Not-So-Trivial Pursuits

At Whit’s End, Dwayne easily answers questions from a new encyclopedia trivia book. Bart Rathbone sees a way to profit. He knows Marty Winkdale, host of the television game Kid Facts, and offers to arrange an Odyssey broadcast with Dwayne as a contestant in exchange for ten percent of his winnings. Jack warns that Bart’s schemes often backfire, but Dwayne loves the legitimate show and accepts after receiving his parents’ permission.

At school, Liz persuades Mandy to exchange deeply embarrassing secrets. Mandy admits that she still sometimes sucks her thumb when tired or stressed and has avoided sleepovers because she cannot always control the habit at night. Her greatest fear is that the pep squad will find out. Liz promises absolute secrecy, unaware that Jared has accidentally locked himself inside a classroom closet while retrieving a globe.

When Jared falls out of the closet, he admits hearing enough to know Mandy’s secret. He promises not to tell anyone. Liz makes the balance of power equal by announcing that Jared still sleeps with a pink teddy bear named Mr. Bobo. If he betrays Mandy, they can expose him. Jared is furious that Liz has revealed something private, but all three leave believing their secrets are safe.

Marty Winkdale is impressed by Dwayne’s audition but has found an even stronger contestant. Brian Brainard, known as Brian the Brain, has answered every question correctly and proudly claims that no one knows more trivia than he does. He and Dwayne test each other until Brian supplies an answer Dwayne does not know. Dwayne becomes convinced that he cannot win.

Bart refuses to lose his share of the prize. He tells Dwayne that he will provide a competitive advantage and later produces a page containing every question and answer from the coming show. Dwayne calls it cheating, but Bart compares it to studying before a school test and warns that a signed contract requires Dwayne to appear. He also describes the humiliation of losing before friends and viewers across the state. Pressured by pride and fear, Dwayne takes the paper.

Mandy’s secret spreads through school. At her pep-squad tryout, the other girls mock her by sucking their thumbs during her cheer. Liz instantly blames Jared, confronts him at Whit’s End, and refuses to hear his denial. Before storming out, she loudly announces the secret about Mr. Bobo to everyone in the shop, deliberately giving Jared the humiliation she thinks he deserves.

Liz and Mandy later discover the truth. The gossip has traveled all the way across town through a hairdressing salon. Liz remembers discussing Mandy with a friend there and realizes that she herself began the chain without expecting it to return. Mandy forgives her but warns that she will not trust Liz with more secrets soon. They also recognize that Jared has been falsely accused and rush to find him.

Dwayne presents Jack with a supposedly imaginary problem about a student who studies hard but receives stolen answers before a test. Jack says the student should trust the work already done and accept an honest result, even if an arrogant rival wins. When Dwayne admits the answers have already been viewed, Jack says the only honest choice is to disqualify himself. Dwayne understands but still must decide whether he has the courage to do it publicly.

Jack reveals that Jared has been hiding nearby. Liz apologizes for rushing to judgment, exposing him, and refusing to believe his denial. Jared cannot undo the damage but chooses to forgive her. Jack reminds Mandy that telling a secret always creates a risk, Jared that he should have announced his presence instead of quietly listening from the closet, and Liz that accusations require facts. Jared even decides to stop sleeping with Mr. Bobo - until Liz accidentally reveals that he also has Tony the Turtle, proving she still has work to do.

On Kid Facts, Dwayne knows the first answer but refuses to give it. He tells the studio audience that he has seen every answer in advance because Bart gave them to him. He calls the plan cheating and disqualifies himself. The confession seems to make Brian the automatic winner, but Brian unexpectedly refuses the prize too. Marty has also given him the answers to keep Bart’s scheme supposedly fair, and Brian will not cheat if Dwayne will not.

The two rivals respect the courage each has shown. Marty and Bart are less pleased because the honest children have ruined the fraudulent program. A reporter in the audience begins asking whether the host and advertiser routinely provide answers to contestants. Then an Odyssey police captain identifies himself and announces that he has questions about fraud and conspiracy. Bart’s attempt to secure ten percent has cost him far more, while the two boys leave without prize money but with their integrity intact.