Legends of the Hidden Temple is an American action-adventure[4] television game show that broadcast from 1993 to 1995[1] on Nickelodeon.

"[5] Kirk Fogg is the show's host,[3] while Dee Baker is both announcer and voice of a stone head named Olmec who "knows the secrets behind each of the treasures in his temple.

"[5] Six teams (Red Jaguars, Blue Barracudas, Green Monkeys, Orange Iguanas, Purple Parrots, Silver Snakes) of two children (one boy and one girl) compete to retrieve one of the historical artifacts in the temple by performing physical stunts and answering questions based on history, mythology, and geography.

Contestants trying out had to compete in several physical tasks, including rope climbing and running, as well as a written test.

In 1995, Legends of the Hidden Temple won a CableACE award for Best Game Show Special or Series.

[12] A forty-episode third and final season was produced from February 17 to March 12, 1995,[13] and began airing on July 3 of that year.

[15][16] The set design of Legends of the Hidden Temple was based on the Indiana Jones movies,[17] and Marianne Arneberg of the Orlando Sentinel described the program as "a combination of Jeopardy and Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Some artifacts included "Lawrence of Arabia's Headdress", "The Electrified Key of Benjamin Franklin", "The Jewel-Encrusted Egg of Catherine the Great", and "The Broken Wing of Icarus."

Each team was identified with a color and an animal, indicated on their uniform shirts: the Red Jaguars, Blue Barracudas, Green Monkeys, Orange Iguanas, Purple Parrots, and Silver Snakes.

[5] In the first round of the show, the six teams attempted to cross a narrow swimming pool known as "the moat" in a prescribed manner.

For example, in one episode, teams were required to swing out to a rope net in the middle of the moat, climb it, and then swim to the other side.

The unlocked doors were closed at the start of the round, but they could be opened by completing a specific task or puzzle within each room.

One room in the temple contained the themed artifact (as stated by Olmec before the Steps of Knowledge round).

Three other designated rooms held temple guards (spotters in Lavish Mayan sentinel costumes).

"[24] Jacobs criticized the "Steps of Knowledge" round as filler, but concluded that "kids'll praise it to the moon.

The show also received nominations at the 17th and 18th Annual CableACE Awards in December 1995 and October 1996 but lost to The News Hole and Debt.

[8] Feminist author Susan Douglas, a Hampshire College professor of media and American studies, praised Legends of the Hidden Temple for being a "nonsexist and nonviolent" show.

However, on March 1, 1999, the show once again began airing in reruns on Nick GAS until that network became defunct on New Year's Eve 2007 (2009 on Dish).

[26] In March 2009, TV Week reported that David Stanley acquired the rights to several Stone-Stanley shows which included Legends of the Hidden Temple.

The film was directed by Joe Menendez and written by Jonny Umansky, Zach Hyatt, and Alex J. Reid.

It features elements of the original show, including Olmec, The Steps of Knowledge, and cameos from a green monkey, a red jaguar, and silver snakes, among others.

On May 11, 2021, the revival was ordered at broadcast network The CW, which is part-owned by what was then known as ViacomCBS (now as Paramount), the parent company of Nickelodeon.

[46][47][48][49][50] Nick Borey and Josh Siniscalco were the only two contestants to appear on the revival that also competed on the original Nickelodeon run in the 1990s as kids.