“Double Dare” is celebrating a pretty big milestone, and Marc Summers is taking fans behind the scenes of the Nickelodeon game show that became such a huge part of so many childhoods. From revealing which episode remains his favorite to finally explaining what was actually in the famous slime, Summers has plenty of stories to share.
People notes that Summers hosted “Double Dare” from 1986 to 1989. He went on to host “Family Double Dare” from 1990 to 1993, along with “various specials and reinventions that followed,” making him a part of 90s TV history.
And now we know that he hosted more than 500 episodes of the franchise and he even admitted that one episode still stands out above the rest. And yep, it involves some very nostalgic names.
Marc Summers Reveals His Favorite ‘Double Dare’ Episode
So, which episode does Summers consider the best? Well, he told People:
“We did Super Slop-a-Mania and we had Bobby the Brain Heenan with Gorilla Monsoon. And they were huge performers with the WWF at the time, before it became the WWE, and they just were good. They were entertaining, they were fun, they were funny, the kids loved them, and it stands in my mind as perhaps the best show we ever did.”
Honestly, it is easy to see why that episode stuck with him. Bringing two recognizable wrestling personalities into the already chaotic world of “Double Dare” sounds like exactly the kind of combination that could make an episode especially memorable.
But what exactly was “Double Dare”?
The game show featured two teams of two kids competing in a fast-paced trivia competition. Correct answers earned points and money, while a team that wasn’t sure of an answer could “dare” the opposing team to answer it. A “double dare” raised the stakes even more, eventually sending contestants into physical challenges that could involve whipped cream, gelatin, and plenty of other messy surprises.
The team that came out on top advanced to the final obstacle course, where they had 60 seconds to complete eight challenges and collect hidden orange flags for a chance at bigger prizes. The now-iconic Sundae Slide was among the obstacles that helped make the final round so memorable.
Let’s be real, watching kids get completely covered in slime was a pretty big part of the appeal.
He Almost Didn’t Get the ‘Double Dare’ Job
Summers also revealed that getting the “Double Dare” hosting job wasn’t quite as straightforward as fans might expect.
Apparently, he stumbled into the audition process through a friend and eventually received multiple callbacks. But even after making it through those rounds, Summers still wasn’t sure he had landed the job.
Summers told People:
“So they flew me and this other person — to this day, I don’t know who it is — to New York and we shot. I went first, then they threw me out of the studio, brought the other guy in, and two days later they called me and they said, ‘Congratulations, you’re the host of Double Dare’.”
That unknown competitor remains a mystery all these years later, but the important part is that Summers got the call.
And the rest, as they say, is “Double Dare” history.
The Original Slime Recipe is Finally Revealed
Of course, one of the biggest questions surrounding “Double Dare” has always been about the slime. What was that green stuff? Summers finally offered an answer, and yep, it was edible.
“People always want to know what the slime was. Well, the insurance people back in the day said if the slime gets in the kids’ mouths, it has to be edible… the original recipe was vanilla pudding, applesauce, green food coloring, and a little oatmeal to thicken it up.”
That’s definitely not the recipe most people would expect when thinking about Nickelodeon‘s iconic slime.
But it makes sense that safety was part of the equation, especially when contestants were constantly getting covered in the stuff. It seems like a very “Double Dare” solution: make it edible, make it green, and let the mess begin.
Marc Summers is Bringing ‘Double Dare’ Fans Together Again
Summers isn’t just reminiscing about the show. He also told People, he’s getting the gang back together for a 40th anniversary celebration.
“I figured this is the last time we get the whole gang together, so all of our producers or most of them. Harvey, our announcer, Robin, my sidekick on the air, we’re all getting together, and we’re going to have an audience of 300 people at City Winery… I think it’s going to be a fun 90-minute show of going back in time and reliving your childhood.”
Unfortunately, the in-person tickets are already sold out at the time of this writing. But fans who can’t make it to the event aren’t completely out of luck.
The “Marc Summers & Friends’ 40 Year Double Dare Reunion” will also be released as a $25 pay-per-view streaming event, giving fans a chance to join in on the nostalgia from home. For more information head to the event website.
Summers also summed up the milestone pretty perfectly:
“I cannot believe that we’re celebrating the 40th anniversary of Double Dare.”
Honestly, neither can a lot of the fans who grew up watching it.
After four decades, the slime, obstacle courses, trivia, and ridiculous challenges are still memorable. And with Summers looking back on some of his favorite moments, it seems like “Double Dare” still has plenty of life left in it when it comes to making fans smile and reliving those childhood memories.
Want to watch the show yourself? Good news, fans can revisit the Marc Summers hosted classic “Double Dare” and see episodes of the 2018 revival (hosted by Liza Koshy) on Paramount+.
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Marc Summers Opens Up About Behind-the-Scenes of ‘Double Dare’