1986-1991/1988-1989
Host(s): Marc Summers
Announcer(s): (John) Harvey
GAME PLAY
Two teams of kids competed. To begin, a toss-up stunt is played for $20. The winner gets control of the game. They are asked a question for $10. They can answer, and if right win the money. If they're wrong they lose control. They can elect to "dare" passing control to the other team. The value is now $20. Now if they guess wrong, the money goes to the other team. They can also "double dare" to the other team making the value $40. Wrong guess still gives the other team the money. At this point they can take a "physical challenge". A physical challenge is a timed challenge of 10, 15, 20 or 30 seconds. If they accomplish the (usually messy) challenge they win the money and keep control. Losing the challenge gives the money and control to the other team. When the buzzer sounds, round one is over.

To begin round two a $40 toss-up is played. In this round all values are doubled. When the buzzer sounds, the team with the most money goes to the obstacle course. If one team scores under $100, their score is raised to $100.

The obstacle course is eight different obstacles. The clock starts at sixty seconds and the first player does their obstacle. Completing an obstacle results in recieving a flag, and a prize. They pass the flag to their partner who then does their obstacle. They alternate until time runs out or they complete all eight. The eighth prize is the grand prize, usually a trip but sometimes a computer or racing car.


1988 (FOX)
Host(s): Marc Summers
Announcer(s): (John) Harvey
GAME PLAY
Now teams consisted of four members of a family. Values were now $50 for the opening toss-up and an inital question value of $25. The house minimum was raised to $500. In the obstacle course prizes were slightly different. Obstacle seven was a cash jackpot which grew when someone did not get to that obstacle. The eighth obstacle's prize was a car.



1990-1992
Host(s): Marc Summers
Announcer(s): (John) Harvey, Doc Holliday
GAME PLAY
Game play was identical to FOX except that the value of the opening toss-up was $25 and obstacle seven no longer had a cash prize. In the 1992 season, the eighth prize was changed to a trip.

Also in this season the "Tournament of Champions" occured. The two families who answered the most questions over the season, "the brains", and the two who completed the obstacle course faster, "braun", played. To begin, the "brains" families played an eight-minute round. The highest scorer went on to the finals. Then the "braun" families played an eight-minute round. High scoring family there also went to the finals. The finals was an average game, two rounds. Highest scoring team won the game and went to the obstacle course which had the car once again as a prize. Winners also recieved a trophy.

2000
Host(s): Jason Harris
Announcer(s): Tiffany Phillips
GAME PLAY
The format was identical to that of the 1990-1992 era. But now in round two, families could opt to take the "Triple Dare Challenge" which made the physical challenge more difficult. This included decreasing the time, adding an extra task, etc. If they went for it, they now competed for $300 instead of $200 and recieved a prize. If they lost, the $300 and the prize went to the other team. Also, if a team scored under $200, their score was bumped up to $200.


NOTES
The original "Double Dare" was piloted with producer/creator Geoffrey Darby. Geoffrey has been involved with most Nickelodeon shows in his tenure which carried into the early 90s.

The 1986-1988 era of "Double Dare" was taped at the WHYY studios in Philadelphia.

In 1987, a weekend edition was produced. This was called "Super Sloppy Double Dare" and was no sloppier than the regular version. It was shot in New York at the Unitel studios. Home players' letters were placed in a mailbox on stage. If their name was drawn, they could win a prize if the physical challenge being played was won. If they lost, then they recieved a t-shirt in consolation.

January 23, 1989 marked a change. The show changed its title to "Super Sloppy Double Dare". Now physical challenges were sloppier. To accomodate, the show was moved to the larger "Forum Theatre" facility, also in Philadelphia. The announcement was made on a preview show held on January 22, the day of the Super Bowl. It featured Dave Butz and Harry Carson, with their kids, playing for charity. Halfway through the run of "Super Sloppy Double Dare" they moved (with the entire network) to Universal Studios in Florida where the rest of the "Double Dare" shows taped from.

In 1992, two special "Super Special Double Dare" episodes were produced. One featured two NBA All-Stars on each team, with two kids as the other half. And the other featured two male cast members of Nickelodeon shows with two kids versus two female cast members of Nick shows with two kids. Both used the original scoring format. Only the kids won the prizes, as each obstacle was worth money for charity. The first two obstacles were worth $25, the next two $50, the next two $100 and the final two $200. Winning the course was another $1000.

Harvey left the show as the new "Family" season begun in 1992, due to his new child. Florida radio DJ Doc Holiday stepped in. Harvey made one last appearance on the series finale.

MY THOUGHTS
The best kids game ever. It has something for everybody with the kids being entertained by the stunts and the adults by Marc's often obscure references to the past. ("And you kids are probably wondering, 'who's Bud Collyer?'") The early days were pretty sedate, and especially weird when Marc dragged kids by the arm through the obstacle course (!?!?!?).

JAY SAYS...
Cast - 2.0
Game - 1.5
Bells and Whistles - 2.0
Prizes - 1.5
Tilt - 2.0

[ 09.0 ]

Just slight points off for a mini hole in the format. Playing to time sometimes led to huge game takeovers by teams with no way for the others to come back. Or the opposite, a team came back but time ran out. Playing to a goal and straddling on cable KIDS television? Eh eh.

The FOX version was interesting. FOX claimed the set was "too circus-y" and had it redesigned into a confetti motif. There are some points off for eliminating Harvey from an on-camera role and keeping Marc focused on the game (in other words, less comedy).

JAY SAYS...
Cast - 2.0
Game - 2.0
Bells and Whistles - 1.5
Prizes - 2.0
Tilt - 1.0

[ 08.5 ]

They were definently not skimping on the prize budget. A trip at obstacle six, cash at obstacle seven and a brand new car at eight.

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The Nick "Family" run started well enough. There was still plenty of banter between Harvey and Marc and the game play was still crisp. But, the following season, the loss of Harvey and a slower, more tedious game made it less worth watching.

JAY SAYS...
Cast - 1.5
Game - 1.5
Bells and Whistles - 2.0
Prizes - 1.0
Tilt - 1.5

[ 07.5 ]

The prizes were pretty odd. A picnic basket? Bowling balls? And the downgrade from a car to a trip in 1992 is understandable on a cable budget.

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I was excited at first to hear of a revival, but after viewing the results over 30 or so shows, I saw the obvious flaws. The pacing was terribly slow, especially with the "Triple Dare Challenge." It took as much as five minutes (most of the second round) to explain the thing and offer the prize.

JAY SAYS...
Cast - 1.0
Game - 1.5
Bells and Whistles - 2.0
Prizes - 0.5
Tilt - 0.5

[ 05.5 ]

The new set was cool and a throwback to the original "Family" set. The music was an update of the original theme. But they couldn't save the other problems.

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