- Game Format -
Both versions
of Family Challege kept the same main idea for the format of the
show: two
families compete head-to-head to go home with great prizes
and the most
coveted award of all, the Family Challenge Championship Cup.
This
was a cup,
similar to the one shown in the logo above, where the winning
family's last
name was engraved in the front panel.
This cup was
only rewarded to the strongest, smartest (in most cases), and fastest
families.
As mentioned above, the format stayed primarily the same
through both
versions. The later version had less events and dealed more with
the audience
since it was taped at Universal Studios, wheras the
original version
was taped at an individual studio - different then a theme park.
Studio Version
The studio
version of Family Challenge was taped for Woody Fraser Enterprises
(the company
responsible for What Would You Do?, Wild & Crazy Kids,
and Home
and Family). The studio was adjacent to the one used for Fraser's
sister show
at the time, Wild Animal Games. Both shows were
also produced
for the Family Channel, and aired in the afternoon as a
part of the
Fam TV lineup.
The studio
version's game consisted of seven events which both families
would compete
in. Although there were many different games
on the show
that were used more often than others, here is a list of almost all
of the challenges
that made it to television at least once, in
both versions.
If you personally know of one that is not listed below, e-mail
me the name
of the challenge, and I will add it to this site.
* Shave the
Balloon
* Pop the
Balloon Outfits
* Fast-food
Relay
* Gunk Tank
Basketball Relay
* Know Your
Family Members Pie-in-the-face Challenge
* Pie Pengalem
* Jump on
Allegators
* Stab Gak
Balloons With Sword
* Decipher
Backwards Words
* Park Monster
Truck
* Outdoor
Gak Obstacle Course
* Outdoor
Monster Truck Challenge
* Seven-event
Obstacle Course (used frequently)
* Clothing
Relay
* Gunk Tank
Relays
As mentioned,
the challenges above were used at least once in the show's
complete run,
but some were used many more times, especially
one's featuring
the trademark of the show, the Gunk Tank. The Gunk Tank
was a large
vat, that resembled the tank in What Would You Do? 's
pie slide,
and it consisted of organic potting material. The tank was used
in both versions
of the show, as well as many of the challenges
above, but
the later version consisted of a different material (see the
Universal
Studios version below).
Anyway, the
family that won the most points by the end of the seventh
round was
awarded the Family Challenge Championship Cup,
which was
"The most coveted cup next the the World Cup," according to
original Family
Challenge host Ray Combs.
In 1996, just
after the show's second season, Ray Combs was found
dead - a victim
of suicide. As a result, the Family Channel
temporarily
removed Family Challenge from it's broadcast schedule
for the entire
summer season.
The show returned,
however, on September 30, 1996, but with a slightly
different
name...
Universal Studios Version
The New
Family Challenge began on the date above, with new host
Michael Berger
(also host of Fraser's Home and Family),
and a completely
different set.
Three things
remained, though, the rule of two families competing for
the cup, the
infamous Gunk Tank, which
had a slight
renovation when switching locations to Universal Studios,
and a similar
game format. Challenges were completed
by each family,
but there were less than seven. More information regarding
The New
Family Challenge can be found in The New Family Challenge
section of
this website.