When the screen fades back in, we see a shot of the skeleton of a small animal sitting in some bushes next to Olmec, with the show’s logo in the corner and the words “Wild Jungle” next to it. The Pendant and the words shatter and spin off in different directions, and the camera zooms out before fading back to Kirk and the two teams, standing in front of Olmec.
“Welcome back to Legends,” says Kirk. “Olmec, you told us a knock-knock joke earlier, so here’s one back at ya. Knock-knock.”
“Who’s there?” replies Olmec.
“I don’t know.”
“You’re gonna say ‘I told you I don’t know, aren’t you?” says Olmec in a bored voice.
“Darn it!” groans Kirk. “All right, well… it’s the Temple Games, and the glory goes to the fastest and the strongest, so before we get started, let’s meet our teams.”
Kirk turns to the tall, slightly tanned brunette boy on the Blue Barracudas. “On the Blue Barracudas, we’ve got Lance,” Kirk begins. “Lance, it says here that you’re on the swim team. Tell me about that.”
“Um, I’ve been swimming since I was six,” Lance explains, “and I’ve been on my school’s swim team for three years now.”
“All right,” comments Kirk. “And what’s your best event?”
“Uh… probably the 100 meter freestyle,” says Lance.
“Oh, so we’ve got a fast swimmer here,” remarks Kirk, turning to Lance’s shorter, strawberry-blonde partner with blue eyes. “And over here, we have Noreen. Noreen, it says here that you like softball, but you also want to be an artist. Tell me about that.”
“Well, I paint and I draw… a little,” says Noreen, laughing slightly.
“Okay… and, uh, what’s your favorite thing to paint?” asks Kirk.
“Mm… I guess animals,” she shrugs.
“All right,” says Kirk in response, “let’s hear it for the Blue Barracudas!” The audience applauds briefly for the team before Kirk continues.
“And over here on the Green Monkeys,” he says, turning to a short African-American boy with a buzz cut, “we have Nelson. Nelson, it says here that you like football, but also it says that you want to become a rapper. Tell me about that.”
“Um, I want to be one because… it’s fun to write rhymes,” Nelson explains, “and also because my friends say I talk really fast.” He laughs slightly at his last sentence.
“Okay,” Kirk laughs in response. “Well, I guess that makes sense. And over here, we have Ashlee.” The camera pans over to an equally short girl with short brown hair and dark brown eyes.
“Ashlee,” Kirk continues, “I understand that you play basketball, but also that you like to compose music. Tell me about that—how do you compose?”
“Um, I have this program on my computer,” explains Ashlee, “and I can just… choose the instruments I want and use a keyboard to create the notes.”
“Ah, sounds cool,” comments Kirk. “Are you gonna start a band?”
“Um… maybe,” she says.
“We’ve got a musical team over here, folks!” shouts Kirk. “Let’s hear it for the Green Monkeys!” The audience cheers for the team momentarily as well.
“You guys ready to play?” Kirk then asks. The players shout and cheer in response. “All right, why don’t you all go get ready and I’ll tell you what’s gonna happen.” The players walk off-camera in different directions before Kirk turns to face the camera and continues.
“In the Temple Games,” he explains, “teams are competing to win Pendants of Life…” Kirk grabs a Pendant out of his pouch and holds it up to the camera. “The winning team will need those Pendants to protect themselves from the dreaded Temple Guards, as they make their way through the Temple. There are three Temple Games, and Olmec will tell us about Temple Game #1.”
The lights beneath Olmec turn on as he begins:
“While Thomas Edison used candles for light, light bulbs today are run by electricity. Today, you will be generating your own electricity. When Kirk gives the signal, climb up onto the generator and shift your weight to make it spin. Each revolution the wheel makes clockwise represents a light bulb powered. The team to supply power to the most light bulbs at the end of 60 seconds wins.”
“Making electricity the old-fashioned way,” remarks Kirk. “Let’s put 60 seconds on the clock!”
A countdown timer with Olmec’s face on the side of it lands in the bottom-right corner of the screen. “On your marks,” begins Kirk, “get set… GO!”
