"Guts" (1992) TV series 1992-1995

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Directors:

Jim Dussel
Bill Shebar

Seasons:

unknown

Release Date:

19 September 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Game-Show | Sport

Plot:

Three kids dawning the different colors red, blue, and purple compete in relatively cool-looking games to achieve as many points as they can. At the end of every episode, they climb a big fake mountain, braving tumbling rocks made out of styrofoam, sparkling glitter, shooting steam, and loud sounds while trying to hit the "Actuators" along their way to the summit. The first place winner gets a "piece of the rock" which is a big green glowing thing, that is supposed to be from the mountain they just climbed. The mountain is called the "AggroCrag" and was later made into the "MegaCrag" for Global GUTS.

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Mike O'Malley	...	Himself - Host (3 episodes, 1992-1993)
Moira Quirk	...	Herself - Referee (3 episodes, 1992-1993)

Also Known As:

"Global Guts" (USA) (new title)
"Nickelodeon Guts" (USA) (complete title)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Nickelodeon Studios, Universal Studios Florida, Universal Orlando Resort - 1000 Universal Studios Plaza, Orlando, Florida, USA

Company:

Media Network

Trivia:

Ways to be disqualified from the Crag event (and get an automatic 3rd place) included skipping obstacles like Boulder Canyon, crossing into another player's path or attempting to disrupt their progress, and hitting the final actuator without having hit one of the previous ones (the latter was the most common cause of disqualifications.)

Quotes:

[explaining the object of the Aggro-Crag]
Moira Quirk: Players will start at the sound of my whistle. Each player has an identical side of the mountain to climb and may not cross into another player's path. Now, during their climb each player must light up each of seven targets located on their side of the crag. The first player to light up all of their targets, including the final one at the peak of the crag, will take First Place points. Mike?

Movie Connections:

Remade as "My Family's Got GUTS" (2008)

Went from excellent to okay

GUTS was without a doubt one of the most popular shows on Nickelodeon during the "first generation era" (1979-99). I love that show. In fact, in my opinion, this show beats out Double Dare and Legends of the Hidden Temple. The host, Mike O'Malley, was energetic and laid back in the first season, but he calmed down in the remaining seasons (but still energetic). Referee Moira Quirk was energetic and funny and had personality in the first three seasons. She would joke a lot during that time. The chemistry between Mike and Moira would be so inseparable that in the third season, that there would be a halftime show where they would recap the highlights from the first half. The games were fun to watch. I loved Moon Race (although it aired 3 episodes in the first season) and Slam Dunk.

However, things went downhill with Global GUTS. It was okay and there's nothing wrong with the global competition, but the show lost a whole lot of spark. Mike O'Malley took his commentary way too seriously (as if he was on ESPN). He acts like he want the kids to win. As a matter of fact, he acts like a high school football (or basketball) coach. Moira would joke less often and her personality went out the window. The show was tweaked up too much. I guess that Nickelodeon wants to get serious with the show's direction. I clearly think that if GUTS didn't have global competition, then the show could have stayed on for one more year.

Grades: GUTS A+ Global GUTS B-