TV’s Marc Summers has had a long and varied career as the host of TV programs and game shows. Some of these shows (Unwrapped) have been more successful than others (Pick Your Brain), but I think we can all agree the man is most famous for Double Dare. The famous Nickelodeon game show ran from the late eighties into the early nineties before being aired in reruns for another decade, and Summers recently spoke out to say he would love to do another version of Double Dare.
Summers has a lot of ideas related to the Double Dare concept. In an interview this week with Huffington Post, Summers spoke out to say he’d love to do a college version of the series.
“I think it would be fun to do it for colleges… think about it. The people who grew up on our show are now in their thirties and forties and they have kids. So, you could do second generation.”
Summers has been excited about reviving Double Dare over the years. The man occasionally still does Double Dare related events, including hosting a booze-themed reaction each year in Philadelphia, where Double Dare was originally shot. This year, he also hosted “Nerdy Double Dare” at the Tampa Bay Comic Con. Clearly, he still is capable and enjoys doing versions of the show, and clearly the man believes parents who used to watch the show would now get a new generation of kids into the series.
Regardless, it does seem as if there may be some logistical problems. Summers and Nickelodeon are currently not on speaking terms and, at one point in the interview, Summers even mentions that he and the network “don’t necessarily see eye to eye” about bringing back Double Dare. Still, it seems as if the doors are open on his end.
"I've been trying to make nice to those people, but they refuse to talk to me. I think they think I'm way too old to do it. I still have the energy and I think I could. So I'm putting a call out to the folks at Nick: return the phone calls, have a discussion."
Over the years, Nickelodeon has gotten away from game shows, producing more cartoons and live action original shows. Spongebob Squarepants, The Legend of Korra, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and The Haunted Hathaways are the types of shows that populate the network now, and Nickelodeon supplements these shows with games available on their site. The era of game shows like Double Dare and Legends of the Hidden Temple might be over at Nickelodeon, but that doesn’t mean the series couldn’t live on in another form. I’m thinking college campus versions might be a great moneymaker for the host. What do you think?
