Wild and Crazy Kids
Encyclopedia
Wild and Crazy Kids is an American television game show in which large teams, usually consisting entirely of children, participated in head-to-head physical challenges on Nickelodeon
, that aired from 1990 until 1992 for a total of 65 episodes. It was hosted by Omar Gooding
, Donnie Jeffcoat
, and Jessica Gaynes. Gaynes replaced Annette Chavez, now Annette M. Lesure, in the second season. The show also aired on YTV in Canada. In 2002, a remake hosted by Mati Moralejo
was aired for seven episodes.
s or slime (the latter was referred to as "blap" on very late episodes). Occasionally, the show taped special episodes at a theme park (Raging Waters
, Wild Rivers
, and Six Flags Magic Mountain
, all in California
, were featured during the show's run.) There were no prizes awarded at all for unexplained reasons.
Examples of games used on the show:
.
, and Leslie Hibbard as hosts.
.
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...
, that aired from 1990 until 1992 for a total of 65 episodes. It was hosted by Omar Gooding
Omar Gooding
Omar M. Gooding is an American actor. He is the younger brother of veteran actor Cuba Gooding, Jr. and the son of singer Cuba Gooding, Sr....
, Donnie Jeffcoat
Don Jeffcoat
Donald Lee "Don" Jeffcoat, Jr. is an American actor.-Biography:Jeffcoat an American actor, who got his big break playing Eric Antonio on The Wonder Years, has starred and appeared on a number of films and television shows, including the children's game show Wild and Crazy Kids broadcast on...
, and Jessica Gaynes. Gaynes replaced Annette Chavez, now Annette M. Lesure, in the second season. The show also aired on YTV in Canada. In 2002, a remake hosted by Mati Moralejo
Mati Moralejo
Mati Moralejo is an actor and was a recurring personality on the Nickelodeon Games and Sports television network. He is regularly seen in 60 second featurettes highlighting lesser known sports from around the world called Global GAS.Mati was also a host of a remake of Nickelodeon's Wild and Crazy...
was aired for seven episodes.
Games
Three games were played per show, with one host emceeing each game. The teams were identified by the color of the shirts they wore, which varied from show to show. The games varied in style; many were takeoffs on playground games, sports with unusual rules added, or messy games involving piePie
A pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that covers or completely contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients....
s or slime (the latter was referred to as "blap" on very late episodes). Occasionally, the show taped special episodes at a theme park (Raging Waters
Raging Waters
Raging Waters is the name of three water theme parks located in Sacramento, San Dimas, and San Jose, California. They are the largest water parks in the state of California. The three parks are owned by Palace Entertainment but each contains different attractions...
, Wild Rivers
Wild Rivers
Wild Rivers was a waterpark in Irvine, California. It opened in 1986 on the site of the former Lion Country Safari. Following the expiration of its lease with the The Irvine Company, it closed permanently on September 25, 2011, with the hope of opening in a new location by 2013.-History:Before Wild...
, and Six Flags Magic Mountain
Six Flags Magic Mountain
Six Flags Magic Mountain is a theme park located in Valencia, California north of Los Angeles. It opened on Memorial Day weekend on May 30, 1971 as Magic Mountain, by the Newhall Land and Farming Company. In 1979, Six Flags purchased the park and added the name Six Flags to the park's title. In...
, all in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, were featured during the show's run.) There were no prizes awarded at all for unexplained reasons.
Examples of games used on the show:
- Contestants had to find the name of a food on a giant word search board. The contestant who found the word first got to dump a bucket of whatever the word was over the other contestant's head, gunging the contestant. Buckets included chocolateChocolateChocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...
sauce, raw eggsEgg (food)Eggs are laid by females of many different species, including birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish, and have probably been eaten by mankind for millennia. Bird and reptile eggs consist of a protective eggshell, albumen , and vitellus , contained within various thin membranes...
