Do you ever get nostalgic for the times when you could turn on the televsion and see someone digging inside a huge nose for a flag or being scared witless by a guard in a Mayan temple? If so, you most likely lived during the best age of kids game shows: from the 1980s to the 2000s.
Sure, there are more current kid-centric tournaments available, such as Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? and Jeopardy! Kids Week, but even the most exciting of the newer game shows are rather monotonous. While there are numerous adult game shows, the essence of game shows enables them to readily impress and interest children. So, strap on your cheesy plastic headgear and take a trip back to your childhood. These are the 17 game shows that we, Millennials, never missed.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
17 Wheel 2000
Sony Pictures Television
Wheel 2000 is a kids’ version of the popular game show Wheel of Fortune (hosted by Pat Sajak, who has been joking about possible retirement). Wheel 2000’s gameplay was very similar to Wheel of Fortune, except that youngsters aged 10-15 battled for points and prizes rather than money, with the final winner competing for a big prize in the bonus round. The contenders choose each round’s categories from a potential three, with the show revising them to accommodate the younger players. The presenter or a famous personality spoke about the solved puzzle or something related to it at the end each round’s conclusion.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
16 Video Power
Saban Entertainment
Video Power is a television series that ran in two forms from 1990 to 1992. Both formats centered on video games, and actor Stivi Paskoski played video game expert Johnny Arcade across both shows. The initial Video Power format comprised of numerous parts from the Acclaim Entertainment series, The Power Team, starring Johnny Arcade and a squad of warriors from various NES titles and an Acclaim Game Boy games. The makers of Video Power entirely revamped its concept and transformed it into a game show for the show’s second season, which debuted in the autumn of 1991. This edition questioned kid participants on video game-related questions, had them engage in games, and provided prizes to the winners.
15 Animal Planet Zooventure
Animal Planet
Animal Planet Zooventure is a kids television game show that aired from 1997 to 2000 on Animal Planet and Discovery Channel. J. D. Roth anchored the program, which was shot on-site at the San Diego Zoo. Four child hopefuls participated in a variety of animal-themed feats for the big prize of a day working as a zookeeper.
14 Brain Surge
Nickelodeon Productions
Jeff Sutphen presented the children’s game program Brain Surge, which aired on Nickelodeon. According to The Futon Critic, the format of the show was derived from the Japanese game show Brain Survivor. Brain Surge employed tasks to put its contestants or teams memory and comprehension abilities to the test as they competed for rewards. Those who did not win were slimed and sent down the “Brain Drain” in classic Nickelodeon spirit. The show was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show in 2012; however, it was defeated by Jeopardy!.
13 Nickelodeon Robot Wars
Nickelodeon Robot Wars, hosted by Dave Aizer, was Nickelodeon’s spin on Robot Wars, the popular and long-running robot-fighting game program. After one season, the show was canceled. During the six-show series, seven distinct tournaments were held. The majority of the tournaments broadcast on a single episode, however, a handful were stretched across numerous shows. The show included robot competitors from the American Robot Wars series, such as “Rosie The Riveter” and “The Revolutionist,” but the robot operators were all youngsters on the teams. A few alterations and adjustments were made to the arena and House Robots to accommodate the younger demographic, including both safety adjustments and a lack of profanity.
12 The Carmen Sandiego Series’
PBS
During this time period, two Carmen Sandiego game show programs aired. Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? was a half-hour television game show for children based on the Carmen Sandiego computer game franchise. The show earned seven Daytime Emmys and a Peabody Award in 1992. The show’s questions were validated by National Geographic World, who also awarded entrants with magazine subscriptions as rewards. Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego? took the place of the previously stated program. The overall topic of each episode was derived from the treasure of the day, which was taken by Carmen Sandiego and served to define the history of its type. The contestants were then quizzed on the historical videos they had seen.
11 Make the Grade
Make the Grade is a Nickelodeon children’s game show that ran from 1989 to 1990. Three competitors battled to answer trivia questions and collect squares on a 7x7 game board, each sat at a red, green, or blue desk. Seven grade levels ran along the top of the board, encompassing school and grades 7 through 12; six categories plus a unique elective ran along the left. The aim for the participants was to answer enough questions to illuminate every category and grade level on the desk. Depending on where they finished, each candidate got cash or a gift.
10 Wild & Crazy Kids
Wild & Crazy Kids is an American television game show on Nickelodeon that featured big teams of youngsters competing in head-to-head physical tasks. From 1990 to 1992, the show aired three seasons and had three adolescent co-hosts: Omar Gooding and Donnie Jeffcoat in all three seasons, Annette Chavez in season one, and Jessica Gaynes in the last two. Each episode included three games, each emceed by a different presenter. The teams were distinguished by the color of their shirts, which varied from show to show. The styles of the games varied; many were riffs on schoolyard games, athletics with unique rules, or messier activities requiring pies or slime. The program was purely for entertainment purposes with no prizes awarded to winners.
9 Nick Arcade
In kids game show, Nick Arcade, which began airing in 1992 and ran for two seasons, two teams of competitors competed in two preliminary trivia rounds, with the winner progressing to the “Video Zone” to face the virtual “Video Game Wizard” of the day. The format of the show mixed video game trivia with contestant-interactive virtual reality. James Bethea and Karim Miteff created the virtual reality games for their production firm. The show was the first in America to use a bluescreen to combine live action with animation on a regular basis.
