Lab Rats Challenge facts for kids

Lab Rats Challenge is a fun Australian game show made for kids. It first aired on August 4, 2008, on the Nine Network. The original hosts were Drew Jarvis and Nicole Dixon.

Later, the show moved to the Seven Network on March 5, 2012. Aleisha Rose joined as a new host, replacing Nicole Dixon. On February 12, 2013, it moved again to ABC3 (which is now called 'ABC ME'). You might have also seen it on Cartoon Network.

Unlike some other kids' game shows, Lab Rats Challenge doesn't use a huge set with a live audience. Instead, it uses smaller sets that look like an old science lab. It also uses cool special effects added after filming. The show is filmed in Brisbane, Queensland, at the Channel 9 studio.

How the Game Works

The challenges in Lab Rats Challenge are all about science experiments. For example, you might have to guess how many drops of water can fit on a twenty-cent coin.

The final challenge in each episode is called The Labyrinth. Here, the kid contestants race through a series of physical and mental puzzles. The first team to finish the labyrinth gets "cheesed" at the end! This part is a bit like the mazes in older kids' game shows.

Exciting Rounds

The show has several different rounds where teams earn points.

Nano Challenge

In this quick round, both teams try to complete a challenge at the same time. If they succeed, they earn 10 points. There's no strict time limit, so it could be fast or take a couple of minutes.

What'll Happen If

Drew and Nicole describe a science experiment. Both teams secretly guess what they think will happen. After their guesses, Drew and Nicole perform the experiment. If a team's guess is correct, they win 5 points.

Method Madness

This round involves teams performing a task. Sometimes they do it at the same time, and sometimes one team goes first. If teams take turns, the team that is behind in points gets to choose if they want to go first or second.

If there's a tie, a special "Randomizer" decides the winner. In some versions, the team going second might appear to "shrink" or "lose their heads" using cool computer graphics (CGI). The winning team gets 15 points.

Rat Race

The Rat Race is a big race to finish the game. The team that wins this race gets a huge 30 points! Along the way, teams can also earn extra points called "status accelerators" (20, 15, 10, or 5 points).

The race has fun obstacles like wire traps, cargo nets, and a dark room. There's also a slide, ball pits, and a maze. At the end, there's a "Cheese Dump"! Every episode also has a main task, like filling a cylinder or building a skeleton.

In the 2012 version, teams in the dark room had to find an "eyeball" before leaving. If they left without it, they saved time but couldn't get status accelerator points. After the cargo net and slide, teams grab their status accelerators. Then they enter a maze and must choose the correct doors to escape.

The Randomizer Tie-Breaker

If there's a tie after the What'll Happen If round or the Rat Race, they use a tie-breaker called the Randomizer. Both teams get a beaker of water and two containers of white powder that look the same. Only one powder will cause a chemical reaction when mixed with water.

The team that won the Rat Race gets to pick their powder first. Both teams pour their powder into the water. The team whose powder causes a chemical reaction wins the tie-breaker! This round is completely based on chance.

It's rare, but in one episode (Series 1, Episode 20), there were two Randomizers because the teams tied twice!

Where Else It Aired

• In the United Kingdom, Lab Rats Challenge was shown on POP and Kix.
• In Singapore, the series was shown on Okto and Channel 5.