Picture of Liza Koshy From Double Dare Wearing Blue Jeans
Marc Summers' early days in the entertainment industry as a magician, radio disc jockey and stand-up comedian never fully prepared him for his big break: a career in slime.
In 1986, Nickelodeon hired Summers to host a kids game show that was as zany as it was messy.
"Double Dare" — which pitted teams of children (and sometimes parents) against each other in a series of trivia questions and wacky stunts in a quest for prizes — was credited for putting the network on the map. Though the show came to an end in 1993, it has been revived twice, first in 2000 with host Jason Harris and then again in 2018, this time with host Liza Koshy, a 23-year-old YouTube star and actress.
Before the second season of the reboot comes to an end Friday — it will not return for a third — Columbus audiences can enjoy a live version of "Double Dare" on Monday, when it comes to the Palace Theatre stage. The live event is part of Summers' farewell tour as he plans to step away to spend more time with family and take on other television projects.
"These last 34-plus years at Nick have been one of the best experiences of my life," said Summers, 68, who has served as an executive producer and provides color commentary on the revived TV show, and who hosts the touring live events. "I'm not stopping, I'm just sort of changing courses at this point."
Summers spoke with the Dispatch ahead of the Columbus show.
Q: What have you enjoyed about taking the show on the road?
A: Listening to the stories from the people who have viewed this show from 1986 until present. And they've got stories of how they used to build obstacle courses in their living rooms and how their parents would get mad at them. It's just fun to hear, and you don't realize when you're making television back in the '80s that you were going to have an impact 35 years later.
Q: This is being billed as a farewell tour for you. Are you really saying goodbye to all forms of "Double Dare?"
A: I think I am; I think it's time. I've had fun, it's been amazing.
Q: When the show was revived in 2018, YouTube star and actress Liza Koshy succeeded you in the hosting role. How has she done?
A: She's fun, she's a quick learner, she's entertaining as hell and she's got a huge career ahead of her. At 23, she's quite a force.
Q: In what ways was the rebooted show revamped?
A: The set was ginormous. It was like two football fields. The physical challenges were bigger, the obstacles were bigger. They felt that was an integral part of making the show a success. I could debate that and tell you I think that's somewhat irrelevant. I think it's about having a good time, making sure the host does his or her job, because there aren't many shows where moms and dads and kids get to play together and that's what we provided and have for many, many years.
Q: When you began your career in show business, did you ever think you would end up hosting a show as unique as "Double Dare"?
A: Well, you hope for it. Back when I grew up in the industry — some people will take this the wrong way — but you had to actually have talent. But things have changed so dramatically because of the web. Each generation at some point feels left out and doesn't understand what the new folks are doing. Now I'm on the other side of that where YouTube stars — and I use the term loosely — can own the world.
Q: The show has been on for more than three decades. What makes "Double Dare" special?
A: I think initially, me. I did it from '86 to '94, so I think I had some staying power. I think I had a sense of humor and something the kids liked and the adults liked. At the time, Nickelodeon had done its research and found out that kids were living vicariously through their parents watching "The Price is Right" but didn't have their own game show, so we provided that for them.
Q: Of course, you can't discount the messiness and zaniness of some of the challenges. What is your favorite physical challenge?
A: Pies in the Pants would be my favorite. Catapulting pies as the other person on stage is wearing clown pants and they have to catch three in their pants. Kids were always being reprimanded for being messy, and what we were doing was rewarding them for that situation. They (Nickelodeon) had this sort of comedic "adults versus kids" situation, and it was cute and clever but never disrespectful.
Q: What have you enjoyed about your time hosting this show?
A: Making people happy. Putting people in a room and prizes are somewhat secondary. There's a lot of laughing going on. And often we'll find kids not successful with a physical challenge but they'd be throwing some sort of goo, syrup, slime at each other and didn't care about the prizes or the money, they were just having a good time.
elagatta@dispatch.com
@EricLagatta
• "Double Dare Live" will take place at 7:30 p.m. Monday at the Palace Theatre, 34 W. Broad St. Tickets are $30 to $50 and can be purchased at the CAPA Ticket Center, 39 E. State St., by phone at 614-469-0939 or online at www.capa.com.
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Source: https://www.dispatch.com/story/entertainment/local/2019/12/13/nickelodeon-s-double/2091521007/
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