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 MARGINAL MISCELLANI Quirks and added info about some of the obstacles: The Blue Plate Special - The most often used food items used were a slice of pizza and a PB&J sandwich. Some items, such as waffles and mashed potatoes, were retitled as other obstacles, such as Squelch 'M Waffles and Spud Splat. Drawbridge - By far the easiest obstacle, although ironically it was the hardest to name for the producers. Originally called "Bridging the Gap," this title was thrown out merely because the producers disliked it. While searching for names, they titled it jokingly as "We Couldn't Think of a Title." Thankfully "Drawbridge" was eventually used permanently. Later in the series actors would pop up in front of the drawbridge, usually asking for a toll. One of the most memorable of these instances was when a Chico Marx lookalike appeared; he and Marc did the great "swordfish" routine. ("What do you take for a haddock?") The 1-Ton Human Hamster Wheel - Usually always either the first or the last obstacle. The wheel was taken out for a time and used in the Drumroll obstacle. Gak Geiser - Namesake obstacle for the permanent geiser outside of the Nickelodeon Studios. Shark usually always followed this obstacle in FDD. Gumball Machine - Always used as the first obstacle, and the contestants were allowed a head start by climbing the stairs before the time started. Later Marc would announce that this would be his favorite obstacle, having gone through it during a DD special. In One Ear - This obstacle was supposed to look like Marc, but the resemblance was far from perfect. On many occasions he would say that "it doesn't look like me..." Inside Out - A very aggravating and time-consuming obstacle. At first, there was only one flag hidden within all the balloons. A few times the balloons were clear enough to where you could see which one held the flag. To solve this problem, they decided to place different colored flags in all the balloons, and of course only the orange one counted. It's in the Mail - This mailbox with a slide was probably retired due to its dangerousness. A few times early in the show's run this obstacle was used as a home viewer contest. A pile of mail was placed at the bottom of the slide, and the contestant was asked to select one of the envelopes. The winner received a $100 Toys R Us certificate. Sewer Chute - The only obstacle to be changed while keeping the same name. Originally the obstacle was done in reverse. The most familiar version had a slide on the left side of it. The original version had a ladder and a higher tube where the slide replaced it. The first version was probably changed due to its potential risk for injury. The Lift - A very early obstacle and quickly retired due to the fact the obstacle had to be performed by both contestants. It involved a seesaw; one player sat down on the high end, which would lower him/her into a pile of whipped cream, while the other partner would be raised up into the air and grab the flag. Fireman's Flag-Pull - Another early and not so well known obstacle. It used the "Sundae Slide" ramp and platform (only it faced left, rather than right). The contestant would scoot up the ramp, climb onto the platform, and pull in a clothesline, which contained different colored flags. The contestant had to find the orange flag; after doing so, s/he slid down a pole and passed it to his/her partner. (Above 2 descriptions by Charles Donegan.) THE OBSTACLE COURSE "The messiest minute on television!"
Below is an alphabetical listing of all the obstacles ever used on Double Dare. KEY: DIFF.=difficulty (numbers signify the average amount of time the obstacle takes); SIZE=large/medium/small; FLAG=whether or not the flag was crucial to the obstacle (ie, was it hidden in food, or just on a flagpole); ERA=Double Dare ('86-'88); Super Sloppy ('89-'90); Family ('91-'93)
* Harvey's Bathtub is not the exact title ~ Ant Farm: Also known early on as Kid Farm ~ Birdcage: Alternatively called Bye Bye, Birdie and The Cage ~ Clam Dip: Renamed A Very Large Clam briefly ~ Dallas: Renamed Pipeline after Dallas reference was outdated; revised even later as Sushi ~ Down The Hatch: Renamed much later as Mush Mouth ~ Drawbridge: Originally called Bridging the Gap; for more info see Marginal Miscellani ~ Granny's Attic: Originally and briefly titled Customs Inspector ~ Horn Blower: Originally Thar She Blows! ~ Icy Trike: Called Desert Trike when the obstacle was filled with sand ~ Marshmallow Mountain: Despite its misspelling, the obstacle was titled "Marshmellow Mountain" ~ Mt. St. Double Dare: Revised as Volcano ~ Nightmare: Revised to It's in the Bag and Go Nuts ~ The 1-Ton Human Hamster Wheel: Renamed simply Hamster Wheel ~ Pick It: Renamed Da Nose ~ Slime Canal: Sometimes titled Breakfast Canal because of its contents ~ Spud Splat: Originally titled "Tater Terror" ~ The Tank: Sometimes renamed for its contents; such as Tea Time, Root Beer Float, etc. ~ Time's Running Out: Renamed Hourglass, after this obstacle was no longer used primarily as the 7th one ~ Typewriter: Briefly titled Hunt 'N Peck ~ Toejam: Originally called Foot Locker ~ Waveslide: Originally called The Big Kahuna If you know of an obstacle I inadvertently omitted, please e-mail me.
Special thanks to Chuck Donegan for info on some of the early obstacles and alternate titles to popular obstacles. |
