Nick of Time: Winner Takes It All

We're competitive here at the Majak Kingdom. We just are. We are absolutely cutthroat when it comes to Scrabble. We've also been known to make people cry during extra spirited games of Uno. So it's no wonder that we gravitate to game shows so much in general and especially the game shows that populated the Nickelodeon landscape in our childhood. They taught us the rules of surviving life: you had to have guts, it's a finders keepers kind of world, and you have to make the grade to figure it all out.

Olmec, are you ready?

Jesus, aren't you touchy!

First up, we take on the game show that somehow isn't the title of an E! Reality show about young Hollywood, "Wild N Crazy Kidz."


There are so many things so ridiculously early 1990s that we love about just this opening credits: the bright ass colors, Omar Gooding's flat-top, Donnie Jeffcoat's whole existence as a psuedo-teen heartthrob. Also, we loved that period of time where the production values on Nickelodeon were just a slight step above cable access.

Our personal favorite game they ever did on Wild N Crazy Kidz, Human Space Invaders:


A close second, Splash Football


We live for the judging panel using their words like BOGUS, COOL, and AWESOME. Oh early 1990s, never change.

Next up, the magic that was Nickelodeon's Nick Arcade where the some of America's dumbest children came to play the world's most simplistic video games and failed miserably.



Melissa Joan Hart sucking at playing Sonic the Hedgehog:


We interrupt this post with a word from Nickelodeon spokes-stick Stick Stickly


Next up, Family Double Dare as hosted by our favorite host with crippling OCD Marc Summers.


Now spending most of his time telling the fascinating details of how junior mints are made, Marc Summers was, back in the day, one of our favorite hosts with his genial, Midwestern charm as he presided over the clusterfuck that was the Obstacle Course aka one of the greatest things to ever happen on television.



Bonus: The Double Dare Video Game for the original Nintendo


Next up, GUTS aka where we first started fan fiction about Mike O'Malley.


Now known as Kurt's dad on Glee, Mike O'Malley was the go to host of game shows on Nickelodeon, hosting Guts as well Get the Picture. As fabulous as O'Malley is, he wouldn't have been anything on Guts without the British wonderfulness of Moira "Mo" Quirk.


We end this tribute to game shows with our ultimate favorite, the one that taught us both history and how to assemble a silver monkey, Legends of the Hidden Temple.


It was like if Indiana Jones had a really dorky, Kirk Cameron-like brother to lead you on adventures, it would be Legend of the Hidden Temple.

Most of the show was filler for the simple, wonderful awesomeness that was the Temple Run. God bless, those contestants, they were almost as mentally slow as the kids from Nick Arcade.

Thanks so much for joining us for another edition of Nick of Time. Come back tomorrow when we take on the magic of Nicktoons.