Noreen and Ashlee immediately climb up onto their wheels and both begin spinning them. “All right, this game is about balance,” explains Kirk. “They have to just stay in one position—OH!” [0:53] Ashlee, simply trying to run up the wheel, slips and falls off quickly, while Noreen stays in a position just slightly above and to the right of the wheel’s center, scoring her first point with 50 seconds remaining. “Blue Barracudas seem to have the technique,” narrates Kirk, as Noreen makes a second full revolution while Ashlee is only nearing her first. “But the Green Monkeys are catching up!” [0:42] Ashlee has fallen on her knees, scrambling to try and stand up but still keep her balance, allowing Noreen to pull ahead, bringing the score to 3-1 with 39 seconds on the clock. “Oh, Green Monkeys hanging off a thread!” shouts Kirk as Ashlee slides down to the bottom of the wheel, just barely avoiding a complete fall. [0:33] “Can she stay on? NO!” Ashlee falls a second time right as she makes a second revolution, while Noreen makes her fifth with 26 seconds to go.
“Blue Barracudas still going strong,” comments Kirk as Noreen brings the score to 6-3. [0:18] Ashlee finally is able to pick up speed and turn the wheel quickly, making her fourth full spin as the clock hits 14 seconds, but Noreen is far ahead with seven points at that point. “It’s gonna come down to the wire!” shouts Kirk as the audience begins chanting the final seconds out loud. [0:10] Noreen brings the score to 8-4 with eight seconds left, prompting Ashlee to desperately claw at the wheel, but she missteps and ultimately loses her balance right as her wheel is about to make a fifth full spin, and time runs out shortly after.
“All right, come on down, let’s check it out…” says Kirk, running over to the airbags placed below the wheels. “Come on down here, Ashlee… you too, Noreen… let’s check out the scores.” The camera zooms in on the scorecards near the top of the wheels as Kirk announces the scores.
“The Blue Barracudas powered eight light bulbs,” Kirk says, “and the Green Monkeys only managed to powered—uh, power four, so the Blue Barracudas get the half Pendant of Life!” He gives Noreen a high-five as the audience cheers briefly and a small scoreboard appears in the corner, with a half-Pendant under Blue and an empty space below Green.
“The Green Monkeys can catch up in the next Temple Game,” reminds Kirk. “It’s also worth a half-Pendant—this could tie things up. Olmec, tell us about Temple Game #2.”
The camera cuts back to Olmec as he explains:
“One of Thomas Edison’s greatest contributions to technology was his inventing of the light bulb. But when a light bulb burns out, it has to be changed. Today, you must change a light bulb at the peak of a large mountain. You are standing before two large cliffs leading to the mountain’s summit. When Kirk gives the signal, climb the cliffs in front of you. When you reach the top, switch the light bulb in the holder with the one next to it. The first player to reach the top of the mountain and change the light bulb… wins.”
“What a tough mountain to climb,” comments Kirk. “Let’s get our players in position, here… right behind this line… okay. On your marks, get set… GO!”
On Kirk’s signal, the boys sprint forward toward the Cliffs, trying to find handholds and footholds to begin with. “It’s gonna be a tough race all the way to the top,” shouts Kirk, as both Lance and Nelson have a little trouble starting off. “The Blue Barracudas seem to have a slight lead, though.” At 10 seconds into the round, both boys are fairly even, only at about a third of the way up the first cliff. “These are two tenacious teams,” remarks Kirk, watching Lance overtake Nelson slightly, finding a path of consecutive handholds and footholds placed in an almost stacked pattern. “Whoa, nice job by the Blue Barracudas! The Green Monkeys are gonna have to catch up…” he shouts as Lance grabs onto the ledge halfway up the mountain and pulls himself over onto it about 35 seconds into the game.
“Here come the mighty Green Monkeys,” narrates Kirk as Nelson pulls himself over the ledge, scrambling toward the next cliff, which Lance is already climbing up at full speed. “It’s gonna be close!” shouts Kirk. At 50 seconds into the game, Lance reaches the halfway point of the second cliff, while Nelson is only at the one-third point. “Who will be able to change the light bulb first?” Lance finally pulls himself over the top ledge at roughly 65 seconds into the round, and unscrews the broken light bulb out of the holder. Nelson also pulls himself over, but he is too late, as Lance screws the new light bulb in place and it lights up to indicate that the game is over after 75 seconds.
“All right, stop right there!” yells Kirk. “Stop right there… you can stop, Green Monkeys! Oh, dear, I think he doesn’t know the game is over…” He trails off laughing for a few seconds until Nelson finally turns around.