8 What Would You Do?
CBS Television Distribution
What Would You Do? is a Nickelodeon 30-minute television program presented by Marc Summers that aired from 1991 to 1993. Each presentation featured a previously filmed piece or generic video portraying kids, families, or people placed in unexpected settings. Pausing the video before it ended, Summers invited the audience to vote on how they’d react in similar circumstances or what the conclusion could be. The conclusion was presented after the audience’s results were tabulated. Audience members also competed in silly challenges for prizes on certain segments of the show.
7 Pictionary
MCA TV
Pictionary (1989) is a children’s game show based on the same-named picture-drawing board game. This was the first of three Pictionary-themed board game-based shows, with adult editions following in 1997 and 2022. Two teams of three battled against each other in this kids version, sketching images on a telestrator, also known as a video marker, which allowed the competitors to draw on-screen. The team with the most points at the conclusion of the three rounds was declared the winner and moved to the bonus round for a shot at a top prize. This installment of Pictionary was hosted by actor Brian Robbins, who was at the time starring in the sitcom Head of the Class.
6 Get the Picture
Paramount Domestic Television
Get the Picture is a Nickelodeon children’s game show hosted by Mike O’Malley. Season 1 had 40 episodes filmed in the spring of 1991, while Season 2 had 75 episodes taped in the summer of the same year. In two distinct rounds, two teams of two players, one wearing orange jumpsuits and one wearing yellow jumpsuits, battled. The goal of the game was to accurately guess concealed photos on a 16-square video wall while also answering general-knowledge trivia questions to get more chances to guess. Winners received prizes or cash based on their responses in the penultimate stage.
5 Finders Keepers
Finders Keepers is a Nickelodeon kid’s game show that began in 1987 and featured two teams of two youngsters competing in two rounds. The first part of each round featured attempting to identify hidden pictures in a difficult painting, while the second half comprised attempting to find concealed things in various rooms of a messy staged house. The victorious team moved on to the Room-to-Room Romp, a bonus round where they had 90 seconds to discover a concealed object in each of six rooms, in a sequence revealed to them before the game began. The team received a prize for each object discovered, with the final prize growing in value for completing all six rooms within the time restriction.
4 Double Dare
Double Dare is a game show on American television in which two teams compete for cash and prizes by answering trivia questions and doing sloppy stunts referred to as physical challenges. Teams might dare the opposite team to find the right answer if they didn’t already know it. It first aired from 1986 until 1993. A revival took place in 2000, and the most recent resurrection took place from 2018 to 2019. The original show was hosted by Marc Summers and first aired on Nickelodeon. Over the years, Double Dare has gone through several iterations and modifications, including Super Sloppy Double Dare, Family Double Dare, and Double Dare 2000. The show has received two Daytime Emmy nominations, two Kids’ Choice Awards, and a CableACE Award in 1989.
3 Figure It Out
Figure It Out is a Nickelodeon children’s panel game program. Summer Sanders hosted the original series, which aired for four seasons from 1997 to 1999. Children with extraordinary abilities or achievements compete as competitors on Figure It Out, while a panel of four Nickelodeon celebrities attempts to identify the preset phrase that characterizes the contestant’s talent. The show is a loose version of the established panel shows What’s My Line? and I’ve Got a Secret. After each round in which their skill stays un-guessed, the competitor receives a reward; a trip is the prize for winning the final round. Nickelodeon slime plays a significant role in the program. From 2012 through 2013, Jeff Sutphen hosted the show’s reboot, per The Hollywood Reporter.
2 Nickelodeon Guts
Nickelodeon Guts is an action sports competition series hosted by American actor/writer Mike O’Malley and judged by English actress Moira “Mo” Quirk. The show originally aired on Nickelodeon from 1992 until 1995. Each episode includes three teenage athletes competing in four extreme versions of sports contests (such as basketball, baseball, football, and soccer) opposite one another. In the fifth and final round, the three contestants raced up an artificial mountain known as “The Crag” while pressing a sequence of buttons that activated a light beacon. Simulated volcanic impediments make the climb more arduous. Winners received cash or prizes depending on their accumulated points after the final round.
1 Legends of the Hidden Temple
Legends of the Hidden Temple is an action-adventure television game show that aired on Nickelodeon from 1993 to 1995. The show depicts a fake temple that is laden with hidden treasures guarded by enigmatic Mayan temple guardians. Kirk Fogg hosts the show, while Dee Baker serves as both announcer and voice of Olmec, a stone head who understands the mysteries behind each of the artifacts in his temple. Six teams of two youngsters (Red Jaguars, Blue Barracudas, Green Monkeys, Orange Iguanas, Purple Parrots, Silver Snakes) fight to collect one of the temple’s ancient relics by executing physical feats and fielding questions on history, mythology, and geography. In 2016 a film also titled Legends of the Hidden Temple based on the game show was released. From 2021-2022, another version of the Legends of the Hidden Temple game show featuring adult participants aired on The CW.
