Think Fast (1989 game show) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Think Fast
Genre	Children's game show Comedy
Created by	Bob Mittenthal Michael Klinghoffer
Developed by	Geoffrey Darby Michael Klinghoffer Robert Mittenthal Herb Scannel Byron Taylor
Directed by	Lexi Rae (1989) Bob Lampel (1990)
Presented by	Michael Carrington (1989) Skip Lackey (1990)
Narrated by	James Eoppolo (1989) Henry J. Waleczko (1990)
Composer(s)	Edd Kalehoff
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	106
Production
Executive producer(s)	Geoffrey Darby (1989) Michael Klinghoffer (1990)
Producer(s)	Robert Mittenthal (1989) Marjorie Cohn (1990
Production location(s)	WHYY-TV Studios Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1989–1990) Universal Studios Orlando, Florida (1990–1991)
Release
Original network	Nickelodeon
Original release	May 1, 1989 (1989-05-01) – 1990 (1990)

Think Fast was an American children's game show that aired on Nickelodeon. It ran from May 1, 1989, to mid-1990. Reruns of the show continued to air weekly until June 29, 1991.

The first season of Think Fast was hosted by Michael Carrington. James Eoppolo was the announcer. For the second season, the show moved to the new Nickelodeon Studios in Orlando, Florida. Skip Lackey took over as host, and Henry J. Waleczko became the announcer. The show's catchy theme music was created by Edd Kalehoff.

Sixty-five episodes of Season 1 were filmed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Forty-five episodes of Season 2 were filmed in Orlando, Florida.

How to Play: The Game's Rules

In Think Fast, two teams of two players competed. One team wore gold, and the other wore blue. They faced different challenges that tested their minds and bodies. The team that finished an event won money. They earned $50 for winning in Round 1 and $100 for winning in Round 2.

In the first season, sometimes events could end in a tie. If both teams failed a stunt, no money was given. If they tied in score, both teams received the money. Also, in the first season, some events required teams to buzz in when they were done. If a team buzzed in without finishing correctly, the other team won.

Mind-Boggling Challenges

Here are some of the fun and messy challenges teams faced:

