I remember watching this show when I was a little kid (around 3 years old), and I remembered it fondly to present. About a month ago my family got digital cable, and I was flipping through the channels when I discovered the Nick GAS (Games and Sports) channel. On it was Legends of the Hidden Temple, the show I remembered fondly as a little kid. And it was just how I remembered it - it is an adventure show with six teams. Kirk Fogg is the host and Olmec is the talking stone head who gives them information to help them through the game. The first challenge narrows the field from six teams to four - it is the moat the teams have to get across. The first four teams move on to the steps of knowledge. Here Olmec tells a story about some historical figure and some artifact pertaining to that figure. After the teams hear the story, Olmec asks them questions about the story. The teams buzz in to answer and if they are correct they step down the steps. The first two teams to answer three questions correctly advance to the Temple games (semi-finals.) There are three games in the Temple games. The first two games are worth a half pendant of life. The third game is worth a whole pendant. Pendants can be used in the the Temple, when there is one team left, to escape from the Mayan Temple Guards. The team who has the most pendants after the Temple games goes on to take on the Temple. In the Temple there is a treasure, the artifact mentioned earlier in the story told by Olmec, that the team is trying to find and remove from the Temple within three minutes. You barely see any more game shows on Nickleodeon, like they had when I was a little kid, including games like Legends of the Hidden Temple. If you have digital cable at least you can still see reruns of the old shows on Nick GAS.
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spockson129422 August 2006
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bryen-824377 February 2019One of my favorite 90s shows on nickelodeon growing up this was definitely a one of a kind tv show
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deepthinker56621 November 2008I remember I watching this around 1995 before it canceled, now I can see this stuff on YouTube. This classic features the host, Kirk Fogg, and the giant talking rock, Olmec. The first round contains the "moat" which features different obstacles, the first four teams move on the "Steps of Knowledge", which Olmec tells the myth or a historic moment, based on the artifact. Then the next two teams moves on to the "Temple Games" based on three events, one round features one boy on each team, round two features a girl on the team, and the final round features the full team for a pendent, Finally, the last remaining team enter the Temple to get the ancient artifact out of the temple. It was on Nick GAS since 1999, it was very enjoyable, and I got my cable in 2005, Unfortunately, Legends was removed from Nick GAS in 2007 (During the New Years Eve, where the channel has been completely removed). Bottom line: Fun game show.
1993-1995 (regular run) 1999-2007 (Nick GAS run)
Legends of the Hidden Temple gets 9 stars. -
lordgort20 January 2003For anyone who had access to Nickolodeon in 1993 and ever had a dream of becoming an archaeologist or adventurer someday, "Legends of the Hidden Temple" was a dream come true.
A show went like this: six teams consisting of two ordinary kids would start out on a quest for some sort of item, usually a historical artifact such as a paintbrush belonging to Leonardo da Vinci. The six teams--the Red Jaguars, the Blue Barracudas, the Green Monkeys, the Orange Iguanas, the Purple Parrots, and the Silver Snakes--would line up and wait for the signal from the show's host, Kirk Fogg, cleverly dressed in "adventurer" gear. In this sample show, one team member has to paddle a boat across a pool surrounded by enough jungle scenery to qualify as a moat. The boat has a rope attached to it, and when the first team member gets out of the boat, he or she tied the rope around a pole. The second team member then had to walk across this rope with the help of a bar placed above the moat. As soon as the second player was on the other side, that player ran to a pedestal and hit the button on top. The first four teams to do so go on to the next round. The two slowest teams, the Green Monkeys and Orange Iguanas in this case, went home with $50 savings bonds.
Next come the Steps of Knowledge. The mysterious talking stone head dominating the scenery, aptly named "Olmec", would tell a story to the four teams. Kirk Fogg then asked questions about the story. Players stomped on markings in front of their steps to ring in and answer. The first two teams with three right answers move on to the next round. The Red Jaguars and the Silver Snakes go home with a pair of Skechers sneakers.
