Spit It Out (game show) facts for kids

Spit It Out was a fun Australian game show made for kids. Elliot Spencer was the host. It first aired on 4 October 2010. The show took over the afternoon spot from another show called It's Academic.

Alan Curtis first created Spit It Out as a board game. Later, he worked with Grant Rule to turn it into a TV show.

How the Game Works

In Spit It Out, two teams from different schools competed. Each team played several word games. Every team had a "clue leader." This leader got a secret word from the host.

The leader then told their four teammates to find "letter blocks." These blocks were chosen based on a clue. The team members then tried to guess the secret word.

The show used a round-robin style at first. This meant each school got two chances to play. As the series finals got closer, teams entered elimination rounds. This led to one school winning the big prize.

Unlike many other kids' game shows, Spit It Out was special. It was the first in many years to include schools from Victoria. It was also made in Melbourne, not Sydney.

Game Rounds

Head to Head

In this round, both team leaders got a mystery word. They used giant foam blocks with their teammates. They placed these blocks on a clue board, like in the game Boggle. The leaders gave clues to their team. The team captains then had to guess the actual word. Teams got one guess per clue. They earned 3 points for each word they guessed correctly.

Frenzee

In the first season, two team members from each school played this round. They used an electronic touch-screen. It had fourteen random letters, including nine consonants and all five vowels. Their goal was to create as many words as possible. Words had to be four to seven letters long. They had ninety seconds to do this.

If the letters included an 's', they could not use plural words. Names of people and places were also not allowed. Teams scored one point for each word they created. In the quarter-finals, a seven-letter word earned two points.

In the second season, the rules changed a bit. Teams had to find words in a specific order. First, a four-letter word, then a five-letter word. After that, they needed a six or seven-letter word. This cycle repeated until time ran out. This change made the game more challenging. It also encouraged teams to find longer words. One point was scored for a four-letter word. A five-letter word earned two points. Six-letter words were worth three points. Seven-letter words gave five points.

Every Second Counts

Again, both clue leaders got a mystery word. They worked with their teammates to place blocks on a table. The team captains could choose when to guess the word. If they guessed wrong, they could not guess again. Their team also stopped giving clues.

The time limit for this round was two minutes. Points started at three. They increased by three points every thirty seconds. The maximum points available were twelve. The mystery word in this round was always an adjective.

Head to Head: With A Twist

This round was similar to the first Head to Head. However, the points changed based on time. The first mystery word was worth ten points. The second was worth twenty points, and so on. The time limit was three minutes.

In the final stages, Elliot, the host, allowed any team to give a clue. This helped teams that were behind catch up. It stopped the leading team from just running down the clock.

If the scores were tied after four rounds, a "golden word" tiebreaker happened. Only one mystery word was given to both team leaders. They gave clues just like in Head to Head. The first team to guess the word correctly won one point and the game. There was no time limit for this tiebreaker.

For example, on 22 December 2010, Albert Park and Canterbury were tied. Canterbury gave the clue "MUSIK." Albert Park quickly buzzed in and guessed "SONG." Albert Park won the game and moved on to the final.

Series 1 Summary

In the first series, Albert Park played St Kilda Park in the Friday final. St Kilda won with a score of 72–65. The four schools that made it to the Grand Final were Elwood, Port Melbourne, Bundoora, and St Kilda.

During Grand Final Week, teams battled it out. Port Melbourne won against Bundoora. St Kilda came from behind to beat Elwood. Elwood then defeated Bundoora, becoming the first team in the Friday final. Port Melbourne also secured a spot in the Friday final by winning a close game against St Kilda. They correctly guessed "AVATAR" in the last seconds for 30 points.

In the Grand Final on Friday, Port Melbourne played Elwood. Port Melbourne won the championship with a score of 88–16. They showed great strategy, especially in the Every Second Counts round. They guessed "FIZZY" for six points. In Head to Head with a Twist, Port Melbourne guessed "PURSE," "FRISBEE," and "INTERNET" for many points.

Series 2 Summary

The second series of Spit It Out began on 11 July 2011. After many quarter-final games, four teams reached the Grand Final Week. These teams were St Oliver Plunkett, Albion North, Yarrambat, and Apollo Parkways.

New rules for the Frenzee round were used in the Grand Final Week. Teams had to create a "Frenzee stack" of words. They needed a 4-letter, 5-letter, 6-letter, and 7-letter word. Each word was worth one point.

In the Grand Final Week, Yarrambat won against Apollo Parkways. St Oliver Plunkett defeated Albion North. Later, Albion North knocked out Yarrambat. Apollo Parkways also won against St Oliver Plunkett.

The Grand Final came down to two teams: Albion North and Apollo Parkways. Elliot Spencer, the host, said, "64 games ago, we started with 32 schools... we are now down to just two schools. Make no mistake, they are both well deserved to be here this afternoon, where they will both play for the Spit It Out Grand Final Prize Package and of course, the sensationally shining Spit It Out Trophy!"

Here's how the Grand Final played out:

• Round 1 Head To Head: Albion North solved three words and got 9 points. Apollo Parkways solved one word for 3 points.
• Round 2 Frenzee: Albion North spelled 8 correct words and earned 8 points. Apollo Parkways spelled 12 words and earned 12 points.
• Round 3 Every Second Counts: Apollo Parkways correctly guessed "crowded" with clues like "too many" and "busy." They earned 9 points.
• Round 4 Head to Head With a Twist: Albion North did not solve any words in this round. Apollo Parkways solved three words: "chain," "artist," and "spine." They earned 60 points.

In the end, Apollo Parkways won the Grand Final with a total of 84 points. Albion North finished with 17 points.

At the end of the show, Elliot Spencer and the teams waved goodbye. The clue cube stacks spelled out his famous saying: "BYE FOR NOW" and "NOT FOR EVA."