Fun House (game show)

This article is about the US game show. For the UK game show, see Fun House (UK game show). For other uses, see Funhouse (disambiguation).

Fun House
Fun House logo.
Format	Game show
Created by	Ron Greenberg
Presented by	J. D. Roth
Narrated by	John "Tiny" Hurley (Syndication) Michael Chambers (FOX)
Country of origin	United States
No. of series	3
No. of episodes	~375
Production
Producer(s)	Ron Greenberg
Location(s)	Hollywood Center Studios Hollywood, California
Running time	approx. 22 minutes
Production company(s)	Stone Television (1988–1990) Stone Stanley Productions (1990–1991) Lorimar Television (1989–1990) Telepictures Productions (1990–1991)
Distributor	Lorimar-Telepictures (1988–1989) Warner Bros. Television Distribution (1989–1991)
Broadcast
Original channel	first-run syndication (1988–1990) Fox (1990–1991)
Picture format	4:3
Original run	September 5, 1988 – April 13, 1991
Chronology
Related shows	Fun House (UK version) College Mad House (college students version)

Fun House was a United States children's television game show that aired from September 5, 1988 to April 13, 1991. Two teams (Red Team and Gold Team), each consisting of a boy and a girl, played messy games and answered questions to win a chance to run through an obstacle-strewn Fun House at the end of the show. It was hosted by J. D. Roth, who was assisted by cheerleading twins Jacqueline "Jackie" and Samantha "Sammi" Forrest. The announcer on the syndicated version was John "Tiny" Hurley. He was replaced for the Fox version by Michael Chambers, a.k.a. "MC Mike."

For its first two years, Fun House aired in syndication, but for its last season it was picked up by Fox Broadcasting Company and renamed "Fox's Fun House." Fun House was produced by Stone Television (later Stone-Stanley Productions), in association with and distributed by: Lorimar-Telepictures (1988–1989), Lorimar Television (1989–1990), Telepictures (1990–1991) and Warner Bros. Television (1990–1991).

Game play

Stunt rounds

Both teams competed in three stunts/games: one for the boys, one for the girls and one for all players. Stunts resembled those on another children's game show, Double Dare. Several games, such as "Pinhead" and "Dump-O", were races to answer a certain number of questions first, with the losing player being covered with disgusting materials (slime, garbage, etc.) by an unusual contraption. The team who won each stunt earned 25 points. If the stunt ended in a tie, both teams received the points. After each stunt, the teams returned to their podiums to answer a toss-up question that was related to the stunt for an additional 25 points.

Fun House Grand Prix

Team players raced two laps around the studio; one pushing the "Grand Prix car" and the other riding/steering. While racing, teams collected white and blue tokens (worth 10 and 25 points, respectively) from various points along the track. They could collect as many tokens as they wanted, but only tokens that remained with them at the end of the race counted (dropped tokens were considered out of play and did not count). After one lap, the contestants switched places in the car (the pushing contestant now steered and vice versa) and the teams switched lanes on the track. Small challenges were usually set up around the track that each team had to complete, such as gathering each of several food items or hitting targets with a seltzer bottle.

Starting later in the syndicated version, a token bank was placed near the track on the second lap, at which teams could make a pit stop to grab as many tokens as they could. The first team to cross the finish line earned an additional 25 points. At the end of the race, the teams returned to their podiums and the host counted up the tokens, starting with the trailing team. The team with the most points after all the tokens were counted up won the game and advanced to the Fun House. If the game ended in a tie, one last tie-breaker question was played. A correct answer sent the team to the Fun House, but an incorrect answer gave the opposing team a chance to win the game with a correct answer.

The Fun House

Contestants on the winning team took turns entering the Fun House and tried to grab a series of red and green tags (three tags per player per turn) in each room in the Fun House. The green tags represented cash, and the 6 red tags were prize tags. One randomly selected tag also included the "Power Prize", which if found awarded the team with a big trip. This continued for two minutes, after which the cash and prizes were added up, and the team was told if they had won the Power Prize. Any cash earned was awarded to each player.

In the FOX version of the show, a "Glop Clock" was also hidden in the house; finding this specially marked alarm clock earned the team an additional 15 seconds (at the end of the main two minutes) to collect tags. In addition, time was started when the contestant hit the water after the water slide was added.

