Figure It Out facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Figure It Out
Created by	Kevin Kay Magda Liolis
Presented by	Summer Sanders Jeff Sutphen
Starring	Danny Tamberelli Kevin Kopelow Amanda Bynes Lori Beth Denberg Ciara Bravo Matt Bennett
Narrated by	Jeffery "J" Dumas Elle Young
Music by	Roy Harter
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	6
No. of episodes	218
Production
Production location(s)	Nickelodeon Studios, Universal Studios Orlando, Florida (1997–1999) Paramount Studios Los Angeles, California (2012–13)
Running time	24 minutes
Production company(s)	Nickelodeon Productions
Distributor	Viacom International
Release
Original network	Nickelodeon
Picture format	480i (SDTV) (Seasons 1–4) 1080i (HDTV) (Seasons 5–6)
Original release	Original: July 7, 1997 (1997-07-07) – December 12, 1999 (1999-12-12) Revival: June 11, 2012 – July 16, 2013

Figure It Out was a fun American game show for kids that aired on Nickelodeon. In this show, kids with special skills or unique achievements were the contestants. A group of four Nickelodeon celebrities, called the panel, tried to guess the secret talent of the contestant.

The original show was hosted by Summer Sanders. It ran for four seasons from July 1997 to December 1999. Later, the show came back in 2012 with Jeff Sutphen as the new host. This revival aired from June 2012 to July 2013.

The first episodes were filmed at Nickelodeon Studios in Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. The newer episodes were filmed at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles. Figure It Out was inspired by older game shows like What's My Line? and I've Got a Secret.

After the original show ended, reruns of Figure It Out were shown on Nick GAS. Some episodes also aired in 2012 on TeenNick as part of "The '90s Are All That," which was a block of shows from the 1990s.

How to Play the Game

Each episode of Figure It Out had two games. In each game, there were three timed rounds. The panel tried to guess the contestant's secret talent by asking "yes" or "no" questions.

• If a panelist asked a question and the answer was "yes," they could keep asking more questions.
• If the answer was "no," their turn ended, and the next panelist got a turn.
• Panelists could also "pass" their turn if they couldn't think of a question.

When a panelist said a word that was part of the secret talent, that word would light up on a special game board. This board was called "Billy the Answer Head" in the original show and the "It Board" in the revival. Words like "of" or "an" were automatically shown.

Winning Prizes

The contestant won a prize after each round if the panel didn't guess their talent. The prize for winning the third round was usually a trip! In the first season, some prizes were props from other Nickelodeon shows like Double Dare. Later, they gave out cool merchandise like Nintendo 64s and gift cards.

If the panel didn't guess the talent by the end of Round 3, each panelist got one final guess. The game ended when someone guessed the talent or if no one guessed it correctly. After the secret talent was revealed, the contestant would show off their skill to everyone!

Clues and Hints

During each round, the panelists got a clue to help them guess the secret talent. These clues could be:

• Physical objects: Like dates to hint at calendars.
• Sounds: Sometimes, a sound would be played.
• The Clue-cano: In later seasons, messy clues would erupt from clue boxes, often sliming the panel!
• Pantomime: A group of cast members, called the "Charade Brigade" or "Clue Force 3," would act out a word from the secret phrase. Sometimes, they even used Pictionary!

At the start of rounds two and three, a quick recap of the clues was shown on a screen.

Secret Slime Action

This was a super fun part of the show! In each game, a random audience member played for a prize. If one or more panelists did a special "Secret Slime Action" during the game, those panelists would get slimed by the end of round 3! The audience member would then win their prize. The show's announcer, "J," would reveal what the Secret Slime Action was.

The Secret Slime Action was usually something simple that panelists might do without thinking, like:

• Touching a clue.
• Looking to the left (where clues often came from).
• Saying "Are you..." or "Is it...".
• Looking at the audience.
• Saying "I don't know."
• Even just being a certain panelist or having a specific name!

For example, Steve Burns from Blue's Clues was slimed because the action was "having a blue dog." Alex Heartman from Power Rangers Samurai was slimed for "wearing a red unitard to work." The host often knew the action and sometimes tricked the panelists into doing it!

Word of Honor

In the 2012 revival, there was a new twist called the "Word of Honor." Before each game, one word from the contestant's secret talent was chosen as the "Word of Honor." If the panel guessed this specific word, the contestant would get slimed! When this happened, the game and clock would pause. If the "Word of Honor" was guessed, it wouldn't be used again in that show.

Meet the Panelists

Most of the panelists on Figure It Out were stars from Nickelodeon shows that were popular at the time. Some regular panelists from the original show included:

• Amanda Bynes
• Lori Beth Denberg
• Kevin Kopelow
• Danny Tamberelli (who was also on The Adventures of Pete & Pete)

Amanda, Kevin, and Danny were known for being silly and asking funny questions. Lori Beth Denberg was often the serious one, asking smart questions and frequently guessing the secret talent. Kevin Kopelow, Amanda Bynes, Danny Tamberelli, and Irene Ng (from The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo) were the only four panelists who appeared in every season of the original show.

Sometimes, the first seat on the panel was for an adult celebrity who wasn't from Nickelodeon, like Taran Noah Smith from Home Improvement. Even cartoon characters like CatDog and Cousin Skeeter appeared as panelists!

In the later seasons (5 and 6), Matt Bennett from Victorious and Ciara Bravo from Big Time Rush were often in the first panel spot. Other famous guest panelists included Coolio, Mike O'Malley, Colin Mochrie, and even professional wrestlers like Chris Jericho and "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan.

Show Changes Over Time

The original Figure It Out logo from 1997-1999.

Figure It Out changed its style and rules a few times:

• Season 3 (1998) - Figure It Out: Family Style: This season featured two or three contestants who were related, like parents and children or siblings. Sometimes, family members of the panelists or host would even join in! There was also "Little Billy," a tiny version of Billy the Answer Head.
• Season 4 (1999) - Figure It Out: Wild Style: This version focused only on talents involving animals! Billy the Answer Head even changed shape to look like different animals. The panelists also wore wild hair, wigs, and makeup. Lori Beth Denberg was not in this season.
• Season 5 (2012) - The Revival: The show went back to its original name. Jeff Sutphen became the new host, and Elle Young was the announcer. The set, music, and logo were updated for a new generation. The game rules were slightly changed, including the "Word of Honor" and shorter round times.
• Season 6 (2012 and 2013): The show continued with a similar style. For one episode, there was even a fifth seat at the panel desk for a child who won a contest!

Famous Contestants

Some people who later became famous appeared on Figure It Out as contestants:

• On April 7, 1998, future country music singer Hunter Hayes was a contestant when he was six years old. His talent was playing the accordion and singing.
• Sam Roberts, a radio host, appeared in Season 2. His talent was flipping quarters off his ankle.
• Marcus Stroman, a baseball player for the New York Mets, won a prize in Season 1.
• Gentry Haukebo, a rap artist known as 1oK, was a contestant and prize winner in Season 6. Her talent was being a shovel racing champion.
• Julia Srednicki, who later became a character designer for the cartoon OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes, was part of the "Clue Force 3" in the last two seasons.

See also

In Spanish: Figure It Out para niños