Double Dare is an American game show in which two teams compete to win cash and prizes by answering trivia questions and completing messy stunts called physical challenges.

Almost immediately after its debut, Double Dare had more than tripled viewership for Nickelodeon's afternoon lineup, becoming the most-watched original daily program on cable television.

[5] Many challenges have involved filling a container past a line with one of a variety of substances including water, uncooked rice, green slime, whipped cream, and milk.

Prizes have included televisions, concert tickets, encyclopedias, electronics, gift certificates, non-motorized modes of transportation and, on the Fox Family Double Dare, cash.

[13][23][24] Dee LaDuke, Robert Mittenthal, Michael Klinghoffer, and Geoffrey Darby worked to develop a new format, basing it on a combination of trivia, truth or dare, and the board game Mouse Trap.

Highlighted by blue and yellow tile-style floors, Geoffrey Darby gave the direction for the set to look like a natatorium (swimming pool), while Robert Mittenthal feels its inspiration is derived from a bathroom.

[6] A weekend edition titled Super Sloppy Double Dare taped over two weeks in July 1987 and premiered August 2, 1987, airing 26 episodes on Sunday mornings.

[36][37][38] Super Sloppy Double Dare featured gameplay identical to the original format; however, physical challenges and obstacles were designed to make a bigger mess.

Viewers were encouraged to send in a postcard with their contact information and could win a prize if their card was selected, and a team performing a physical challenge completed the stunt successfully.

[70] Double Dare has spawned versions in foreign countries throughout the world, including: Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, The Netherlands, Germany, India, and Brazil.

[79] The music for Double Dare 2000, a Surf Rock style remix of the original soundtrack, was composed by former Crack the Sky guitarist Rick Witkowski.

[85][86][87] On July 22, 2016, special live editions of Double Dare, produced by Nickelodeon and The Splat with original host Marc Summers, took place at the Fluxx nightclub during San Diego Comic-Con 2016.

[91] News outlets reported in March 2018 that Nickelodeon was producing a new series of Blue's Clues, and was in negotiations to reboot Clarissa Explains It All, two shows originally made by the network in the 1990s.

[92][93] Upon learning of these developments, and inspired by the success of other contemporary television revivals like Will & Grace, Summers emailed Nickelodeon executives to ask if he was going to be the person to receive "the next phone call.

Updates included using digital screens for displays and decoration, enhanced lighting, and a dedicated space for the obstacle course, though timing and scoring uses emulation of the original vane display-type numerals.

[103] Members of the "challenge team" also appeared as stage assistants, including Eric Pierce, Michelle Kallman, James Michael Ryan Jr., and Stad St.

[108] The 2018 Kids' Choice Sports, which aired on July 20, 2018, culminated with host and basketball player Chris Paul competing against Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps in the Double Dare obstacle course, presented by Liza Koshy and Marc Summers.

[123] The Life and Slimes of Marc Summers premiered off-Broadway on February 22, 2024, featuring a replica of the Double Dare set and audience members competing in stunts from the program.

[135] The June premiere of the 2018 revival was watched by 1.843 million viewers, outperforming all other shows on Nickelodeon for the day, finishing as the highest-rated broadcast for teenagers ages 12 to 17.

[2] Less than a year after the program launched, NBC had premiered I'm Telling!,[6] Lorimar Television had announced plans for Fun House, and Nickelodeon's Finders Keepers began airing—all shows based on competition between teams of children.

[23] During Double Dare's first year on television, junior versions of established game shows including Hollywood Squares and The Cross-Wits were developed for syndication, but ultimately were not produced.

[148] In 1988, television critic Ken Tucker cited the interaction between, and the performances of host Marc Summers and announcer Harvey as "the not-so-secret ingredients in the show's success in drawing adult, as well as youthful, viewers".

"[152] In 1989, television and film critic Jeffrey Lyons wrote that he "wouldn't dream of proclaiming that Super Sloppy Double Dare is good for your child.

"[103] Joel Keller of the New York Post's Decider observed that "the show belongs to Koshy, who ad-libs well and makes the kids feel at ease," and gave Double Dare a favorable "stream it" rating.

After rejecting his friend Emmy Mirsky (Stephanie Katherine Grant), he eventually runs through a mock obstacle course at a tryout with his grandfather Albert "Pops" Solomon (George Segal).

[165] Benjamin Bauman and Amy Gross, real-life friends of series' creator Adam F. Goldberg who appeared as contestants on Double Dare in 1988, cameo as producers of the show.

A young Cleveland Brown (voiced by Mike Henry) has difficulty finding an orange flag in an oversized stack of pancakes at the end of the program's obstacle course.

[178] Additional corporate sponsorships and tie-ins were proposed, including Casio putting their logo on the stage clock,[32] and a Double Dare-branded breakfast cereal,[179] but Nickelodeon declined the offers.

As well, other Double Dare-inspired products available in-store, including Keds shoes and Stance socks, were offered online through retail partner Neiman Marcus.

[200] Added at launch in August 2018, select episodes of Double Dare 2000 were available to view on the now defunct NickSplat channel on Otter Media's VRV streaming service.