The rules of
Double Dare:
"I'm going to ask you a
question, and if you don't know the answer, or think that the other team hasn't got a clue, then you can
Dare them to answer for double to dollars. But be careful, because they can always
Double Dare you back for four times the amount, and then you have to answer that question or take the
Physical Challenge."
--
Marc Summers, at the start of every
Double Dare.
It was a large joke for the first
season that
Marc didn't know the
rules, because he could not memorize that
phrase. He had to read it off of a cue card held by the
producer. (The cast teased him that he
hosted the game, but didn't know the
rules). Eventually one day he shut them all up by reciting the
phrase (as quoted above from
memory). He never once did mess it up again. Tearing up the cue cards in front of everyone, was his triumphant reward to himself.
There were several other personalities that helped Marc to make Double Dare one of
Nickelodeon's bigger successes.
- Harvey the Announcer - (John) Harvey who started his career primarily as a radio personality, was the original announcer of Double Dare. He quickly got more involved with the show, oftentimes making cameo appearances in the final obstacle course, or helping to demonstrate Physical Challenges.
- Dave and Robin - The two stage assistants who helped to make sure that the stunts went off without a hitch got more and more involved with the show as time went on. Robin, especially, got more involved and seemed to have an interesting relationship with Marc, where many times they went after each other and demonstrated obstacles and stunts together. They loved to get each other messy, and to get play tricks on one another during stunts.
Double Dare also had a
live tour version that I was able to go see some years ago. It was basically an "audience
enhanced" version of the studio show, limited for space and such. It was a few hours long, with teams eventually being
chosen, and people trying to work together to get the prize. I was able to get
front-row seats because my aunt worked for the promoters.
The show now continues with
Double Dare 2000 (basically the same
format), now hosted by the talented
Jason Harris.