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Legends of the Hidden Temple

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Legends of the Hidden Temple was a game show hosted by Kirk Fogg that aired on Nickelodeon from 1993-1995. The show was produced by Nickelodeon in association with Stone Stanley Productions. It was a physical challenge game show, with six teams of two children (one boy and one girl) competing for prizes. The format of Legends was similar to other physical challenge shows of the time, such as Double Dare and GUTS.

The set design resembled various ancient Central American iconographies, especially the Aztec or Mayan. The setting is actually Mayan, however, according to the show. It included areas for different types of physical challenges: a set of steps (The Steps of Knowledge), and a large, two-floor vertical labyrinth (The Hidden Temple) in the back of the stage. At the labyrinth's gate was a giant animatronic talking Olmec head simply named Olmec (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker). Every episode had a theme: a particular legend was picked (written), regarding a certain artifact from around the world that found its way to the Temple, and the winning team had to retrieve it. Some artifacts were "Lawrence of Arabia's Headdress," "The Golden Earring of Henry Morgan", "Galileo's Cannonball," "The Milkbucket of Freydis," "The Snake Bracelet of Cleopatra", The Electrified Key of Ben Franklin", "The Applewood Amulet of Emiliano Zapata", and "The Two-Corner Hat of Napoleon." The physical challenges would then be loosely themed after the legend.

Contents

The main game

Teams

In each game, six teams of two members each competed in three rounds to get to the temple. Each team was designated a color and an animal, indicated on their uniform shirts:

Round 1: The Moat

The first round of the show involved a stunt where the six teams had to cross a small swimming pool, known as "The Moat." Some of the commonly used methods include rafts, ropes, and bridges. All six teams attempted to get both members across according to the rules and hit their respective podium button, their "gong." Typically, if a team fell in the water from above, that partner would have to go back and try again until they could get across cleanly. The first four teams to ring their gongs would move on to round two. The other two teams would be eliminated and receive a consolation prize.

Round 2: The Steps of Knowledge

To start round two, Olmec told a story about the artifact of the day. The story was always quite detailed and after it was told, Olmec asked the teams a series of questions to test their memories of it and other knowledge concerning the story. A team that knew the answer buzzed in by hitting the button on their step with their feet (if Olmec was still in the middle of asking the question, he would stop talking immediately). Each multiple-choice question had three possible answers. If the team answered correctly, they moved down to the next level. If a team answered incorrectly or went too long without an answer (approximately 5 seconds), however, the other three teams would have a chance to answer. If two teams answered incorrectly, the question was thrown out, Olmec gave the correct answer, and another was asked. The first two teams to step down to the bottom level by answering three questions correctly moved on to the physical challenge rounds.

Round 3: The Temple Games

Physical challenges employed on Legends were many and varied. The 1st season featured more of an emphasis on teams climbing/crossing ramps to retrieve objects, while hindered by bungee cords attached to them. Most times the ramps were covered with soap or water to make it more difficult. The 2nd/3rd seasons went to more physical activities such as climbing, riding moving/spinning objects or spinning a giant wheel. After each challenge, the winning team was awarded some portion of a protective Pendant of Life. The first two challenges awarded a half-pendant each, and the final challenge awarded a full pendant. If a Temple Game ended in a tie, both teams were awarded the pendant value of that game. After these rounds, the team with the most pendants went on to the final round. In the event of a tie concerning the number of pendants each team was awarded, Fogg (or, later in seasons 2 and 3, Olmec) asked a tiebreaker question to determine the winner. The first two Temple Games were one-on-one, and were not restricted to gender, meaning that both individual Temple Games could be (and occasionally were) boy-versus-girl, and the third and final Game involved both members of both teams taking part.

Round 4: The Temple

In the final round, often known as the Temple Run, the winning team took whatever Pendants of Life they had (most commonly, a full pendant and half of the second) into the temple. The temple consisted of 12 to 13 rooms, depending on the layout, each connected by a doorway which may or may not have been open during the game, depending on the setup used that day. One room in the labyrinth had the themed artifact; three rooms held Temple Guards. If the winning team had an incomplete pendant, the remaining half-pendant would be in a room as well. However, if the team had only one pendant going into the temple, there would be no hidden pendant. In that case, if the second player ran into a Guard, the game would end. Often times, if the room with the artifact was close to the entrance, then doors were locked so that contestants were forced to go the long way.

