Go Go Stop facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Go Go Stop |
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| Genre | Children's Game Show |
| Created by | Michael Boughen |
| Directed by | Brian Foreshaw |
| Presented by | Jesse Tobin |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 260 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Michael Boughen |
| Running time | 30 minutes per episode (inc. commercials) |
| Production company(s) | SLR Productions |
| Release | |
| Original network | Seven Network |
| Picture format | 576i (SDTV) 1080i (HDTV) |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release | 2004 – 2007 |
Go Go Stop was an exciting Australian game show made just for kids! It aired on the Seven Network and was hosted by Jesse Tobin. In each episode, students from three different schools competed to win awesome prizes for their school.
The show ran for four years, from 2004 to 2007. Even though new episodes aren't made anymore, you might still catch repeats during school holidays in New South Wales. The goal for each school was to earn the most points by the end of the week to take home the big prize!
Contents
How to Play Go Go Stop
The game takes place on a giant floor made of 30 bright plasma screens. These screens are set up like a big rectangle. Players wear special control pads on their wrists. They use these to answer questions.
The questions are usually multiple-choice with two answers, or true-or-false. Players can take their time to think. Only players who answer correctly get to move forward on the game zone. Players never lose points, they only gain them for correct answers!
The first player to answer a question correctly gets to move first. At the start of a round, players stand at the top of the game zone. When they answer right, they step onto a plasma screen. This screen lights up with a special command. The player must then follow that command!
In the early days of the show (around 2004), the audience used to shout out answers. But this made it too easy for players, so it was stopped.
Meet the Contestants
Each week, three schools send their best students to compete. Eight students are chosen from each school after auditions. Five of these students play on different days, and three are reserves. Reserves step in if a main player is sick, hurt, or can't make it. Sometimes, if a contestant's clothes have big brand names on them, they might need to be replaced by a reserve. The students who are playing sit in the very front row for their school.
Game Zone Commands
When a player steps on a plasma screen, it shows a command. Here's what they mean:
| Name | Command | Appears in rounds |
|---|---|---|
| Go | The player takes another step forward, diagonally forward, or to the side. | 1, 2, 3 |
| Stop | The player stops on that screen, ending their turn. | 1, 2, 3 |
| Bonus Screens | Awards 10 or 15 points, then acts as a stop screen. | 1, 2 |
| Miss A Turn | The player cannot answer the next question and must end their run. | 1, 2, 3 |
| Arrows | The player must go to the screen the arrow is pointing at. | 1, 2, 3 |
| Back Two | The player must go back two screens (straight back, not the last two screens they were on). | 2, 3 |
| No Entry | The player cannot enter the game zone at that screen. They must pick a new starting spot (only on the top row). | 2, 3 |
| Start Again | The player must step off the game zone and start the game again (they don't lose points). | 3 |
| Swap Places | The two players on the game zone must switch spots. In later seasons, this didn't stop their turn. | 3 |
| Try Again | The player must go back to the bottom of the game zone and pick a new question. They don't win a prize for the previous question. | 4 |
The Rounds of Play
Go Go Stop has four exciting rounds. Each round gets tougher!
Round 1: Three-Way Scramble
This round is called Three-Way Scramble because all three players compete at once. If you answer a question correctly, you score 10 points. If you manage to step all the way off the game zone, you earn a big 25 points!
At the start, the three players line up in front of three plasma TVs, standing on white dots.
Round 2: The First Elimination
Round 2 is a lot like Round 1, but correct answers are worth more points: 15 points each! This round also has more tricky hazards on the game zone, making it harder to reach the end.
This is the first round where a player gets eliminated. The player with the lowest score at the end of Round 2 has to leave the game.
Round 3: Head to Head
Now it's Head to Head! Only two players are left in this round. Answering a question correctly earns you 20 points, and stepping off the game zone is worth a huge 50 points! The player with the lowest score at the end of this round is eliminated.
If there's a tie, they play a special tie-breaker!
- In 2004-2005, tied players stood back-to-back. The host asked a true or false question. Players used thumbs up for true and thumbs down for false. The first one to get it right won!
- In 2006-2007, the host gave clues about a famous person or thing. If a contestant knew the answer, they'd shout their school's name. A correct answer won the tie-breaker. An incorrect answer meant the other player won!
In this round, the two remaining players stand on the right and left dots in front of the plasma TVs.
Round 4: Run for Fun
The player with the highest score after Round 3 moves on to Run for Fun. This is their chance to win awesome prizes just for themselves! There are five categories to choose from, and each has a true or false question. Five prizes are hidden on the game zone, and you get a quick peek at them before the round starts.
This round lasts for 60 seconds. The player stands on a category screen at the front of the game zone. They yell out the category name, and the host reads the question. Then, the player must run to the other end of the game zone and jump on either the "true" or "false" screen, yelling out their answer.
If they are correct, they can then jump on a screen they think has a prize. They must yell "STOP" to reveal what's on the screen. If it's a prize, they win it! If not, that category can't be used again. The player can then choose another category if there's still time. The round ends when time runs out, when all five prizes are found, or when all categories have been used. If the player doesn't find any prizes, they still get a special consolation prize!
After all the rounds are over, all players and the host stand on marked white dots on the ground for the final shot.
Questions on the Show
The questions on Go Go Stop always have two choices, usually true or false, or two options. They are often fun and a bit tricky, like "Which is heavier: the largest gold nugget ever found, or an average gorilla?" You don't need to be a super-smart expert to do well!
Sometimes, if the game was taking too long, the questions would become much easier. This helped keep the game moving and made sure players kept answering correctly.
Go Go Stop Around the World
Go Go Stop was so popular that other countries made their own versions!
| Country | Title | Network | Presenter |
|---|---|---|---|
 Belgium |
Go Go Stop | Ketnet | Peter Pype |
 Ireland |
Bog Stop | TG4 | Máire Treasa Ní Dhubhghaill |
Belgium'The Belgian Version
A Flemish version of the show, also called Go Go Stop, was made in Belgium. It was hosted by Peter Pype and started airing in November 2007 on Ketnet.
Ireland'The Irish Version
In Ireland, a version called Bog Stop was made in the Irish language for TG4. It was hosted by Máire Treasa Ní Dhubhghaill. The shows were filmed in Galway and broadcast from January to June each year.
For the first series, five students from each school played, with new schools featured each week. Later, the schedule changed, and six students from each school competed, with schools featured for two weeks in a row.
