Oklahoma Weather Genius Makes National Television Debut

Last February, we introduced you to Graham Curtsinger, a highly gifted 5th grader from Verdigris. Now, his sharp mind is about to be showcased on a national stage.

For nearly a year now, Graham and his entire family have had to keep quiet about their time behind the camera as The Lifetime Network taped a new docu-series called Child Genius.

We first met Graham when he visited us at the studio to show off his incredible knowledge of hurricanes.

2/24/2014 Related Story: Ten-Year-Old Oklahoma Genius Matches Wits With WARN Weather Team

Not only does Graham know his weather, he's also among an elite group of students considered Davidson Scholars - only 3,000 of them in the country.

It was in that group where Graham caught the eye of TV producers.

So Graham, his parents, two sisters and brother went out to California. They cheered Graham on as he competed against kids from all over the country in subjects ranging from geography to math and logic.

"It was fun being with my family. It was a lot better when I was with my family because they can cheer me on, they were like my cheerleaders," he said.

Graham expected the tough questions, but not all that came with it.

"I didn't expect to have to study that much. Like, it was a lot of studying to get to learn all the stuff, and if you want to keep going, you have to study," he said.

Graham's mother, Tracy Curtsinger said, "One thing that surprised me is that I assumed lots of kids who were highly gifted like Graham had obsessions, like how Graham loved hurricanes, or right now he's on planes and loves airplanes, and we didn't really see that with other kids."

It wasn't all studying all the time; the Curtsinger family also went sightseeing in Hollywood, to the beach and even to San Francisco.

"One of his lifelong dreams was to go over the Bay Bridge, and so as a family we got to go over the Bay Bridge, and we heard something in the back chattering, and we were like 'what's that?' And we finally figured out it was Graham's teeth chattering, and he was saying, 'I'm just so excited. I can't, I'm just,' and he even started crying after we went over it because we had fulfilled one of his dreams," Tracy said.

Following this once-in-a-lifetime adventure, Graham and his family have been anxiously awaiting the series to air.

"(I mean) the experience in California was awesome, and seeing all the stuff, but they could portray me as someone else, not the person I am, and separate clips and stuff," said Graham.

A valid concern, but his family couldn't be more proud of his efforts and representation of his values in the process.

Graham will appear on the premiere Tuesday night at 9:00 on the Lifetime Network. You can learn more about the series and Graham online.