Obstacle Course

This is the heart & soul of Double Dare, the Double Dare Obstacle Course. This was the bonus round where the winning team was faced with eight obstacles and had to run through and complete them for eight great prizes. It is often referred to as the messiest minute on television. On Double Dare 2000, it was renamed the "Slopstacle Course". It returned back to the original name for the 2018 revival.

List of Obstacles

• The 1-Ton Human Hamster Wheel: This could possibly be one of the most iconic obstacles, and it stayed throughout most of the show's run. An oversized hamster wheel was wedged onto a platform which had a column of six lights. The faster the contestants turned the wheel, the faster the lights lit up (slime filled up a cylinder in the 2018 version), and once all six were illuminated/the slime went to number six, a boxing glove on a lever containing the flag would drop into reach.

• Bathtub: This was an oversized, goofy-looking bathtub often filled with plastic balls or foam blocks, much like a replacement for "The Tank" occasionally. The contestant had to wade through the tub and then grab the flag off the shower head at the other end.

• Bats in the Belfry: Three bells with fake bats are hung and there's a flag hidden in one of them. All the contestant had to do is pull the ropes down to find it.

• Big Bowl: Here, the player had to roll a giant bowling ball down a track to knock down three bowling pins, revealing the flag underneath.

• The Big Cheese: Initially, this was a huge slice of Swiss cheese filled with some sort of yellow gak inside the holes, and inside one of them was the flag. After many runs with this obstacle ruining it, contestants now had to dive through one of the holes, getting EXTREMELY messy, and then grabbing the flag at the end of the slide.

• Big Gulp: Similar to the Sundae Slide in several ways. The contestant needed to climb up a "bent tongue" staircase - which had no handrails, by the way - and through a mouth at the top, before sliding down a spiral slide into a vat of gak. The flag hung on a pole above it.

• Big Kahuna/Waveslide: The player had to climb up a steep staircase to the top of a long, bumpy slide that lead into a sandpit or a pool of water or blue gak. Hanging above either the top of the slide or above the pit/pool was the flag. As an extra note, Marc made Robin go down the slide into the gak pool in an episode of Family Double Dare... and paid a big price. In the Valentine's Day episode of Super Sloppy Double Dare, Harvey forced a wardrobe lady to go down it as a way of revenge for making him dress in drag.

• The Big Scoop: Similar to "The Sundae Slide" (now called "Just Desserts") except the sliding board was replaced with a ladder and the twisty slide was replaced with a regular slide.
• Blow Out: A Modern version of Under the Covers. The player goes through a giant party favor and locate the flag at the end.

• Blue Plate Special: Often an oversized pizza, a sandwich or any food item was placed on a blue plate and a flag was hidden somewhere inside it.
• Brick Wall Breakout - a player is to smash through a foam brick wall and grab the flag which was attached to the wall’s other side.

• Buried Treasure: A large circular sandpit was filled with various objects such as starfish and beach balls. Inside the vat was the flag which needed to be found by rummaging through the pit.

• Bye Bye Birdie/The Big Bird Cage: An oversized bird cage contained a small bell inside. The contestant needed to open the door, climb inside and then pull on the bell's cord to drop a container full of dust and powder. A flag would then also unravel for the contestant to grab and pass on.

• Clam Dip: A huge clam filled with clam chowder and golf ball "pearls" contained a flag in it to be grabbed and handed off. Was only used during the second and third seasons of the original Double Dare and the Nick version of Super Sloppy Double Dare.
• Clogged: Three toilets are laid out, and the player has to search them for a flag. (Parody of The Flushing Downs event in Fox’s Fun House)
• Couch Searching - a player is to dig through the cushions to locate a flag.