“Okay... well, the Blue Barracudas made it all the way to the top,” Kirk says, “changed the light bulb… that gives them another half Pendant of Life!” The audience cheers as the scoreboard appears in the corner, with a full Pendant under Blue and nothing under Green.
“So the Blue Barracudas have a full Pendant,” Kirk recounts, “and the Green Monkeys are still looking to score, but they might in the next game—it’s worth a full Pendant. Olmec, tell us about Temple Game #3.”
We see a close-up of Olmec as he speaks:
“To reflect the light around the room, Thomas Edison shifted mirrors into different positions. Today, you will be doing the same, though not in the same way that Thomas Edison did. One of you is suspended in a sack, and before you are three mirrors. When Kirk gives the signal, swing your partner at one of the mirrors and knock it down into position without crossing the line in front of you. The first team to knock down all three mirrors—or the team that’s further along at the end of 60 seconds—wins.”
“That’s certainly not the way Thomas Edison shifted mirrors,” says Kirk as he backs away from the game site. “All right, well, we’ll see about that. Let’s put 60 seconds on the clock!”
The clock slams down into the corner of the screen. “On your marks,” begins Kirk, “get set… GO!”
The male players on both teams pull their partners’ sacks back before pushing them forward for a good swing. “Blue Barracudas off to a good start,” comments Kirk, “so are the Green Monkeys. Both teams seem to have the momentum here—now can they knock down some mirrors?” The Green Monkeys are first to score, knocking down their center mirror with 52 seconds remaining, while the Blue Barracudas miss on their first and second tries. “Whoa, Green Monkeys got one mirror down!” shouts Kirk. “They need this game, remember.” [0:46] The Blue Barracudas finally score, knocking down their center mirror, but the Green Monkeys knock down their second mirror with 42 seconds to go. “One more and the Green Monkeys got it,” narrates Kirk. As the Blue Barracudas’ sack swings back in, Lance pushes Noreen forward, knocking down their second mirror with 37 seconds left on the clock, while the Green Monkeys are still trying to knock over their final statue. “Oh, it’s two-to-two now,” says Kirk. “Whoever scores next wins this game.”
[0:32] Both teams miss again—the Blue Barracudas by a large distance—but both make quick recoveries, trying to aim properly. “OH!” groans Kirk as the Green Monkeys just miss knocking their mirror down by a few inches. “It’s gonna be close...” shouts Kirk as the Blue Barracudas swing out almost perfectly toward their final mirror. “Can they do it?... YES!” Kirk exclaims as the Blue Barracudas knock down their third mirror with 24 seconds remaining on the clock.
“That’s it!” says Kirk, the clock disappearing from the screen. “Stop the… swinging sacks, all right…” Kirk runs over to the two teams, standing between the two sacks.
“It was close, but the Blue Barracudas knocked down all three mirrors the first,” announces Kirk, “so that gives them the full Pendant of Life. That gives them two—the Green Monkeys didn’t have any—the Blue Barracudas are goin’ to the Temple!” Lance and Noreen both celebrate, cheering and whooping as the scoreboard comes up in the corner again—reading 2-0 Blue and the Blue side’s border flashing a bright yellow.
“The Green Monkeys gave it a valiant effort,” consoles Kirk, walking over to them. “They’re not going away empty-handed, though. We’ve got a great gift for ‘em, and Olmec’s gonna tell us what it is.”
Olmec announces the prize as a picture of it appears onscreen:
“You will be going home with this skateboard from Vans! Fully customizable colors and unique design for every single skateboard—but don’t forget your helmet when you ride.”
The prize plug cuts away to reveal Kirk standing next to a smiling Noreen—who is still in her sack—and Lance. “Now we’ll see if these mighty Blue Barracudas can make it through Olmec’s Temple,” he shouts, “retrieve the Lost Light Bulb of Thomas Edison… right after this!” The camera cuts away from Kirk and heads toward the Temple rapidly, stopping in front of the Ghostly Gulch and zooming in on some eerie blue lighting in the back of the room. Two halves of a Pendant of Life crash together to form the show’s titlecard, the words “Wild Jungle” appear under it, and then the screen fades to commercial.
Topic: Wild Jungle EP: The Lost Light Bulb of Thomas Edison (Read 1264 times)