Next are the Temple Games, three physical tests such as crawling along a slick plastic mat while attached to a bungee cord. These were somehow incorporated into the story told by Olmec. There are two individual games and one team game. Each individual game won gives the team a half Pendant of Life (more on this later), while the team game awards a full Pendant. The team with the most Pendants at the end of the Temple Games wins the right to go into the Temple. The Blue Barracudas go home with two video games apiece, while the Purple Parrots go on to the Temple with a full Pendant and a half-Pendant.
The Purple Parrots now go into the Temple itself to try to get the artifact and get out of the Temple within three minutes. If they can do that, they get a trip to Space Camp. The paintbrush is hidden in the Shrine of the Silver Monkey. In the way are three Temple Guards who are assigned to three specific rooms in the Temple. The contestants go in one at a time. If a contestant enters that room, the contestant is "captured". The contestant can give the Temple Guard a Pendant of Life to go on, but if the contestant is caught without a Pendant, that player is taken out of the Temple and the player's partner must go into the Temple.
The first Purple Parrot, Joanna, runs in the lower entrance, the Cave. She crawls through to the Pit of the Pendulum, knocks over a column, and goes to the highest room of the Temple, the Observatory. A Temple Guard catches her there, but she has a pendant, so she can go on. She spins the compass and goes down to the Treasure Room. She opens the treasure chest and climbs down into the Swamp. She screams as a Temple Guard pops out of the muck to capture her. She doesn't have a pendant, so she must leave. Mitch must now run into the Temple. He follows his team-mate's path to avoid any Temple Guards and grabs the half-Pendant of Life hidden in the Treasure Room, giving him a full Pendant. He's safe now. He goes into the Tomb of the Ancient Kings and opens the sarcophagus to find the hidden key, then applies it to a tomb on the wall. It opens, and so Mitch climbs up...into the Shrine of the Silver Monkey! He grabs the paintbrush. Now all the doors are unlocked and the last Temple Guard is gone. He has thirty seconds to make his way back to the Temple Gate. He runs and runs and finally makes it back with two seconds to spare. They're off to Space Camp!
The Temple changed rooms often. There were picturesquely named rooms such as the Jester's Court, the Mine Shaft, the Crypt, the Tomb of the Headless Kings, the Hall of the Ancient Warriors, and the Throne Room, just to name a few. It was a good time and a new action adventure on weekday afternoons, all packed into a half-hour. I remember that I enjoyed the show very much, and if you have a chance to see a rerun (as on the Nickolodeon Games and Sports Channel), do so. You might be surprised by how much you enjoy it. -
urlessthanjake1 May 2007Some things never lose their appeal. Scared, prize hungry 12 year olds, a giant talking Mayan statue, some goofy guy swinging from a rope, that silver monkey that nobody seemed to be able to put together, and some freaky temple guards all came together to make the perfect action game show on Nickelodeon. "Legends of the Hidden Temple" is an excellent game show that was featured on Nickelodeon from 1993 to 1995. Although hosted by Kirk Fogg, Legends is most famous for a much different host: a talking stone head by the name of Olmec. This television show will always be remembered for its creativity and its suspenseful action.
No matter what team won, you could have always done better then them.
oh and by the way there is a site selling the team shirts which is amazing.
HiddenTempleTees.com -
Catherine_Grace_Zeh4 May 2006I used to watch this show when I was growing up. First off, I must say that it was a fun game show. Also, I don't think I've seen every episode. However, if you ask me, it was still a good show. I remember the theme song very well, too. In addition, Kirk Fogg is absolutely drop dead gorgeous, which is one of the best things about this show. Even though it's finished its run, it's fun to play along and watch. I hope the Nickelodeon Games and Sports Network keeps it on so I can keep playing along and watching. If that happens, I will be really happy. Before I wrap this up, I'd like to say that I'll always remember this show in my memory forever, even though I haven't seen every episode. Now, in conclusion, I hope that you catch it one day before it goes off the air for good.
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hellraiser715 September 2015This is one of the aspects I miss about Nickalodon, the game shows. I always loved to watch most of the game shows on this channel because the concepts were always colorful, creative, there was physical activity involved, but most importantly fun. Out of all the game shows on this channel this show was my favorite.
