Lab Rats Challenge
Encyclopedia
Lab Rats Challenge is an Australian children's quiz show screening on the Nine Network
. The hosts are Drew Jarvis
, better known as Curio from children's television show The Shak
, and Nicole Dixon.
The program began broadcasting on the 4th of August, 2008 at 4pm. In contrast to other Australian kids game shows such as Sharky's Friends
, A*mazing, and Go Go Stop
, the show is not filmed in front of a live studio audience but filmed in Brisbane
's Channel 9 studio on Mount Coot-tha, in Queensland
, resembling an abandoned science laboratory.
. Famous contestants in Lab Rats include Morgan Cant, Sarah Woods, Monique McInnes-Phelan.
If there is a tie after What'll Happen If or the Rat Race, there is a tie breaker known as the Randomizer. Both teams are given a beaker of water along with two similar-looking containers of white powder. Only one would cause a chemical reaction when placed in the water. The team that wins the Rat Race gets to choose their powder first. Both teams pour their powder in the water and the one that has a chemical reaction wins. This tie breaker is completely based on chance.
Only one episode has two tie breakers happened when the scores were 15-15 and 65-65. In both Randomizers, the blue team won.
, which began airing the series shortly after CBBC
began airing a similar UK-produced format, Richard Hammond's Blast Lab
.
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
. The hosts are Drew Jarvis
Drew Jarvis
Drew Jarvis is an Australian children's television presenter who has appeared on television programmes The Shak and Lab Rats Challenge. He married Lucy Flook in 2009.- Biography :...
, better known as Curio from children's television show The Shak
The Shak
For the 2009 Sequel/Spinoff Series See: The Shak At HomeThe Shak is an Australian children's television program broadcast on the Nine Network. Its four hosts, Curio , Nitro , Picasso and Eco answer viewer questions, queries, dares and challenges in an entertaining and educational manner...
, and Nicole Dixon.
The program began broadcasting on the 4th of August, 2008 at 4pm. In contrast to other Australian kids game shows such as Sharky's Friends
Sharky's Friends
Sharky's Friends is an Australian children's television gameshow hosted by Miranda Deakin and featuring a quick-witted puppet shark who is named Sharky. The 30-minute show is produced by Ambience Entertainment is aimed at 8-14 year olds. Sharky competes against children contestants, who are...
, A*mazing, and Go Go Stop
Go Go Stop
Go Go Stop is a televised children's quiz show, produced by the Australian Seven Network, and fronted by former The Big Arvo co-host Jesse Tobin. Each week, three schools compete to win a weekly prize. One student from each school appears on the show daily...
, the show is not filmed in front of a live studio audience but filmed in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
's Channel 9 studio on Mount Coot-tha, in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, resembling an abandoned science laboratory.
Gameplay
The challenges on the show are born from science experiments, such as guessing how many drops of water will fit on a twenty cent coin. Each episode's final challenge, The Labyrinth, features the children competitors racing through a series of physical and mental challenges. The 1st pair to make it through the labrynth gets cheesed at the end. This is similar in style to the maze on early 1990s Australian kids game show A*mazing and 1990s American show Legends of the Hidden TempleLegends of the Hidden Temple
Legends of the Hidden Temple is an action-adventure game show for children. The show centers around a "Temple" that is "filled with lost treasures protected by mysterious Mayan Temple Guards"...
. Famous contestants in Lab Rats include Morgan Cant, Sarah Woods, Monique McInnes-Phelan.
Rounds
- Nano Challenge - In this round, both teams simultaneously try and complete the challenge and achieve their goal. If they succeed, the team wins 10 points.
- What'll Happen If - In this round, Drew and Nicole will describe the experiment and both teams, in private must make a hypothesis/guess as to what will happen. After both teams guesses are made, Drew and Nicole will perform the experiment. If their guess is right, the team wins 5 points.
- Method Madness - In this round, teams perform the task either simultaneously or one at a time. If the task is to be performed one team at a time, the trailing team will decide whether to go first or second. Whoever goes second will get shrunk by Drew and surrounded by a metal cage with a cat on guard to prevent them from seeing their opposing team in action. Teams will perform a task. The winning team gets 15 points. Another common form of 'shrinking' in Method Madness, is were they 'lose' your heads, through the use of CGI.
- Rat Race - This is a race to completing the game. Whoever wins, gets 30 points. Along the way, status accelerators are on offer with 20, 15, 10 and 5 points. Obstacles include wire traps, cargo nets, dark room (where the exit is on the ground), slide, ball pits, maze and Cheese Dump. Every episode has a major challenge where teams have to do a task such as filling a cylinder to the line, building a skeleton or operating a crane.
If there is a tie after What'll Happen If or the Rat Race, there is a tie breaker known as the Randomizer. Both teams are given a beaker of water along with two similar-looking containers of white powder. Only one would cause a chemical reaction when placed in the water. The team that wins the Rat Race gets to choose their powder first. Both teams pour their powder in the water and the one that has a chemical reaction wins. This tie breaker is completely based on chance.
Only one episode has two tie breakers happened when the scores were 15-15 and 65-65. In both Randomizers, the blue team won.
United Kingdom
In the UK, the series is screened on digital TV channel Kix!Kix (TV channel)
Kix! is a free-to-air children's and teen's television channel in the UK, broadcasting between 06:00 to 23:30, showing cartoons, extreme sports and music videos. It is owned by CSC Media Group, and was launched on 19 May 2008, replacing a one-hour timeshift of sister channel Pop. Kix! is aimed at...
, which began airing the series shortly after CBBC
CBBC
CBBC is one of two brand names used for the BBC's children's television strands. Between 1985 and 2002, CBBC was the name given to all the BBC's programmes on TV for children aged under 14...
began airing a similar UK-produced format, Richard Hammond's Blast Lab
Richard Hammond's Blast Lab
Richard Hammond's Blast Lab is a children's television programme made by DCD Media-owned September Films and Hamster's Wheel Productions for the BBC and shown on the CBBC Channel and CBBC outputs on both BBC One and BBC Two....
.