Nickelodeon is most well known for its scripted series, but back in the day, there were so many different game shows to feast your eyes upon. And althoughNickelodeon’s programmingis geared toward children, it’s actually kind of crazy how complex some of the gameplay was on these shows. From solving complex puzzles, to getting pied in the face while running through an obstacle course, Nickelodeon truly pulled no stops when it came to innovation on the game-show front, and looking back at the early ’90s and 2000s, it’s safe to say that they hadsome of the best game show programmingthat was targeted to a young audience.
So if you’re nostalgic for the bright green slime that used to dominate your TV screen, you’ll be absolutely thrilled to check out this ranked list of what we consider to be the best Nickelodeon game shows.
11Think Fast
Though you may not remember this one,Think Fastwas one of the earlier game shows on Nickelodeon that boasted oh so many puzzles during its 23-minute runtime. The first season was hosted by Michael Carrington, but he was replaced by Skip Lackey for the season two run. As for the gameplay, there’s so much to talk about, and it’s amazing that the showrunners were able to squeeze so many different types of puzzle games into the show’s format. In every episode, the blue team and the gold team would perform stunts for money, and as the show progressed, the stakes were raised.
But the most notable bit inThink Fastwould have to be the locker room challenge, which pitted the blue and gold teams against each other in a match that would test their memories. The gameplay was simple on these challenges. There would be 15 lockers, and a total of seven “pairs” hiding inside of them. Contestants would open a locker and see a puppet character, and they’d have to frantically open the other lockers to find the matching character. But the gameplay was made difficult because distractions were hidden behind each door as well. The 15th locker had no match, and served as a wild card.
Related:Nickelodeon’s All That: Where the Cast is Today
10Figure it Out
Figure it Outwas considered by many to be a loose adaptation ofWhat’s My Line?,andI’ve Got a Secret.In this game show, three panelists would be tasked with guessing the contestant’s talent or accomplishment through the use of “yes” or “no” questions that would reveal part of a phrase that described this talent. For each of the three rounds that this talent was left un-guessed, prizes would increase in value.
Prizes from the first couple of rounds would often be in the form of a leftover prop from a Nickelodeon game show that was no longer running, such asDouble Dare, Legends of the Hidden Temple, or Global Guts.But there were also merchandise prizes such as video game consoles and gift cards for stores like Toys “R” Us. The third round prize often came in the form of an all-expenses paid trip to some far-off, exotic place.
But the best part aboutFigure it Outwas that the panelists were from other Nickelodeon shows of the time. The original run from 1997 to 1999 featured Danny Tamberelli, Kevin Kopelow, Amanda Bynes, and Lori Beth Denberg fromAll That,which was a popular Nickelodeon sketch comedy at the time.
9Nickelodeon Guts
Nickelodeon Gutswas a sports competition show hosted by Mike O’Malley that put three contestants against each other in a variety of sports related conquests. But it’s worth noting thatGuts(later renamedGlobal Guts) took quite a few creative liberties in their particular adaptation of sports like basketball, baseball, football, and soccer throughout its four-season run. And in hindsight, some of these competitions were considerably dangerous for such young contestants, which is why there was always liberal use of an elastic harness to protect contestants from falls. They didn’t call the set for this show the “Extreme Arena” for nothing!
But the best part aboutGutswas the fifth and final round, which involved all three contestants racing to the top of a man-made mountain known as the Aggro Crag; a glowing and towering monolith that had confetti thunderstorms, and strobe lights up the wazoo. And to make things more complicated, the contestants would have to hit a series of actuators along the way to the top of the Aggro Crag; meaning, if they made it all the way to the top, but missed a button along the way, they would have to go back down and press it, causing them to lose their place.
8Nick Arcade
Nick Arcadewas an early ’90s game show that mixed trivia and interactive gameplay that moved the show’s mascot, “Mikey, the Video Adventurer,” across a thematic board of play. And there were a total of eight different games that would move Mikey across the board: Points, Puzzles, Pop Quizzes, Prizes, Video Challenge, Enemy, Time Bomb, and Goal.
