11 Classic Game Shows You Wish You Could Play

The '90s was a booming decade. There were excellent tunes on our stereos, and we wore the brightest fashions. Television was a bright landscape, and a cornerstone of that brightness was a resurgence in game shows.
Whether the family gathered to watch together, you watched while home sick from school, or you stayed up late to sneak in your favorite, game shows were front and center. Odds are you watched every week, completely convinced that if YOU had gone on the show, you'd have won the cash and prizes, which were usually a really cool Casio keyboard or a Swatch.
This Throwback Thursday, let's remember some of the game shows we dreamed of being a contestant on!
1. American Gladiators

There was a big payday ($25,000 was a lot of money at the time,) for the the little guy if they beat the Gladiator. Watching from home, it looked easy, and we were all convinced that we could take down Nitro, Turbo, Ice, Laser, and Hawk. But truth be told, we probably would've failed miserably.
2. Legends of the Hidden Temple

The teams first competed in obstacle course challenge over a moat, then moved on to the Steps of Knowledge, where they answered Olmec's history questions, all the while collecting half pendants of life which would save them from the extra-scary temple guards, as they swung on a ropes and put together a monkey, somehow trying to navigate that temple in just three minutes. Contestants almost never won the big prize, but they did walk away with a Nestle Quick Gift Pack or a Duncan Yo-Yo.
3. Nick Arcade

4. Double Dare

There were many iterations of Double Dare; Family Double Dare, Super Sloppy Double Dare, and Double Dare 2000, each one just as fun and gross as the original.
5. Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?

Through a series of historical and geographical questions and challenges, the Gumshoes tried to capture the infamous lady in the red hat. The prizes were big for a Gumshoe who successfully put Carmen behind bars... a trip anywhere in the United States, and later, anywhere in North America.
6. Singled Out

The next round, Keep 'Em or Dump 'Em, gave potential dates the chance to answer questions, in a Dating Game style. The final potentials left went on the The Final Cut, where they were asked a series of questions that enabled them to move forward or stay put. The contestant who made it to the Picker first won the date. If you were watching MTV in the '90s, you had a crush on Hardwick, Jenny McCarthy, or Carmen Electra, all of whom took turns hosting, and though you wanted the chance to play along, you really just wanted to date them!
7. Guts

Climbing to the top wasn't easy; avalanches, snow, and lightning were dropped on contestants making it harder to reach the peak. It was worth it if you were the winner...you got to take home your very own piece of the Aggro Crag, an exclusive memento that proved you had GUTS.
8. Win Ben Stein's Money

The show won an Emmy is 1999 for Oustanding Game Show Host, an accolade that Stein shared with his co-host, and future late night host, Jimmy Kimmel.
9. Supermarket Sweep

In Round 2, their partner took over, using the time earned to grab anything and everything from the aisles, and the team with the largest dollar amount in their carts won, and got to come back the next day for another match. They got to keep everything in their carts, and earn bonus prizes along the way. As a kid, it might have been cooler to zoom through Toys 'R Us, but for adults, this was a dream show to be a contestant on.
10. What Would You Do?

Eventually, they caught on to the fact that people REALLY wanted Pies launched at them, so it became a reward (happy birthday, you lucky kid!) as well as a punishment that, let's be honest, you absolutely wanted.
11. The Price is Right

If you were a kid or a teen in the '90s, you especially loved staying home sick from school, and shouting prices at the television, prices which you had no idea were right or wrong, because hey, you didn't do the shopping!