• Dallas: Three pink (later yellow) pipelines were laid out in an "S" formation so that the player turned a corner after each pipe - filled with chocolate. The contestant had to crawl through each one, and grab the flag at the end of the third pipe. Later redesigned as "Sushi" and then later brought back during Nick's Family Double Dare as "Pipeline". Renamed on DD2K as "The Baked Alaska Pipeline".
  • One of the pipes from the DD2K version can be seen at the exit area to Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast at Universal Studios Flordia.

• Das Blimp: The Nickelodeon Blimp was hung over the stage. The contestant pulled a cord to open a compartment full of slime which rained down and a flag came down with it. Renamed on DD2K as "The Blimp."

• Doggie Door: The player had to crawl through a giant pet door flap and was then met with an oversized feeding bowl filled with chocolate "dog food". Inside the mess was a flag which the player had to find and pass on.

• Down the Hatch: Another classic involved a gigantic mouth which the player had to open up and slide down whatever gak was put inside. At the end of the tract was a flag which hung off a pole at the end. Once the contestants stood up and grabbed it, they could win a prize. Renamed on Nick's Family Double Dare as "Mush Mouth". Renamed on Double Dare 2000 as "Big Mouth". In the 2018 version, when a player goes down, He or She must get the flag attached to a uvula.

• Double Click: Same objective as Typewriter/Hunt 'n Peck, except players stomped on the keys on a oversized keyboard trying to find the one that lit up a neon flag on the computer and caused a voice to say: "You Got Flag!". Then the player would grab the flag and pass it to their team mate.

• Double Dare Helix: Similar to "Monkey Bars" except that this set of Monkey Bars was arched, upside down & all around.

• Drawbridge/Bridging The Gap: A fairly pointless obstacle; a small castle wall with a drawbridge blocked access to the flag. The player just had to push the drawbridge down to the other side, go through the doorway, and grab the flag hanging from a pole on the other side. This obstacle originally had no name when it was introduced in the second season, leading to the producers writing "We Couldn't Think Of A Title" on the sign post next to the obstacle for a number of episodes before it was finally given the name "Bridging The Gap".

• Drumroll: The One-Ton Human Hamster Wheel was taken out from its base and used for this obstacle. The player had to walk in the wheel so that it rolled all the way down a track. When they reached the other end, they would hit a block where the flag was also placed.

• Fancy Footwork: Several large feet would begin moving upon a contestant entering this obstacle, attempting to "stomp" on him or her. All the player had to do was slide under the feet via a pathway through a glass container. This obstacle was brought back during Nick's Family Double Dare with the path covered in all sorts of gak and slime.

• Fireman's Flag Pull: This obstacle was used only during season one. The contestant first had to climb up a sliding board covered with chocolate syrup or any other slimy substance. Once at the top, they had to climb a short ladder to a second platform and reel in a clothesline full of laundry to get the flag. They then slid down a fireman's pole to pass it off. On a few episodes, the slide itself had no chocolate on it, and in others, the flag was simply hanging at the top of the pole.

• Garbage Truck: ​​​​The absolute worst obstacle in the show, the player pulled a lever which caused the truck's scoop to dump garbage and slime on to a pile of even more garbage and slime. (When it was first introduced, there was no slime, which made it easy.) This horrendous obstacle caused a lot of ruined course runs due to the fact that the flag was very-well hidden in the gak, making it nearly impossible to search for. In a 1992 episode, Renee of the Red Foxes could not find the flag, so Marc, her teammates, and some of the crew helped in looking for it, and were still doing so WHILE THE CREDITS WERE ROLLING!!! It was also prone to mechanical failure, as the scoop wouldn't often budge when the lever was pulled. When this happened (as the flag would sometimes be in the scoop other than the garbage pile), Marc would usually tell the player to forget the flag and move on to the next obstacle (effectively crediting the winning team with that obstacle). Renamed "Dump Truck" in DD2K, but in the same style as when it first appeared.

• The Gak Factory: This was where the contestant had to grab a handrail and ride past robot arms that sprayed slime onto them, drop into a pile of silver balls, and grab the flag. On several occasions, the rail was very slow (or the contestants had to wait for the next one), wasting a lot of time.

