Talk:FETCH! with Ruff Ruffman/Temp

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FETCH! with Ruff Ruffman is a television series on PBS Kids GO! that premiered on May 29, 2006. Produced by WGBH Boston, it is made by many of the same producers as ZOOM, which ended its 7-season run in 2005. FETCH! is built on the same concept as ZOOM, namely real kids doing educational activities. FETCH! is a parody of the typical reality TV show, with a host dispensing challenges. Ruff Ruffman and The FETCH! Kids appeared at the 80th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 23rd, 2006. The winner of FETCH! season 1 was Anna. The season 2 winner was Mike. The season 3 winner will be determined Winter 2008.

Contents

[edit] Synopsis & Characters

[edit] Synopsis

The host of the show is an animated dog named Ruff Ruffman (voice played by Jim Conroy; animation by Global Mechanic Animation in Vancouver). The show is a blend of live-action and animation- the host is animated, but most of the show is live-action. [1]

The cast consists of six preteen contestants (commonly called on the show as FETCHers). In each episode, Ruff sets one or more of the contestants out on a surprise mission regarding a specific educational theme. FETCH! teaches viewers about different lifestyles/careers through demonstration based on the day's theme; for instance, in an episode about meteorology, a contestant has a news anchor show her weather patterns on a weather Doppler radar. Points are awarded to contestants at the end of each episode, and a winner is crowned. At the end of the season, the contestant with the most points from all the episodes wins a so-called Unbelievably Fabulous Grand Prize after a series of competitions. Normally, one or more of the kids (said to be randomly selected by the Fetch 3000) stay behind at the studio and answer trivia questions about the missions to win points instead. By the end of the season, each contestant has had an equal number of challenges.

[edit] Characters

[edit] Ruff Ruffman

Ruff Ruffman is an animated, eccentric, and funny dog that is the host of the show who conducts the challenges from the Fetch 3000, a computer that is also animated. He is animated so he does not exist in reality, but in the animated segments of the show, his personality is revealed. He is very scared of cats. He has a crush on a poodle named Charlene who lives next door to him, but has complained about his halitosis. Since Ruff supposedly won a contract to produce a reality TV program, he is constantly fussing about the stresses of running one. He is notable for loving all food, particularly American-Chinese take-out.

[edit] Princess Blossom Pepper Doodle von Yum Yum

Usually called Blossom is Ruff's cat intern for season 2. She's usually seen typing on her laptop and taking notes. She has never spoken on the show any time during the second season. In CSI Ruff, Ruff believed her to have stolen the Grand Prize, and leaving evidence implicating him. However, it is revealed in the The Grand Prizeless Grand Finale that it was Scruff Ruffman who stole it and Blossom was the hero for getting it back.

[edit] Grandma Ruffman

Grandma Ruffman, also voiced by Jim Conroy, is Ruff Ruffman's exceptionally stubborn grandmother who appeared in three episodes, Grandma Ruffman's Recipe for Success, The Small Fork Is For Dessert (Unless your a dolphin), and Tape Loops and Loop-the-loop. Like Ruff, she is also pretentious, and animated in Macromedia Flash. As a writer, she attempts to market her products on her grandson's show, and as a grandmother, she constantly nags and fusses about insignificant things, such as Ruff's manners and other FETCHers staying behind in the studio.

[edit] Others

Henry is Ruff's boss. He is only mentioned when Ruff receives phone calls. Henry provides Ruff with the show's budget, and oversees Ruff's spendings. He also sent a cat intern, Princess Blossom Pepper Doodle von Yum Yum to learn about producing for Season 2.

Murray is one of Ruff's cousins. He supposedly runs the behind-the-scenes technical work, and is constantly blamed for minor problems regarding the show. Unlike his animated family, He is a real Basset Hound who sometimes appears on the kids' challenges. Like Ruff, he seems to enjoy being fussed over by the FETCHers.

