Top 10 Nickelodeon Game Shows.

The sentiment, “...was recorded in front of a live studio audience in Nickelodeon Studios at Universal Studios Orlando, Florida” will always be etched in the memories of millions, including myself.

Nickelodeon in the ‘80s and ‘90s has gifted us with endless memories. Often you’ll come across many lists of the best cartoons during that era, but this post will not be one of those. According to my opinion, the channel’s game shows deserve equal if not more recognition and accolades.

I was born in 1993, so I wasn't able to watch many of these shows when they were first aired. But thanks to the exquisite sister network of Nickelodeon Games and Sports for Kids, more popularly known as Nick GaS, I was fortunate enough to experience the memories that others had already had. The level of creativity, messiness, and necessary cognitive knowledge was unmatched to any other competition during the ‘90s.

You might wonder "why feature this today?", as today is February 6, 2018, which marks the 25th year anniversary of the original Double Dare franchise's end. Double Dare was particularly significant in Nickelodeon's game show history, and certain aspects of the network's pop culture heading into the future. So without further ado, a few other TYF writers and I have compiled a list of the ten greatest Nickelodeon game shows.

10. Slime Time Live (2000 – 2003)

Technically speaking, I am bending the rules a little as this show aired between blocks of Nick shows during its run. But it boasted enough competitions to earn its validity as a game show. Slime Time Live continued Nickelodeon's love affair with sliming people, which emerged from several other shows on this list. The show's set was built on the outdoor lot of Nickelodeon Studios, where a live audience would observe kids getting slimed, cream blasted, and pied in the face. Most of this was done by kids that called in to the show and played a Tic-tac-Toe board with Nickelodeon characters. If they got two squares that matched a single character, a previously selected participant would get placed in the Slime Chair and drenched with slime. They also both received a prize, typically a new bike or a sports package. If they didn't get a match, the host of the show, Dave Aizer, would take a pie to the face. The chaos factor advanced over time, where they interacted more with audience members for new games. Still, Slime Time Live's ultimate legacy was being one of the last shows in the old Nickelodeon model of building strong bonds with its viewers, enjoyable challenges, and lots of messes that kids didn't have to tidy up.

9. Finders Keepers (1987 – 1989)

Who doesn't love a good scavenger hunt? That was the idea Nickelodeon embodied when they created Finders Keepers, the short-lived game show that had contestants ripping apart the set to uncover items that aligned with the presented riddles. On-air from 1987 to 1989 and hosted by Wesley Eure and Larry Toffler, the game alternated between finding hidden images in a complex, Highlight-esque drawing based on limerick clues and hurriedly searching for things in an enormous two-story house built on stage. The thrill of the room-to-room finale was enough to make anyone envious. Like most Nickelodeon game shows, it allowed kids to create a colossal mess without reprimand (and without having to clean it up). This twist on a classic childhood game rewarded participants with an eye for detail, and those who could go through the prize-laden house in less than thirty seconds. With an excellent blend of thoughtless destruction and innovative production design, Finders Keepers continued to be one of Nickelodeon's most beloved game shows long after it had finished its syndication run. – Brian Thompson