• Gak Geyser: This was a indoor-sized replica of the famous geyser located outside Nickelodeon Studios. The contestant had to climb a ladder up and around the structure of the spraying geyser, grab the flag waiting on a fireman's pole on the other side, and slide down to their teammate to pass the flag on.

• Gator Alley: Forming a sort of bridge over "Lake Double Dare" was a long line of alligators lying in the water and above was a set of monkey bars. The player had to make their way across the water by using these two helping elements and grab the flag at the end.

• Granny's Attic/Customs Inspector: A small treasure chest filled with assorted items including clothing, books, tarp, and all sorts of other funny things that the crew dumped inside. Also inside was a flag that, when found, could be passed on to win a prize.

• Grease Monkey: A colorful - but ancient - car dripped chocolate "oil" beneath it, but had clear space underneath and a creeper accompanying it. The player had to get on the flatbed trolley, roll their way under the car through the greasy mess, then grab the flag from the bumper.

• Gum Drop: Always the first obstacle if used - Marc would also encourage the player waiting to insert a huge nickel into the slot. A giant gumball machine filled with multicolored balls had a flap at the bottom. The player had to - from an elevated platform - grab the flag from the railing, jump into the machine and drop all the way down to their partner awaiting them.

• Happy Birthday: Three large party poppers were placed in front of big plastic birthday supplies; the player had to burst them open (spilling out the confetti) in order to find the flag.

• Hats Off!: A variation on "Inside Out", this time with a bunch of different hats perched on a hat rack. The contestant had to find the flag tucked inside one of the hats.
• The Hot Dog: (a 2018 variation of Soda Jerk) the player climbs in a giant hot dog bun, and has to remove the tops of the condiment bottles, and one contains the flag.

• Hourglass/Time's Running Out: The top half of an hourglass rained down orange balls on the contestant in control while he/she was searching for the flag.

• Icy Trike: The contestant had to ride a tricycle across a slippery blue "road" and crash through a "brick wall" put together by whipped cream "cement". Once they had broken it down, they had to stand up and grab the flag hanging off a pole above them. At first, there was no brick wall; the objective was simply this: path filled with a greasy substance was placed on the ground with a toddler's tricycle in it. The contestant needed to push (or pedal) themselves on the trike all the way to the end, where a flag was placed hanging off a pole. Sometimes, the path was filled with sand and called "Desert Trike".

• In One Ear: A huge head - which was supposedly shaped after Marc, after him repeatedly saying, "this doesn't look like me!" - had a long tunnel between its two ears filled with "earwax". The player had to walk all the way through and grab the flag hanging off the top of the other ear.

• Inside Out: Three helium-filled balloons were attached to the ground by string, and one of them contained the flag. The contestant had to stomp on, sit on, or do anything to break them and try to find the flag. In Super Sloppy Double Dare, the amount of balloons were increased to as many as fifteen, making the obstacle much more difficult.

• It's in the Bag: Revised version of "Nightmare". A bean bag chair filled with Styrofoam beans was placed on the ground, and some where in it was the flag. The contestant had to dig in and find the flag before moving on.

• It's in the Mail: A large mailbox with a slide inside was placed in front of some huge envelopes. The player had to open it up, slide down and grab the flag along their way down - it was often placed in the gap. Renamed on DD2K as "Special Delivery".

• Kid Farm: A huge glass cage with an ant-farm-like design with a mud-themed slide and passages inside. The player had to climb up a small ladder and slide down into the farm, crawl under a big chunk of soil and then reach up to grab the flag on the top of it. They would then need to crawl to the end of the farm where they could pass it on.

• Kid Wash: A small car wash replica, which the contestants had to run through to grab the flag.

• Lake Double Dare (I): A small zig-zagging pool contained water and a raft. The contestant needed to dive onto the raft, paddle their way through the switchbacks filled with various junk as well to the end of the lake where a flag was placed to grab.