Scruff Ruffman is Ruff's evil identical twin brother. He stole artwork in the episode Scruff Ruffman At Large!, which led to one of the episode's challenge. He also stole the season 2 grand prize, which was soon recovered by Blossom.

[edit] Points

The contestants out on challenges each have the potential to win up to 100 points, and the contestants that are left behind in the studio have a chance to win a maximum of 50 points in the Half-Time Quiz Show in which they are required to answer 10 questions, 5 points each right answer. The questions are about events that occurred during the challenges. There is also a Fetch Fairness Guarantee; every contestant will have had an equal number of challenges (usually 13) and quiz shows (usually 6) before the final episode.

[edit] Contestants & Episodes

[edit] Season 1

[edit] Contestants

  • Khalil
  • Anna
  • Brian McGoff
  • Julia
  • Noah Ellis
  • Taylor Garron

[edit] Episodes

There are 20 episodes in season 1.

  1. "3-2-1 Blast Off!" (05/29/06) - While Ruff Ruffman scrambles to get ready for the first episode, Anna, Julia, and Khalil go on a hunt for all nine planets in a scale model of the Solar System scattered throughout the "lovely city of Boston". Taylor, Noah, and Brian stay in Studio G (Ruff's garage).
  2. "Good Dancing and Bad Teeth" (05/29/06) - Ruff Ruffman sends Julia and Khalil to learn how to dance the waltz, while Anna and Brian investigate whether dog mouths are cleaner than human mouths. Noah and Taylor stay behind.
  3. "How To Get Out Your Inner Hip Hop" (05/29/06) - Anna learn hip hop dance, and Noah, Khalil, and Julia cook for zoo animals. Taylor and Brian stay behind.
  4. "Cats? I Thought You Said Kites!" (05/29/06) - Noah and Brian built a kite to deliver a dog biscuit, and Taylor and Anna attempt to teach cats to fetch. Julia and Khalil stay behind.
  5. "Ye Olde Colonial Episode" (06/05/06) - Ruff forces the kids to give up their electronics for a day in 1627 on Plimoth Plantation.
  6. "Saturday Night With A Slight Fever" (06/06/06) - Taylor, Brian, and Noah are required to make a music video with some easily-recognizable stars - their grandparents while staying under a budget. Anna, Julia, and Khalil stay behind at Studio G.
  7. "To Bee or Not to Bee" (06/07/06) - Ruff gets stuck in a bee costume when filming an advertisement for FETCH!. Brian and Khalil learn to be beekeepers, while Julia and Anna learn to windsurf. Taylor and Noah stay in Studio G.
  8. "B.L.T. For Breakfast?" (06/08/06) - Ruff must sell his new beverage. Brian braves a day as a short-order cook in a local diner, while Taylor, Khalil, and Noah design a new ice-cream flavor. Anna and Julia stay at the Studio.
  9. "The Mystery of the Missing Thing in the Haunted Castle" (06/12/06) - Ruff forces the kids to retrieve a lost invention in the castle of inventor John Hays Hammond, Jr.
  10. "This Old... Lemonade Stand" (06/13/06) - Ruff accidentally reduces the show's budget to 13¢. Norm Abram, one of the hosts of This Old House, another program on PBS, teaches Anna and Noah to build a lemonade stand. Anna and Noah must also test thermal insulation to sell lemonade as a fundraiser. Meanwhile, the rest stay in Studio G and help bail Ruff out with his financial problems.
  11. "It's Raining Cats and Dogs" (06/14/06) - Ruff is confused when a weather forecast predicts clear skies, but there is thunder. Taylor learns to forecast the weather, conduct interviews, and give a live weather report in front of a greenscreen. The boys paint a mural in Jamaica Plain for the mayor of Boston. Julia and Anna stay at Studio G once more.
  12. "That Doesn't Float My Boat" (06/15/06) - Ruff Ruffman floods the doghouse when trying to relax. Julia, Anna, and Khalil build a boat out of recycled trash, test it out and race in it. Taylor, Noah, and Brian stay behind.
  13. "Send in the Clowns" (06/19/06) - It is revealed that Ruff wanted to be a clown, but was cheated out by Spot Spotnik (see character list). Julia, Taylor, Noah, and Anna build water balloon launchers for revenge. Brian learns to be a clown. Khalil is alone in the garage.
  14. "Grandma Ruffman's Recipe for Success" (06/20/06) - Under Grandma Ruffman's marketing advice, Khalil learns to be a stand-up comedian, and Taylor, Noah, and Brian cook Grandma Ruffman's recipes on a farm to learn about energy transfers in a New England food chain. Julia and Anna stay at Studio G.
  15. "Tryin' Chef" (06/21/06) - Ruff is tired of his food. Taylor, Brian, Julia, and Khalil compete against each other as chefs - Iron Chef style to cook up new recipes for Ruff. Noah and Anna are left behind again, but help bail Ruff out.
  16. "Don't Put the Kart Before the Sea Lion" (06/22/06) - Ruff is training for an interactive driving test monitored by the DMV, but crashes into a sea lion tank. Taylor trains sea lions; Julia helps in a pit crew for a junior go-karter. Anna, Khalil, Noah, and Brian stay behind.
  17. "Relaxin' with Ruff" (06/26/06) - Ruff decides to calm down from the stresses of running a show. The kids learn to relax with yoga and to calculate heart rate (pulses in 15 sec * 4). Next, they mathematically measure their "fear factor" at Canobie Lake Park, an amusement park in New Hampshire.
  18. "Scat Cat, Scat" (06/27/06) - A cat steals Ruff's kneeboard. Noah learns to kneeboard. The girls track down wild animals using various clues, especially scat. Khalil and Brian stay in the studio.
  19. "Ruff Ruffman Spaces Out" (06/28/06) - The FETCHers go to space camp when the FETCH satellite breaks down.
  20. "The Dogcathalon Finale" (06/29/06) - Three rounds of competition will pit the FETCHers against each other. Anna was crowned FETCH! seasonal champion.

