Double Dare (partially lost Nickelodeon game show; 1986-1993)

Logo used for the original series.

Status: Partially Lost

Double Dare is a game show that ran on Nickelodeon from 1986 to 1993, had another short-lived run in 2000, and had yet another short-lived run from 2018 to 2019. Hosted by Marc Summers, the classic game show focused primarily on kids, who would have to go through obstacle courses in order to win prizes of trips and small amounts of money.

While the show certainly has fared better than most game shows by having the privilege of years of reruns for fans to record, over 100 episodes are still unable to be seen online - or anywhere, for that matter.

Lost Episodes

Of the 520 episodes of every variation, (with the exception of Double Dare 2000, and the 2018 revival), give or take a few, only 462 are online/in the circuit (Not including the unaired "Old Timers" special, unearthed by co-creator Geoffrey Darby in 2015). Every episode of Family Double Dare made is accounted for, including the short-lived Fox primetime series which was posted to iTunes.

Almost all of the episodes from the first 70-episode season are online, with the most prominent missing episode being "Extraordinaires vs. Challengers". The only footage that is available is a 5-minute clip, which was uploaded by YouTube user "Josh Lieberman" back in 2011. Jacin Ferrell, older brother of Dion of the Extraordinaries team, said in the comments that he has the full episode revealing that his brother lost the obstacle course.

Possibly the most notable chunk of the series missing is the second half of the 1987 season of Super Sloppy Double Dare. Only 23 episodes of the now-confirmed 26-episode run are available. One of the episodes missing is the infamous "Man in the Boat" episode, where Marc loses it over a plastic man in a boat, which was placed on all of the obstacles. This portion of the episode (as well as a few others) can be seen on the 1988 Kids Klassics compilation tape, The Inside Scoop. In 2010, a YouTuber named "pricefan2007" said he has the full episode, but it is unknown if he still has it. In 2021, Marc revealed that he is in possession of the Man in the Boat episode. The masters for 1987 Super Sloppy were rumored to have totaled 40 episodes with half of them having been destroyed by a flood, however, this has mostly been debunked.

123 of the 130 episodes (First half: 62; Second half: 61) that were taped for syndication in 1988 exist in the trading circuit.

There are no exact numbers for missing episodes from seasons 1 and 2, and the 1989 episodes of Super Sloppy, though allegedly, the 1989 version had 95 episodes (55 at the studios of WHYY-TV Philadelphia and 40 at the then-yet-to-open Universal Studios in Orlando). All of Philly's episodes are in the circuits whereas the Orlando batch is missing at least two.

Another episode that is missing, albeit one that wasn't fit for broadcast, is the test pilot hosted by Geoffrey Darby. It's nothing like the final product and is more of a prototype than anything else. A small portion can also be seen on The Inside Scoop.

In an article for The Philadelphia Inquirer on July 15, 1987, Gail Shister wrote that Harvey (the announcer; full name John Harvey) would be doing his radio show in his New York hotel room while taping 26 episodes of the show there. But in a later article written a couple of months later, Shister wrote that 170 episodes of the show had been taped at WHYY-TV in Philadelphia. Whether the original Super Sloppy version did indeed have a total of 26 episodes, or whether an extra 14 shows were taped in Philadelphia, is unclear.

In the April 5, 1989 issue of Weekly Variety Magazine, Geoffrey Darby stated "Normally, 3-4 episodes are shot a day at a capacious studio rented from WWHY Philadelphia, a PBS station. 300 are in the can, and 95 new ones will be ready by fall. They are shown first in syndication, at 150-some stations across the country, and then on Nickelodeon after a 6-month window." This quote suggests that the 95 in question was the 1989 run of Super Sloppy (again, 55 in Philly, and 40 in Orlando), and also suggests that the total number of aired shows from 1986 to 1989 was 395. But whether the number was actually 408, including the 13 Fox Primetime shows, or whether the 395 number includes the kids-only AND Fox Primetime ones, is, once again, unclear.

On January 17, 2016, A user named "Adam Barcan" uploaded an episode of the 1987 version to YouTube, featuring his team, "The Schwarzeneggers", albeit in poor aspect ratio quality.

On October 19, 2018, Chris Bryant uploaded the Columbus Cougars Vs. K-Team episode of the first season of Super Sloppy Double Dare to Dailymotion and June 18, 2020, the same user uploaded the Cosmic Sparks vs. Slimey Worms in it's entirety.

