Think Fast!
Encyclopedia
Think Fast is an American
children's game show
which aired on Nickelodeon
from May 1, 1989 to June 29, 1991.
For the first two seasons, the show was hosted by Michael Carrington, and announced by James Eoppolo. When the show moved to the new Nickelodeon Studios
in Orlando, Florida
for season three, Eoppolo was invited to stay on as announcer but was contractually obligated to another project by that time. Carrington was replaced by Skip Lackey and the new announcer was Henry J (who would later announce another Nickelodeon children's game show, Get the Picture).
The show's theme music was composed by Edd Kalehoff.
, a close-up object or objects in common. Correctly solving a Brain Bender was worth $200. If the Brain Bender was solved in the first round, another one was started in the second half. If nobody solved the Brain Bender after the final event, a sudden death showdown was played. Originally teams alternated turns taking guesses after each puzzle piece was removed; in later episodes, pieces were removed one at a time until one player buzzed in with a correct answer.
On several episodes, a different version of the Brain Bender was used in which one of six pictures or drawings was revealed after every event. The teams had to guess what the depicted items all had in common.
The team with the most money at the end of the game won and advanced to the bonus round, the Locker Room.
Every time a player pressed a button, the locker corresponding to that button would open up. When a player found a match, they had to press a button in the center of the stage that closed all the lockers as well as deactivate the buttons to the matched lockers, as they were already matched and not needed to match again.
Each match on this version was worth increasingly valuable prizes; making six matches won the team a trip. The lockers that were still able to open had the lights off (located on top of the lockers).
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
for its first two seasons. The show relocated to Universal Studios Orlando in Orlando, FL for Season Three, where the set received a makeover. The Orlando episodes of the show were taped in January 1990, 5 months before Nickelodeon Studios
opened, and was the second Nickelodeon game show to tape there (Super Sloppy Double Dare was the first).http://www.cmonfwank.com/nicktimeline.html As with virtually every Nickelodeon game show from 1986-1996, the set was designed by Byron Taylor.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
children's game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
which aired on Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
from May 1, 1989 to June 29, 1991.
For the first two seasons, the show was hosted by Michael Carrington, and announced by James Eoppolo. When the show moved to the new Nickelodeon Studios
Nickelodeon Studios
Nickelodeon Studios was a television taping studio as well as an original attraction at Universal Studios Florida.-History:...
in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
for season three, Eoppolo was invited to stay on as announcer but was contractually obligated to another project by that time. Carrington was replaced by Skip Lackey and the new announcer was Henry J (who would later announce another Nickelodeon children's game show, Get the Picture).
The show's theme music was composed by Edd Kalehoff.
Gameplay
Two teams of two (one of them wearing gold, another wearing blue) competed in various events that would "boggle the mind as well as the bodies". The team that completed each stunt won money ($50 for Round 1, $100 for Round 2). In the Carrington era, it was possible for some events to end in a draw, whether by both teams failing to complete a stunt, or by a tie score. When both teams failed, no money was awarded to either team; with a tie score, the money was awarded to each team. Also in the Carrington era, some stunts required a team to buzz in when they were done; if a team buzzed in before completing the stunt, the other team won.Events
- SimonSimon (game)Simon is an electronic game of memory skill invented by Ralph H. Baer and Howard J. Morrison, with the software programming being done by Lenny Cope and manufactured and distributed by Milton Bradley. Simon was launched in 1978 at Studio 54 in New York City and became an immediate success. It...
-type games - Contestants had to repeat in order a sequence of events, adding one event of their own to the sequence. The first team to get any item in the sequence wrong (or also forgetting to add an item in the Carrington era) lost the event. Examples of SimonSimon (game)Simon is an electronic game of memory skill invented by Ralph H. Baer and Howard J. Morrison, with the software programming being done by Lenny Cope and manufactured and distributed by Milton Bradley. Simon was launched in 1978 at Studio 54 in New York City and became an immediate success. It...
games included the following:- We've Got Your Number (renamed "Close Calls" in the Lackey era) - contestants had to punch in a sequence of numbers on a large telephone.
- Pat the Uncle (renamed "Burp the Uncle" in the Lackey era) - contestants had to push down on the shoulders of three fat "uncles", making them belch violently. The "uncles" were enormously fat men who would be snacking on bowls of random food items which included popcornPopcornPopcorn, or popping corn, is corn which expands from the kernel and puffs up when heated. Corn is able to pop because, like sorghum, quinoa and millet, its kernels have a hard moisture-sealed hull and a dense starchy interior. This allows pressure to build inside the kernel until an explosive...
