I love that I can catch a bunch of my favorite NickToons late at night! If I'm home alone and bored, I definitely tune in for Rugrats... which I still think is one of the best cartoons of all time. Well, Rugrats, Rocko's Modern Life, Doug, Hey Arnold!, and Ren & Stimpy all make appearances in the latest infographic flowchart that you should totally check out. I know some of you aren't in love with clicking on links, so I've added it below (albeit a little smaller), though credit totally belongs to flavorwire!! Go through and take a look... are you going to be Alex Mack? Little Pete? Bobby Budnick? Clarissa?? Personally, I came up either Clarissa or Olmec, depending on how I interpret the "were you close with your neighbors?" question. Let us know who you are!
So many great NICK shows were taped in Orlando. I really wish that I had been able to see something there when I was a kid, since I only lived two hours away after I was nine! Legends of the Hidden Temple was a kid's action-type gameshow where 12 kids would start off, and by the end, two would win at least a small CD player or remote-controlled car or something like that. Contestants also got to keep their t-shirts, which I think would be cool. I once named this my favorite game show ever, because it was just so on-the-edge-of-your-seat the whole time!
Brief history: It ran from 1993-1995, and kept rerunning on Nickelodeon until 1998. After that, it was seen for another ten years on the NICK GAS channel, but now it's off the air, since that channel no longer exists. 120 episodes were produced in all, and it was ultimately canceled because a renewal for a fourth season was considered to be too risky, given that NICK was considering 3 other game shows. Kirk Fogg was the "human" host, and Olmec was kind of a co-host made of stone, LoL. Some fun facts about the Temple Runs: Temple Guards never appear in the Jester's Court or in the Pit. The Shrine of the Silver Monkey is the only room that appeared in every temple layout. The Room of the Golden Idols was never successfully passed, and the Treasure Room only ever had one person successfully get through.
The game: There were six boy-girl teams at the beginning of the game. Each team wore a certain color and had a team name -Blue Barracudas, Orange Iguanas, Silver Snakes, Purple Parrots, Red Jaguars, Green Monkeys. The try-outs for the game had a few requirements... you had to be able to run, climb a rope, pass a written test, and be between 11 and 14 years old. There may or may not have been a pull-up requirement, I'm not sure. If there was, I'm definitely out - both then AND now. There were multiple rounds, and although most of them were action-stunt-related, there was a round that focused more on history & mythology, though you really didn't have to know anything in advance if you were a good listener.
First, there was the Moat. Each team had to cross a shallow pool by swinging on a rope, climbing a rope net, paddling, swimming, etc. After both members of the team made it, they were safe, and the first four teams to finish moved on. Then, there was the Steps of Knowledge, where Olmec (a giant stone head) would tell the history of an artifact, sometimes Mayan to fit with the general decor. Then, he'd ask several questions, each with three possible answers. If you wanted, you could "buzz in" before Olmec finished asking the question, but you wouldn't get to hear the end of it. If you answered incorrectly or took too long, the other teams were given a chance to answer. The first two teams to get three correct answers each got to move on. Oh, it was called "Steps of Knowledge" because when you were right, you stepped down a level, until you got to the bottom. Next, the Temple Games. There were always three of them, the first two being worth a half-pendant of life, and the final one being worth a whole pendant, making it possible to tie as well. Another history question was the tie-breaker if needed, and the team to answer correctly moved on. The first two games were one-on-one, and the final game involved both players on both teams. There was a wide variety of challenges, and they generally fit with the artifact theme to a certain extent. The Temple Games were very Double Dare in style.
Finally, the remaining team would get to do the Temple Run. To a kid watching, it was the longest three minutes in television, LoL. One player would start by running into the Temple, going from room to room (there were 12 or 13 rooms total), trying to find the artifact and get it out again. He carried a full pendant. You also could find your other pendant piece, if you totaled 1.5, giving you two complete pendants. Many doors would be locked, and you had to complete a puzzle or hit an actuator to open them. Sometimes, you'd have to backtrack instead. The worst part about the Temple was the Temple Guards. Running into one of those meant you lost a full life pendant. If you didn't have one (you dropped it somewhere or it was taken by another Guard), you were out and the second player came in (who had the other pendant if applicable), generally running the same course, with previous puzzles already solved so the doors were left open. There were three guards, and each would only appear once. If you got your hands on the artifact, the doors all opened and the Guards all disappeared, allowing you a clean exit to run back through the Temple. If the team never got to the artifact, they won a basic prize. If they got the artifact but didn't get out in time, they got a second prize. If they managed to get the artifact out in time, they won both prizes and a trip. 32 teams out of 120 managed to win the big trip.