In a way it was kinda a dream come true since I was a kid I was a big fan of the "Indiana Jones" movies and always had fun watching games shows like "Fun House", "American Gladiators", "Double Dare", etc. Putting both the "Indiana Jones" franchise and the concept of game show into a blender and it makes one hell of a drink. I remember as a kid I wanted to compete in this game just to go though the temple.
I really love the production value of the show from the amount of work and detail it conveys the pulp adventure atmosphere perfectly; all the sets practically really look like a hidden Mayan temple. The host was solid, but I really like the talking animatronic Mayan Omec. I just really like that voice which was just booming and conveyed wisdom.
Each of the team had some really cool names like Silver Snakes or Red Jaguars, which I'll admit almost sounded like the names of some high school or collage basketball or football teams.
The first challenges are trial by elimination where in one have to answer questions correctly to advance but we were all more interested in the physical challenges which were always something different. And actually did involve some intelligence because some of them where always the simple get this amount of balls into one bin within limited time. But some of them were actual puzzles, which just raised the stakes in the tension because they all had to think on their feet literally and that to me is what makes this game show great it really teaches a valuable technique on thinking in mere seconds while in constant action.
However the highlight no doubt is the temple challenge itself which is awesome. The challenge is literally a maze as contestants have to get from point A to B within a limited time frame. But of course as usual it's not as easy as that in fact it's a lot more complicated. The temple has two different pathways, each of the door to these pathways will continue to lead you forward or delay your progress.
Each of the sections are practically a mini puzzle or challenge, just to get a door open like one that was the most nerve racking would be the monkey which is a 3D Jigsaw puzzle where you have to put the head together perfectly, it's an easy puzzle to solve (by my standards) but it really can eat at your time. Also in a few sections a temple guard is hidden whom takes you out of the game completely, however if you have a pendant they let you pass, but like I said you have only one pendant when it's gone your vulnerable so whichever path you choose tread carefully. Also what raises the stakes are the fact that in each episode the temple will change one of the sections and each season the temple is changed completely, which really give the game an unpredictability element, which raised the tension up even higher for me as I was wondering how the heck the contesting is going to clear this or that obstacle or can they make it? I even like that there is a sense of audience participation in that part of the game, I'm always cheering and yelling for one contestant or another saying things, "What are you doing, other way stupid!" or "Cmon your so close just keep going!" It just always gave me a surge of excitement which I don't get often.
This is a temple worth visiting.
Rating: 4 stars -
rica_caesar16 February 2012I really love this show. I remember watching it when i was i think 4 or 5 (I'm now 15). My aunt and I would eat breakfast while watching it before I got to school. My favorite part was the temple run and the story telling by Olmec. Honestly, I didn't even know the name of Olmec for the first place but now I knew it and it seems familiar. I read my History book and Olmec is an ancient American tribe near the Mayan Ages (cool!) No wonder they make such a great show! I think what I watched since I was young was a rerun because I started watching it during 2001 and I was surprised to know that it actually started 1993 and ended on 1995. I was born 1996. I missed the original run yet I liked it... It's full of adventures! I miss Kirk Fogg, Olmec and the 1200 contestants who joined especially the one I liked :D .... I can no longer watch again even if there's a rerun because our channels nowadays are limited until 28. Nickelodeon here in the Philippines is in channel 35. But I would be happy to know if you will have a rerun this year. I can visit my mom or just ask my younger brother who lives in a separate house. Forever in my memories: Legends of the Hidden Temple.
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reddragonhero1730 June 2015Ah Legends of the Hidden Temple, the cream of the crop of Nick's game shows. I would wait until 6 p.m. to watch this and the wait was worth it all. While Guts had a lot of action for an enjoyable experience, Legends took it above and beyond to create a fabulous adventure to retrieve an artifact, just like in an Indiana Jones movie. My favorite team was the Blue Barracudas, but I didn't really care who made it to the temple. I regret not recording any episodes, but the loss was recently made up for thanks to a DVD release of old game shows. I will never tire of this show no matter how many times I see each episode (my all-time favorite is my first one: The Lucky Pillow of Annie Taylor).