, tortilla chips, candyCandyCandy, specifically sugar candy, is a confection made from a concentrated solution of sugar in water, to which flavorings and colorants are added...
and Pepto-BismolPepto-BismolPepto-Bismol is an over-the-counter drug currently produced by the Procter and Gamble company in the United States of America and in Canada to treat minor digestive system upset. Its active ingredient is bismuth subsalicylate...
. - Paint Catcher - each team had a "pitcher" with a bucket of paint-filled balloons, and a "catcher" who wore a body shield composed of an abrasive material. Each team had to take turns throwing red, yellow, green, or blue paint balloons at his opponent in sequence.
- Sounding Board - a number of noisemaking objects was placed on a table; each team had to make noises with the noisemakers in sequence.
- Flog - The name of this event was "golf" spelled backwards. A miniature golfMiniature golfMiniature golf, or minigolf, is a miniature version of the sport of golf. While the international sports organization World Minigolf Sport Federation prefers to use the name "minigolf", the general public in different countries has also many other names for the game: miniature golf, mini-golf,...
hole was set up in the studio, and to be able to putt, contestants had to observe a word spelled backwards and tell what the correct word was when spelled correctly. The team who made it into the hole first won. Occasionally, palindromes were thrown in to catch the contestants off guard; the most notable and often used was RACECAR (used on the show itself as well as when Carrington demonstrated the game as a guest host on another Nickelodeon show, Don't Just Sit ThereDon't Just Sit ThereDon't Just Sit There is a television show on Nickelodeon that first aired in 1988 and lasted for three seasons. The show was a talk show mixed with a comedy...
.)
- Plumber's Blackjack - The goal of this event was for one contestant to pour random containers of colored water into a larger container over the other contestant's head. The teams took turns, with the goal to get to a marked line on the large container without going over (unlike Double Dare). If a team went past the line, the other team won automatically. The container was perforated along the marked line, so that if a team busted, the excess water would pour out over the seated teammate's head.
- Weight and Seesaw - Each contestant was placed on one side of a balanceWeighing scaleA weighing scale is a measuring instrument for determining the weight or mass of an object. A spring scale measures weight by the distance a spring deflects under its load...
, with random household objects having a combined weight heavier than the contestant on the other side. Teams would take turns removing items attempting to balance the scale within a range. If a team took too much off the scale, the contestant would outweigh the objects onto the other side and descend into a large bowl filled with slime. The first team to balance the scale won the event. In the Carrington era, each team competed individually, and the first team to play would play with the clock counting up to a maximum of 45 seconds. If the first team failed, the other team still had to balance the scale before time ran out in order to claim the money.
- America's Most Wanted Clowns - The host would begin to explain the rules to some bizarre, nonsense "event" when an outlandishly-dressed clownClownClowns are comic performers stereotypically characterized by the grotesque image of the circus clown's colored wigs, stylistic makeup, outlandish costumes, unusually large footwear, and red nose, which evolved to project their actions to large audiences. Other less grotesque styles have also...
would suddenly run through the studio. After this happened, the real event was for the contestants to answer questions that had to do with what the clown was wearing. The team answering the most questions correctly wins.
- Basketball-type games: - Contestants had to shoot balls into baskets, either of which corresponded to answers of a question or set of questions. Variations included:
- A giant basketball goal was set up above a large tube, with a number of colored rubber balls to its side. Each tube had a phrase with a color word left out (example, "_______ mountains majesty"). The contestants had to shoot the plastic balls through the hoop and into the tube to correctly match the colors with the phrases. The most correct phrases won the event.
- Ten small hoops were mounted to a giant backboard with their nets tied closed. each of which corresponded to the name of a sound effect. Six of the sound effects were played, after which the contestants had 30 seconds to shoot basketballs into the hoops corresponding to the correct sounds. The team with the most baskets with correct answers filled won the event.
- This is to That - Contestants faced a board of anagramAnagramAn anagram is a type of word play, the result of rearranging the letters of a word or phrase to produce a new word or phrase, using all the original letters exactly once; e.g., orchestra = carthorse, A decimal point = I'm a dot in place, Tom Marvolo Riddle = I am Lord Voldemort. Someone who...
s (scrambled words). The host gave a series of analogies in which the last word in the phrase was located somewhere on the board scrambled. When an analogy was given, the contestant buzzed in and ran up to the board to unscramble the right word. The player who successfully unscrambled the most words won the event.
- Categorically Speaking - A letter was given at the start, then a category was given by the host (a la ScattergoriesScattergoriesScattergories is a creative-thinking category-based party game produced by Hasbro through the Milton Bradley Company and published in 1988...