In December 2020, audio from the "Man In The Boat" episode surfaced on Dailymotion.

On June 2, 2022, the Raging Raskals Vs. Looney Barbarians episode from the Orlando season of Super Sloppy resurfaced on YouTube, courtesy of Danny Gura from the latter. It came from Fox's Orlando affiliate, making it an original Syndicated airing.

On April 27, 2023, episode 19 from the '86 season, "Beavers vs. Navigators," was uploaded to the Internet Archive by YoshiKiller2S with the help of Racelympics.

On September 13, 2023, episode 38 from the '86 season, Terminators Vs. Falcons was posted to YouTube by Matt Anderson, one of the contestants.

The classic seasons of the show have been released to Paramount+, Viacom's streaming service, however the missing episodes that were previously mentioned are still not found on the service.

Incidents

Aside from "Old Timers", there was at least one other episode of Double Dare that was filmed, but never aired. The episode involved a child that had a condition called "brittle bone disease" that made his bones more fragile than the average contestant on the show. He lied about it on the application and made it onto the show.

During the filming of the episode, the predictable happened - the kid broke his arm, while doing one of the obstacles on the obstacle course. Marc said that the kid's bone went right through his skin, and Marc had to leave the set immediately, almost puking. The obstacle course was not redone, as the episode never aired on television.

Another episode that involved an incident was when a kid went down the "Sewer Chute", and Marc thought the kid died. After the show, the kid's father, who happened to be an attorney, forced the staff to give his son the prize for obstacle #7, a large screen TV, otherwise, he would sue them. The TV was given to the contestant, and the staff, from that point on, checked the applications to make sure that the kids' parents weren't attorneys.

Gallery

Part of The Inside Scoop that incudes clips from the "Man In The Boat"

5 minutes of "Extraordinaires vs. Challengers"

Clips from two missing episodes

A previously lost episode of Family Double Dare

Marc talking about the Sewer Chute incident. From 11:04 - 11:40

See Also

Double Dare

• Double Dare (partially found Australian adaptation of Nickelodeon game show; 1989-1992)
• Family Double Dare (partially found spin-off of Australian adaptation of Nickelodeon game show; 1989)
• Double Dare (partially found test pilot for Nickelodeon game show; 1986)

Anthology and Short Series

• Astrology with Squidward (found series of "SpongeBob SquarePants" Nickelodeon animated shorts; early 2000s)
• Attack of the Giant Vulture (found Nickelodeon short film; 1998)
• Balinese Slapping Fish (found Nickelodeon Australia animated short series; 1998)
• Bobby the Lizard Boy (found Nickelodeon animated short; 2000)
• Eddie Retractorhead (partially lost Nickelodeon UK animated short series; 2008)
• Gordon Bleugh! (found Nickelodeon animated short series; early 2000s)
• The Hopkins (lost Nickelodeon Australia animated short series; 2005)
• ICarly at the 2008 Kids Choice Awards (found Nickelodeon promotional short web series; 2008)
• Leader Dog (partially lost Nickelodeon animated short series; 2004)
• Making Fiends (partially lost promotional shorts for Nickelodeon animated series based on web series; 2008)
• Meet The Moores (partially found Nickelodeon UK animated short series; 2002-2003)
• Natalie's Backseat Traveling Web Show (partially found Nickelodeon interstitial series; mid-late 1990s)
• Nick Studio 10 (partially found Nickelodeon channel block; 2013)
• Nickelodeon Addicting Games Showdown (partially found interstitial TV event of online game website; 2009-2010)
• Nickelodeon Blimp (found Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards animated short; 2005)
• Oh Yeah! Cartoons (found Nickelodeon animated anthology series; 1998-2001)
• Schoolyard Safari (found Nickelodeon animated short series; 2002-2003)
• SpongeBob: Re-Hydrated (partially lost "SpongeBob SquarePants" animated short; 2003)
• Tortellini Western (partially lost Nickelodeon animated short series; 2004)
• A Very Aggressive Vegetable (found Nickelodeon Australia animated short series; 1998)