Subsequent rounds involved an interactive video game component that put contestants inside an actual video game. In these segments, the contestants were brought backstage, and used a video monitor to see themselves inside the video game. Looking back at it in 2023, the graphics left a lot to be desired, but back in 1992, it was pretty wild seeing kids running through a pixilated landscape full of power-ups and obstacles that looked just like the gameplay from popular video games of the time.
7Get the Picture
Get the Picturewas a game show that had contestants answering general-knowledge trivia questions to reveal hidden pictures from behind a wall of video screens consisting of 16 squares. But to complicate matters there were “power surges” that allowed for bonus gameplay and additional physical activities such as playing ring toss, or quickly solving a giant jigsaw puzzle. At the end of the day, the object of the game was to correctly guess the hidden pictures in order to win a variety of prizes.
6Make the Grade
For those of you who just couldn’t get enough of school, you probably loved watchingMake the Gradeon weekends. This academically themed game show had contestants answering questions across seven of the following categories: history, music, science, home economics, geography, P.E., mathematics, English, arts, social studies, and current events. The second and third seasons introduced a “Special Elective” to the mix.
But in the true spirit of Nickelodeon, there were “Fire Drill” rounds that were oftentimes messy stunts that allowed the “students” which would complicate the gameplay based on how the contestants were reseated during this segment.
5Wild & Crazy Kids
Wild & Crazy Kidswas one of those Nickelodeon game shows that boasted very large times made up entirely of children. Each episode consisted of a variety of games that were variations of popular playground games, sports, and, of course, there was plenty of slime, and pies to the face to go around. Of all the games that were played onWild & Crazy Kids, some of the most popular ones wereDizzy Bat Home Run Derby,Splash Football, Three-Legged Soccer,andDonkey Basketball, which in fact involved actual donkeys.
ButWild & CrazyKidswas different compared to its contemporaries because these games were all played in good fun. Though there was a healthy level of competition on the show during all the varying games, there was no prize at stake; this show was all in good fun.
4Slime Time Live
Though not necessarily a game show,Slime Time Livewasrather a promotional vehiclefor the 2000s short-livedDouble Darereboot. But funnily enough, the show had a much longer shelf-life than the actual show it was promoting.Slime Time Liveaired in between regular programs, and featured small games that often involved members of the audience getting slimed or hit in the face with a pie.
And the show has quite a legacy.Slime Time Liveactually holds two Guinness World Records for most people pied in three minutes, and most people slimed. In other words, Gallagher walked, soSlime Time Livecould run.
3Double Dare
Of all the game shows on this list,Double Dare(hosted by Mark Summers)was the one that boasted the simplest gameplay. Two families were pitted against one another for rounds of trivia and physical challenges. The titular phrase is in reference to the trivia rounds, in which one family can “double dare” the competing family to answer a question that they do not themselves know the answer to for double the value. And the family that received this dare would be tasked with answering the question, doubling the value once again and passing it back, or engaging in a physical challenge instead.
The general-knowledge trivia was simple enough, but it’s the physical challenges that made things messy. Contestants would find themselves barreling down swirly slides into giant pies, and of course, there was plenty of slime to go around. Other physical challenges involved contestants slinging “meatballs” at each other in an attempt to fill up a giant bowl of “spaghetti.”
Related:17 Best Game Shows Millennial Kids Grew Up Watching
2What Would You Do
The premise ofWhat Would You Dowas simple, yet effective. Members of the audience would view footage of children or families in unusual situations, but the tape would be paused before they could see the outcome of the video. At this point, members of the audience would vote on what the outcome of the video could be, and how they would have done in a similar situation. The results would be tallied, and the outcome of the video would be revealed.
But the one thing thatWhat Would You Dowas most well known for was its use of elaborate pie contraptions that would be used in the context of reward and/or punishment. The most notable pie contraption was “The Pie Pod,” which resembled a dentist chair that a member of the audience would be strapped to. The severity and amount of pies would be determined through audience questions, and more often than not ended with some slime being thrown into the mix as well.