The winning team had three minutes to retrieve the artifact. One player was sent in first, with a complete pendant. The second player remained outside the Temple gate to watch the first player's progress. In each room, completing a puzzle or accomplishing a task would unlock a door to another room. For example, the Shrine of the Silver Monkey held three pieces of a silver monkey statue, and completing the statue would unlock a door. The Jester's Court had buttons placed along the walls outlining images of 2 court jesters and 1 king. One of these sets of 3 buttons oppened a door to an adjacent room; posing in the position of the correct outline and pressing the buttons opened the door.

When a player encountered a Temple Guard, the player was forced to give up a full pendant in order to continue or be pulled backstage as if they were swept away to oblivion. The second player now had the chance to enter, with all opened doors remaining open and all known Temple Guards nonexistent. If the second player possessed only half a Pendant of Life, a Temple Guard could catch him or her and end the game. To prevent that, the second player would also have to find the other half of the pendant which was hidden in the temple.

If either player reached the artifact (being defined as actually grabbing onto the artifact, instead of merely being in the same room with it), all Guards disappeared and all doors opened, allowing the player to escape unhindered. Just for getting to the temple, the team would win a prize. If they retrieved the artifact, they would win another prize of slightly higher value. But if they escaped with the artifact before time ran out, they would win a vacation, often to another country.

One interesting note is the portrayal of the Temple Run. During the first season, the Temple Run would take place with only background music and the clock. In the second and third seasons, music similar to 8-bit NES music would play in the background, while the display included both a map and a count of the number of pendants the team had. This gave the Temple Run a feel somewhat similar to a live-action video game.

Temple Layouts

(Room descriptions taken from [The King's Storeroom].)

Season 1

 (Rooms listed starting with the upper-right room and going in a counter-clockwise direction)
Layout 1 Layout 2 Layout 3 Layout 4 Layout 5 Layout 6 Layout 7 Layout 8 Layout 9
The Room of the Three Gargoyles The Room of the Royal Gongs
The Wall Climb The Wheel Room/The Troubled Bridge
The Observatory (S1, 1-7) The Observatory (S1, 8-9)
The Heart Room The Room of Fallen Columns
The Room of the Golden Idols The Treasure Room The Room of Golden Orbs
The Shrine of the Silver Monkey
The Torch Room The Pirate's Cove The Room of the Three Torches
The Mine Shaft The Dungeon The Well Room
The Tomb of the Ancient Kings
The Swamp The Spider's Lair The Swamp The Bamboo Forest The Holes of Python
The Throne Room (S1) The Room of Harmonic Convergence The Throne Room (S1)
The Cave of Sighs

The Room of the Three Gargoyles: In this room, the player needed to push in the correct tongue of the three gargoyles to advance in the temple.

The Room of the Royal Gongs: In this room, the player needed to push in the correct base of the three gongs to advance in the temple.

The Wall Climb: In this room, the player needed to climb up one of three ropes and hit an actuator to go to the next room.

The Wheel Room / The Troubled Bridge: This room was split up into two halves. When entering from the Cave of Sighs, the player would need to enter a hollow vertical wheel. By spinning it, the rock slab would rise and allow access to the door to the left. When entering from either the Observatory or the Room of the Royal Gongs or the Room of the Three Gargoyles, the player would only need to cross a bridge and hit an actuator on the other side to open the door (If you look closely, the you can see the white stripes on the red wheel-this is the same wheel used on Double Dare as the One-Ton Human Hamster Wheel and the Drumroll).

The Observatory (S1, 1-7): In this room, the player needed to spin a sundial placed at the center of the room to open the door(s).

The Observatory (S1, 8-9): A small cylinder was placed at the center of the room. The player needed to spin this cylinder, labeled as "celestial lights", to open the door(s).

