“On your mark, get set ... go!”
When Marc Summers uttered those famous words, you knew something fun was about to happen.
No game show captured the fascination of American youngsters quite like Double Dare. It wasn’t just the fact that it was made with kids in mind, complete with a technicolor set and youthful contestants. Instead, it was all about the MESS — the one thing your parents were constantly on your case about.
On Double Dare, messiness was celebrated, and kids were encouraged to get as sticky and slimy as they wanted. Where else could you go down a sundae slide into a pool of ice cream and chocolate syrup or root around in a giant nose filled with green goop?
But did you know ...
1. The OG Nickelodeon game show
Back in the ‘90s, Nickelodeon’s lineup was packed with game shows: Legends of the Hidden Temple, Figure It Out, Nick Arcade, Wild & Crazy Kids, GUTS ... you get the picture. But it’s unlikely that any of those would have existed if it weren’t for Double Dare, the network’s first game show.
After its premiere on October 6, 1986, Double Dare quickly became a massive hit. At one point, it was the most-watched original daily program on cable TV. In the following years, Nick launched a number of other game shows for kids based on the its success. To this day, Double Dare remains Nick’s longest-running game show with a total of 482 episodes in the original series.
2. Live from ... Philadelphia?
A phone call from Lorne Michaels changed the course of Double Dare history. The show was set to start filming in Philly, and producers were ready to offer comedian Dana Carvey the hosting job. Michaels beat them to it, however, by adding Carvey to the cast of Saturday Night Live. Carvey subsequently dropped out of the running, and that’s when Marc Summers got the call that he was hired as the host of Double Dare.
3. Same thing, but sloppier
Double Dare was such a hit that Nickelodeon developed multiple spin-offs over the years. First came Super Sloppy Double Dare with — you guessed it — even messier physical challenges and obstacle courses. Next up was Family Double Dare, which brought parents into the mix. A rebooted version called Double Dare 2000 debuted at the turn of the millennium, and another revival aired from 2018 to 2019.
4. Double Dare goes Hollywood ... with a Kardashian twist.
In 1987, the creators of Double Dare tried to cash in on its hot streak with a celebrity version of the game. The host was none other than Caitlyn Jenner, then known as Bruce Jenner and still primarily celebrated for Olympic wins and appearing on Wheaties cereal boxes. The pilot’s featured celebs, ‘80s teen heartthrob Scott Baio and soap opera star Heidi Bohay, were each paired with a contestant to compete in the usual trivia and physical challenges.
Celebrity Double Dare was never picked up, but an unaired pilot for a non-celebrity version of adult Double Dare hosted by Jenner can still be seen online. Jenner went on to marry Kris Kardashian a few years later, which ultimately led to a massive resurgence of fame on Keeping Up with the Kardashians.
5. It’s slime time!
The iconic green slime was first introduced in Nickelodeon’s sketch comedy show You Can’t Do That on Television. But it wasn’t until Double Dare that the slime became a central part of the network’s identity. The show’s popularity made slime synonymous with Nick, and by the late ‘80s, they were regularly using it in promotions for the network.
In case you were curious, the most common recipe for slime is Cream of Wheat, green food coloring, and baby shampoo.
6. Double Dare around the world
It didn’t take long for international adaptations of Double Dare to start popping up in countries across the globe. Canada, Germany, India, Australia, Brazil, the United Kingdom, and The Netherlands each had their own version of the popular game show for kids.
While some countries applied pretty straightforward titles, like the French-Canadian Double Défi (Double Challenge) or Brazil’s Passa ou Repassa (Pass or Repass), others took a more creative route. Germany had Drops! while India’s version was titled Nick Dum Duma Dum.
7. The making of a human Mouse Trap
When the creators of Double Dare were trying to come up with a format for the show, they turned to a surprising source of inspiration: the Mouse Trap board game. According to Geoffrey Darby, co-creator and executive producer, the team behind the show thought, “Wouldn’t it be fun if you made a big Rube Goldberg machine, but instead of a ball, it was a person?” The result was a game show that’s part trivia, part truth or dare, and part Mouse Trap.
8. Behind the music video
The pop punk band Good Charlotte went full throttle with the Nickelodeon nostalgia in their music video for “Last Night.” The video is formatted like an episode of Family Double Dare, with host Marc Summers actually lip synching some of the lyrics. The show’s set was reconstructed for the video, which has members of the band participating in sloppy physical challenges. Talk about a dream scenario for your inner kid.
9. The Life and Slimes of Marc Summers
As the face of Double Dare, Marc Summers is burned into Millennials’ brains as the ever-cheerful and energetic TV host. But his real life included plenty of ups and downs, which he adapted for the stage with writer Alex Brightman and composer Drew Gasparini.
His one-man show, The Life and Slimes of Marc Summers, takes place on a replica of the original Double Dare set, and select audience members compete in physical challenges. The show covers his struggle with OCD (which wasn’t exactly easy as the host of the messiest show on TV) as well as other real-life triumphs and setbacks. It’s been staged several times since its 2016 premiere, most recently off-Broadway at New World Stages in Manhattan. On Your Marc, a documentary about Summers’ life, prominently features the development of the stage show.
10. I (double) dare you to chug that beer.
Since Double Dare was filmed in Philadelphia, the city has a special affinity for Marc Summers. For several years during Philly Beer Week, Summers served as the host of “Dunkel Dare,” a special event based on the original show. Named for dunkel beers, which are traditionally dark German lagers, “Dunkel Dare” features beer-themed trivia along with messy physical challenges much like those featured on the original show. I’ll drink to that!
Any Nick kid knows that getting slimed is the ultimate badge of honor. Forward this to a friend you’d like to slime — I double dare you.
Editorial: Ashley
Illustration: Nick