Television host and producer Marc Summers joins Tim to talk about the classic Nickelodeon show that put him and the Nickelodeon cable network on the map, Double Dare. Before Double Dare, kids didn’t have their own game show and the Nickelodeon network was not as widely known as it would become after this crazy, messy, green slimy “party” that millions of millennials would rush home after school to watch. This episode was originally released on March 16, 2020.
It was the first game show for kids on the Nickelodeon cable network. It premiered in 1986 with Marc Summers as its host. Double Dare.
In the show, two teams would compete to win money and prizes by answering trivia questions and completing physical challenges that amounted to an organized mess.
The original version of Double Dare ran from 1986 to 1993. Two subsequent versions relaunched in 2000, and then from 2018 to 2019.
Double Dare had more than tripled viewership for Nickelodeon in the afternoon. It was the most popular original daily program on cable television.
Because of that show, Nickelodeon was able to take its place as a major player in cable television, and game shows for kids a thing.
The show remains Nickelodeon’s longest-running game show. In January 2001, TV Guide, ranked the show number 29 on its list of 50 Greatest Game Shows.
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Links
- Marc Summers
- Double Dare, Nick
- Double Dare, Fandom
- Five Things to Know About the Green Slime on Double Dare, Newsday
About this Episode’s Guest Marc Summers
Marc Summers is a veteran television host and producer, and a comedian. His long list of television credits include: host and producer of Double Dare on Nickelodeon, Unwrapped for the Food Network, and as executive producer of the Food Network’s Dinner: Impossible and Restaurant: Impossible.
Over the year’s he’s hosted other shows, such as the syndicated Couch Potatoes, Nickelodeon’s What Would You Do?, and as a talk show host on the Lifetime network’s Our Home program.
He remains active in new projects across several networks and platforms.
