Legends of the Hidden Temple

This article is about the game show. For the 2016 made-for-cable movie, see Legends of the Hidden Temple (film).
"The Pit of Despair" redirects here. For the device designed by Harry Harlow, see Pit of despair.

Legends of the Hidden Temple
GenreGame show
Created by
Directed by
Starring
Voices ofDee Bradley Baker
Composers
  • David G. Stanley & Scott A. Stone (credited on-air as "The Music Machine") (1993–95)
  • Eimear Noone & Craig Stuart Garfinkle (2021–22)
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons
  • 3 (Nickelodeon)
  • 1 (The CW)
No. of episodes
  • 120 (Nickelodeon)[1]
  • 13 (The CW)
Production
Executive producers
  • David G. Stanley (1993–95)
  • Scott A. Stone
  • Marcus J. Fox (2021–22)
Producers
  • David M. Greenfield (1995)
  • Brennan Huntington (1995)
Production locations
Running time
  • 22–24 minutes (Nickelodeon)
  • 42 minutes (The CW)
Production companies
Original release
NetworkNickelodeon[3]
ReleaseSeptember 11, 1993 (1993-09-11)[3] –
November 24, 1995 (1995-11-24)[1]
NetworkThe CW
ReleaseOctober 10, 2021 (2021-10-10) –
January 23, 2022 (2022-01-23)
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

Legends of the Hidden Temple is an American action-adventure[4] television game show that broadcast from 1993 to 1995[1] on Nickelodeon. Created by David G. Stanley, Scott A. Stone, and Stephen Brown, the program features a fictitious temple, "filled with lost treasures protected by mysterious Mayan temple guards."[5] Kirk Fogg is the show's host,[3] while Dee Baker is both announcer and voice of a stone head named Olmec who "knows the secrets behind each of the treasures in his temple."[5] Six teams (Red Jaguars, Blue Barracudas, Green Monkeys, Orange Iguanas, Purple Parrots, Silver Snakes) of two children (one boy and one girl) compete to retrieve one of the historical artifacts in the temple by performing physical stunts and answering questions based on history, mythology, and geography. Contestants trying out had to compete in several physical tasks, including rope climbing and running, as well as a written test. The majority of the contestants were picked from the surrounding Orlando, Florida, area.[6]

A revival with adult contestants aired for a single season from October 2021 to January 2022 on The CW.

  1. ^ a b c Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946–Present. Random House. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4.
  2. ^ Gomez, Patrick (October 10, 2021). "Olmec gets a makeover: An inside look at new, 'more authentic' Legends of the Hidden Temple set". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c Schwartz, David; Ryan, Steve; Wostbrock, Fred (1999). "Legends of the Hidden Temple". The Encyclopedia of TV Game Shows (3rd ed.). Facts on File. p. 124. ISBN 0-8160-3847-3.
  4. ^ Arneberg, Marianne (October 4, 1993). "Programmers Dive into Kids Shows: Programs Involving Children Hottest New Trend in Television". Orlando Sentinel. p. 12. 'We wanted to do an action-adventure game show – sort of like a live video game for television,' said Scott Stone
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference lotht-catherine was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Flood, Pat (August 25, 1994). "Teen's Team Wins Big on TV". Orlando Sentinel. p. 12B. During her April tryout, Tabitha, 13, had to take a written test, run, climb a rope and do pull-ups, she said.