Notable changes to the way the game is played: In the first season, the announcer did a lot of the talking, but in the second two seasons, they used Olmec to say a lot of the rules, questions, etc. Also in the second two seasons, the audience at home was given a little map in the lower corner during the Temple Run, outlining the layout, the contestant's path, and where the artifact was. The moat also got fog in the second and third seasons.
Special contestants: No special contestants, just random kids.
Favorite Rounds: Um, the Temple Run. Like all the cool kids, I thought it was awesome. Though I probably would've screamed at the Temple Guards, LoL. I have to say that there's a really comprehensive episode guide out there that true fans will want to see. Let's take a look at a few Temple Runs... here's one where the kids are just too slow, and that's their downfall. I would've liked this one, where they didn't run into ANY Temple Guards! Here's the shortest of all the Temple Runs... they get just about half of their time before they run out of pendants. This one is sad... the second kid doesn't even get to go in before they run out of time. But, in another episode where the second kid doesn't get to go in, they finish in the fastest win in show history. If, for some reason, the second kid isn't bright enough to follow their partner's path, they usually lost... here's an episode where they lost super-fast because of that. Here's one of many where the kid looks absolutely clueless about the obstacles, including not knowing how to put the three-piece Silver Monkey back together. Oooh, here's another Monkey-failure, partly because she DROPS THE BODY over the railing! And here's one where they actually win, complete with Olmec's intro
My take: When I was watching the show, my brother and I thought we were perfect candidates. Now that I know what all is involved, I wonder if we would've passed the try-outs... I was 12 when taping stopped, and my brother only 9, so I was old enough, but he wasn't. We could both run, but I don't know that either of us had the upper-body strength required to climb a rope. I'm not positive I could do it now, either. But I sure would try!! Maybe I wouldn't have been the best rope-swinger, but I was an excellent rope-net-climber. I was the fastest one to climb across every time in elementary school, LoL. And, while I would've partnered up with my brother when we were kids, I think I'd choose my friend, Heather, as a partner, now. She's definitely got the athletic prowess to carry our team, and between us, we've got that Steps of Knowledge part down pat! She might be one of those loud screamers when she runs into a Temple Guard, tho!
Did you ever watch Legends of the Hidden Temple? Would you watch it if it came back on the air? Who would you partner with if the show was still on the air and you were competing (even if you're now an adult, too!)?
A couple days ago I read an article giving logical ideas on how to win various games within The Price is Right. I thought it was a clever thing to talk about, and even as a six-year-old, I would yell at players making dumb decisions. Even now, there are times when I look at the players like they're idiots on Wheel of Fortune when I've known the answer for 2-3 turns and they're still buying vowels. This whole thing got me thinking about my favorite game shows, which have changed somewhat over the years. The Price is Right would have been in the top 5 if Bob Barker was still hosting. Drew Carey isn't a bad host, but I just can't stand him, so it's been knocked from the Top Ten.
10. Classic Concentration. My brother and I were into memory games when we were kids. In fact, we had like a mega-memory game and the generic one that all six-year-olds seem to own, that came in the plastic container with slots for each card. Our mega set had over 50 cards to it, since we had a hard time even laying all of them out. So, I had a good time watching other people try to remember where cards were. BUT, what made this a great game show was the rebus puzzle behind the cards. This was the first rebus I had ever seen, and I still love them. I think that I have a slight advantage over other people in reading them because of this show, LoL.
9. Wipeout. I love a good physical challenge show. And while this one may be incredibly goofy sometimes, I think it's awesome. When we lived in California I downloaded the application to apply to be on it, knowing full well that it would be more of an experience for me than a win, since I'm not that strong of a swimmer (and that's important in the final round), and I'm kinda paranoid about knocking out teeth and things like that. I think it's interesting that some of the rounds change from time to time, but I really enjoy the creativity in some of those gags! It's not like you could ever try it at home, LoL.