Bumpers and Promos

• 101% Whizbang! with Henry & June (partially found Nickelodeon channel block; 1999)
• Dora The Explorer Meets George Lopez (found Nick at Nite tie-in commercial of "The George Lopez Show" ABC sitcom; 2008)
• Blood and Guts (partially found Nickelodeon bumpers; 2000s)
• Friday Night Nicktoons (partially found bumpers from Nickelodeon channel block; 2002-2004)
• HaHa Nick (lost Chinese block of Nickelodeon shows; 2005-2007)
• Henry & June's Nicktoon Summer Jam (partially found bumpers of Nickelodeon summer block; 1999-2000)
• Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (partially lost TV promos for Nickelodeon animated film and TV series; 2001–2002)
• Nickelodeon (partially found idents and bumpers from TV channel; 1979-present)
• Nickelodeon (partially lost "Nick at Nite" bumpers from TV channel block; 1985-present)
• Nickelodeon's Historical Firsts (found animated promos from TV channel; 1997)
• Nicktoons Gets Zombified (found Nickelodeon Halloween bumpers; 2011)
• Nicktoon World News (partially found bumpers of Nickelodeon block; 2001)
• SpongeBob's Nicktoon Summer Splash (partially lost bumpers from Nickelodeon channel block; 2000-2001)

Films

• Aaahh!!! Real Monsters (non-existent Nickelodeon TV film; 1998)
• Cry Baby Lane (found Nickelodeon TV horror film; 2000)
• A Day With SpongeBob SquarePants: The Movie (unproduced unauthorized direct-to-DVD mockumentary film; 2011)
• The Electric Piper (found Nickelodeon animated TV film; 2003)
• Hey Arnold! The Jungle Movie (partially found production material of cancelled original adaptation of Nickelodeon animated series film; 2002)
• Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus (lost/unreleased deleted Tak scenes of film based on Nickelodeon animated series; 2018-2019)
• Rugrats Go Wild (partially found original 90 minute cut of Nickelodeon animated crossover film; 2003)
• The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (partially found deleted scenes of film based on Nickelodeon animated series; 2004)

Game Shows

• BrainSurge (partially lost Nickelodeon game show; 2009-2014)
• Figure It Out (partially found episode of Nickelodeon game show; 1998)
• Friday Night Slimetime (partially found Nickelodeon game show; 2005-2006)
• Gamefarm (partially lost Nickelodeon GAS game show; 2003)
• Legends of the Hidden Temple (lost Pit of Despair incident footage from unaired final round/episode of Nickelodeon game show; 1994)
• Legends of the Hidden Temple (partially found original consolation plugs from Nickelodeon game show; 1993-1995)
• Nick Arcade (found Nickelodeon game show; 1992)
• Nick Arcade (partially found original consolation prize plugs from Nickelodeon game show; 1992)
• Nickelodeon Splat! (partially found Nickelodeon game show; 2004)
• Slime Time Live (partially found Nickelodeon game show; 2000-2004)
• SuperNick (partially found Nickelodeon Netherlands game show; 2007-2011)
• SuperNick op De Stoep Bij... (partially found Nickelodeon Netherlands sports show; 2007-2008)
• Webheads (partially lost Nickelodeon game show; 2014–2015)

Inaugural Series

• America Goes Bananaz (partially found Nickelodeon variety series; 1977-1980)
• By The Way (partially found inaugural Nickelodeon series; 1979-1980)
• Nickel Flicks (lost inaugural Nickelodeon series; 1979)
• Pinwheel (partially found Nickelodeon educational puppet series; 1977-1990)
• Pocket Money (non-existent inaugural Nickelodeon series; 1979)
• Video Comics (partially found inaugural Nickelodeon series; 1979-1981)

