Hard Quiz
| Company type | Television program |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television entertainment |
| Founded | October 19, 2016 |
| Headquarters | Melbourne, Victoria , Australia |
Area served | Australia |
Key people | Tom Gleeson (host) |
| Products | Television quiz show |
| Website | www |
Hard Quiz is an Australian comedic television quiz show that debuted on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) network on 19 October 2016. The program, hosted by Tom Gleeson, originated as a derivative of his "Hard Chat" segment featured on the satirical series The Weekly with Charlie Pickering. Production takes place at ABC’s Melbourne studios located in Southbank, Victoria, and the show is recorded before a live studio audience.
Gleeson's approach to hosting involves playful ridicule directed at both contestants and their chosen topics, while participants frequently respond with humor aimed at him, fostering an interactive atmosphere that is welcomed and encouraged.
Having previously underestimated his own potential for fame, Gleeson expressed astonishment at the program’s popularity. On 24 May 2019, he publicly announced his intention to leave the show through a media statement. Shortly thereafter, he received a nomination for the Gold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television and vowed to reinstate the show should he win. Following his success in securing the Gold Logie, it was confirmed that the series would resume on 31 July 2019.
During a radio interview on 31 July 2019, Gleeson disclosed that the upcoming fifth season in 2020 would significantly increase its output with 40 new episodes, marking notable expansion in production scale.
Format
Each installment of Hard Quiz features four contestants, each selecting a distinct specialist subject. Repetition of subjects is prohibited, including those featured in "Tom's Round." Correct responses earn 5 points, while incorrect answers result in a deduction of 5 points.
Expert Round
Contestants are asked five questions related to their chosen specialty, buzzing in to respond. An incorrect or slow reply disqualifies them from answering that question further, allowing opponents to attempt it. Participants may also try to answer questions from other contestants’ subjects in a segment known as "The Steal." Successfully stealing awards 10 points; unsuccessful attempts incur a 5-point penalty (previously 10 points during the first series).
Tom's Round
Contestants submit answers via monitors to five multiple-choice questions centered on a topic selected by Gleeson. Each question offers four possible answers, except the final one which provides six options and is worth double points (10 points). The contestant with the lowest score is eliminated at this stage, with their podium labeled "Too Soft."
The People's Round (Against the Clock)
A series of general knowledge questions are presented within a time frame that varies from 35 seconds up to over 90 seconds. Contestants buzz in to answer, and when time expires, the participant with the fewest points is eliminated.
Tiebreaker: Hard-Off
If there is a tie for last place, it is resolved through a "hard-off," where Gleeson poses two choices relating to difficulty or hardness-themed questions. The first contestant to buzz in must answer; a correct response secures their continuation and eliminates their opponent. In scenarios involving more than two tied contestants, each correct answer grants immunity while the contest continues until only one remains.
Final round: Hard Quiz (Head to Head)
The concluding round features the final two contestants alternating answers on their respective specialist subjects in a best-of-five question showdown. The victor receives a trophy—typically a limited-edition large brass mug (or one with a hole for special "Battle of The Duds" episodes)—and ends by delivering the catchphrase "Thanks for playing, hard." If scores are tied after five questions, an additional sudden-death question per contestant determines the winner.
Tom's Deciding Question
When a tie persists after the additional queries, a numerical question related to Tom's area of expertise is posed. Players take turns guessing the answer, beginning with the contestant who responded first in the final segment; the guess closest to the correct number is declared the winner.