). The first player to buzz in gave an answer that began with that set letter and fit the category. Then the opposing player did the same. Contestants continued to alternate turns until one player either gave an answer that did not fit the category and/or begin with the set letter, repeated a word (including different forms of a word), or ran out of time. For each mistake a player made, his opponent scored one point, and the player with the most points won the event.
- Word search - Contestants had to find words in a puzzle based on clues given by the host; correctly finding a word resulted in the contestant being able to pour a bucket of slop into a pipe with a funnel. The team that filled their pipe first won the event.
- Leaning Tower of Stuff - Both teams were given an identical assortment of objects, and had 60 seconds to build as tall a freestanding structure as they could using those objects. The structures still had to remain standing on their own for three seconds after the time buzzer sounded; the team with the tallest structure won the event.
- The Feelies - One teammate handed their blindfolded partner an object, and gave a one-word clue as to the identity of the object. The team that identified more objects in a faster time won the event.
- Leaping Letters - One teammate placed letters on a catapult and launched them towards their partner, who had to catch the letters in the air and put them on the board to form words of at least 2 letters (proper words were not allowed). The team that made the most words in 90 seconds won the event.
The Think Fast Brain Bender
After each event, the winners of the event in addition to the cash won a chance to solve a visual puzzle known as the "Brain Bender". In each attempt a puzzle piece was removed. The puzzle could be a picture of a celebrity, a rebusRebus
A rebus is an allusional device that uses pictures to represent words or parts of words. It was a favourite form of heraldic expression used in the Middle Ages to denote surnames, for example in its basic form 3 salmon fish to denote the name "Salmon"...
, a close-up object or objects in common. Correctly solving a Brain Bender was worth $200. If the Brain Bender was solved in the first round, another one was started in the second half. If nobody solved the Brain Bender after the final event, a sudden death showdown was played. Originally teams alternated turns taking guesses after each puzzle piece was removed; in later episodes, pieces were removed one at a time until one player buzzed in with a correct answer.
On several episodes, a different version of the Brain Bender was used in which one of six pictures or drawings was revealed after every event. The teams had to guess what the depicted items all had in common.
The team with the most money at the end of the game won and advanced to the bonus round, the Locker Room.
Locker Room
The team with the most money went to the bonus round, known as the Locker Room, in which there were 15 large lockers each containing a costumed character or a number of themed objects (a number of rubber balls which would fly out at the contestant, for example). A locker would open, and the player then had to find its match. In total, there were 7 pairs of characters or objects, as well as an unpaired locker. Each match won a prize.Every time a player pressed a button, the locker corresponding to that button would open up. When a player found a match, they had to press a button in the center of the stage that closed all the lockers as well as deactivate the buttons to the matched lockers, as they were already matched and not needed to match again.
Carrington version
The first player had 30 seconds to find as many pairs as they could. The unpaired locker contained a Time Bomb. If the first player did not open the locker with the Time Bomb within 20 seconds, ten seconds would be deducted from the second player's time; otherwise the second player kept the full 30 seconds. On very early episodes, finding the Time Bomb also added 10 seconds to the second player's time; this rule was dropped after only two or three tapings.Each match on this version was worth increasingly valuable prizes; making six matches won the team a trip. The lockers that were still able to open had the lights off (located on top of the lockers).
Lackey version
This time, the team took turns for each match, and the team had 60 seconds to find all seven matches. For the first four matches are worth $100 a piece; the other three matches are prizes, with the grand prize being awarded for all seven matches (on this version, it was not always a trip). The unpaired locker contained the "Red Herring", which was simply a character with no match. At some point during the run, the Red Herring would be opened. At that point, the contestant had to "yank on the Herring Handle", a cord suspended in the center of the room; the team did not get credit for a match, but they were then able to continue to the next character. When this handle was pulled, a bucket of red plastic fish toys (ostensibly "herrings") was dropped on the character while his/her door was being closed. The lockers that were still able to open had the lights on (located on the buttons).Studios
The series was taped at WHYY-TVWHYY-TV
For the former channel 12 in Wilmington, see WVUE .WHYY-TV, channel 12, is a non-commercial educational television station licensed to Wilmington, Delaware, USA...
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
for its first two seasons. The show relocated to Universal Studios Orlando in Orlando, FL for Season Three, where the set received a makeover. The Orlando episodes of the show were taped in January 1990, 5 months before Nickelodeon Studios
Nickelodeon Studios
Nickelodeon Studios was a television taping studio as well as an original attraction at Universal Studios Florida.-History:...
opened, and was the second Nickelodeon game show to tape there (Super Sloppy Double Dare was the first).http://www.cmonfwank.com/nicktimeline.html As with virtually every Nickelodeon game show from 1986-1996, the set was designed by Byron Taylor.