Quiz king's master of the dad joke

BRIGHT SPARK: William Barnes has announced he's not intending to defend the Mastermind title he won earlier this week.

Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Te Ara Hou English teacher William Barnes says his students'
reaction has bolstered his triumphant Mastermind win. The Havelock North local
chats to Mark Story.

1 What sort of reaction have you had from students at your school?
At my kura, the excitement has built and built since they first saw me in Hawke's Bay Today before my heat. Coming to school after every episode has been very exciting. The only difficulty was after the heat when I passed on a question about a song about Prince Tui Teka. All the students claimed they knew the answer, when it was their parents who knew, and they kept reminding me. On the Monday after the final, everyone was desperate to see me but they had to wait a day while I spoke to media up in Auckland. There were a lot of posts from students about me on social media and 10 primary school students trapped me in a group hug. Members of Koiri house were particularly excited as I wore my house T-shirt during the final.

2 What's the most intriguing thing that happened backstage that never made TV?

The atmosphere before filming was very relaxed. Contenders had to arrive two hours before filming to get their makeup done and their mics wired up. We sat around and talked in order to pass the time and ease our nerves. I annoyed the other contenders, particularly before the final, by making really bad dad jokes. I also made a few on set between takes - it made me feel better.

3 Are you intending to defend your title?
No ... it is time for another Magpie to bring home the chair.

4 Do you consider there's a difference between knowledge and wisdom and, if so, what is it?

I think the difference is that knowledge is merely a collection of information whilst wisdom is the ability to process that information and use it in your own life or to help others. I have a lot more knowledge than wisdom!

5 What's the best advice you could give future Mastermind contestants?

Enjoy yourself. You have to be passionate about learning and trivia or the months of study that are required will overwhelm you and you need to enjoy the filming and the contest for what they are instead of worrying about the outcomes. You definitely don't want to take it so seriously that you become nervous. Trivia is great fun but not life or death. If you only make it to the first audition, it will be fun, or if you only last for one televised round, then it will fun and your friends and whanau will be very proud.