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Author Topic: More classic Nickelodeon game shows on Paramount+  (Read 13316 times)

chrisholland03

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Re: More classic Nickelodeon game shows on Paramount+
« Reply #30 on: April 11, 2021, 08:23:20 AM »
I don't know whether the contestants were coached to avoid it (in the handful of episodes I skimmed a couple of days ago, the older kids seemed to deliberately send Mikey on a serpentine path so they could explore the grid), but there was an advantage to landing on the goal -- your team got to play the question solo, with the other team receiving only half the points if you answered incorrectly.

I'm going to go find an episode of Finders Keepers to watch. When I was a kid, I liked that show, and I've wondered why Nickelodeon never includes it in its retro game show packages. Maybe the game isn't as compelling as young Scott thought it was at the time?

I tend to agree.  This may be better in the misremember thread, but I want to say there's an episode where even Phil is puzzled by the directional choices of one of the teams.

jcs290

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Re: More classic Nickelodeon game shows on Paramount+
« Reply #31 on: April 11, 2021, 02:11:02 PM »
It could be a case of producers coaching the kids to "look for the prizes and bonus points squares" more than "don't go to the goal."

Loogaroo

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Re: More classic Nickelodeon game shows on Paramount+
« Reply #32 on: April 11, 2021, 06:35:21 PM »
I'm going to go find an episode of Finders Keepers to watch. When I was a kid, I liked that show, and I've wondered why Nickelodeon never includes it in its retro game show packages. Maybe the game isn't as compelling as young Scott thought it was at the time?

I think there are a few things about Finders Keepers that makes the show less engaging to watch as an adult 30 years later.

First off, Wesley comes off as very raw and nervous in the first flight of episodes, but honestly the show doesn't do him any favors. The entire half-hour is wall-to-wall gameplay (no pun intended) with almost no opportunity to let anyone breathe. Wesley is hurrying through everything he says, partially because he's nervous, but also because I can imagine a stage manager standing right next to Camera 1 frantically making the "MOVE IT ALONG" gesture. He settles down a lot after the first 13 weeks, but it doesn't really solve the problem that 30 minutes with one commercial break is barely enough time to contain this game. Compare to Double Dare, where it didn't take long for Harvey, Dave and Robin to become de facto cast members that gave the show a bit of character.

Second, a lot of games were boat races. Because of how the scoring works, once a team breaches the $500 mark they've locked the game up. And there were a whole lot of episodes Adam & I saw where one team dominated the Hidden Pictures rounds to the point where one team is searching six or seven of the 8 rooms and the other team has to hope that they back into a victory. Maybe one out of the 20 or so episodes we've watched came down to the last room.

And third, it's just not as fun to watch kids trash a room as it is to watch them try to catch an egg between a pair of cymbals blindfolded.
You're in a room. You're wearing a silly hat.
There are letters on the floor. They spell "NOPE".

JasonA1

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Re: More classic Nickelodeon game shows on Paramount+
« Reply #33 on: April 12, 2021, 12:28:05 AM »
I think timing played a big factor in Finders Keepers not being as fondly remembered as it could be. That oral history of Remote Control shed some light on the MTV Networks culture -- namely that they always felt their next hit was just around the corner.

For whatever reason(s), FK didn't leap off the screen and live up to the success of Double Dare. It still had a home game and a run in syndication, of course. But Nickelodeon didn't give it a long second life on the channel, instead focusing on new shows. Had FK debuted in the '90s instead, it could have survived in a years-long parade of reruns a'la Nick Arcade, Legends and What Would You Do?, ripe to be remembered by multiple generations. Instead, it was on when it was on, and didn't really come back into daylight until Nick GaS was launched, a channel relatively few people received.

I too shall dive back into a few episodes and see how it looks today. With more and more Nick Arcade under my belt, I've been fine-tuning my opinion on that show, and I suspect a lot of my conclusions will apply to FK as well.

-Jason
Game Show Forum Muckety-Muck

Loogaroo

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Re: More classic Nickelodeon game shows on Paramount+
« Reply #34 on: April 13, 2021, 04:21:19 PM »
The migration of Nick's production to Orlando was also a major blow to FK's longevity. They'd already built two sets in Philly and in LA; I imagine they decided that it wasn't worth it to build a third.
You're in a room. You're wearing a silly hat.
There are letters on the floor. They spell "NOPE".

Jumpondees

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Re: More classic Nickelodeon game shows on Paramount+
« Reply #35 on: May 15, 2021, 12:47:29 AM »
Make it Supermarket Sweep. Play an abbreviated front game where correct answers win time for both teams in the Video Zone, and the winning team plays the Starcade end game.

This is the closest we've come to "Supermarket Sweep" on a game show that involved video games.

https://youtu.be/pQY8W2AF0aU?start=624
« Last Edit: May 15, 2021, 12:57:38 AM by Jumpondees »

clemon79

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Re: More classic Nickelodeon game shows on Paramount+
« Reply #36 on: May 18, 2021, 12:40:12 PM »
It still had a home game

Yeah, tell me about it.

/where the HELL is that audio cable, I know I have like six of the farkers....
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