, SpaghettiO's, flourFlourFlour is a powder which is made by grinding cereal grains, other seeds or roots . It is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many cultures, making the availability of adequate supplies of flour a major economic and political issue at various times throughout history...
and whipped creamWhipped creamWhipped cream is cream that has been beaten by a mixer, whisk, or fork until it is light and fluffy. Whipped cream is often sweetened and sometimes flavored with vanilla, in which case it may be called Chantilly cream or crème Chantilly ....
. One child also got a bottle of mustardMustard (condiment)Mustard is a condiment made from the seeds of a mustard plant...
squirted in his hair. - A large scale pie fight was intended to pit children against their camp counselors; however, the fight quickly got out of control and turned into a massive free-for-all, with participants throwing pies at anyone and everyone else, no matter which team they were on due to the fact that both Donnie and Annette wanted to get revenge on Omar after he hit both of them with pies earlier in the show.
- Kids did a long jump and landed in a pit of mudMudMud is a mixture of water and some combination of soil, silt, and clay. Ancient mud deposits harden over geological time to form sedimentary rock such as shale or mudstone . When geological deposits of mud are formed in estuaries the resultant layers are termed bay muds...
or shaving creamShaving creamShaving cream is a substance that is applied to the face or wherever else hair grows, to provide lubrication and avoid razor burn during shaving. Shaving cream is often bought in a spray can, but can also be purchased in tubs or tubes. Shaving cream in a can is commonly dispensed as a foam or a gel...
. - Children and their parents jumped up and down on Moon shoesMoon shoesMoon shoes were shoes for children fitted with trampoline-like springs. They were billed as "mini-trampolines for your feet". They were part of a merchandising effort by Nickelodeon....
to break shaving cream filled balloons. Whichever team broke the most balloons won. - A game of Simon Says which looked more like a comedy routine by leader, Brian Seeman.
- Two teams ride the ColossusColossus (Six Flags Magic Mountain)Colossus is a wooden roller coaster located in the Colossus County Fair area of Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California. When it opened on June 29, 1978, it was one of the tallest and fastest wooden roller coasters in the world, and the first roller coaster in the world with two drops in...
roller coasterRoller coasterThe roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...
while holding cups of water; the team with the most collective water remaining won. - A game of poloPoloPolo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Sometimes called, "The Sport of Kings", it was highly popularized by the British. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a...
using bumper cars and a very large (about 1 m in diameter) rubber ball. - The playground game "red light/green light" - each player held a cream pie, with which they had to pie themselves if they got caught. If the player reached the other side without getting caught, he/she got to use their pie to hit the grownup waiting there.
- Slip 'n' Slide races
- A modified version of "Steal the Bacon" involving three teams where the object to be retrieved was a bucket of a mystery substance; contestants who lost a round got its contents dumped onto their heads. To win a round, a player had to either steal the bucket without getting tagged by both opponents or tag a thieving player.
- The game most notably repeated was Dizzy Bat Home Run DerbyHome Run DerbyThe Home Run Derby is an event played prior to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. It is a contest among the top home run hitters in Major League Baseball to determine who can hit the most home runs. The event is currently sponsored by State Farm Insurance...
. The game consisted of two teams (one of kids and one of adults) batting in three innings. The kids would attempt to hit home runs off of pitched balls. Scott BailesScott BailesScott Alan Bailes , is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who pitched for three teams during a 13-year Major League career. At some point during his youth, he moved to Missouri, and participated in Little League, Pony League, and American Legion teams...
of the California Angels was the pitcher for the first game. Hit balls that did not leave the field in fair territory counted as an out. Once the kids had three outs, the adults would bat. During their half-inning, a grownup would have up to three chances to hit home runs off a batting tee; however, the adult was first required to hold his bat upright against his forehead and spin around it three times; furthermore, each adult would only get thirty seconds to hit the balls. Three adults would bat every half-inning. At the end of the original and second versions, the kids, who lost both times, demanded a rematch. Donnie, who hosted these games, then declared a sequel or a part three. In the second game, Marc SummersMarc SummersMarc Summers is an American television personality, comedian, game show host, producer, and a two-time talk show host. He is best known for hosting the Nickelodeon game show Double Dare and currently hosts Unwrapped on The Food Network.- Early career :Summers was born Marc Berkowitz in...
