Mad Libs (game show) facts for kids

The TV show Mad Libs was a fun American game show for kids. It was based on the popular word game books. The show was on the Disney Channel from July 1998 to mid-1999. A special first episode aired in February 1997. David Sidoni was the host. Famous TV producers Dick Clark and J. D. Roth helped make the show.

How to Play Mad Libs on TV

The Mad Libs game show had two teams of two kids. One team wore red, and the other wore blue. They competed in different challenges. These challenges mixed physical activities with brainy puzzles. All the games were inspired by the Mad Libs books. Teams tried to score points and win cool prizes.

Main Game Rounds

Round 1: Viewer Mad Lib Challenge

In the first round, a kid watching at home got to be part of the show. They would read a special Mad Lib they wrote. This Mad Lib then became a real-life physical challenge for the teams. The goal was to make the most progress in a set time. Sometimes, the first team to finish the stunt won. The winning team earned 20 points. If both teams completed the stunt, they both got 20 points.

Round 2: Madder Than You Word Game

Two teams awaiting to start the Madder Than You round.

For this round, the host, David Sidoni, gave the teams a category. Teams took turns saying words that fit the category. They passed a white ball, called the "hot potato," back and forth. The game continued until a team made a mistake. Mistakes included saying a word that didn't fit or repeating a word. Passing the ball too early or running out of time also counted as a mistake.

When a team made a mistake, the other team got five points. Then, a new category was given, and the game started again. This round lasted for two minutes.

Round 3: Mega Stunt Challenge

In this round, both teams faced a big stunt. These stunts were often silly and active. For example, teams might have to grab items while strapped into a mailbag. Each item had a word on it. The goal was to collect four words for four different categories. Getting all four words completed a Mad Lib. This earned the team 20 points.

Round 4: Mixed-Up Mad Libs Final Round

This was the most important round. The host read sentences that had a funny, wrong word in them. Kids had to buzz in and say the correct word. If a player buzzed in and gave a wrong answer, the other team got a chance to answer. After each sentence, the players at the buzzers switched with their teammates. Each correct answer was worth ten points.

This round lasted for 90 seconds. The team with the most points when time ran out won the game. If there was a tie, one more "Mixed-Up Mad Lib" was read. The first player to buzz in and correct it won the game. If they were wrong, the other team won automatically. The winning team moved on to the bonus round. The losing team went home with cool gifts. These gifts included a free year of Disney Blast Online, The D Show on CD-ROM, and a Mad Libs book.

Bonus Round: Maximum Mad Lib Grand Prize

In the bonus round, the winning team decided who would give clues and who would guess. During the commercial break, the clue-giver secretly placed five words. These words were given to them in an envelope. After the break, the clue-giver had 90 seconds to get their partner to say these words. David Sidoni gave a category for each word.

The clue areas changed in each episode. The clue-giver had to do funny things to give clues. This might include stuffing marshmallows in their mouth while saying the word. Or, they might lick frosting and spell the word with their tongue. Sometimes, they had to act out the word without speaking.

Every time the guesser said a word correctly, the team won that word. They could skip a word and come back to it if they had time. When time ran out, the words they guessed were put into a Mad Lib. After the host read it, each word was checked. One of the five words was the "grand prize word." If the team guessed that word, or if they got all five words, they won the grand prize! If not, they still received a special consolation prize.