In the early days, Nickelodeon discovered a number of success with their sport reveals, particularly packages like Finders Keepers and Double Dare. They wished to maneuver ahead with out speeding, determining what made successful present and providing a brand new method that would appeal to a wider viewers. It was time to be good, do one thing in regards to the mind ache, and check these children whereas offering one other wholesome dose of Edutainment, thus, they gave us this principally forgotten gem, Think Fast.
“If you don’t have time to suppose twice, Think Fast!”
Premiering on May 1, 1989, Think Fast tried to take what labored in regards to the two beforehand named reveals, focus it down a bit, and provides the bodily challenges a psychological element. The end result gave this sequence a extra distinctive combine for the time and stored the product partaking. Young girls and boys made up two groups of duos, the Gold and Blue groups, simply earlier than the X-Men made it cool. These contestants would compete in a number of challenges for an opportunity to win money and clear up a puzzle referred to as the Brain Bender, permitting the group with probably the most cash on the finish to attempt their luck within the Locker Room.
Each problem had a bodily and psychological element, extra complicated than the usual Double Dare outing, however not as stationary as listening to Olmec inform a narrative and answering questions on it, like in Legends of the Hidden Temple. Nick was nonetheless beneath the impression that youngsters liked the mess, nonetheless, so many of those video games featured some kind of liquid, goop, or different gross-out factor. Players would dig by means of a birthday cake to search out big Scrabble items and spell out phrases, throw moist paper wads on a chalkboard behind the trainer in between answering trivia questions, or throw switches in a sure order to resurrect Frankenstein’s monster. There have been tons of Simon-type video games, normally with a further quirk to maintain issues assorted, like having to memorize and execute a sequence of colours, however by utilizing paint balloons thrown at their accomplice, or making a disgusting set of uncles burp within the right rotation. There was even one the place the children have been blindfolded and needed to establish objects by easy clues and smells. Some video games have been even interrupted by different occasions, like clowns, and questions could be requested about them as an alternative in an try and hold everybody on their toes.
Sometimes, contestants received by chance or simply by means of the circumstance of being in the fitting place, grabbing a simple victory, whereas different challenges ended with each groups messing up and failing, however one doing it much less spectacularly than the opposite. Some of the video games didn’t even work as supposed, one which concerned the gamers lining up an accurate phrase by matching colours on three tumblers seldom confirmed the solutions accurately, just like the crew was unable to handle the system behind the scenes.
Winning these mini-games gave groups an opportunity to attempt to determine the Brain Bender, an image-based puzzle that was normally a star that wanted to be recognized, close-up of an object, a rebus (photographs that made a phrase), or a sequence of things that each one had a standard theme. Another piece of the Brain Bender was revealed after every problem and the chance to unravel it was primarily value greater than profitable that spherical, as these have been value $200 and will simply assure a victory or be used to mount a severe comeback. If neither group may determine it out all through the occasions, it went to a sort of sudden loss of life guessing spherical, and if the puzzle was solved early, one other harder one could be put up.
Victory led to the ultimate problem, the Locker Room, which was an space with fifteen lockers that contained seven matching pairs and one dangerous egg. Most of those massive steel rectangles held actors dressed as wild caricatures that may yell on the children, shoot foolish string, or throw confetti, whereas just a few of them have been a set of random objects, like brightly coloured sneakers. When a contestant discovered the corresponding duo they’d run again and shut the lockers to safe the purpose, every pair they scored granted them cash for the primary few and prizes if they may make it excessive sufficient. There was at all times the dreaded time bomb (which messed with the gamers’ time if not discovered), nonetheless, or within the second season the extra most well-liked Red Herring, a personality with no match that required a particular twine to be pulled to ship them away.
