ARHS Mac Dude's Old webSite
Physical Challenge
First Published on 02/24/2021
Last Updated on 05/02/2022
"These two teams will ________ (fill in the blank with the toss up) to get $20 and control of the only game show to receive a Cable ACE award twice..."
NOTE: Some tossups' actual names were never created and/or revealed. As a result, some names are made up. The made up names are noted with (*)
Since there are multiple sites that have lists of physical challenges on them, we’ve decided to merge them into one word document. As a result, this page will always specify the latest update in the header.
Be sure to check the “update” log for the newest additions to the site. (coming soon!)
You can now play Double Dare for yourself. Visit the NES Page, the C64 Pages(*), the DosBox Page (*), and the ZX Spectrum page(*) to play!
(The UK version was available on ZX and C64, while the US version [by GameTek] was developed for NES, C64, and DOS. We only have the NES version right now. The other versions (*) are coming soon.)
To get initial control of the main rounds of Double Dare, equally exciting and wacky tossup challenges were performed. In Double Dare and Super Sloppy Double Dare, these were worth $20 for Round 1 and $40 for Round 2, $50 and $100 and $25 and $100 for the rounds of FOX's and Nick's Family Double Dare, and Double Dare 2000 respectively. On Double Dare 2018, Physical Challenges in round 2 were now worth a massive $400, and many teams got at least $1000 as a result. More about this major change on the Double Dare 2018 pages that follow.
Here is a list of tossup challenges used sorted by period used.
STUNTS USED ON DOUBLE DARE
Airmail .........................................................V.....NM.....20
Objective: Throw one paper airplane into a mailbox 8 feet away.
A VERY simple challenge... both of the contestants are able to simultaneously throw an airplane one at a time. Marc made a bet with Dave that this stunt would never be accomplished but he was proved wrong many times. Later in the first season to make the stunt harder, the contestants would have to make the airplanes themselves.
Creamed Cup .......................................................V......M.....15
Fill a cup past the line with cream.
Definitely one of the more popular challenges of the 80's,Along with the seltzer bottles, the spray cans of whipped cream took a while for DD to figure out. In the beginning, they forgot to shake the bottle before handing it to the contestant making the stunt harder than it should've been. The stunt later required you to fill a smaller cup all the way to the top.
Egg Lincoln .........................................................V.....SM .....20
Catch 3 eggs in your open-ended top hat.
A classic example of how DD could get away with a tiny budget in the late 80's. Only props used were the eggs and a top hat with the top cut off. Although the stunt only involved throwing and catching, the end results were often exciting and funny. It was amazing to see how much egg yolk stuck on to the player's head when he/she removed the hat.
Harvey's Wild Oats .......................................................D.....NM.....20
Move 3 cans of oats to the end of the stage using 1 hand.
Another early stunt with no mess at all, this one stumped many contestants. The difficulty laid in the passing of the 3-stacked containers to your partner. The challenge spoofs Quaker Oats, even caricaturing Quaker on the can with Harvey in costume.
Musical Eggs .........................................................D.....NM.....30
Catch an egg in the air with cymbals while blindfolded.
A stunt that reads very easy on paper while very difficult to perform. Marc tells the egg thrower to say "now" when the eggs reach the cymbals, but usually they'd never achieve perfect timing. Also, the contestants should've thrown more than one egg at a time... this one's not extremely egg-citing. Woody Fraser reused this stunt for the Family Challenge in '94.
Pie in Your Pants ..................................................V......M.....30
Catapult 3 pies into your partner's huge pants.
Another wildly successful stunt, and one of the Physical Challenges that Double Dare was famous for.
When Double Dare was first started, the sound stage that was used to film on was so small that it's amazing that they made it work. This is why Pies In The Pants failed(1986-1987) Once Nickelodeon Studios was built, this physical challenge was very successful. (1989-1992)
They then changed it to the launcher used for Dish Pan Hands. Very unsuccessful!
Pop Goes the Balloon ...........................................E.....SM.....15
Out of 10-15 balloons, find the one with chocolate.
One of DD's few stunts that was based solely on luck, this was also the simplest yet very successful attempt with gak filled balloons. This stunt also takes on the early years premise of only getting one player messy. The question of, "Wanna sit down there or go over there?" became a DD cliché. Sometimes the balloons in this stunt were transparent, leading to very quick and easy wins.
Rain on Your Parade ............................................V.....SM .....30
Fill a cup past the line while your partner plays instruments.
