanishq Abraham, 10, of Sacramento, was one of the youngest people to graduate high school.
His intelligence was ranked in the top 10th of a percent in the nation. Now at 11, the child prodigy was vying for the title of "Child Genius" through America Mensa's TV competition.
The Lifetime reality show featured 20 of the brightest young minds in the country as they competed for a shot at a $100,000 scholarship. "I know it's a very big prize but it's just for fun as well," said Tanishq Abraham, whose goal is to get a PhD by the time he's eligible for his driver's license.
The full time college student, who attends American River College, admitted he was a bit nervous going into the eight-week competition, but took it all in stride.
"I wasn't scared. I was having fun, playing with the other kids," said Tanishq.
The gifted kids were tested on their knowledge of multiple subjects such as math, spelling and geography.
"The first round was geography. I'm not very great at geography but I did learn a lot," said Tanishq. "There were a few rounds that were difficult, then some were easy."
Tanishq's parents said they were hesitant at first to have him featured on a reality show competition but thought it would help others better understand families like theirs.
"People have a notion that geniuses are different, they're not normal people or normal kids and I think it just opens up to the lives of these kids and families," said Taji Abraham, Tanishq's mom.
While they didn't say is just how far Tanishq made it through, they said it was all in good fun."It's just an educational experience and other people might learn as well too," said Tanishq.
"Child Genius" premiers Tuesday, Jan. 6, at night on Lifetime.
