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Legends of the Hidden Temple

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Legends of the Hidden Temple
Legends of the Hidden Temple title card
Created byDavid G. Stanley
Scott A. Stone
Stephen Brown
Presented byKirk Fogg
Narrated byDee Bradley Baker as Olmec
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes120[2] (list of episodes)
Production
Production locationsNickelodeon Studios, Universal Studios Florida
Running timeapprox. 22–24 minutes
Production companyStone Stanley Entertainment
Original release
NetworkNickelodeon[1]
ReleaseSeptember 11, 1993 (1993-09-11)[1] –
1995 (1995)[2]

Legends of the Hidden Temple is an action-adventure[3] game show for children. Hosted by Kirk Fogg,[1] and featuring Dee Bradley Baker as the voice of Olmec, the show was produced by Stone Stanley Productions in association with Nickelodeon and was taped at Nickelodeon Studios at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. The show incorporated physical stunts, as well as questions based on topics related to history, mythology, and geography. Each episode featured six teams of two children (one boy and one girl) competing for prizes.[1] Teams competed in various elimination contests until one team remained, who then earned the right to go through "the Hidden Temple" and retrieve a historical artifact to win a grand prize.

Legends aired on Nickelodeon[1] from September 11, 1993 to 1995[2] in first-run and through August 23, 1998 in reruns. From 1999 to 2009, reruns of the show have aired on Nick GAS. The series received positive acclaim, and, in 1995, the show won a CableACE award for Best Game Show Special or Series.[4][5]

Broadcast and production history

Legends of the Hidden Temple began airing on Nickelodeon on September 11, 1993.[6] The show originally aired on weekends at 6:30. In that time slot, it increased the Nielsen rating from 1.5 to 2.[7] Due to this success, it began airing weekdays at 5:30 starting the week of February 14, 1994.[7] The show was renewed for a second season in February 1994.[7] Auditions took place on February 26 and 27, and production occurred from March 27 through April 17.[8] Second season episodes began airing June 6, 1994.[9]

In 1996, the Orlando Business Journal reported that Nickelodeon was considering renewing Legends for a fourth season, but according to Scott Fishman, Vice-President of Production Services at Nickelodeon, renewal was "not [a] sure bet" because Nickelodeon was considering three new game show pilots filmed in Orlando.[10] By April 1996, the show had been canceled.[11]

Legends continued airing in reruns for three years until August 23, 1998 when the show stopped airing on Nickelodeon.[12] However, in 1999, the show once again began airing in reruns on Nick GAS until that network ceased operations in 2009.

In March 2009, TV Week reported that David Stanley acquired the rights to several Stone-Stanley shows, including Legends of the Hidden Temple.[13]

International broadcasts

In 1999, Nickelodeon included Legends in a block of Nickelodeon programming that aired on Zee TV.[14]

Audition process

Prospective contestants for Legends had to be 11 to 14 years old.[15] Those trying out had to compete in several physical tasks, including rope climbing and running, as well as a written test.[16]

Theming and premise

The set design of Legends was based on the Indiana Jones movies,[17] and Marianne Arneberg of the Orlando Sentinel described Legends as "a combination of Jeopardy and Raiders of the Lost Ark".[3] The set design has been described as Mayan.[18][19] It included areas for different types of physical challenges: a broad but shallow[20] pool of water (the Moat), a set of steps (the Steps of Knowledge), and a large, two-and-a-half-floor[21] vertical labyrinth (the Hidden Temple) at the back of the stage. At the labyrinth's gate was a giant animatronic talking Olmec head simply named Olmec (voiced by Dee Baker). Olmec narrated the stories told in the steps of knowledge and temple game challenges (although in a few early episodes Kirk narrated the temple game challenges). Every episode had a theme: a particular legend was picked (written), regarding a certain artifact from around the world that found its way to the Temple (a replica of the actual artifact, if such an artifact existed in real life), and the winning team had to retrieve it. Some artifacts included "Lawrence of Arabia's Headdress," "The Walking Stick of Harriet Tubman," "The Jewel-Encrusted Egg of Catherine the Great," "The Levitating Dog Leash of Nostradamus," "The Diary of Dr. Livingstone," and "The Broken Wing of Icarus." In addition to providing an artifact, the legend also was important to other aspects of the show: the Steps of Knowledge used questions based on the historical legend, and the theming of the Temple Games was also loosely based on the legend.[22]