• Lake Double Dare (II): With the larger studio, obstacles could be made bigger, better, and messier. This included this huge Lake Double Dare - sometimes even filled with pink bubbly gak instead of water. The objective was changed slightly: players had to paddle the raft diagonally across the lake to the flag in one of the corners.

• Low Hurdles/Targets: A row of targets with buckets of slime above, which the player had to crawl through to get the flag.

• The Lift: A small seesaw was installed so that one end would lower into a pile of whipped cream and the other lifted up towards a flag hanging above. The contestant would need to sit on the flag side of the board, while their partner sat into the mess and pushed them up.
• Manhole: A Player lifts up a manhole and has to locate the flag from under it.

• Marshmallow Mountain: Players had to climb up a steep staircase to the top of a long slide down through marshmallow cream. Once the contestant hit a large piece of foam at the bottom of the "mountain", they would grab the flag hanging on the post above.

• Mirror Maze: One of the most challenging obstacles on the show. The contestant had to crawl through a huge - and I mean HUGE - maze lined with mirrors. The flag was hidden somewhere in the maze. Once the player had found the flag and the elusive escape path, they could pass the flag on.

• Monkey Bars: A simple set of pink playground monkey bars which the contestant had to climb across was placed onstage. A flag hung off the last bar which the player could grab once they went across the bars.

• Moonwalk: A green dome with many craters - but two big ones opposite each other - was filled with some of the messiest gak ever used. The contestant had to crawl their way through the "moon" and grab the flag from one of the holes.

• Mount St. Double Dare: This was a small slippery volcano which exploded as players climbed it. The contestant had to climb to the top and grab the flag in the crater. In the 2018 version, the player is to climb a rope up a slanted hill that spits out slime to get the flag,

• My Pet Dinosaur: The contestant had to climb up a staircase - with no handrails or anything!! - up the tail of a model dinosaur. Their partner then had to tilt its head down to form a downward staircase, which the player would then crawl down and grab the flag at the end.

• Nightmare: One of the most infamous obstacles that was only used in the first two seasons of Double Dare. A huge pillow filled with feathers contained the flag, which the contestant had to find and pass on.
  • It was infamous on the first recorded episode (September 18, 1986) because it took four takes to get it right. The first two times, the winning team never found the flag since the flag wasn't put in. The third time was when the clock didn't start and the cameraman fell down. The last take was the one that made to air; the winning team made it to obstacle #6 "The Tank" when time was up.

• One Nation Underwear - a player is to pull a flagpole’s pulley to Hoist some boxer shorts to the top, allowing the flag to go down, where the player can get it.

• Overstuffed - A player is to search an open spot of a giant stuffed bear to get a flag.

• Pick It!/Da Nose: A huge nose filled with thick green gak contained a flag in one of the nostrils. The player had to lie down, find the flag and then pass it on. Surprisingly, this could take 10-20 seconds, and prevented ONE team (during the third season) from winning the second prize! In the 2018 version, the player has to remove boogers (which are really green sponges) then dig through the mostril to get the flag.

• Popcorn: Players had to topple over a gigantic box of popcorn and spill the gigantic butter-covered kernels onto the floor. In one of the kernels was the flag, which the contestant had to find and pass.

• Pop Lockin‘ - a player is to search four lockers, three contains random gunk, but one has a flag.

• Quicksand: A series of three vines with small boards to walk on were hung over a giant ball pit between two giant palm trees. The contestant had to either walk their way across the vines, or sludge through the ball pit if they fell, to the grab the flag atop the palm tree at the other side of the pit.

• The Recipe Tire Run: One of the oldest obstacles that was retired after the first two seasons was the "Recipe Tire Run". Five tires on the floor placed in alternating positions were filled with ingredients (if it was "Double Dare cake" there would be eggs, flour, brown sugar, etc...) which the player had to step into on their way to the flag at the other end of the path.