The Heart Room: In this room, the player needed only to hit an actuator of the corresponding door to continue onwards. This room was referred to by Kirk Fogg as the "Center of the Room" quite often.

The Room of Fallen Columns: Strewn about the room were many large "columns" that the players had to navigate. After doing so, the player needed to hit an actuator at the door they wished to go through.

The Room of the Golden Idols: By pushing the base of the golden idol at the center of the room, the downward door could open. Otherwise, players only needed to hit an actuator at another door to open it.

The Treasure Room: In this room, players could gain access to the room below by opening the large treasure chest at the center of the room. Players could also open the side doors by pressing their actuators.

The Treasury of Golden Orbs: In this room, players needed to place a golden orb on one of three pedestals at the center of the room. If they had placed it on the correct pedestal, a door would open.

The Shrine of the Silver Monkey: After arranging a silver monkey statue at the front of the room, a door would open.

The Pirate's Cove: After a player entered this room from the Dungeon, he or she would need to take a torch placed on the outside walls of the room, and place it in one of three torch holders at the front of the room. After doing so, the door to the right would open. If the player entered from the Shrine of the Silver Monkey, he or she would need to spin the ship's wheel to allow access to the ladder, which he or she could then take downwards to the Dungeon.

The Room of the Three Torches: After a player entered this room from the Well or the Mine Shaft, he or she would need to take a torch placed on the outside walls of the room, and place it in one of three torch holders at the front of the room. After doing so, the door to the right would open. If the player entered from the Shrine of the Silver Monkey, he or she would only need to ride the elevator downwards into the Well.

The Mine Shaft: If the player rode the elevator down to the room, they could take the ladder up to the Shrine of the Silver Monkey, or bash through the wall and head to the Tomb of the Ancient Kings. If they entered from the Tomb of Ancient Kings, they could ride the elevator up to the Torch Room, if it was available.

The Dungeon: If the player came from the Pirate's Cove, they could take the ladder up to the Shrine of the Silver Monkey, or bash through the wall and head to the Tomb of the Ancient Kings. If they entered from the Tomb of Ancient Kings, they could take the ladder up to the Pirate's Cove.

The Well: If the player rode the bucket down to the room, they could take the ladder up to the Shrine of the Silver Monkey, or bash through the wall and head to the Tomb of the Ancient Kings. If they entered from the Tomb of Ancient Kings, they could ride the bucket up to the Room of Three Torches, if it was available.

The Tomb of the Ancient Kings: If the player entered this room from the Mine Shaft, the Well, or the Dungeon, he or she would take a key found in the coffin at the center of the room and proceed either upward or to the right. If the player entered from the Swamp, Spider's Lair, Bamboo Forest, or the Holes of Python, he or she could either bash through the wall to the Mine Shaft, the Well, or the Dungeon, or find the key to go upwards.

The Swamp: The Swamp was filled with aged nets. In this room, the player could hit an actuator and progress through one of its doors.

The Spider's Lair: The Spider's Lair consisted of long strands of string that were spun between the walls of the room. Here, the player could navigate his or her way through the spider's web to hit an actuator and progress through one of the doors.

The Bamboo Forest: The Bamboo Forest was filled with long bamboo rods. After making his or her way through the room, the player could hit an actuator and progress through one of the doors.

The Holes of Python: The Holes of Python was a large room that featured wooden partitions extending from the front of the room to the back, and each had one or more holes carved into them. After making his or her way through the room, the player would hit an actuator to open a door.

The Throne of the Pretender (S1): In the Throne of the Pretender, the player would sit on the "Throne of the Pretender" placed at the center of the room. Doing so would open the door(s).

The Room of Harmonic Convergence: In the Room of Harmonic Convergence, five red floor markings were placed around a central ladder. The player would have to step on the correct two steps to open the door(s).

The Cave of Sighs: The Cave of Sighs was a room of different ledges that the player had to navigate.