pitched to the kids and in the third game Bruce HurstBruce HurstBruce Vee Hurst is a former Major League Baseball left-handed starting pitcher. He is best remembered for his brilliant performance for the Boston Red Sox in the postseason. He was even named World Series M.V.P...
of the San Diego Padres was the pitcher. - A game was played where kids (two per round) would drive remote controlled cars around in an arena where a construction worker was driving a steamrollerSteamrollerA steamroller is a form of road roller – a type of heavy construction machinery used for levelling surfaces, such as roads or airfields – that is powered by a steam engine...
. The object, of course, was to not get one's car run over by the steamroller. The player of each round with the last remaining car won; in the final round, the object was the exact opposite: the first player to get their car run OVER by the steamroller won. Variations on this game included a blindfolded player attempting to steer a remote controlled car through a gauntletRunning the gauntletRunning the gauntlet is a form of physical punishment wherein a captive is compelled to run between two rows—a gauntlet—of soldiers who strike him as he passes.-Etymology:...
consisting of opposing team members (also blindfolded) armed with malletMalletA mallet is a kind of hammer, usually of rubber,or sometimes wood smaller than a maul or beetle and usually with a relatively large head.-Tools:Tool mallets come in different types, the most common of which are:...
s, and a player attempting to steer a car through a beach obstacle course lined with small explosives buried in the sand. The further the contestant progressed in the gauntlet, the higher his score; the team with the highest collective score won the event. - Parents sat above their kids holding buckets of slime. Kids had to pick a number. The parent who had the bucket with the number the kid chose got to dump the bucket of slime over the head of the kid seated below them. Kids and parents then reversed.
- A massive mazeMazeA maze is a tour puzzle in the form of a complex branching passage through which the solver must find a route. In everyday speech, both maze and labyrinth denote a complex and confusing series of pathways, but technically the maze is distinguished from the labyrinth, as the labyrinth has a single...
with students challenging their teachers. The group with the most correctly finding the exit to the maze won. Ultimately the teachers prevailed. - Children would ride down a water slideWater slideA water slide is a type of slide designed for warm-weather or indoor recreational use at water parks. Water slides differ in their riding method and therefore size...
, with a bucket attached to their head, and would also be wearing a backpack on their front filled with tomatoes. From the top of the slide to the bottom, the object was to remove tomatoes and place them in the bucket. - Also at a water parkWater parkA waterpark is an amusement park that features waterplay areas, such as water slides, splash pads, spraygrounds , lazy rivers, or other recreational bathing, swimming, and barefooting environments...
, children would ride down a high speed slide, skim across a pool, and attempt to knock down as many of a row of inflated 'bowlingBowlingBowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule...
pins' that were attached to an overhead cable with velcroVelcroVelcro is the brand name of the first commercially marketed fabric hook-and-loop fastener, invented in 1948 by the Swiss electrical engineer George de Mestral...
, as possible. - A game of "Human Battleship" which is played like the classic board game. When a player is hit, he or she would have a bucket of baked beans dumped on them.
- A tug of war which pitted 50 kids against 3 giant pro wrestlers.
- Kids on a raft with inner tubes, they try to knock the other team off a raft into a swimming pool, while having to freeze every few seconds and avoid getting booted off.
- A contest where Detroit Lions quarterback Rodney Peete threw footballs to the players as they leaped off a diving board into a pool.
- A massive pillow fight where the object was to protect to eggs pinned in a bag to each player.
- A race where kids and their dogs swam across an olympic size pool.
- A track meet where competitors had to throw a ball, long jump, and run a relay race backwards.
- A slam dunk competition where a basketball net was set up at the end of a runway over a gymnastics pit.
- Human Space Invaders, where two blindfolded kids threw water balloons from a cherry picker on a giant grid of targets below.
- An obstacle course through a waterpark, which had players sliding down a waterslide, climbing up a cargo net, and throwing a baseball to a teammate on a raft, before releasing a group of balloons at the finish line to win...