Main game

Teams

In each episode, six teams of two players (one boy and one girl) each competed in three rounds to get to the temple. Each team was designated a color and an animal, indicated on their uniform shirts: Red Jaguars, Blue Barracudas, Green Monkeys, Orange Iguanas, Purple Parrots and Silver Snakes.[23]

Round 1: The Moat

The first round of the show involved a stunt where the six teams had to get across a narrow swimming pool known as the "moat" in a prescribed manner. For example, the teams might have to swing out to a rope net in the middle of the moat, climb it, and then swim to the other side.[23] All six teams attempted to get both members across according to the rules and push a button. The first four teams to cross the moat and hit their gongs advanced to the second round.[23]

Round 2: The Steps of Knowledge

Olmec began the Steps of Knowledge by telling the four remaining teams the episode's legend, which would become the theme for the remainder of the episode. The legend would center around an "artifact" which the winning team would search for in the Temple Run. After finishing, he asked the teams a series of questions to test their memories. Each multiple-choice question had three possible answers. A team that knew the answer buzzed in by stomping on the button (known as the Ancient Marking) on their step (if Olmec was still in the middle of asking the question, he would stop talking immediately). If a team answered correctly, they moved down to the next level. If a team answered incorrectly or went too long without an answer (three seconds after being called upon[24]), the other teams had a chance to answer. The first two teams to step down to the bottom level by answering a total of three questions correctly moved on to the next round.

Round 3: The Temple Games

The Temple Games featured the two remaining teams competing for as many pendants of life as possible in three physical challenges. Legends employed many types of Temple Games, with the day's legend serving as a theme for each. Temple Game challenges were either untimed or lasted for a maximum of 60 seconds (ending either when time expired or when a team completed the objective). After each challenge, the winning team (the team who completed the objective first or, failing that, the team who made the most progress) was awarded some portion of a protective Pendant of Life. The first two challenges, which pitted single members from each team, awarded a half-pendant each, and the final challenge, involving both players on both teams, awarded a full pendant. If a Temple Game ended in a tie, both teams were awarded the pendant value of that game. After these rounds, the team with the greater number of pendants went on to the final round.

In the event that the two teams' pendant totals were tied after the three games, the teams played a tiebreaker to determine which team would advance to the Temple. A "tiebreaker pedestal" was brought out, and Kirk (or, later in seasons 2 and 3, Olmec) asked a tiebreaker question to determine the winner. The first team to hit the button on top of their gong earned the chance to answer the question. The team had three seconds to answer, and their first response had to be accepted.[25] A correct answer allowed the team to go to the Temple. In Season 1, an incorrect answer (or running out of time) automatically awarded the other team passage to the Temple, but in the second and third seasons, the other team simply received an opportunity to answer the question correctly.

Final Round: The Temple Run

A contestant assembling the Silver Monkey in season 2

In the final round, often known as the Temple Run, the winning team took whatever Pendants of Life they earned into the temple (1, 1½, or 2), and attempted to retrieve the day's ancient artifact and bring it back to the temple gate successfully. The player designated to go into the temple first would receive one pendant, and the second player received the remainder of what the team had won in the Temple Games (no pendants, a half pendant, or one pendant). After the 3-minute time limit was placed on the clock (or in some episodes before the clock was set), Kirk would ask Olmec to lower his gate so the first player could enter.

A schematic diagram of the Hidden Temple.

The temple consisted of 12 or 13[1] rooms, depending on the layout, each connected to adjacent rooms by doorways. The doors were either locked or unlocked; the pattern of locked and unlocked doors changed from episode to episode. Often, doors were locked to require teams to make a more indirect and longer path to the room with the artifact. The unlocked doors could be opened either by completing a specific task or puzzle within each room, or by simply pressing a button (or actuator). One room in the labyrinth contained the themed artifact; three specific rooms other than the artifact room held Temple Guards (spotters in lavish Mayan sentinel costumes). If the winning team had 1½ pendants, the remaining half-pendant would be somewhere in a room as well. However, if the team had only one pendant going into the temple, no extra pendants were hidden.