• Ripcord: The player pulls down a cord and gets drenched with slime and a flag. (smaller version of the Big Shaboozie)

• Rope Climb: A simple cargo net was hung at a 45 degree angle. The player had to climb to the top, grab the flag, then roll over and land on a piece of Styrofoam, where they could then hand the flag off.

• Sewer Chute (I): Players had to climb up a ladder before backing down another into a glass cage filled with foam blocks. They then had to pull on a rope to overturn a bucket containing a surprise and the flag, which they would grab and exit the chute through a large tubular tunnel. If the flag doesn't come down, Marc would tell the player to move on (effectively crediting the winning team with that obstacle).

• Sewer Chute (II): The Sewer Chute was a yellow and pink contraption that could have been one of the biggest set pieces when it was introduced. The contestant started by going through a large tube into a glass cage with a rope and a bucket. The bucket would empty "a surprise" and a flag. The player then had to grab the flag and go down a slide curving to the left into a massive amount of gak. Like with the first version, if the flag fails to come down, Marc would tell the player to forget it and move on to the next obstacle (effectively crediting the winning team with that obstacle).

• Shark!!!: The player digs for the flag inside the shark's mouth. More often than not, the flag would be buried deep inside the shark, making this poorly executed obstacle last about 20 seconds.
• Slime Hydrant: The player removes the top of the hydrant, which will spray slime and then, the player must get the flag, which is inside the hydrant.

• Soda Jerk: A gigantic soda machine with three fountains (usually orange, grape, and cola and later in FDD orange, grape, and lime) had three pedals for each fountain. The contestant had to stomp on the pedals and send down streams of soda, but only one contained the flag. Once found, it could be grabbed and passed on.

• Spud Splat: Not to be confused with "Spud Splat!!" which was used only on Super Sloppy Double Dare (1987) and FOX's Family Double Dare. This was a giant plate piled high with mashed potatoes which contained a flag somewhere which had to be found by the contestant.

• Spud Splat!!: The container that also served as the Syrup/Slime Canal was filled to the brim with tons of mashed potatoes therefore forcing the player to have to get messy trying to dive under the bar. The contestant had to grab the flag hanging from the bar. This obstacle was used in Nick's Super Sloppy Double Dare, disappeared, then returned once more for the FOX run of Family Double Dare before being permanently retired.

• Squelch M' Waffles: This was a plate with two large three-by-three waffles on them, covered with syrup and butter. Sometimes blueberries or flies were included. Hidden somewhere inside the waffles was the flag which needed to be found by searching each crease.

• Sundae Slide: Without a doubt, it was christened "the most popular obstacle on the course." A sliding board filled with some sort of slimy substance (most commonly chocolate pudding; sometimes just any sort of gak) led up to a platform which the contestant had to climb up to. Following that, they had to climb up a short ladder to the next platform and then go down a spiral slide into the "sundae" (occasionally whipped cream or even just gak). The flag hung above the vat at the bottom. In the final season of Family Double Dare, the sliding board was replaced by a simple ladder. Renamed on DD2K as "Just Desserts". This obstacle will be returning in the 2018 revival.

• Sushi: One of the messiest obstacles EVER. This was a completely redesigned "Dallas" and this time, three tubular "sushi" tunnels were used and crammed with filling - foam crab stick and lots of other pink and yellow gak. The player often had to get covered in it if they wanted to move quickly through the tunnels, resulting in big messes. The flag was on the rim of the final tunnel.

• Suspension Bridge: This was nothing but a rickety, rocking rope bridge strengthened with planks. The contestant just had to run across from one end to the other where the flag was placed on one of the railings.

• The Swamp: Essentially "Lake Double Dare (II)" filled with random floating clutter, usually tropical-themed.

• Syrup/Slime Canal: A small peanut-shaped container was placed on the ground and filled with syrup (often cherry or some sort of green liquid) and later slime. The player had to dive in and slide under a bar which also held the flag. Once the player got under and picked up the flag, they could pass it on and win a prize.

