TLC is planning another Holy Night three days after Christmas.
The network is debuting competition “Bible Bowl” on Dec. 28, when hundreds of teams of children will battle it out in Cincinnati. TLC will follow seven of them, as millions of dollars in scholarships are on the line for the Old/New Testament trivia game.
Teams include defending champs The Johnsons, child genius Reagan Haise, and veterans The Wells Family, among others. TLC’s cast of competitors are listed below, along with descriptions of the players.
Here are TLC’s squads:
The Whitesides: This three sister team spends most of the year on the road competing, which they fund by knitting scarves, purses, and potholders that they sell at farmers markets. Last year they came in second place in the National Championship and have been hard at work studying verses to win this year’s prize.
The Johnsons: As last year’s Bible Bowl champs, Noah and Grace Johnson feel the pressure to win this year’s competition. Their mother, Glenda, is a Quizmaster at Bible Bowl and has high expectations of her children.
Hannah Hardman/Trey Mills: Hannah is part of one of the top-ranked teams but has never won the championship. Her mother is a former National Champion, and she wants to maintain her family legacy. Trey was failing school last year, but since he joined Bible Bowl he’s been getting straight A’s. He spends every minute of his free time studying for this year’s competition. They’re coached by Gary Bordelon, the most successful coach in Bible Bowl history.
Reagan Haise: He’s a child genius who has memorized all 1,100 verses for this year’s competition. Every day he quotes the verses to his mom, taking up one and a half hours of their time. He’s new to Bible Bowl so he doesn’t’ have many friends, but he hopes to make more as he progresses through the tournaments.
Ishaan Singh: Ishaan has speech impairments as a result of a premature birth. For the first four years of his life he did not speak at all. Now, at 12-years-old, Bible Bowl has been instrumental to his improvement. Last year, his team won fourth in the nation. He may be the underdog, but he’s focused on coming out on top!
Emily Gass: She’s been competing in Bible Bowl since she was small child, and her dad says she was born to play. Her parents met at the competition, and her sister married someone from Bible Bowl as well. She is tipped to be a front runner at this year’s tournament.
The Wells Family: They’re a loud, lively and unique family of 11. Five of the kids play in Bible Bowl and have been involved in the program for seven years.
“Bible Bowl” is produced by Znak & Jones for TLC. The two-hour special will kick off Monday, Dec. 28 at 8 p.m. ET.
Watch a teaser above.