When a player encountered a Temple Guard, the player was forced to give up a full pendant in order to go on; however, if the first contestant was caught without a pendant (whether he or she had given it to a previous temple guard, or dropped it elsewhere in the temple without picking it back up), he or she was taken out of the temple and second player entered, with all opened doors remaining such. Furthermore, each Temple Guard only showed himself once per run, leaving the second player with a clear route to where the first player was eliminated. If the second player did not have a full pendant upon capture, the run ended at that moment. This placed pressure on the second player to search for the hidden half pendant (if he or she had a half pendant) in order to prevent this. If the team had two pendants, they were guaranteed not to have their run end due to the guards, as the first player would remove two (one with a pendant, one with being eliminated) and the second player would remove the third guard with their pendant. Thus, the only way they could lose was by running out of time. However, temple guards were still present.

The team had three minutes to complete the temple in its entirety. If either player grabbed the artifact, all remaining Temple Guards "vanished" and all locked doors instantly opened, allowing the player to escape unhindered. Just for entering the temple, the team automatically won a prize. If they picked up the artifact, they also won another prize of slightly higher value. If they escaped with the artifact before time ran out, the team won a trip in addition to the two merchandise prizes.

In Seasons 2 and 3, the viewers at home had a heads-up display showing a map of the temple in the lower left-hand corner of the screen, with a pink line showing the current contestant's path through the temple, with a blinking pink dot showing the room where the artifact was located, as well as how many pendants the contestants had remaining.

Episodes

Main article: List of Legends of the Hidden Temple episodes

In its three years of production, Legends produced 120 episodes (40 in each of the three seasons). Many historical and mythological figures were featured as subjects of legends during the show's run.

Reception

Legends of the Hidden Temple has been reviewed many times, both in the 1990s when the show originally aired, as well as the 2000s, when the show experienced a resurgence in popularity.

1990s

Writing for Entertainment Weekly, A. J. Jacobs listed Legends among a series of imitators of American Gladiators, describing the concept as "Gladiators meets Young Indiana Jones Chronicles."[26] Jacobs criticized the "Steps of Knowledge" round as filler, but concluded that "kids'll praise it to the moon."[26]

Legends won the award for best game show at the Sixteenth Annual CableACE awards in January 1995. The show received nominations at the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Annual CableACE awards in December 1995 and October 1996, but lost to The News Hole and Debt.[5]

Feminist author Susan Douglas, a Hampshire College professor of media and American studies, praised Legends for being a "nonsexist and nonviolent" show.[27]

2000s

Due to its popularity among college students (who were in the show's target audience during its initial run), Legends has repeatedly been referenced and used as a theme.

A journalist at West Boca Raton High School wrote an article in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel about how high school students had fond memories for Nickelodeon shows including Legends.[28]

In a 2007 poll, the Springfield, Illinois State Journal-Register found that ten percent of respondents said that Legends was their "favorite 'old school' Nickelodeon show."[29]

