‘Double Dare Live!’ allows grown-ups to fulfill childhood fantasy

If you’re between the ages of 24 and 38, you probably know who Marc Summers is.

Moreover, you’ve likely spent countless hours pondering the most efficient way to crack an egg over your forehead, scale a whipped cream-laden slide and snag a flag out of the nostrils of a giant nose.

For those who never got a shot at starring on “Double Dare” in the ’80s and ’90s, “Double Dare Live!” gives grown-ups a chance to take on the obstacle course in adulthood — in all of its messy, slimy glory.

The live show, which will be at The Smith Center for one night on Sunday, re-creates the television show on stage.

Rather than featuring just two teams of four people, 80 people from the audience will be selected to participate in rounds of trivia and physical challenges.

Returning to the helm is Summers, who hosted the Nickelodeon game show “Double Dare” as well as “Super Sloppy Double Dare” and “Family Double Dare.”

The TV show pitted two families against each other in trivia. The winning family could then go on to compete in a physical challenge such as filling a container with slime or launching a pie into a teammate’s oversized pants within 30 seconds.

Whichever team scored the most points could run the obstacle course.

The first act of the stage production pits kids and adults against each other in challenges such as “Musical Pies,” a variation on “Musical Chairs.”

In the second act, teams of four compete in the obstacle course, winning $100 for each obstacle completed within 60 seconds and $1,000 if the team completes all eight.

Many memorable obstacles from the show will make an appearance on The Smith Center stage, including “Pick It” — the giant nose that may or may not sneeze green slime all over contestants.

“We walk them through the course and try to give them every hint,” Summers says. “They don’t realize that it’s really difficult to climb up the slide when you’ve got whipped cream on your shoes. Adults just lose their minds like they did when they were 10 or 11 years old.”

Summers finds that, while the show is geared toward kids, many grown-ups come without any kids in tow.

“I explain to them that when they were kids, they would yell at the screen thinking they could do physical challenges better than the kids on the show,” Summers explains with a laugh. “And a lot of times they mess it up because they can’t believe they’re finally going to live out their childhood fantasy. You just see it go down the tubes!”

Summers, who also hosted “What Would You Do” on Nickelodeon in the ’90s and “Unwrapped” on Food Network, says that “Double Dare” got its start when Nickelodeon found that kids didn’t have a game show of their own.

“They took Truth or Dare and added questions. And then if you couldn’t answer it, you had the physical challenge aspect and then the obstacle course,” Summers says. “It became that at 5:30, America would stop. We were just at the right place at the right time and parents would let their kids sit and watch this ridiculous show.”

In its initial run, Summers hosted live shows in 15,000-seat theaters.

“It was pandemonium,” he says. “It was like being a rock star for kids. It was just so gigantic. And so when we did it this time, I said I don’t want to play those big theaters, I’d rather play a more intimate place such as this. So it’s been much better I think this way.”

Summers says that the secret sauce that made “Double Dare” a big hit the first time around still is relevant.

“Kids like getting messy,” he says. “The first day I walked on the set, there were all these obstacles and they were putting whipped cream and chocolate syrup on them. I said, ‘What is this?’ And they said, ‘Well, we think kids want to get messy.’ And I thought, ‘Well, I’ll be going home real soon.’ ”

For millennials and Gen-Xers who wish to live out their childhood fantasies, Summers has three tips.

The first is to show enthusiasm when Summers scans the audience for volunteers to join him on stage.

If you succeed in getting picked to go onstage, listen to Summers’ directions. For instance, when tasked with climbing Sundae Sliders, use the railing to climb, rather than the desert-covered slide.

And finally, make sure to bring a change of clothes.

Contact Janna Karel at jkarel@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jannainprogress on Twitter.