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When I was a kid, this was my favourite game show, it had a lot of adventure and fun and had something for everything. And I have to admit I do miss it. Kirk Fogg was a great host, who clearly loves doing what he does, and the scenery is very well done. I also liked the music, and adored the concept which never outstayed its welcome. The contestants were also likable, and I loved the talking rock, he was cute and funny. I also loved the challenges, they looked challenging yet a lot of fun, and the team and room names which were incredibly creative.
All in all, part of my childhood and just a great game show. 10/10 Bethany Cox -
alexandrajade14 December 2002I remember watching this show when I was young, and for years all I ever wanted was to be on it. Sadly, no such luck.
This was a fun show that kept me and a million other kids coming back every week. I'm afraid I'll have to correct a previous reviewer that this show consisted of six teams and four rounds, not four and three. To trim the fat down to four, the teams had to cross a "moat" using some cleverly named "ancient" apparatus. Once across, four teams would listen to a giant stone head tell them a "legend" (normally a story from history, occassionally mythology), and answer questions on it. The crux of the game was an object from the "legend" placed in the temple. After that, the two remaining teams would do battle against one another to enter the temple. Prizes were won if the team retrieved the object.
Whenever I flip around and see reruns of this, I smile and remember my younger days. While this show of course won't have such meaning for anyone else who today watches it, it's always fun to suspend reality and root along something that happened 5-10 years ago. This show would still work if it were produced today (the target audience wouldn't care about repetition) just as it did then. A nostalgic show for me, a nice time for virtually anyone. -
jeremycrimsonfox13 January 2019Legends of the Hidden Temple was a good game show that aired back on Nickelodeon. Back in the early 1990's, when SpongeBob Squarepants did not exist, the cable channel actually had variety, from original shows (including the first Nicktoons like Rugrats and even some original shows) to acquired programming like Underdog and even the Looney Tunes, which they aired before the rights went to Cartoon Network. And of course, they also had game shows. This is one of them.
Hosted by Kirk Fogg and a talking stone idol named Olmec (played by voice actor Dee Bradley Baker),the show has six teams competing for a chance to go into the temple to look for the treasure of the day to win prizes. The first two rounds are basic elimination rounds: The first round, The Moat, has all six teams (each having two members each) doing a different stunt to get to the other side, and only the first four teams who get both members across will move on to the Steps Of Knowledge, a trivia game based on the story of the Treasure Of The Day (as I like to call it) told by Olmec himself. Speaking of the treasures, they are based on famous people, either historical or fictional, and some of them have events that never happened to make it more interesting (like Galileo's Cannonball being dropped on a sandwich, which ended up inventing pizza). Here, only the first two teams who get the end of the steps first move on, while the other teams gets consolation prizes (as do the two teams who lost The Moat, so no one goes away with only a sad tale of how they were shamefully eliminated on the first round).
The third round is the Temple Games, and this is where the variety kicks in. The remaining two teams compete against each other in three stunts, all made to fit with the story of the treasure. The two teams are playing for Pendants of Lives, which serve as a free hit in the Temple Run, where the first two games reward the winner half a piece, and the third and final game rewards a full pendant. In the event of a tie, a tiebreaker question would determine the winner (the rules are different in the first season, as a wrong answer resulted in the other team winning, while the second and third season changed it so the other team will have to answer. The winning moves on, while the losing team gets a consolation prize so they won't return empty-handed.