Rooms

First season

• Balloon Lagoon (a small pool filled with water and balloons; players could enter the Fun House through the Lagoon from a set of stairs leading into it, but could only exit it through ladders at either side)
• Fundromat (a giant revolving tunnel filled with clothes)
• Tiny's Room (two closets, one of which had Tiny in it with a seltzer bottle and the tag)
• The Shower Room (a series of connected shower stalls with seven doors, only one of which was unlocked)
• Zapeteria (a mock cafeteria in which the opposing team attacked the runners with whipped cream and pies; used in College Mad House, later used in the Fox version of the series)
• The Dump (Ballroom covered with trash cans and trash bags)
• The Swamp (Small lake with the tag in the mouth of an artificial alligator)
• Small Tall Hall (5 doors, with the doors going from small to largest)
• Icecave/Batcave
• Chomping Choppers (Pressure Cooker with eyes and teeth)
• Windchimes (Large wind chimes close together)
• Wrong Way Street (a reverse treadmill; pilot version only)
• Booby Trap (eight small foot holes covered by thin paper; replaced by the Small Tall Hall midway through the 1988–1989 season)
• Swimmin' Hole (small pool with the tag hanging from a small pole; replaced by the Balloon Lagoon midway through the 1988–1989 season)
• Tubular Tunnel (spinning tunnel that connected between the Ballroom and the Cave)
• Boiler Room (a twisted maze of pipes leading to the next floor)
• Prize-O-Mat (a vending machine with candy in all five slots, one of which also contained the tag)
• Mount Fun House (stairs leading to a peak (sometimes had a condor's nest at the peak) that led to a small room that led to two slides; later, also had a bridge connecting it to The Dump)
• Weather Room (a small drizzle rained on the contestant; the tag was attached to a high balloon)
• Wallpaper Room (peel the wallpaper and find the tag)
• Windowsill (a flower with 8 "petals", one of which is the tag, standing in the windowsill)
• Drawbridge (a small bridge hanging over the first slide in Mt. Fun House)
• Spider's Web (The drawbridge covered with cobwebs, and a spider hanging down with the tag attached; pilot version only)
• Shaky Quaky Room/Forest (trees and/or buildings on top of a waterbed)
• Box Room (Boxes stacked on top of one another, with one box containing the tag)

Second season

• Turntable (spinning turntable found at entrance)
• Moon/Rainbow Bridge (arch that spanned the end of the water slide)
• Fun Bank (a fake brick wall guarding a safe which housed the tag)
• Pirate Ship (whack the right pirate for the tag)
• Main Ship Deck (spin the ship's wheel to lower the tag)
• Earthquake Bridge (a bridge that swayed front to back)
• Soda Can (A gushing soda can with a tag hanging near the tab of the can)
• Cuckoo Clock (placing both clock hands on the 12 made Tiny appear, who handed the contestant a tag and sprayed him or her with a seltzer bottle.)
• The Vines (tall vines filled this area, one of which held the tag)
• Telephony Room (tag was hidden under the ringing telephone)
• Prize Cage (a birdcage with the tag toward the top)
• Rainbow (pull down the cords which dropped down colored slime and a tag)
• Tree house (Climb up the ladder and grab a tag hanging from one of the branches)
• Cave (a cave hidden in the falls)
• Tubular Tunnel (Tunnel that spins around)
• Exit (small skateboard going down a ramp; no tag here)
• Avalanche Room (rocks tumbled toward the contestant upon entry, revealing a tag)
• Rocket (hit the switch to launch the rocket and grab the tag)
• Haunted House (Two coffins were in here, one filled with blood, the other with Tiny with a seltzer bottle; either coffin contained the tag)
• Coconut Tree (palm tree with tag hanging under one of the leaves)
• Stew Pot ("boiling" pot with tag hidden in the stew)
• Pirate's Cove (two areas: a pole and a pilot's room with a tag inside)
• Paddle Wheel (a running wheel on the side of the ship with a tag attached)
• Fridge Raiders (Huge fridge where tag lies in waiting)
• Crazy Cottages (Two small outhouses with an open window connecting the two, tag is in 2nd/top room)
• Big Mouth (a head with a large tongue, where a tag was located)
• Treasure Island (located in the pool, where there is a small chest with the tag inside)
• Hurricane Alley (much like the Earthquake Bridge, except covered with palm trees)

College Mad House

A version of Fun House for college students aired in weekly syndication, and was titled College Mad House. This version was hosted by future Academy Award-nominated actor and television personality Greg Kinnear, and pitted two teams of four students, each from rival colleges, against each other. Instead of cheerleaders, a male and a female "referee" assisted with the gameplay. Beau Weaver was the announcer.

This version featured much more risqué content and stunts than the children's version, often involving crude college gross-out humor and games that required lewd bodily movements among the participants. The format was basically the same, but with some notable differences:

• The stunts were changed to accommodate four-person teams; the two men from each team faced each other, then the two women, with all four players on each team participating in the third stunt.
• The Grand Prix round was replaced with the "Finals", in which the teams lined up face-to-face at the podiums. Jump-in-questions from a specific category were asked; getting a question right earned 25 points and the right to hit the opposing player in the face with a pie. These two players then rotated to the back of the line, with the next two players answering the following question. The team in the lead after a minute and a half advanced to the Mad House.
• The format of the Mad House was changed slightly from that of Fun House. As in the original version, the team had two minutes; however, each player had exactly 30 seconds to collect as many of the 13 tags as possible. After one player's 30 seconds ended, he/she had to stop collecting tags wherever he/she was at, and the next contestant was let in immediately (although a contestant could stay in the house after 30 seconds). If a team "cleaned house" by collecting all thirteen tags, they won a trip (this rule replaced the Power Prize). The layouts of the Mad House were almost identical to that of the Fun House layouts in use at the time that show was being taped; however, many of the names of the "rooms" or obstacles were changed to reflect college life. Also, given that each player had 30 seconds to grab tags, the on-screen clock would show :30 to start, so when a new teammate entered the Mad House, the clock would reset back to 30.

External links

• Fun House Factory: Fansite for the US version, with some information on the UK version.
• Fun House at the Internet Movie Database

References