This is DD's "Ten Chances" of TPIR. How many times did you see the contestant with the cup move their head down, losing all the water? This happened all the time, and not just with Rain on Your Parade.
Unlock the Door .........................................................D.....NM.....30
Objective: Open the two locks on the door.
Both contestants are given a ring of keys; one key from each ring would open one of the two locks. A classic example of a seemingly easy stunt turned into one of the hardest as practically no one was able to open both of the locks, let alone one of them.
Water Basketball ..................................................E.....SM.....20
Throw 3 water balloons in the basket.
This stunt originated from an early DD contest - they asked viewers to send in ideas for physical challenges and the winners (whose stunts were played on the show) received a T-shirt. The props they used were dreadful. The backboard was placed on the wall panel and wasn't secured very well. Halfway through the stunt, the board came loose and almost landed on the contestant's head. Marc and Robin ended up holding the board up for the rest of the time. The stunt was never tried again until much later when they changed it to a toss-up.
William Tell ........................................................D.....SM.....30
Knock the apple off your partner's head w/ a seltzer bottle.
This is my all-time least favorite physical challenge. They played this one, way too much, and I've only seen it accomplished one time. And when the player finally aimed the bottle correctly, the current of the water wasn't strong enough to knock the apple down.
Used in Seasons 1 - 3 and Super Sloppy Double Dare (1986 - 88)
Balls in the Bucket
A single metal bucket was placed in the middle of the stunt stage and the two teams stood on either side of the bucket respectively. Each team had a supply of ping pong balls, and the first team to bounce a ball into the bucket won.
Ball Toss
Players were situated on opposite sides of the stage - one side with players wearing topless hats, and the others with a supply of ping pong balls. The first team to toss and catch two balls inside their hat would win.
Building Block Towers
Using a trash-picker-type contraption, teams had to stack several toy blocks on the floor into a tower. The first team to arrange all of their blocks into a tower won.
Clown Shoe Golf
Also commonly used as a Physical Challenge; one player had to putt balls into a small hole in the front of their partner's giant plastic clown shoe. The first team to putt a ball into the shoe wins.
Fancy Dress-up (I)
Two piles of clothes were laid out on the floor - a shirt, a pair of pants, a jacket, a tie, and a hat. Using all of the clothes, the first team to have one person completely dressed up (with the clothing actually put on) won.
Exterminator
One player was given a hammer and was blindfolded, and their partner had to guide them - only verbally helping them - to smash one mechanical bug that moved around on the floor. The first team to break their bug won.
Human Dartboards
One player stood facing away from their partner with Velcro-covered balls that they had to toss over their heads. On the other side of the stage, their partner slung a dartboard so that it hung loosely over their chest. The first team to stick a ball on the dartboard won.
Human Wheelbarrow
The teams had to get down on the floor like human wheelbarrows and crawl across the stage past three pies. On top of each pie was a cherry, and the players had to pick them out with their teeth and drop them in a plastic cup in front of each pie. The first team to put all three cherries in their cups won. Variations included moving apples or balloons across the stage with their noses.
In Your Egg Hat
Played similar to the Physical Challenge of the same name. Players toss eggs, hoping for their partner to catch them inside a hat with the top cut off. The first team to catch two eggs won.
It's a Stickup
The teams stood on opposite sides of the stage while a strip of flypaper hung in the center of the stage from the rafters. Each team had a supply of ping pong balls of a unique color that they had to toss towards the flypaper, and the first team to stick three balls onto the paper won.
Mirrored Milk
Using only a mirror, the first player had to pour a pitcher of milk over their shoulder and into a lined cup on their partner's helmet. The first team to fill the cup past the line with the milk would win.
Pour it On
One player on each team stood with two slime-filled bottles on their head and their partner sat below them with a lined cup on their head. Leaning over, the standing contestant needed to fill the cup past the line with liquid first to win.
Sponge Toss
One player had to toss soapy-water-soaked sponges across the stage and their partner had to squeeze the liquid into a lined cup on the ground. The first team to fill the cup past the line with the water won. A variation involved catching the sponges and squeezing them out into a cup on their head.
Springing Snakes
Three plastic snakes (from a joke snake can) were placed on the floor, with the can next to them. Working together, the teams had to stuff all three snakes back into the can, cover it with the lid, and then hold it up without it exploding. The first team to do so won.
Squeeze on the Competition
A large container of milk was placed on a stool with the first two players holding onto a contraption that pumps milk into a tube connected to their partners' helmets. The other players also had to hold lined cups attached to sticks between their teeth. The first team to pump the milk past the line won.
