Nerdy Monday 4: My Ode to a Forgotten Legend

Many people think I harp on the past too much when it comes to pop culture.  I’ve caught myself saying, on many occasions, “When I was your age, we did [insert 80’s activity here]!” or “Back in the 90’s, T.V. was actually good. We watched [insert 90’s show here]!”  Some of it may have been exaggerated in my mind a little bit, but my intentions are good.  I do believe that my generation had a lot more going for it than past generations, and I’d be willing to put money down, saying that it has more going for it than the generations since then.

The [Optimus] prime example that comes to mind are the toys and enjoyable television.  For this article, I’m going to focus on one t.v. show from my youth, but I wanted to touch on the toys we had first.  When I was growing up, I had Transformers.  Taking a toy designed after a Rubik’s cube and changing it from one toy to another, like a giant robot into a semi-tractor trailer, stimulates the part of the brain to teach itself to solve problems, don’t you agree?  What do kids have today?  Pokemon?  I don’t see the problem solving stimulation there.  That’s something to keep in mind when you’re talking to an 80’s kid like myself.

Anyways, on to what I want to talk about today.  Legends of the Hidden Temple.

With your host, Kirk Fogg.. and the popular one, Olmec

You can’t think of 1990’s Nickelodeon without thinking about Legends of the Hidden Temple.  Yeah, there were other Nick competition shows that I enjoyed.  There was Double Dare (the regular version, super sloppy, family, and 2000), Figure It Out!, Finders Keepers, Get the Picture, Make the Grade, G.U.T.S. of all varieties, Nickelodeon Arcade, Think Fast!, What Would You Do?, Nickelodeon SPLAT!, and You’re On!.  Needless to say, there were a lot of competition among the game shows offered by Nickelodeon back then.  My favorite though, was Legends of the Hidden Temple.  It appealed to me because I had been conditioned (by my toys, other t.v. shows, etc.) to solve problems.  That’s all this game show was about!  It was basically a competition to see who could solve the problems the fastest.  I remember thinking: “Okay, I have to get across this 30 foot pool of water without touching the water, there’s a rope here, what do I do?”  It combined physical ability with competitive spirit, and problem solving skills.

Not to mention the set was made out of sand-dusted awesomeness.

Here is a verbatim synopsis of the show from Wikipedia, which is entirely accurate, and verified by yours truly: “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. 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.”

That’s it in a nutshell.  The Hidden Temple, or the final obstacle was always the most fun to watch.  The contestants had to go through the maze like temple, and use the keys they won in each event leading up to this finale.  The more keys they earned, the easier it was for them to get through the Hidden Temple.

I dreamed more than once about getting into the Hidden Temple.  There used to be mummies and other guys that would jump out at random and take their keys, or make them lose their turn.  I remember thinking to myself: “Man, I’m so much faster than those kids, I’d run under those guys’ legs, or kick them in the shin, or something!”  I’d so totally win.  It would be so totally awesome.

"I punched 3 guys in the throat to get here."

Everything about this show was fantastic.  Everything was enjoyable.  Yet, the show barely lasted 3 seasons.  Why, you ask?  Let’s take a look at a list of prizes they ended up giving away for people who won 3-4 competitions, and mastered the final hidden temple maze to get all of the glory:

• Book WITH Bookmark
• Shampoo and Conditioner
• A PushPop & box of Nerds
• A disposable camera
• Some weird key chain thing
• A Fashion Bug Gift Certificate
• Video Game Controllers (but no game system)
• A tennis racket (no balls or net included)
• Hush Puppies brand shoes

Yeah, that would make ANYONE want to go on a competitive show.  Or a 7-11.  It’s okay though, they also offered trips and a chance to go to Space Camp.  I guess in the end, that’s pretty cool.  I would have loved to go to space camp when I was that age.  There I go again, living in the 80’s.  I’m going to end this here before I get to nostalgic and weepy, and start having flashbacks of watching Operation Desert Storm on T.V..  Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it.  If I made any typos or mistakes or anything, be sure to do the respectful thing and mock me in the comments section.  Happy Nerdery.