- A contest in a waterpark where kids went against their parents to see who could peel the most bananas, squeeze the most milk from a bottle, or keep the most ice cream on a cone while sliding down a waterslide.
- A mall olympics, which featured events such as a Nintendo Powerpad race, a skateboard race, a pie eating contest, a rootbeer chug, pumping up pump sneakers, putting on surfer outfits, and dribbling a basketball through a shopping centre.
- A roller hockey skills competition where players on two teams shot at a target then tried their luck against a professional goaltender.
- A boys vs girls game where campers saw how many times they could drop their counselors into a dunk tank.
- Kids playing cops and robbers on the set of Miami Vice
- A massive twister game with at least twenty boards
- On a lake, four teams in canoes would try to splash water into their opponents' boats with the intent to sink them.
- A ball is tethered on a clothesline, while two teams armed with fire hoses try to spray the ball toward their rivals.
- A game where kids leaped off a diving board into a pool, with the intent of drenching adults stationed on a nearby raft.
- teams of karate students teamed up to knock down an old ranch house in less than 30 minutes
- a spraypainting contest to see who could create the best mural of what they thought "wild and crazy" meant.
- kids slid down a high speed luge slide popping balloons with a lance as they slid down...
- teams of boys and girls from nearby camps competed to see who could retrieve the most mini bats from a mountain of hay
- a three legged soccer game where the pairs of players had their legs tied together
- a race where girls on horseback competed side by side with boys riding on bmx bikes.
Revival
Wild and Crazy Kids was revived on Nickelodeon, premiering on July 29, 2002 as a seven episode weekly summer series hosted by Mati MoralejoMati Moralejo
Mati Moralejo is an actor and was a recurring personality on the Nickelodeon Games and Sports television network. He is regularly seen in 60 second featurettes highlighting lesser known sports from around the world called Global GAS.Mati was also a host of a remake of Nickelodeon's Wild and Crazy...
.
Pilot
A pilot was shot in 1989, featuring Matt Brown, Cory TylerCory Tyler
Cory Tyler is an American actor and dancer. He is best known for his role as Terrence Taylor, the son of Col. Taylor on the sitcom A Different World. In 1989, he co-hosted the pilot episode of the former Nickelodeon series Wild & Crazy Kids with Matt Brown and Leslie Hibbard...
, and Leslie Hibbard as hosts.
Guest appearances
- Occasionally, Wild & Crazy Kids would have celebrity appearances, such as Lark VoorhiesLark VoorhiesLark Voorhies is an American actress who rose to fame playing Lisa Turtle in Saved by the Bell, for which she was nominated for the Young Artist Award four times, winning in 1990 and 1993. She also portrayed the role as a regular on Good Morning, Miss Bliss.-Acting career:Voorhies made her acting...
from "Saved by the Bell", Jonathan Taylor ThomasJonathan Taylor ThomasJonathan Taylor Thomas is an American actor, voice actor, former child star, and teen idol...
from "Home Improvement", Michael FishmanMichael FishmanMichael Aaron Fishman is an American actor best known for playing D.J. Conner on the long-running series Roseanne. -Personal life:...
from "Roseanne", Marc SummersMarc SummersMarc Summers is an American television personality, comedian, game show host, producer, and a two-time talk show host. He is best known for hosting the Nickelodeon game show Double Dare and currently hosts Unwrapped on The Food Network.- Early career :Summers was born Marc Berkowitz in...
from "Double Dare", Chuck NorrisChuck NorrisCarlos Ray "Chuck" Norris is an American martial artist and actor. After serving in the United States Air Force, he began his rise to fame as a martial artist and has since founded his own school, Chun Kuk Do...
, Hulk HoganHulk HoganTerrance Gene "Terry" Bollea , better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American Semi-retired professional wrestler, actor, television personality, and musician currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
, and Arnold SchwarzeneggerArnold SchwarzeneggerArnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
. - A young Tobey MaguireTobey MaguireTobias Vincent "Tobey" Maguire is an American actor and producer. He began his career in the 1980s, and has achieved his greatest fame for his role as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man films.-Early life:...
appeared on the show long before he was famous, promoting the short-lived Fox sitcom Great Scott! - While not actually appearing on the show, the B-52s were once the basis of one of the show's games.