Season 2

 (Rooms listed starting with the upper-right room and going in a counter-clockwise direction)
Layout 1 Layout 2 Layout 3 Layout 4 Layout 5
The Crypt
The Pit of Despair The Rock Quarry/
The Troubled Bridge 		The Pit
The Observatory (S2)
The Heart Room Medusa's Lair The Room of the Mandarin Hand
The King's Storeroom (S2)
The Shrine of the Silver Monkey
The Viper's Nest The Lightning Ball Room The Room of the Secret Password
The Mine Shaft
The Dark Forest
The Swamp The Jester's Court
The Throne Room (S2) The Laser Light Room
The Ledges

The Crypt: Three skeletons were placed at the edges of the room. By pulling the correct book from the skeletons, a door would open.

The Pit of Despair: As the name implies, the Pit of Depair was a large pit. In this room, the player would need to climb the outer walls in order to hit one of two actuators, or remain at the ground level and continue to the room on the left.

The Rock Quarry / The Troubled Bridge: This room was divided into two halves. When the player entered from either the Crypt or the Observatory he or she would only need to hit an actuator at the opposite side of the bridge to open the door. If the player entered from the Ledges, he or she would need to put five rocks into a large bucket to lift the stone slab covering the door to the Laser Light Room. NOTE: Coincidentally, the bucket was the same used as the elevator in layouts 6 - 9 of Season 1.

The Pit: The Pit was a very simple room. There were two platforms on either side of the room, with a rope hanging from the ceiling in the center. The contestant only needed to swing across the chasm to hit an actuator, and the corresponding door could open.

The Observatory (S2): In the Observatory, a stone column was placed at the front of the room. To open the door(s), the column needed to be arranged so that it formed a complete picture.

The Heart Room: In this room, the player needed only to hit an actuator of the corresponding door to continue onwards. This room was referred to by Kirk Fogg as the "Center of the Room" quite often.

Medusa's Lair: A small "Medusa head" was placed at the front of the room. In order to open the door(s), the player had to place snakes in Medusa's head. (In earlier episodes players had to put four snakes into Medusa's head, but that was later changed to two).

The Room of the Mandarin Hand: In the Room of the Mandarin Hand, a giant hand holding a ball was placed at the center of the room. A player that entered this room would need to curl its four fingers around the ball it was holding to open the door(s).

The King's Storeroom (S2): In this room, a pot was placed on each of three pedestals, at the center of the room. The player entering this room needed to break open the pots in search of a key, and then place the key in the correct pedestal to open the door(s).

The Shrine of the Silver Monkey: After arranging a silver monkey statue at the front of the room, a door would open.

The Viper's Nest: After a player entered this room from the Mine Shaft, he or she would need to open the pots placed at the front of the room, in search of the "snake". Once the player found the snake, the door to the Shrine of the Silver Monkey would open. If the player entered from the Shrine of the Silver Monkey, he or she would only need to ride the elevator downwards into the Mine Shaft.

The Lightning Ball Room: This room was rarely entered, but in here the player needed to connect four power cords into the base of the lighting ball at the center of the room to open the door(s). Alternitavely, if they entered from the Shrine of the Silver Monkey, they could simply ride the elevator downwards.

The Room of the Secret Password: If the player entered from the Mine Shaft, he or she would need to open the panels placed on the outer walls, and yell the inscription out on the tablet. If it was the correct passage, then the door to the right could open. If the player entered from the Shrine of the Silver Monkey, he or she would only need to ride the elevator downwards into the Mine Shaft.

The Mine Shaft: If the player rode the elevator down to the room, they could take the ladder up to the Shrine of the Silver Monkey, or bash through the wall and head to the Dark Forest. If they entered from the Dark Forest, they could ride the elevator up to the Viper's Nest, Lightning Ball room, or the Room of the Secret Password, if it was available.

The Dark Forest: This room featured two large trees with holes in their trunks. The player that entered this room would look for a key in the holes of the trees. If they were unsuccessful, they could bash the wall and enter the Mine Shaft. Also, the trees would sometimes grab the player, indicating that it was supposedly inhabited by the spirit of a Temple Guard and needed to be paid a pendant of life if they had any.

