Fun House is an American children's television game show that aired from September 5, 1988 to April 13, 1991.
[1] The format of Fun House was similar to that of Nickelodeon game show Double Dare, which was being produced for syndication at the time and which became a primary competitor for ratings.
Two teams of children answered questions and played messy games, competing for a chance to run an obstacle course and win cash and prizes.
Michael "Boogaloo Shrimp" Chambers, a famous breakdancer turned actor, replaced him when the show moved to Fox and took on the name "MC Mike".
[2] Identical twin sisters Jacqueline and Samantha Forrest ("Jackie" and "Sammi", respectively) served as the show's cheerleaders.
A year after the show premiered, a spinoff series called College Mad House was created.
Premiering in 1989 and running in weekly syndication for one season, it was hosted by Greg Kinnear and featured teams of college students from various universities around the United States competing against each other.
Contestants had to undertake challenges such as answering questions, finding requested items, and assembling devices, and frequently ended up covered in disgusting materials such as slime or garbage.
The first contestant to buzz in and answer correctly scored 25 points; during the third season, that team also earned the right to hit their opponents in the face with a pie.
In addition to completing the objectives during the race, the teams had a chance to increase their score by collecting tokens from stations alongside the track.
In order for tokens to count toward a team's score, they had to be either in the bag or aboard the vehicle (when applicable) before the end of the race.
The Fun House was a large playing area that contained several rooms and obstacles for the team members to traverse, in the same manner as in the amusement park attraction of the same name.
If an obstacle malfunctioned and made progress difficult or impossible, the team was granted extra time (usually 20–30 seconds) at the end of the run.
Both teammates won all cash and prizes collected by either of them, including any that a runner was holding if time ran out while he/she was inside the Fun House.
In addition, one tag was designated as the day's "Power Prize" and secretly revealed as such to the audience and home viewers before the round began.
First, voiceover artist Brian Cummings (of Let's Make a Deal 1984-1985 fame) filled the role of announcer.
The winners of the Grand Prix won $50, and tokens in three different colors could be picked up from the stations during the race: red ($10), white ($25), and blue ($50).
One room contained a device called the Button Banger, which awarded a random cash bonus of up to $2,000.
The show was aired on weekends in syndication and was hosted by Greg Kinnear, with Beau Weaver as the announcer.
Buzzing in with a correct answer won the team 25 points and the contestant got to hit the opponent with his/her pie.