[edit] Points

Data as of the final opportunity for all contestants to earn points.

  • 1. Anna - 1421, 13 challenges, 6 quiz shows
  • 2. Noah - 1420, 13 challenges, 6 quiz shows
  • 3. Khalil - 1415, 13 challenges, 6 quiz shows
  • 4. Julia - 1406, 13 challenges, 6 quiz shows
  • 5. Brian - 1405, 13 challenges, 6 quiz shows
  • 6. Taylor - 1400, 13 challenges, 6 quiz shows

FETCH! Season 1 Final Episode

  • 1st PLACE, the winner of FETCH!: Anna
  • 2nd Place: Khalil
  • 3rd Place: Noah
  • 4th Place: Brian
  • 5th Place: Julia
  • 6th Place: Taylor

[edit] Season 2

The new season of Fetch! started on May 28, 2007.

[edit] Contestants

  • Bridget Madison
  • Michael(Mike) O'Donnell
  • Madi Bader
  • Rosario Michaels
  • Nina Wadekar
  • Willie Johnson

[edit] Episodes

There are 20 episodes in season 2.

  1. " Ruff Ruffman Breaks the Mold" (05/29/07)
  2. "Ruff's Case of Blues in the Brain" (5/30/07)
  3. "You Lucky Dog" (5/31/07)
  4. "Ruff's Big Break" (6/4/07)
  5. "The Mystery of DogTopia and Catlantis" (6/5/07)
  6. "Reducing The Calories and Cats In Your Life" (5/28/07)
  7. "I'm OK, You're Okra" (6/6/07)
  8. "The Small Fork Is For Dessert (Unless You're A Dolphin)" (6/7/07)
  9. "Roughing It With Ruff" (6/11/07)
  10. " Ruff's Bowling Is Going Downhill" (6/12/07)
  11. "Mush If By Land, Mush Mush If By Sea " (6/13/07)
  12. "Still More Mush If By Land, Mush Mush If By Sea " (6/14/07)
  13. "Yippie Tie Yie Yay, Get Along Little Doggies" (6/18/07)
  14. "Tape Loops and Loop-the-Loops" (6/19/07)
  15. "A Lobster Bake? Oh Buoy!" (6/20/07)
  16. "How to Get Dogs and Doggerel in Better Shape" (6/21/07)
  17. "Scruff Ruffman At Large!" (6/25/07)
  18. "Take Me Out to the Fashion Show" (6/26/07)
  19. "CSI Ruff" (6/27/07)
  20. "The Grand Prizeless Grand Finale" (6/28/07)