And at last, we have the Temple Run, where the team who comes out of the Temple Game triumphant get to go into the temple and attempt to recover the treasure of the day. This is not easy (and long after its cancellation, it was said it was made that way to prevent too many grand prize wins that would put the show over its budget). Olmec's Temple has many twists and turns, with each room having its own mechanism or stunt that the runners need to operate or get through to get to the next room. To make things more difficult to the brave runners, three Mayan Temple Guards are hiding in certain rooms, changing location in each episode, and once they pop out, the player has to give them their pendant of life to continue, but the second one will remove him, causing the second player to go into the temple. And this is where it hinges. If he has no pendant or half a pendant, if he or she gets caught by the third and final Temple Guard, then the round is over, and is immediately treated as a loss just like the three minute timer running out. However, for half pendant wielders, the other half will be hidden in a random room inside the temple, and if found, it will give said runner a full pendant, allowing him or her to stay in the temple. Here, three prizes are obtainable, one for entering the temple (the consolation prize), a second prize for reaching the treasure (a prize that is slightly better than the consolation prize) and the third prize for getting out of the temple with the treasure in hand within the time limit (which is usually a trip or week to NASA Space Camp).
So, yeah, that's the format. IMHO, it was a great idea. This show made the contestant use brains to answer questions and brawn for The Moat and Temple Games. Also, the temple had some good rooms, including my favorite, the Shrine Of The Silver Monkey (which nowadays, is treated like a meme due to some of the contestants having trouble putting a three-piece statue together, but they should cut them some slack. They are under a time limit, and seeing how far the shrine is from the temple entrance, and the fact they film five episodes at a time, segment by segment, the kids would be tired and won't have time to think how it goes).
Overall, it is a legendary game show, and one I would love to see bring back. It was already made into a TV movie, so I hope that could mean the game show will soon follow. -
stephenchase-635048 February 2021The obstacle course finale is the best part of each episode!!!!!!!!!!
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Ginger874 June 2005"Legends of the Hidden Temple" has to be one of my favorite childhood game shows. It began right around the time I started first grade. I remember watching this show with my sister every time it aired. We both always wanted to be on the show.
The scenery of the game show was very well done and I loved Olmec the talking rock. He always introduced the new legend of that day. Host Kirk Fogg was also a very good host. My favorite team would have to be the Silver Snakes. That was an awesome name.
My favorite part of each episode was the fourth round: The Temple. It had a lot interesting rooms including the shrine of the silver monkey and the observatory. I give this show 10/10 stars. -
generalofdestruction132 August 2005I really liked Olmec the talking rock and how his mouth would move and his eyes would light up red. My favorite team was the Blue Baracudas. I think Kirk Fogg was a great host. I wish they would not have taken it off but i guess they had to make room for other shows. My favorite part of the show was the temple round but I also liked the part where they had to get to the other side of that moat thing. I liked how they had to go through the temple and get the parts of the silver monkey and how there were all those trap doors and stuff and when you least expected it a temple guard would jump out and try to grab them. I always wished I could be on the show.
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bblonde33318 July 2003I remember watching this show when I was in like first or second grade (I'm about to be a junior now). I had probably forgotten it until I went to babysit and then I flipped to a channel (which now I know is the Nick GaS channel) and right there in front of me is one of my favorite shows as a kid. It was neat seeing the little animal teams (purple parrots, silver snakes, etc.) and the moat, and Olmec (who when I was little I thought his name was Old Mac so I would call him "Big Mac"). It's such a cute show with the little temple and the cool rooms at the end. I would remember screaming at the TV at the kids who would have trouble putting the monkey in the "Shrine of the Silver Monkey" room because it didn't look very hard. And when I was seven I wasn't really thinking of it but now looking at it again I noticed Kirk Fogg is kinda cute too! Well anyways, it's good to see that's it's still atleast showing re-runs.
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gizmosloth11 September 2005Your moving through a dense jungle. Moving big leaves out of your way. When you finally come to a clearing you see a giant stone head. Suddenly the eyes light up the mouth moves and it says with a deep booming voice "Welcome to Legends of the Hidden Temple! Hosted by Kirk Fogg and here he is now." A man that you can only assume is Kirk Fogg makes his entrance. As the crowd greets him with a thunderous applause he thanks them saying "Thank you.", then turns to the stone head and says "and thank you Olmec." The stone head we now know is Olmec. Now that we are introduced to the hosts Kirk gives us a little summary of the game. He explains that six teams will have to face tough challenges in order to retrieve an artifact from the hidden temple. Then he turns to Olmec and asks what is the legend that they will be hearing bout today. Olmec in his deep booming voice responds. Then Kirk turns his attention to twelve children standing on the opposite side of pool of water. Each team is made up of two children. One is a boy and one is a girl and each of them are wearing a colored shirt with a picture of an animal on it. One by one Kirk Fogg introduces each team. "The Red Jaguars, The Blue Barracudas, The Green Monkeys, The Orange Iguanas, The Purple Parrots and The Silver Snakes.
