We return from the commercial break to see Kirk standing in front of the Temple with the two remaining teams.
“Welcome back,” he says. “Now, of course, the glory goes to the fastest and the strongest. But first, let’s meet our teams.
“On the Red Jaguars, we have Samantha: she says she likes to play softball and volleyball and she also likes to cook, and her partner Mark likes to swim and he wants to be a chemist when he gets older—let’s hear it for the Red Jaguars!” The audience claps for the brown-eyed girl with shoulder-length black hair and the tall hazel-eyed boy with short, very dark brown hair.
“And on the Green Monkeys, there’s Elizabeth: she plays the violin and she wants to be a singer, and her partner is Noah, and he likes to read horror novels and play golf—give it up for the Green Monkeys!” The audience applauds for the short girl with long blonde hair and green eyes and the slightly taller brown-haired boy with brown eyes.
“All right, are you guys ready?” Kirk asks.
“YEAH!” both teams loudly respond.
“Whoa,” Kirk says, taken aback by their loudness. “Okay, go get ready for the Temple Games, then! Now, in these Temple Games…I almost lost my hearing there…in the Temple Games, our teams are competing for Pendants of Life. Oh, wait…” Kirk retrieves a Pendant from his pouch and holds it up to the camera. “…here’s one right here. These things are more valuable than gold to these teams, because they protect them from the Temple Guards hiding in the Temple. There are three Temple Games—Olmec, tell us about the first one, if you could, please…”
“Aye, aye, captain,” Olmec responds. The black lights under Olmec come on and he begins to explain the first Game:
“After Esther revealed Haman’s plans to King Xerxes, the king gave her a new jewel-encrusted crown to show his appreciation. In this game, you will be gathering jewels for Esther’s crown. Before you stands a large net with several small compartments around its edges. When Kirk gives the signal, propel yourself onto the net, climb up to a compartment, and break it open. If there’s a jewel inside, come down and place it in your bin; otherwise, climb to another compartment and try again. The first player to gather all four jewels or…the player who gathers the most jewels at the end of sixty seconds…wins.”
“Looks like our players have to do a little jewel mining,” says Kirk. “So let’s get started. Set the clock for sixty seconds!” The clock appears onscreen, set for the right time. “On your mark, get set, GO!”
Lizzie and Samantha launch themselves onto the net and break open the cubbyhole closest to them. Lizzie manages to find a ruby in the first one she breaks open, so she comes down and places it in her bin with about 51 seconds left. Samantha finds her first jewel a few seconds later, and brings it down to her bin. After a few seconds of breaking open empty compartments, Lizzie finds a sapphire, and brings it down with 39 seconds on the clock. Samantha finds a purple jewel soon afterward, and drops down to place it in her bin. Lizzie finds another sapphire with about 11 seconds to go, and brings it back down. After finding several empty cubbyholes, Samantha finally finds an emerald, and brings it down with two seconds left. Time runs out soon afterward.
“Okay, that’s it!” Kirk shouts as he appears back onscreen. “That’s it—Lizzie, Sam, come on down and let’s see how we did here. Let me get the baskets here…” Kirk kneels beside the bins and begins to count. “Let’s see—the Red Jaguars got one, two, three jewels. And the Green Monkeys got…one, two—they also got three jewels! Both teams get the half Pendant of Life!” The audience applauds for a few seconds. “So it’s tied up now, but either team could pull ahead in this next game, also worth a half Pendant. Olmec, tell us about Temple Game #2…”
Olmec begins:
“To provide a backdrop for telling the king Haman’s plot, Esther prepared a huge feast. In this game, you will have to set the table for Esther’s feast. When Kirk gives the signal, jump up, grab a napkin, come back and place it in your bin. Then run around, grab another napkin and do it again. The first player to get all their napkins or…the player with the most napkins at the end of sixty seconds…wins.”
“Time to set the table, guys,” Kirk says. “Let’s get sixty seconds on the clock, please!” The clock slams down in the corner with a loud gong sound effect. “On your mark, get set, GO!”
Both guys have some trouble getting napkins, but for different reasons—while Noah has trouble jumping up high enough to get them, Mark develops a bad rhythm after grabbing and dropping his first two in the bin. Noah catches up with Mark with about 24 seconds left, and by this time, Mark has developed a better rhythm. They both grab a napkin and drop it in their bin every time they swing around from then on, and time finally expires.
“Okay, stop spinning!” Kirk shouts as he rushes back onscreen. “Stop spinning and come on over here, guys. They had a little trouble getting them there at the start, but they got the hang of it…let’s count ‘em up and see how they did.” Kirk kneels beside the bins after a spotter sets them both in front of him. “I don’t know—it looks pretty even. Let’s start with the Red Jaguars; they got one, two, three, four, five napkins. And the Green Monkeys got…one, two, three, four…five napkins! Both teams get another half Pendant of Life!” The audience applauds for a few seconds. “So now, we’re all tied up with a Pendant apiece. But the third and final Temple Game could change all that in a hurry. It’s worth a full Pendant of Life—Olmec, tell us about Temple Game #3…”
Olmec begins to explain the final Temple Game:
“Once the king did away with Haman, the Jewish people in Persia celebrated, and the city was decorated in lavish trimmings. In this game, you will also be doing some decorating. When Kirk gives the signal, begin climbing up the ancient Persian tower you’re attached to, with your team’s flag in tow. When you reach the top, place the flag on the tower’s summit. The first team to place their flag…wins.”
“This is for the Temple,” Kirk explains. “We’re not gonna set the clock for this one, so players, get ready—on your mark, get set, GO!”
Both teams are neck-and-neck as the game progresses. The Red Jaguars pull a little ahead, but Mark slips a bit, and has to regain his footing. This allows the Green Monkeys to gain a slight lead. About ten seconds later, the Green Monkeys place their green flag on their tower’s top.
“All right, they got it,” says Kirk as he appears onscreen a few seconds later. “Come on down here, everybody…the Green Monkeys put the flag on their tower first, so the Green Monkeys get the half—or the full Pendant, giving them two; the Red Jaguars only have one—the Green Monkeys are goin’ to the Temple!” Lizzie and Noah applaud excitedly. “Red Jaguars, come over here; you guys were great, too. We’re not sending you guys home empty-handed—we’ve got a great gift for you, and here it is!” They receive World of Zoo for the Nintendo Wii.
As the prize disappears off-screen, Kirk is seen standing between Lizzie and Noah. “They did it—now can the Green Monkeys make it through Olmec’s Temple? Can they retrieve the Jeweled Crown of Esther? We’ll find out right after this!”
The camera pans in on a plant-filled area beside the Temple and zooms in on a group of silk orchids as the title appears onscreen, and we fade to a commercial.