[edit] Points

Data as of the final opportunity for all contestants to earn points.

  • 1. Mike - 1325, 13 challenges, 5 quiz shows
  • 2. Rosario - 1320, 13 challenges, 5 quiz shows
  • 3. Bridget - 1315, 13 challenges, 5 quiz shows
  • 4. Willie - 1305, 13 challenges, 5 quiz shows
  • 5. Nina - 1290, 13 challenges, 5 quiz shows
  • 6. Madi - 1285, 13 challenges, 5 quiz shows

FETCH! Season 2 Final Episode

  • 1st Place, the winner of FETCH!: Mike
  • 2nd Place: Willie
  • 3rd Place: Rosario
  • 4th Place: Bridget
  • 5th Place: Madi
  • 6th Place: Nina

[edit] Season 3

FETCH! season 3 will air Winter 2008, and consists of 21 episodes.

[edit] Auditions

To try out for FETCH!, kids are required to be between the ages of 10 and 14 and be able to live in the greater Boston area over the summer, during school vacations, and several weekends throughout the school year. Moreover, FETCHers must be able to be filmed without missing school. More information regarding auditions during winter 2007-2008 in Boston will be posted on the FETCH! website.

[edit] DVD releases

WGBH Boston Video and Paramount Home Entertainment have announced a planned release of the FETCH! with Ruff Ruffman: Season 1 DVD for October 25, 2007.

[edit] Trivia

 Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.
  • Taylor is the only contestant that was also in ZOOM.
  • FETCH! uses various songs from the libraries of Associated Production Music, the company that makes tunes from ZOOM and Postcards from Buster.
  • Studio G (Ruff's garage) is located in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston.
  • Fetch! was originally called Hot Seat in 2004, as a parody of the the 1980s talkshow of the same name. "Hot Spot" became the new name during the auditions that took place in April, 2005 by Nancy Doyle Casting.
  • In one episode, Ruff installs a "high-tech security system" which traps the would-be burglar in a cage (unfortunately, Ruff gets himself trapped instead). However, it is revealed that the correct answer is swordfish. This is an allusion to the Marx Brothers film, Horse Feathers, in which a famous gag is recited between Chico and Groucho about swordfish being the password to a Speakeasy.
  • The Grand Prize for season 1 was a camera (for most points won that episode) and, as decided by a contestant, a chance to go white water rafting. However, every cast member also got to go white water rafting.
  • Season 2 has the first 2-part episode in the series and the Half Time Quiz Show was won (all 50 points) in You Lucky Dog and The Small Fork Is For Dessert. In Season 1 it was won once in This Old... Lemonade Stand.
  • Though the first episode was scheduled to be the first aired episode (the premiere), for unknown reasons, episode 6 ("Reducing the Calories and Cats in Your Life") was shown first, pushing the airing dates for the first five episodes one day back.
  • Madi and Nina from Season 2 are the only FETCHers who are left handed.
  • The name of Ruff's old obedience school, Dogwarts School of Obedience, is a clear reference to the Hogwarts School of Wizardry from the Harry Potter series.
  • At the end of the season 2 finale, Ruff hinted that there will be a third season. Also, it was hinted that Ruff's intern, Blossom von Yum Yum would not be back next season but this fact is not confirmed.

[edit] Funding

[edit] References

  • Toy Wishes: The Ultimate Guide to Family Entertainment, Spring 2007, p. 51

[edit] External links

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