Live Action

• The Adventures of Pete & Pete (partially found original versions of Nickelodeon live-action comedy series episodes; 1991-1993)
• All That (partially lost Nickelodeon sketch comedy series; 1994-2005)
• Beyond Belief!! (partially found Nickelodeon documentary series; 1992-1994)
• Bing! The Sound of Something New (partially lost Nickelodeon magazine TV series; 1995)
• Cartoon Lost and Found (found live-action/animated Nick at Nite special; 1990)
• Cousin Skeeter (partially lost Nickelodeon live-action/puppet series; 1998-2001)
• Drake & Josh (partially found widescreen version of Nickelodeon sitcom episodes; 2004-2007)
• Innie & Outie (found live-action Nickelodeon short film; 1996)
• Just For Kicks (found Nickelodeon live-action comedy-drama series; 2006)
• Kids' Court (partially found Nickelodeon non-traditional court series and other media; 1988-1994)
• Mcjuniorclub TV (partially found Nickelodeon Netherlands/McDonald's live-action short series; 2008)
• The Nick at Nite Holiday Special (found musical comedy Christmas special; 2003)
• The Nick Cannon Show (partially lost spin-off of "All That" Nickelodeon sketch comedy series; 2002-2003)
• Nick News with Linda Ellerbee (partially found Nickelodeon educational news series; 1992-2015)
• Noah Knows Best (partially lost English audio of Nickelodeon sitcom; 2000-2001)
• Reggie Jackson's World of Sports (partially found Nickelodeon sports series; 1981-1982)
• U to U (partially found Nickelodeon interactive series; 1994-1996)
• Vic's Vacant Lot (partially found ESPN/Nickelodeon sports series; 1982-1985)

Pilots

• Aaahh!!! Real Monsters (partially found pitch pilot of Nickelodeon animated series; early 1990s)
• The Adventures of Johnny Quasar (found prototype "Jimmy Neutron" animated shorts; 1995-1997)
• The Angry Beavers "Cuffed Together" (non-existent second pilot of Nickelodeon animated series; early-mid 1990s)
• Bad Seeds (found pitch pilot of "Harvey Beaks" Nickelodeon animated series; 2013)
• The Barnyard (found original test pitch of Nickelodeon CGI animated series; 1999)
• Big Beast Quintet (lost Nickelodeon animated pilot; 1990)
• Brand New Day (partially found pitch pilot of "Big Time Rush" Nickelodeon musical comedy series; 2007)
• Camp Nick (partially found Nickelodeon game show pilot; mid-1990s)
• Catscratch (found animated pitch of Nickelodeon animated series; 2004)
• The Crowville Chronicles (partially found Nickelodeon animated pilot; 1990)
• Curbside (found Nickelodeon animated pilot; 1999)
• Drake & Josh (partially found pitch pilot of Nickelodeon sitcom; 2002)
• Figure it Out (partially found pitch pilot of Nickelodeon game show; 1990s)
• Generation Gap (partially found Nickelodeon game show pilot; early 1990s)
• Gibby (found pitch pilot of cancelled spin-off of "iCarly" Nickelodeon teen sitcom; 2012)
• Go For It (lost Nickelodeon game show pilot; early 1990s)
• Hey Arnold! (found pitch pilot of Nickelodeon animated series; 1994)
• Humongous (lost pilot of Nickelodeon game show; early 1990s)
• I Don't Think So (partially found Nickelodeon game show pilot; 1994)
• Invader Zim (lost 3D animation test sequence from Nickelodeon animated series pilot; 1999)
• KaBlam! "The Henry and June Show" (found spin-off pilot of Nickelodeon animated series; 2000)
• Kappa Mikey (found pitch pilots of Nickelodeon animated series; 2004)
• Morph Sports (partially found Nickelodeon game show pilot; 1995-1996)
• Mr. Meaty "In Parker's Sight" (partially lost pitch pilot of Nickelodeon puppet series; 2005)
• Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide (partially found original version of Nickelodeon sitcom pilots; 2003)
• Ned's Declassified High School Survival Guide (lost pitch pilot of rejected spin-off of Nickelodeon sitcom; 2008)
• The Penguins of Madagascar (partially found pitch pilot versions for Nickelodeon CGI animated series; mid-2000s)
• Pudding Toast (partially found Nickelodeon animated pitch pilots; 2012)
• Rocket Beach (found pitch pilot of "Rocket Power" Nickelodeon animated series; 1998)
• Roundhouse (partially found pitch pilot of Nickelodeon comedy series; 1991)
• Slime Survivor (partially found Nickelodeon game show pilot; 2000)
• The Thundermans (partially lost pitch pilot of Nickelodeon live-action comedy series; 2012)
• Tooned In! (partially found Nickelodeon game show pilot; 1998)
• Trash (lost Nickelodeon stop-motion animated pilot; 1990)
• Video Dream Theater (lost Nickelodeon animated pilots; 1979)
• The Weasel Patrol (partially found Nickelodeon animated pilot; 1990)
• Who Knew? (partially found Nickelodeon game show pilot; 1998)
• The Wild Thornberrys (found pilot of Nickelodeon animated series; 1998)