Series Summary
Series 1 (2016)
Winners are indicated in Bold text
| Audience = 592,000 | BriefOverview =
Participants:
Elyce – Specialist in Comedy
Paul – Expert on FIFA World Cup
Tom – Authority on Wombats
Nathan – Specialist in The Chronicles of Narnia
Tom’s segment: Topic – Fad diets
| ColorCode = 87CEEB }} | Audience = 543,000 | BriefOverview =
Participants:
Angie – J. R. R. Tolkien expert
Sebastian – Elton John specialist
David – Renaissance art authority
Mac – Expert on Frasier
Tom’s segment: Topic – Australian Stamps
| ColorCode = 87CEEB }} | Audience = 632,000 | BriefOverview =
Participants:
Sally – Harry Potter expert
TK – Specialist in 1980s computers
Josh – Authority on Australian Reality TV
Claus – Expert on Charles Darwin
Tom’s segment: Topic – Cannabis
| ColorCode = 87CEEB }} | Audience = 553,000 | BriefOverview =
Participants:
Kim – Downton Abbey specialist
Kieren – Cricket expert
'Rowena – Expert on The Brady Bunch
Daniel – Specialist in European languages
Tom’s segment: Topic – Paris
| ColorCode = 87CEEB
}}
Series 2 (2017)
Winners are marked in Bold text
{{Episode list
│ EpisodeNumber :=70
│ RTitle := "Episode 20"
│ OriginalAirDate :=
│ Audience :=670,000
│ BriefOverview :=Participants:
Fraser — Specialist in World War II Tanks — Tracey — Manhattan — Mel — Bananarama — Chris — He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
Tom’s segment: Topic — Hats │ ColorCode := FBCEB1 }} }}
Series 5 (2020-21)
Winners are shown in Bold text
Series 6 (2021)
Winners appear in Bold text
Series 7 (2022)
Winners appear in Bold text
{{Episode table|total_width=70|background=FF5F5F|overall=5|title=16|viewers=16|viewers_type=|airdate=16|country=Australia|episodes=
Series 8 (2023)
Winners appear in Bold text
{{Episode table|total_width=70|background=000000|overall=5|title=16|viewers=16|airdate=16|viewers_type=|country=Australia|episodes=
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber
...
Series 9 (2024)
Winners are indicated by names in Bold text
{{Episode table|total_width=70|background=301934|overall=5|title=16|viewers=16|airdate=16|viewers_type=National|ViewersR=|country=Australia|episodes=
Series 10 (2025)
Winners are shown in Bold text
rowspan="3"|2024 rowspan="2"|AACTA AwardsAACTA Award for Best Television Comedy Series rowspan="2"| [1]Best Comedy PerformerLogie Awards of 2024Best Comedy Entertainment Program rowSpan="2"| rowSpan="3"|2025 rowSpan="2"|AACTA AwardsBest Comedy Entertainment Program rowSpan="2"| [2]Best Comedy PerformerLogie Awards of 2025Best Comedy Entertainment Program[3]Spin off
In May 2024, the introduction of Hard Quiz Kids, a youth-oriented adaptation of Hard Quiz designed for participants aged between 10 and 13, was revealed. This series debuted on ABC Family and ABC iView on June 8.
Merchandise
University Games introduced Hard Quiz The Game in 2020, a board game designed for three to six participants. In 2023, they launched a Fast Game version as an extension.
International adaptation
The Dutch version, named Hard Spel and hosted by comedian Richard Groenendijk, debuted in 2020.
See also
External links
| Best Comedy Performer | ||||
| 2023 | Logie Awards of 2023 | Logie Award for Most Popular Entertainment Program | ||
| Logie Award for Most Outstanding Entertainment Program |
- ↑ {{Cite web title=Winners & Nominees - 2024 AACTA Awards url=https://www.aacta.org/aacta-awards/winners-and-nominees/ url-status=live archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231218192136/https://www.aacta.org/aacta-awards/winners-and-nominees/ archive-date=2023-12-18 access-date=2023-12-20 website=Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts }}
- ↑ {{Cite web title=Boy Swallows Universe and Robbie Williams biopic lead 2025 AACTAs url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-12-07/aacta-awards-robbie-williams-better-man-boy-swallows-universe/104693016 url-status=live archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241207135118/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-12-07/aacta-awards-robbie-williams-better-man-boy-swallows-universe/104693016 archive-date=2024-12-07 access-date=2024-12-08 website=ABC News date=6 December 2024 }}
- ↑ {{cite web last=Knox first=David url=https://tvtonight.com.au/2025/06/2025-logie-awards-nominees.html title=2025 Logie Awards: nominees date=16 June 2025 website=TV Tonight access-date=30 July 2025 url-status=live archive-date=16 June 2025 archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250616155200/https://tvtonight.com.au/2025/06/2025-logie-awards-nominees.html}}