Some groups made this closing check look too straightforward, determining that one of the best technique was merely to unlock as many lockers as quick as they may, with the one concern being the rogue parts (time bomb and herring). The solely groups that appeared to underperform right here have been those who have been simply confused by the entire sights and noises or children that weren’t good at slapping the buttons shortly sufficient. A couple of situations even made it appear to be the individuals have been transferring sooner than the lockers may sustain with, and I feel they only gave it to them a few times as a result of the contestant technically hit each locker.
Many sport present aficionados will likely be fast to notice a number of similarities between Think Fast and Classic Concentration for the psychological aspect of issues, however with a stronger child focus, after all. It’s arduous to disclaim, and in some ways, these are the facets that work probably the most for this program.
I’m positive the cash was good, however the prizes have been definitely various in high quality. There have been just a few sensible ones contemplating the audience, however generally they have been slightly odd, just like the skateboard that had a built-in radio or that gumball machine that was additionally a cellphone (okay, I’d nonetheless take a kind of for a dialog piece). Also, it was Nickelodeon, so there have been journeys to Space Camp too.
The challenges weren’t at all times probably the most partaking, however the music by Edd Kalehoff definitely boosted curiosity. Think Fast’s theme isn’t as immediately recognizable as many others of that period, however it’s energetic and catchy, getting viewers into the present for positive.
Pulling the viewers in can also be the duty of the host. Think Fast was presided over by Michael Carrington within the first set of episodes and Skip Lackey for the remaining. Carrington had a great presence about him, a refined charisma that shined by means of when interacting with the contestants, and he was seen as good and humorous, particularly with these facial expressions. He went on to do some work on The Simpsons in addition to change into a producer for a number of hit reveals after this. Lackey is the extra notable host, the one individuals are likely to recall typically (I bear in mind him from the Jim Carrey movie Once Bitten), as he had larger power and wore loopy shirts, however he’s additionally much less preferred. Both hosts will be seen messing up and stumbling, however Lackey does it way more typically, at all times having to reference his playing cards, and there are just a few times when he legitimately appears misplaced or has to start out over, giving him this awkward high quality.
Season one’s run of 64 episodes was filmed in Philadelphia, shooting 4 episodes a day, with a studio setting that I liked due to how shallow and clean it felt at times. It was a lesson in utilizing restricted area and enhancing to cover set modifications, with much less décor and these flimsy-looking tennis ball yellow stands for the viewers (cleverly utilizing native center faculty college students as the gang) that felt so odd. The second set of episodes was produced at Universal Studios in Orlando and featured a a lot larger sound stage that did extra with the college motif, and the bigger space meant cameras needed to reduce much less.
Think Fast aired on Saturday mornings at 11:00 AM in most areas, performing as an ideal transition present from cartoons to extra dwell entertainment that youngsters would nonetheless watch. In re-runs, it turned a brief hit in after-school programming and had an prolonged life by means of re-airing on Nickelodeon GaS (Games and Sports). There’s slightly little bit of a debate on what number of episodes Think Fast has, as some locations reported that there have been 45 episodes produced for season 2 (like The Tampa Tribune), however it appears there may be extra proof that only 41 of those were actually made. This is difficult by the shortage of full guides for this present, and a few locations aren’t even shut. For some time, although, many of those episodes have been uploaded to YouTube, and tape trades have been occurring to attempt to assist individuals make an entire sequence, however that appears to have been troublesome. A 3rd set of episodes was apparently within the works and most probably entered pre-production, with some proof that auditions have been even held, however then Think Fast was finally dropped for different packages of the identical kind. Sadly, there’s little details about the tip of the present on the market.
Revisiting Think Fast was glorious, a sequence that brings me again to a less complicated time and attending to see one of many constructing blocks that led to a few of my favourite ‘90s sport reveals. I get why it isn’t as in style as a few of the others, it was like a toddler nonetheless studying to stroll, however the potential was shining by means of. This one doesn’t want a reboot essentially, however possibly we will take a few of these concepts and recycle them, put slightly mind energy again into our entertainment.
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