Wild and Crazy Kids

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Wild and Crazy Kids was a game show on Nickelodeon, that aired from 1990-1992, in which large teams, usually consisting entirely of children, participated in head-to-head physical challenges. It was hosted by Omar Gooding, Donnie Jeffcoat, and Annette Chavez. Chavez was replaced after a year by Jessica Gaynes. The show also aired on YTV (Canadian TV channel) in Canada. In 2002, a remake hosted by Mati Moralejo was aired for seven episodes.

[edit] Games

Three games were played per show, with one host emceeing each game. The teams were identified by the color of the shirts they wore, which varied from show to show. The games varied in style; many were takeoffs on playground games, sports with unusual rules added, or messy games involving pies or slime (the latter was referred to as "blap" on very late episodes). Occasionally, the show taped special episodes at a water park (Raging Waters and Wild Rivers, both in California, were featured during the show's run.) Examples of games used on the show:

• Contestants had to find the name of a food on a giant word search board. The contestant who found the word first got to dump a bucket of whatever the word was over the other contestant's head. Food items used included SpaghettiO's, chocolate sauce, eggs, and whipped cream.
• A large scale pie fight was intended to pit children against their camp counselors; however, the fight quickly got out of control and turned into a massive free-for-all, with participants throwing pies at anyone and everyone else, no matter which team they were on.
• Kids did a long jump and landed in a pit of mud or shaving cream.
• Children and their parents jumped up and down on an air mattress to break shaving cream filled balloons. Whichever team broke the most balloons won.
• Teams riding a roller coaster while holding cups of water; the team with the most collective water remaining won.
• A game of polo using bumper cars and a very large (about 1 m in diameter) rubber ball.
• The playground game "red light/green light" - each player held a cream pie, with which they had to hit themselves in the face if they lost. If the player reaches the other side without getting caught, he gets to hit the grownup waiting there with the pie.
• Slip 'n' Slide races
• A modified version of "Steal the Bacon" involving three teams where the object to be retrieved was a bucket of a mystery substance; contestants who lost a round got its contents dumped onto their heads. To win a round, a player must either steal the bucket without getting tagged by both opponents or tag a thieving player.
• The game most notably repeated was Dizzy Bat Home Run Derby. Two teams, one of children and one of adults, had three innings to hit home runs. When the kids batted, a pitcher pitched to the batter, and the batter would attempt to send the ball out of the park. Hit balls that did not leave the field in fair territory counted as an out. After three outs, the adults had a chance to bad. During their at-bat, a grownup would have up to three chances to hit homeruns off a batting tee; however, he was first required to spin around his upright bat with his head down seven times before attempting to hit. Three adults were allowed a chance per at-bat inning. At the end of the original and second versions, the kids, who lost both times, would demand a rematch. Donnie, who hosted these games, would then declare a sequel or a part three.
• A game was played where kids would drive remote controlled cars around in an arena where a construction worker was driving a steamroller. The object, of course, was to not get one's car run over by the steamroller. The team with the last remaining car won. A variation on this game consisted of a blindfolded player attempting to steer a remote controlled car through a gauntlet consisting of opposing team members (also blindfolded) armed with mallets. The further the contestant progressed in the gauntlet, the higher his score; the team with the highest collective score won the event.

[edit] Production

The show was produced by Double Dare's Marc Summers and Woody Fraser, and aired 65 episodes between 1990 and 1992. It was produced by Woody Fraser Enterprises and Reeves Entertainment Group in association with Nickelodeon. Summers himself appeared on several episodes.

[edit] Trivia

• Omar Gooding is the brother of Cuba Gooding, Jr..
• Omar Gooding starred in the ESPN Drama Playmakers and in the family sitcom, Smart Guy.
• In an episode of the show Teen Win, Lose, or Draw which aired on the Disney Channel, The original three hosts played against a team of three non-celebrities. One of the contestants happened to be Jessica Gaynes.

Game Shows on the Nickelodeon Network
Channels on the Nickelodeon Network: TV Land | Nick Too | Nick GAS | Nicktoons Network | Noggin / The N
Premired between 1986-1989: Double Dare | Super Sloppy Double Dare | Family Double Dare | Finders Keepers | Make the Grade | Think Fast! | You're On!
Premired between 1990-1996: Get the Picture | Nickelodeon GUTS | Global GUTS | Legends of the Hidden Temple | Nick Arcade | What Would You Do? | Wild and Crazy Kids | NickAmerica
Premired between 1997-2006: Figure It Out | Figure It Out: Family Style | Figure It Out: Wild Style | You're On! | Double Dare 2000 | Nickelodeon Robot Wars | Scaredy Camp