- Following his 1992 Olympic run, ice skater Petr BarnaPetr BarnaPetr Barna is a Czech figure skater. He competed for Czechoslovakia. He was the first man to land a quadruple jump in Olympic competition....
guest starred on an episode in 1993. - As a child, D'Brickashaw FergusonD'Brickashaw Ferguson-New York Jets:Ferguson finally reached the NFL when the New York Jets drafted him with the 4th pick overall after Vince Young was chosen by the Titans. On July 26, 2006, Ferguson signed a five-year deal with the Jets that was similar to the $35 million deal that 2005’s No. 4 pick, Cedric Benson,...
rode in a BMX vs. Horses race. - Olympic skiier Bode MillerBode MillerSamuel Bode Miller is an American alpine ski racer. He is an Olympic and World Championship gold medalist, a two-time overall World Cup champion in 2005 and 2008, and is generally considered the greatest American alpine skier of all time...
appeared on the show in 2002. - Professional baseball player Bruce HurstBruce HurstBruce Vee Hurst is a former Major League Baseball left-handed starting pitcher. He is best remembered for his brilliant performance for the Boston Red Sox in the postseason. He was even named World Series M.V.P...
appeared in one of the "Dizzy Bat" baseball games, with another appearance made by professional baseball pitcher Scott BailesScott BailesScott Alan Bailes , is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who pitched for three teams during a 13-year Major League career. At some point during his youth, he moved to Missouri, and participated in Little League, Pony League, and American Legion teams...
. - Actor and co-star Alfonso RibeiroAlfonso RibeiroAlfonso Lincoln Ribeiro is an American actor, director, dancer, game show host, and comedian. While he received attention for his performance in the title role of the Broadway musical The Tap Dance Kid and his appearance as a dancer in a Pepsi commercial featuring Michael Jackson, Ribeiro is best...
of The Fresh Prince Of Bel-AirThe Fresh Prince of Bel-AirThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from September 10, 1990 to May 20, 1996. The show stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself, a street-smart teenager from West Philadelphia who is sent to move in with his aunt and uncle in their...
appeared in a game titled "The Fresh Race of Tortoise-Hare". - Daryl SabaraDaryl SabaraDaryl Christopher Sabara is an American film and television actor. He is perhaps best known for playing Juni Cortez in the Spy Kids film series, as well as for a variety of television and film appearances, including Wizards of Waverly Place, Father of the Pride, The Polar Express, Keeping Up with...
and Alexa VegaAlexa VegaAlexa Ellesse Vega is an American actress, singer and pianist. She is best known for playing Carmen Cortez in the Spy Kids film series and Shilo Wallace in the movie Repo! the Genetic Opera. In 2009, she starred as the title character Ruby Gallagher in the ABC Family series Ruby & The...
of the Spy KidsSpy KidsThe Spy Kids series is a series of family action adventure films written, produced and directed by Robert Rodriguez. The main plot follows the adventures of two Cortez children who become involved in their parents' espionage. The rest of their family are spies as well, including their estranged...
movies appeared for one episode during the Nick GaS revival of the show. - Former Detroit Lion QB Rodney PeeteRodney PeeteRodney Peete is a former American football quarterback from the University of Southern California who played in the National Football League for 16 years. He retired in 2004 and is now in broadcasting.-Early life:...
was in an episode throwing footballs to kids jumping into a swimming pool.
Production
The show was executive produced by Woody Fraser, and aired 100 episodes between 1990 and 1992. It was produced by Woody Fraser Productions in association with Nickelodeon and Reeves Entertainment GroupAlan Landsburg Productions
Alan Landsburg Productions was an independent TV production company founded by Alan Landsburg in 1971. The company had huge successes with In Search of... and That's Incredible!, which were two early examples of reality television long before the name even existed...
.