Legends served as a theme for Cornell's 2008 Greek Week.[30] In April 2009, Walnut Creek, California made Legends the theme of its "Kids' Night Out" program.[31]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Schwartz, David (1999). "Legends of the Hidden Temple". The Encyclopedia of TV Game Shows (3rd ed.). Facts on File. p. 124. ISBN 0-8160-3847-3. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ a b c Brooks, Tim (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. Random House. ISBN 0345497732. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ a b Arneberg, Marianne (1993-10-04). "Programmers Dive into Kids Shows: Programs Involving Children Hottest New Trend in Television". Orlando Sentinel. p. 12. 'We wanted to do an action-adventure game show - sort of like a live video game for television,' said Scott Stone
  4. ^ ""Legends of the Hidden Temple" (1993) - Awards". The Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2008-05-13.
  5. ^ a b Schwartz, David (1999). "Appendix E: Game Show Award Winners and Nominees". The Encyclopedia of TV Game Shows (3rd ed.). Facts on File. p. 305. ISBN 0-8160-3847-3. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ Donion, Brian (1993-09-02). "More to Feed Appetite for TV: Newcomers on Cable Channels". USA Today. p. 03.D. Legends of the Hidden Temple, a game show that send kids searching for historic artifacts, premieres Sept. 11. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  7. ^ a b c Flint, Joe (1994-02-17). "Stone Stanley Inks for Firstrun with Nick, ESPN". Variety. Retrieved 2008-11-13.
  8. ^ "Kids Can Audition for Nick Show". Orlando Sentinel. 1994-02-25. p. A2. Auditions will be Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Nickelodeon Studios at Universal Studios Florida . . .The show will be in production at Universal March 27 through April 17.
  9. ^ Zad, Martie (1994-06-05). "TBS Series Tells of Women's Century of Effort and Gains". The Washington Post. p. y.04. At 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Nickelodeon launches the second season of the popular 'Legends of the Hidden Temple,' a weekday action-adventure game show that challenges mind and body. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  10. ^ Barth, Cindy (1996-02-23). "New GM to Keep Nick 'On Course'". Orlando Business Journal. p. 1. Game shows Global GUTS and Legends of the Hidden Temple are not sure bets, Fishman says, because the network is looking at three new game show pilots just out of production at the Orlando facility that may replace the older shows.
  11. ^ Greenbaum, Kurt (1996-04-21). "On Dads, Pigs, Cars, and Being Bored at 4". Sun Sentinel. p. 31. Apparently, Nickelodeon has canceled one of her favorite shows, Legends of the Hidden Temple. She wanted to know why. So we logged onto America Online, scooted into Nick's site and posed the question.
  12. ^ New York Times television listings for August 23, 1998 (as well as August 30, 1998)
  13. ^ Adalian, Josef (2009). "Stanley, Gurin Co. Bring Back 'Shop 'til You Drop'". TV Week. Retrieved 12 August 2010. [Mr. Stanley] recently acquired the rights to several Stone Stanley formats in addition to "Shop," among them "Loveline," "Legends of the Hidden Temple" and "Born Lucky." {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  14. ^ Vijayakar, R. M. (2000-10-20). "Bombay Film Beat". India - West. p. C4.
  15. ^ "Kids Can Audition for Nick Show." "The cable network is looking for about 150 kids age 11 to 14"
  16. ^ Flood, Pat (1994-08-25). "Teen's Team Wins Big on TV". Orlando Sentinel. p. 12B. During her April tryout, Tabitha, 13, had to take a written test, run, climb a rope and do pull-ups, she said.
  17. ^ Katz, Frances (1995-04-09). "Secrets of the `Temple': Behind the scenes at Nickelodeon's hit game show". Boston Herald. p. 12. 'Kids love this show,' says co-producer Brendan Huntington, citing the combination of athletic skill and brainpower and the Indiana Jones-type setting as being particularly popular with kids aged 11–14 . . . 'We want the kids to feel like they really are right inside an "Indiana Jones" movie duking it out to the end,' says co-producer David Greenfield. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  18. ^ Katz. "Much more threatening this season will be the timed chase through the Mayan ruins"
  19. ^ Scarberry, Pat (1993-09-19). "Classmates to Make Nickelodeon Debut". St. Petersburg Times. p. 11. [Legends] encourages kids to use both mental and physical capabilities as they trek through a Mayan ruin searching for legendary artifacts. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  20. ^ Katz. "'We still have the occasional kid fall into the moat because it looks like fun,' Huntington says. 'But the water's not that deep.'"
  21. ^ "Kids Can Audition for Nick Show." "kids scramble through a 13-room, 2½ -story Mayan temple"
  22. ^ Arneberg. "The 40 episodes of Legends 'are all story driven' — the stunts are themed around a specific legend, as are questions contestants must answer during a segment of the show, Stone said."
  23. ^ a b c Stone-Stanley Productions. "The Jewel-Encrusted Egg of Catherine the Great." Legends of the Hidden Temple. Starring Kirk Fogg and Dee Bradley Baker as Olmec. 1995
  24. ^ Fogg's explanation before the round in "John Sutter and the Map to the Lost Gold Mine"
  25. ^ This is according to Fogg's rundown of the rules before a tiebreaker occurred.
  26. ^ a b Jacobs, A. J. (1995-02-17). "'American Gladiators': Knockoffs Battle of the Flexes". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 19 August 2010.
  27. ^ West, Kay (1996-02-28). "Mirror, Mirror on the Wall". Nashville Banner. p. A.1. On cable television, Douglas believes Nickelodeon is doing the best job of producing programming that presents positive images to young girls, citing Rugrats, Secret World of Alex Mack, Clarissa Explains It All and Legends of the Hidden Temple as generally nonsexist and nonviolent.
  28. ^ Wahl, Madeline (2006-04-28). "Nickelodeon Etched on Minds". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. p. 5.
  29. ^ "What Do YOU Think?". State Journal-Register. 2007-01-23. p. 13.
  30. ^ Waters, Eve (2008-09-12). "Greek Week Unites Student Groups". The Cornell Daily Sun. Retrieved 2008-09-27.
  31. ^ "Datebook for March 25–31". Oakland Tribune. 2009-03-25.


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