NickelodeonSome people were Double Dare kids, others couldn't get enough of Guts, Figure It Out, or What Would You Do?
But the real legend in the game when it comes to old school Nickelodeon game shows was Legends of the Hidden Temple.
The throwback series had it all: action, adventure, a never-ending wardrobe of khaki shorts.
The show, which ran for three seasons in the mid-1990s, is reportedly coming back to life—but with a twist!
Legends of the Hidden Temple is being revived as live-action TV movie—so there will still be obstacles to face, but now it's all scripted.
Television is pretty obsessed with rebooting things these days (we're looking at you, Fuller House), but we have to admit we have some warm, fuzzy nostalgic love for Legends of the Hidden Temple.
From the fast-paced challenges to the sweet prizes (which now seem super-outdated), it was exciting to see which kids would make it through.
Plus, we all deep down wanted to believe we could best the temple guards, after watching enough kids fail on episodes.
The show opened with our buddy Olmec, who knew "the secrets behind each of the treasures in his temple."
Next, we met our intrepid host, the super-dreamy Kirk Fogg.
His name sounded like he could be a jazz crooner, and his khaki or jean shorts were always perfectly pressed.
Plus, he was very patient with the kids who could never figure out that damn temple run. That takes a lot.
In the first round, the kid contestants (six teams with two kids on each) had to cross a moat to kick off the show.
Because watching determined children flail around is hilarious, and these kids took it seriously. (Who wouldn't?!)
The teams were the Red Jaguars, Blue Barracudas, Green Monkeys, Orange Iguanas, Purple Parrots, and Silver Snakes.
Children have strong opinions about maybe two things: their favorite colors and their favorite animals. Makes sense.
Next, the four teams who remained would get tested on the Steps of Knowledge.
They would answer questions based on the episode's artifact, whether it be "The Leopard-Skin Cloak of Annie Oakley" or "The Levitating Dog Leash of Nostradamus."
This round testing listening skills and would weed out any kids who weren't strong at standardized tests.
The remaining two teams moved onto the Temple Games.
Nickelodeon game shows were all about making kids do weird physical challenges. In this case, it was to earn Pendants of Life.
It was like American Gladiators for 9-year-olds.
Next up, the final team takes on the Temple Run in three minutes, where you'd head through places like the Throne Room, the King's Storeroom, and the Shrine of the Silver Monkey.
Even though Olmec would give you an idea for your best route, like an old school GPS, kids always managed to get turned around in there.
Or run into a Temple Guard, which you could only avoid if you had a pendant to give them.
The hardest part of making it through the temple, to find the episode's artifact?
Assembling a three-piece monkey statue in the Shrine of the Silver Monkey.
Unless you've been there, it's hard to understand the amount of pressure on a child's shoulders when they only have seconds to finish this task.
But again, it was three-pieces, and watching children fail at this was possibly the most frustrating part of the show.
And if you managed to figure out the monkey, retrieve the artifact in the temple, and escape successfully, you would win the grand prize!
Which, as we all know, was Kirk's approval. Look how happy he is for those kids!
Since the show's ended two decades ago, we're pretty sure everyone's figured out the monkey by now... right?
Here's hoping it makes it into the TV movie.
Speaking of Nickelodeon nostalgia, watch Melissa Joan Hart (in the video below) look back at Clarissa Explains It All...