common knowledge?

So, I've watched about 10 minutes of "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader," and I can safely say that it is an incredibly dumb show. Happily, there was an article in the Washington Post today agreeing with me. (and commending a quiz show of which I am an alumna. so thumbs up: washington post!) I'm especially happy to see this article because every other mention I've seen of the show has been positive. I can't exactly put my finger on why I dislike the show, since I tend to like dumb reality shows as a rule. But it's something along the lines of: I like watching dumb pretty people in shows with lots of drama. This is why "America's Next Top Model" and "Beauty and the Geek" are such awesome shows. "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader" (AYSTA5G?) lacks the pretty factor and the drama. When you just see normal people being dumb, there's no schadenfreude, just amazement at how these people are able to make it through life.

But then, I was trying to explain to people how dumb this show was. I used the example of a question that one of the contestants got wrong: "How many teaspoons are there in five tablespoons?" The responses ranged from, "Well, how many teaspoons are there in a tablespoon?" (my boss) To, "Five times two is ten. So the answer is ten, right?" (my mom). For the record, there are 3 teaspoons in a tablespoon. I learned this fact in school (somewhere around 4th or 5th grade, actually) and I distinctly remember feeling dumb at the time for not having known it before. It just seemed like such a common knowledge thing. How are you ever going to be able to cook or bake without knowing how many teaspoons there are in a tablespoon? Apparently, it's not such common knowledge after all.