8. Lingo. This isn't one of the most popular games, and it's strictly words and a little luck (regarding what numbers you pull to get points and then win prizes). Basically, you stand around guessing 5-letter words. In the first two rounds, two teams of two are pitted against eachother, and they only ever get a letter to start with. They find out which letters are in the right positions and which are correct but in the wrong places, and get 5 chances to guess the word. In the final round, the better team tries to do ten of these in two minutes (you still get the first letter, but now also get a random second letter). They rarely get all ten, but that usually doesn't matter, they still win something. I'm not that good at the game, but I do get excited watching it.
7. I'm Telling! If there was one game on this list that I'd bet you hadn't heard of, it's this one. It ran on cable only, and only a season or two were made. It was a children's game show, specifically geared for brother-sister pairs. The set-up is like the NewlyWed Game, in that the brothers answer questions about the sisters and vice versa, and you get points when you're right. The losing two teams all got 10-speed bikes. The two winners took turns running through a "prize arcade." See, before the show, each kid had written down the six prizes they thought their sibling would want (out of ten). When you chose six in the final round, you were choosing the six that you wanted. If it matched, you won it. You'd always win two prizes because of the overlap in the math on that, and if you matched 10/12, you'd win all of the prizes. The only real catch? There were "boys' prizes" and "girls' prizes" so it was very sexist. My brother and I played along ALL THE TIME.
6. Supermarket Sweep. In case you haven't seen a pattern yet, my brother and I played along with this one, too. The game was pretty easy... some general questions to bring up your points, and each of the three teams rotated the players' turns. The real excitement was in the end, when you ran around the supermarket throwing foods in your cart to ring up the highest bill. There were also certain items that were announced that could get you extra stuff. Depending on how much time you had banked in the beginning, you could get extra time in the aisles. In theory, it shouldn't have been hard to rack up the bill, but you'd always see people throwing crap in their carts.
5. Wheel of Fortune. This one's a classic, and I don't think you can really argue with that. I love Vanna, mostly for her clothing. The contestants aren't always that exciting, but I generally like the puzzles, although there are certain categories that I like much more than others. Plus, it's still on, so I can catch it five times a week if I'm really bored, LoL.
4. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? So when I list this one, I'm only referring to the Regis Philbin-hosted version. This is because I believe that, arguably, most people agree he's the only true host of that show. I rank it so high for several reasons. First, the gimmick of only having it on for a couple weeks and then taking it away again was interesting. Plus, the lights and the concept and the ten possible contestants in the beginning were neat. Lastly, it came on when my now-husband and I were first starting to date, so we'd often watch the show at our respective parents' houses and talk about it on the phone.
3. Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? This show was supercool, especially from the seven-year-old's point-of-view. There was the mysterious storyline going on, plus some neat facts to learn, and lastly the running around putting the sirens on different countries/states. I always wanted to be on that show, and would have done really well since I knew my US map like the back of my hand by the time I was eight-years-old. PLUS, the prize was a trip to anyplace in the continental US! How neat!
2. Jeopardy!I love a good quiz show. I particularly love this one for several reasons, but the main ones at this point in my life are that the clues are always shown on the screen so I can read them while at the gym on the treadmill, and I have a wide berth of knowledge so this is a game I always have an excellent and a sucky category in. And I think this tends to be true for many of the contestants on the show. It's always good to watch when you're bored or on vacation and have no cable, or when you're with strangers and need an icebreaker on television, LoL.
1. Legends of the Hidden Temple.OF COURSE this is my #1 game show. It was THE COOLEST gameshow EVER. I may be too old to go on it now (in the event they bring it back), but it's still super mega awesome. There were six teams (of two) to start out with, and it always began with a physical challenge - crossing a moat. The first four teams to make it moved on. Then, on to some knowledge and listening comprehension, then some more physical stuff. But the end level was made up of running through a fun house of sorts (there were like seven different set-ups too, so it's not like you could memorize it beforehand... although there are websites out there with maps of each... I'm serious), collecting the artifact of the day by completing a task to open most of the doors, and avoiding the temple guard. Sometimes they'd also have to find part of their Pendant of Life, too. Both team members got to go in, and it just looked like so much fun! The only qualm I have about the game is that it always seemed the teams struggled with putting together the Shrine of the Silver Monkey, LoL. Oh, and it was another one that my brother and I would always talk about how we'd do each challenge if we were on a team, LoL.