The Swamp: The Swamp was filled with aged nets. In this room, the player could hit an actuator and progress through one of four doors.

The Jester's Court: In the Jester's Court, players needed to align themselves with three wall paintings, while pressing three actuators. If they had aligned themselves with the correct painting, a door would open.

The Throne Room (S2): In the Throne Room, the player would sit on the "Throne of the Pretender" as he or she placed their hands on two actuators on the armrests of the throne. Doing so would spin the throne around and open the door(s).

The Laser Light Room: In the center of this room, eight square tiles were placed on a wall, each covering a laser. The player that entered this room would need to pull the tiles down to unleash the special white laser, which was the one and only among the other red lasers.

The Ledges: As the name implies, the Ledges was simply a series of ledges that the player had to climb through.

Season 3

 (Rooms listed starting with the upper-right room and going in a counter-clockwise direction)
Layout 1
The Crypt
The Pit of The Pendulum
The King's Storeroom (S3)
The Chamber of the Sacred Markers
The Room of the Ancient Warriors
The Shrine of the Silver Monkey
The Room of the Secret Password
The Pharaoh's Secret Passage
The Quicksand Bog
The Dark Forest
The Jester's Court
The Tomb of the Headless Kings
The Ledges

The Crypt: Three skeletons were placed at the edges of the room. By pulling the correct book from the skeletons, a door would open.

The Pit of the Pendulum: A narrow platform lining the outer wall led to a long rope. The player entering this room would need to swing on the rope far enough to hit a pillar at the front of the room, which would open a door. If the door opened was to the Chamber of the Sacred Markers or to the King's Storeroom, the player was forced to climb up the outer walls onto the narrow platform to continue.

The King's Storeroom (S3): In this room, a pot was placed on each of three pedestals, at the center of the room. The player entering this room needed to break open the pots in search of a key, and then place the key in the correct pedestal to open the door(s).

The Chamber of the Sacred Markers: On the left side of the central ladder was a certain sequence of markers, and on the right was that same sequence of markers, with a few missing. Players entering this room had to find the missing markers on he outer walls of the room, and place them in their correct positions to open a door.

The Room of the Ancient Warriors: Three sets of armor were placed at the back of the room. In here, the player needed to place him or herself into the armor, and pull two levers downward. If they had done so with the correct set of armor, the door would open.

The Shrine of the Silver Monkey: After arranging a silver monkey statue at the front of the room, a door would open.

The Room of the Secret Password: The player entering this room would need to open the panels placed on the outer walls, and read the "inscription" on the tablet. If it was the correct passage, then a door could open.

The Pharaoh's Secret Passage: The Pharaoh's Secret Passage was nothing but a narrow tunnel-slide connecting the Room of the Secret Password with the Quicksand Bog.

The Quicksand Bog: In the Quicksand Bog, players had the options of going up into the Room of the Secret Password, up into the Shrine of the Silver Monkey, or bashing through the wall and into the Dark Forest.

The Dark Forest: This room featured two large trees with holes in their trunks. The player that entered this room would look for a key in the holes of the trees. If they were unsuccessful, they could bash the wall and enter the Quicksand Bog. Also, the trees would sometimes grab the player, indicating that it was supposedly inhabited by the spirit of a Temple Guard and needed to be paid.

The Jester's Court: In the Jester's Court, players needed to align themselves with three wall paintings, while pressing three actuators simultaniously. If they had aligned themselves with the correct painting, a door would open.

The Tomb of the Headless Kings: Two skeletons of kings with no heads were placed at the center of the room, surrounded by vines that hung from the ceiling. In here, players needed to pull the vines to release bones, in search for the skull. After finding the skull the players then needed to place it on the correct king to continue.

The Ledges: As the name implies, the Ledges was simply a series of ledges that the player had to climb through.

Trivia

Behind the Scenes

Kirk Fogg

Olmec

Teams

Temple Rooms

Temple Runs

Miscellaneous

See also

External links

Fan Sites

Shirt Stores

 

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