• Simon-Style Games – Players had to remember and repeat a series of actions. They also had to add a new action to the sequence. The first team to make a mistake or run out of time lost.
  • We've Got Your Number (later called "Close Calls") – Teams punched numbers on a giant telephone in a specific order.
  • Pat the Uncle (later called "Burp the Uncle") – Players pushed down on "uncles" to make them burp loudly. These "uncles" were huge men eating snacks like popcorn or tortilla chips.
  • Paint Catcher – One player threw paint-filled balloons at their partner. The partner wore a special shield. Teams had to throw specific colors in order.
• Flog – This game was "golf" spelled backward! A miniature golf hole was set up. To putt, players had to read a word spelled backward and say it correctly. The first team to get their ball in the hole won. Sometimes, palindromes (words spelled the same backward and forward, like RACECAR) were used to trick players.
• Plumber's Blackjack – One player poured colored water into a large container over their partner's head. The goal was to reach a marked line without going over. If a team poured too much, the water would spill out onto the seated teammate!
• Weight and Seesaw – Players sat on a seesaw with household objects on the other side. They took turns removing items to balance the scale. If a player removed too much, they would fall into a big bowl of slime!
• America's Most Wanted Clowns – The host would start explaining a weird game. Then, a silly clown would suddenly run through the studio! The real game was to answer questions about what the clown was wearing.
• Basketball Challenges – Teams shot balls into baskets. The baskets often matched answers to questions.
  • One version had a giant basketball hoop over colored tubes. Each tube had a phrase with a missing color word. Players shot colored balls into the correct tubes to complete the phrases.
  • Another version had ten small hoops. Each hoop matched a sound effect. Players listened to sounds and shot basketballs into the hoops that matched.
• This is to That – Players saw a board of anagrams (scrambled words). The host gave clues like "Dog is to bark as cat is to _______." Players buzzed in and unscrambled the correct word on the board.
• Categorically Speaking – The host gave a letter and a category (like "animals starting with 'B'"). Players took turns saying words that fit. If a player made a mistake, repeated a word, or ran out of time, their opponent scored a point.
• Word Search – Teams found words in a puzzle based on clues. Finding a word let them pour slop into a pipe. The first team to fill their pipe won.
• Leaning Tower of Things – Teams had 60 seconds to build the tallest tower they could using random objects. The tower had to stand for three seconds after time ran out.
• The Feelies – One player was blindfolded. Their partner handed them an object and gave a one-word clue. The team that identified more objects faster won.
• Leaping Letters – One player launched letters from a catapult. Their partner caught them and put them on a board to form words.
• Mind Boggling – Teams used cubes with letters on each side to make as many words as they could on a grid.
• Market Madness – Teams had mixed-up items on shelves. They had to unscramble shelf markers and put items on the correct shelves (like cereal on the top shelf).
• Frosty The Junkman – Teams dressed up a snowman named Frosty using a pile of junk. They had to follow the description in a parody song sung by the host.
• Wipe Out – Teams cleaned a gunked-up poster of a celebrity by throwing sponges at it. The first team to guess the celebrity won.
• Jack's Be Nimble – One player stood at a board. Their partner threw shaving cream balloons with letters inside. The first team to spell a phrase on the board won.
• Mess Heads – One player identified a food the host described. Then, they scooped slop into a bag above their partner's head. The first team to fill the bag until it broke won.
• Movie Marquee – Teams dumped popcorn from buckets to find letters. They then put the letters on a marquee to spell a movie title.
• Alphabet Soup – Teams fished letters out of a giant bowl of alphabet soup. They placed the letters on a lunch menu to complete it.
• Altered States – Teams completed an unfinished 3-D jigsaw puzzle of the United States, placing each state in its correct spot.
• Safe Crackers – Teams solved a crazy math problem to find the combination to a safe. The first team to open the safe and get the item inside won.
• Card House – Teams had to copy a card house model shown by the host, using playing cards and glue.
• Heavyweight Boxing – Teams nested boxes of different sizes, putting the smallest into a slightly bigger one, and so on.
• The Absent Minded Chef – A chef pulled ingredients from bags. Teams had to guess what meal those ingredients made.
• Space Art – Teams copied an image onto a grid of spinning colored blocks.
• Memory Match – Teams studied a board with answers and numbers. After the answers were covered, the host described one, and players had to shout its number.
• Egg Me On – One player guided their blindfolded partner, dressed as a chicken, across a field of eggs. They had to avoid breaking the other team's eggs.
• Behind The Teacher's Back – While one team answered questions, the other made spit wads and threw them at a target on a chalkboard behind the teacher.
• Paper Route – The host described a newspaper headline. If a team guessed it, their partner got to throw a newspaper into a bucket on a porch.
• Smelly Garbage – Teams sorted garbage into different-sized trash cans and bags.
• Chores – The host read a list of chores in a random order. Teams had to complete them in the correct order.

The Think Fast Brain Bender

After each event, the winning team got to try a "Brain Bender" puzzle. This was a visual puzzle where pieces were removed one by one. It could be a picture of a celebrity, a rebus puzzle, or a close-up of objects. Solving a Brain Bender was worth $200. If a team solved it early, another Brain Bender was used.

The team with the most money at the end of the game won! They then moved on to the bonus round, called the Locker Room.

The Locker Room: Bonus Round Fun

The Locker Room had fifteen large lockers. Inside, teams might find a costumed character that would spray them with messy surprises, or objects like rubber balls or balloons that would fly out. Players had to wear helmets, goggles, and pads because of all the surprises!

The goal was to find seven pairs of matching characters or objects. There was also one locker that didn't have a match. Each match won a prize. When a player found a match, they pressed a button to close all lockers and lock the matched ones.

Carrington's Locker Room

In the first season, the first player had 30 seconds to find pairs. One locker held a "Time Bomb" that would "go off" after 20 seconds. If the first player opened this locker, the second player also got 30 seconds. If the Time Bomb went off, the second player only got 20 seconds. Finding six matches won the team a trip!

Lackey's Locker Room

In the second season, teams took turns and had 60 seconds to find all seven matches. The first four matches won $200. The last three matches awarded prizes, with a grand prize for finding all seven. One locker had a "Red Herring" – a character with no match. If this locker was opened, the player had to pull a special cord. This didn't count as a match, but it let them keep playing.

Where the Show Was Made

Like many early Nickelodeon game shows, Think Fast's first season was filmed at WHYY-TV in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. For its second season, the show moved to the new Universal Studios Florida in Orlando. The set got a new look there. The Orlando episodes were filmed in January 1990, before Nickelodeon Studios officially opened. Think Fast was the second Nickelodeon game show to be filmed there.

Byron Taylor designed the set for Think Fast, just like he did for many other Nickelodeon game shows from 1986 to 1996.