Other

• Action League Now!: The Series "Monster Mashed" (found episode of "Kablam!" spin-off animated series; 2002)
• Action League Now!: The Series "Thunder Girl: Tracking The Storm" (found episode of "Kablam!" spin-off series; 2001-2002)
• Adventures in Wonder Park (partially lost unaired Nickelodeon animated series based on film; 2019)
• Against the Odds (partially found Nickelodeon documentary series; 1982-1988)
• The Angry Beavers "A Tail of Two Rangers/Bye Bye Beavers" (partially found finale episode of Nickelodeon animated series; 2001)
• Back at the Barnyard (partially found widescreen versions of Nickelodeon CGI animated series episodes; 2007-2011)
• The Butcher (lost Nickelodeon puppet short film; existence unconfirmed; 2001)
• Danny Phantom (partially found original opening title sequence of Nickelodeon animated series; 2003)
• Got Chocolate Milk? (found "SpongeBob SquarePants" animated tie-in commercial; 2001)
• Gruff's Groove Box (lost Nickelodeon music series; 2001)
• Hocus Focus (partially found Nickelodeon variety series; 1979-1981)
• The Humpback Hop (found full version of "SpongeBob SquarePants" production music; 2002)
• ICarly "How To" (found bonus content DVD from Nickelodeon sitcom "Web Show Set"; 2011)
• Invader Zim (partially found production material of cancelled episodes of Nickelodeon animated series; 2001-2002)
• KaBlam! "Episode 29" (non-existent episode of Nickelodeon animated series; 1998)
• KaBlam! "Just Chillin" (found final episode of Nickelodeon animated series; 2000)
• KaBlam! "KaFun!" (found episode of Nickelodeon animated series; 1999)
• KaBlam! "An Off-Beats Valentine's" (found spin-off special of Nickelodeon animated series; 1998)
• The Lil' Sam & Cat Show (partially lost web series based on Nickelodeon sitcom; 2013-2014)
• The Loud House (partially lost deleted scenes of Nickelodeon animated series; 2016-present)
• Nickelodeon Japan (partially found various final sign-off footage of Japanese TV channel; 2009)
• Nickelodeon Launch Box (partially lost educational series; 1991-1994)
• Nickelodeon Magazine's Big 10 Birthday Bash (found Nickelodeon TV special; 2003)
• Nickelodeon Mega Music Fest 2010 (found Nickelodeon musical event broadcast; 2010)
• Nickelodeon Studios Opening Day Celebration! (found live broadcast of event; 1990)
• PopClips (partially found Nickelodeon music video TV series; 1980-1981)
• Prometheus and Bob (lost various material of "KaBlam!" Nickelodeon stop-motion animated series; late 1990s)
• The Ren & Stimpy Show (non-existent unused Kurt Cobain song for Nickelodeon animated series; 1990)
• The Ren & Stimpy Show "Man's Best Friend" (found banned episode of Nickelodeon animated series; 1992)
• Robot and Monster (partially found unaired/unfinished episodes of Nickelodeon animated series; 2012-2013)
• Rugrats: A Live Adventure (partially found footage of musical adaptation of Nickelodeon animated series; 1998-2000)
• Rugrats "Incredible" (partially lost storyboard jam comic of Nickelodeon animated series; 1998)
• SpongeBob SquarePants (partially lost deleted scenes of Nickelodeon animated series; 1999-present)
• SpongeBob SquarePants "Behind Closed Doors" (partially found storyboard jam comic of Nickelodeon animated series; 2000s)
• SpongeBob SquarePants "Sailor Mouth" (lost uncensored version of Nickelodeon animated series episode; 2001)
• SpongeBob SquarePants "Shanghaied/You Wish" (found alternate "Patchy the Pirate" segments of Nickelodeon animated series special; 2001)
• SpongeBob SquarePants "SpaceBob InvaderPants/Krabs' Army" (lost production material of cancelled Nickelodeon animated series episodes; 2015)
• War Blowers (found full version of "SpongeBob SquarePants" production music; 1999)
• Weinerville (partially lost Nickelodeon variety puppet series; 1993-1997)