That was the beginning to a show called Legends of the Hidden Temple. The show premiered on Nickelodean in 1993. It lasted for three seasons. It was canceled in 1995. Why? I am not sure. This was one of the best shows I have ever seen. Not just on Nickelodean but on all of television. To this day there has not been many shows, or at least game shows, that has compared to this one. One thing is for sure is that this show is better than any other show that is on Nickelodean now. Not many things are what they used to be. The kids that are growing up now missed out on some good times. I wish things now where like the way they were when I was younger. Yes, I know I am in my twenties now but the things that where around when I was younger were so enjoyable that I could enjoy them now. Besides the show being a great show that anybody could enjoy at any age but I really enjoy this show because it was a part of my childhood. I remember watching it whenever I could and always wanting to be on it. When it was canceled I was a little upset but there were still other good shows I could still watch so it did not completely bother me but now that times have changed and there's not as many shows worth watching I really miss it. Then again even with a a lot of good shows worth watching if you had watched this show and had not seen it for awhile you would want to see it again. I know I did. When the show was canceled it was off the air for awhile. I had not completely forgot bout it but I didn't think bout it every day of my life. I finally got the chance to see it again when I was over a friends house and he had a channel that I did not have. Its name is NICK GaS. The GaS stands for Game and Sports. Whats great about Legends of the Hidden Temple is that it kind of fit into both of those categories. What makes Legends of the Hidden Temple so great is that its a show that is diverse. It has the six teams face four rounds of tough challenges that would require different skills such as strength, strategy, speed, memory, and wits.
There was never a dull moment. Every round had something special bout it. All around this is a great show and if you ever have a chance to watch it, DO. -
spectre_3167 October 2002Believe it or not, this show isn't really gone from the airwaves. Unlike what the previous person said, this show is indeed on Nick GAS and has been for a long time.
If you do not have the channel, don't worry, it should come to you.
Off the topic, Nick GAS is a channel that shows many old favorites from Nick's past. Double Dare, Super Sloppy Double Dare, etc. Not much is new.. and that's a very nice thing, mind you.
Legends of the Hidden Temple.. hmm.. it is really a good game show. Very well made. The host, Kirk Fogg, has the perfect voice for television. The only drawback is that about four teams get eliminated pretty quickly to go home with a pair of Sketchers shoes or something.
But Olmec's maze is just amazing. You know, the end when the last remaining team goes through a big maze of rooms and such. And they have to give a pendant to a temple guard if one ever comes in the precense of the room.
As corny as this sounds, it's pretty riviting sometimes. That's a lot when keeping in mind that this was aimed to children.. coming from a seventeen year old. Hah, whatever. These shows are appealing for the whole family, believe it or not. -
what_the_deuce4 August 2003This show is a classic nickelodeon game show. It had fun challenges and obstacle courses, and if you watched it as a kid, you can tune in too Nick Gas (Games and Sports) to see reruns of this fun show. Its also educational, with Olmac, who gives the history basis to the obstacle courses or the the thing you need to find. Great to watch with your family
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chaplins_charlie19 March 2003I remember watching this show clearly when I was about 11 or 12 years old. I'm 21 now, but I still remember how bad I wanted to be on this show. Not because I wanted to win cool prizes but because I wanted to meet the host, Kirk Fogg. I had the biggest crush on him and wanted to meet him so badly. That was the time when I used to read Bop magaines, you know, those magazines for pre-teens, I also bought Nickelodeon magazines to see if I found anything about Kirk Fogg, but sadly I never did. However, I did see him in alot of commercials and was happy to record them. Anyways that was years ago, but I will always remember the first tv host I had a crush on, Kirk Fogg!!