• The Tank: Another classic icon of Double Dare was the Tank, a large glass container that was most commonly filled with packaging peanuts in the early days and later colored balls, but with all sorts of weird things including Jello and balloons as time went on. On the rim at the other end of the Tank was the flag which could be grabbed and passed on. Renamed on DD2K as "Gak Vat". In the 2018 version, the tank is taller, wider, and has two stairways, one for the player to enter, the other for the player to exit.

• Tarzan Vine: Similar to the Tire Swing obstacle, two stools were placed fairly far apart and between them was a "vine" - usually with a stuffed animal hanging off it. The players had to grab the vine, swing from stool to stool, then grab the flag at the other side. At one time, Harvey swung on those things while dressed up as Tarzan himself.

• Test Your Strength: The contestant was faced with the "High Striker". All s/he had to do was to hit a target, to make the lights go up to reach a bucket full of slime and a flag and have it drop to the side for the smile to fall as well as the flag. Often times, the obstacle wouldn't work and when the happens Marc would usually tell the player to move on (effectively crediting the winning team with that obstacle).

• Thar She Blows!/Horn Blower: A giant tuba horn was placed on a stand. The player had to hit one of the six buttons on the horn in search of the right one - which would release a small blast of air out of the horn as well as the flag.

• Tire Swing: A very early and very simplistic obstacle. Two stools were place about five feet away from each other and a colored tire hung in the middle. Without touching the ground, the player had to get from one stool to the other. The flag hung on a pole above the second stool.

• Toejam: A giant foot on the floor had "toejam" gak in between each toe. Hidden in one of the gak-filled gaps or occasionally inside the foam foot was the flag to be grabbed. The player had to search around in the entire foot to retrieve it.

• Toothpaste: Players had to stomp on the end of a giant tube of toothpaste and attempt to squeeze out some toothpaste. They then had to unscrew the cap in search of the flag which had hopefully squeezed out, or search the tube for it.
• Tube-a-Totter - A player has to climb through a tube to get a flag in the middle and slide down the other side.

• Typewriter/Hunt 'n Peck: Players had to stomp on one or more of seven circular keys on a giant typewriter in search of the correct one. Once they stepped on it, a mechanical arm would pop out of the center of the typewriter with the flag. Often used as the last obstacle. Revived on DD2K as "Double Click".

• The Umpire State Building: This was a large building modeled after New York City's Empire State Building. The contestant needed to leap up onto the building and climb to the top, where the flag was placed in a baseball mitt.
• Unboxing - A player is to lift up a big box to get to a small box, which contains a flag.

• Under the Covers: A bedspread was placed over a water-bed and somewhere under it was a flag. The player had to scramble under the sheets, grab the flag, then emerge from the other side and hand it off.

• Wall Climb: One of the most grueling obstacles involved a plastic wall with a rope and a flag on a pole on the other side of it. The contestant had to climb over the wall, through the gap at the top, grab the flag, and finally fall down the other side and hand it off. Initially, there was a rope to assist climbing, but this was later removed for more challenge.

• The Woiks!: A conveyor belt went under a giant foam roller and trash compactor. The player - given the choice to either ride the conveyor belt or crawl - had to make their way through the entire obstacle and then grab the flag at the end.

• Wrestlemania!/Wrestlerama: The contestant needed to jump into a bouncy platform themed to a boxing ring, and jump up to grab the flag in a giant statue's hand.

• (Turn/Through) The Wringer: Two gigantic rollers were wedged into a wall which the contestant had to slide through (or be cranked through by their partner) down a ramp which was later often filled with gak. A flag was usually placed about halfway down the ramp under the railing, but sometimes it was hung on a pole at the end of the ramp. Renamed on DD2K as "Kid Squisher". In the 2018 version, the player is to go through two wringers instead of one, and must get the flag between the rollers.