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Nickelodeon updates an old show, adding more slime and goop to slip up parents and kids.
By PAMELA DAVIS
© St. Petersburg Times, published January 23, 2000
ORLANDO -- While the battle of the quiz shows heats up on the broadcast networks, cable's Nickelodeon channel enters the competition Monday with a slimy, gaky, goozy game show of its own.
When it comes to pleasing Nickelodeon's kid viewers, it's not enough that a game show offer questions and answers for big bucks. Kids want action, mess and mayhem. Double Dare 2000 gives it to them.
The show, an updated version of Double Dare which debuted in 1986 as Nickelodeon's first original production, pits families against each other as they tackle trivia questions and sloppy stunts.
Every challenge involves some sort of goop. Nickelodeon's trademark Green Slime (the name is self-explanatory) became well-known on the original Double Dare, as did another Nick concoction called Gak, which is thicker and comes in various colors and textures. A new solution, Gooze, was invented for Double Dare 2000 and is just as messy as the other two.
Contestants don long-sleeved, shiny blue and red uniforms, knee and elbow pads. They are given -- for keeps -- spankin' new Reeboks as the point of these games is to get as goopy as possibly.
Families are asked to do a number of odd stunts such as bursting gak-filled balloons with sopping sponges over another family member's head or creating a banana split by tossing the large fake fruit into a team member's helmet and pouring chocolate on top.
Taping began on 65 half-hour episodes of Double Dare 2000 this month at Nickelodeon's Orlando studios at the Universal Studios Florida amusement park. Starting Monday, , the show airs weekdays at 5 p.m. Also premiering on Nick Monday is Slimetime Live, an interactive match-and-win game that airs at 4 p.m.
A decision will be made this spring about the return of another Nick game show, Figure It Out. The program, which requires a panel of Nick stars to "figure out" each contestant's special talent, is now in its fourth season and may return in the summer depending on how successful Double Dare 2000 is. Two more Nickelodeon game show pilots are in development.
As the Interdonato family of Orlando learned, the games require real family teamwork. Dad Tony, Mom, Melinda, and sons Anthony, 15 and Christopher, 11, rallied after a slow start to win their matchup with the Grimes family from Winter Springs.
"The kids really pulled through," Tony Interdonato said. "They came up with a lot of answers my wife and I had no idea about."
The Interdonatos continued on to the obstacle course and the Grimes family changed clothes and went home. The Interdonatos made it through the course with five seconds to spare.
All that mess and goop was well worthwhile: the family won a trip to the Dominican Republic as well as cash and numerous prizes including a VCR, a Gateway PC and annual passes to Busch Gardens and Sea World.