Who Wants Their Mummy Now?
One player had to stand still (or turn - it was their choice) and the other player got a roll of toilet paper. The team had to unroll the toilet paper around the person standing and wrap them up in it. The first team to finish their roll of paper won.
Used in Super Sloppy Double Dare (1989)
Balloon Break
Each player wore a suit which had ten balloons attached to it. The players had to roll around on the floor and pop them. Sometimes, they were even coated in oil or slippery substances to challenge the teams even further, leading to very long and boring tossups. Either way, the first team to break all of their 20 balloons won.
Blockhead
One team member on each team wore a helmet with three blocks attached to it. Their partner would toss wet sponges across the stage in attempt to knock down the blocks. The first team to knock down all the blocks won.
Brain Buster
A statue with spring-loaded arms was given to each team. As the players - one on each side of the body - pounded on the arms, a balloon head would inflate from the statue's headless neck until it broke. The first team to fully inflate - and pop - their statue's head won.
Break the Mark
One player on each team got a supply of gak balloons the color of their team and passed them to their partner, who had a catapult. They would need to put the balloon inside the cone and pull back to send the balloons towards a target. Once they burst, the gak within flowed down into a container below. The first team that filled the container past the line won.
Babies, Bottles, and Bonnets
Fling baby food to knock over 5 bottles on a wooden plank. This was one stunt that was featured on Messiest Moments. It was also used on Double Dare 2000, but never completed successfully!
This is one of the earliest stunts that required contestants to dress up. Granted, just a bonnet isn't much, but the idea eventually progressed to outlandish proportions. Sometimes the stunt was played with 30 seconds and all the bottles had to be knocked down.
Blind Food
Find hidden objects in food while blindfolded. Not very creative, nor were they very exciting, but they were very often used in the early days. Another problem was that it was designed primarily for one person. Examples: Chocolate in Jell-O, Teething Rings in Cereal, etc. Featured on Messiest Moments
Barber of Seville
Put an apron on; cream, shampoo and wash your partner. When it was made too easy, the stunt had notable changes. The distance between the items and the teammates was increased, and, in one clip, they added an egg to the stunt. Featured on Messiest Moments, and made “Green Slime Shampoo” famous.
Chocolate Covered Chickens
One player wore a birdcage-hat, while their partner had to take rubber chickens, dip them into chocolate syrup and feathers, and then toss them across the stage. The first team to stuff three chickens into their coop would win. It was used as a toss up on Double Dare 2000
Dunk the Ducks
Drown 10 rubber ducks in a pool of water for 3 seconds. This was changed to chocolate pudding once SSDD was at Nickelodeon Studios.
Fancy Dress-Up (II)
Each player on each team needed to put on all their required clothing. When they were done, they had to take a pie and hit their teammate in their face with it. The first team to have both players dressed and pied won.
Fish Toss
Played on the "Lake Double Dare" obstacle. The players were situated on opposite sides of the lake - one tossing a supply of fish across the water and the other catching them in containers. The first team to catch three in their containers won.
Human Tacos:
Jolly Juicers
One player on each team sat on a hole-ridden chair, while their partner got a supply of "oranges" (circular sponges soaked in orange liquid). They had to place oranges on the chair while their teammate sat on them and squeezed the juice into a container below. The first team to fill their container past the line won.
Make the Cake
All players sat in seats below containers holding a generous amount of gak - one had a supply of "sponge cake layers", and the other had a bowl of icing. The team had to stack and ice each layer of cake on a table, and the first team to build a cake six layers high - and release all the gak on them - won.
Pinhead Balloon Break
One player from each team wears a hat with a pin and sat on one side of the stage while their partner, standing on the opposite side, threw mess-filled balloons at them, trying to break one balloon on the pin. The first team to break a balloon won.
Root Beer Barons (See next page for explanation)
Skeletal Statue
Random bones were placed in a central sandpit. The team had to dig them up and place them in proper position on their respective skeleton to fill the missing spaces. The first team to successfully complete their skeleton won.
Slop Suckers
Using straws to suck and spit, the teams needed to transfer a liquid from a larger container into a lined cup. The first team to fill their cup past the line with the liquid won.
Splash Boats
One player would sit on a raft with a lined cup helmet, and their partner would need to turn a crank and spray water out of a device. The first team to fill their cup past the line with the sprayed water would win.
