Legends: Rebirth-The Broad-Brimmed Fedora of Robert Ripley

[The Bandit King]

Episode 5: The Broad-Brimmed Fedora of Robert Ripley

The camera winds and twists its way through a thick jungle of strange and exotic plants. After a few wrong turns, it finally stops in front of an ancient Mayan temple. At the base of the temple, a giant stone head sits. Suddenly, the head’s eyes light up and it begins to speak:

“Legends of the Hidden Temple: Rebirth!” These words appear on the screen. “With your guide, Kirk Fogg! And here he is now!”

A middle-aged man wearing a denim shirt and blue jeans swings in on a rope. He drops down and runs up the Steps of Knowledge, microphone in hand.

“Thank you! Thank you, everybody! Nice to see everyone again! It’s good to see you again, Olmec! Welcome to Legends of the Hidden Temple: Rebirth. The rooms are filled with lost treasures protected by mysterious Mayan Temple Guards. Only Olmec knows the legends behind each of these newly discovered treasures in his Temple…which one are we gonna hear about today, Olmec?”

“The legend of the Broad-Brimmed Fedora of Robert Ripley,” Olmec replies.

“Oh, the Broad-Brimmed Fedora of Robert Ripley,” Kirk repeats. “Well, the legend’s set, and one of these six teams will have a chance to retrieve the fedora—will it be:

“The Red Jaguars?” The camera zooms in on each team as they are introduced.
“The Blue Barracudas?
“The Green Monkeys?
“The Orange Iguanas?
“The Purple Parrots?
“Or the Silver Snakes?

“They’ll have to pass some tough physical and mental tests, but in the end, only one of these teams will earn the right to enter Olmec’s Temple. But first thing’s first, they’ve gotta cross the Moat, and here’s Olmec to tell us how they’ll be doing it today…”

Olmec begins to explain the Moat Crossing:
“Before you, a long rope hangs into the Moat. When Kirk gives the signal, one player from each team will swim out to the rope, grab it, swim back with it, and swing across. Once you’re safely across, throw the rope to your partner, who will then swing across in the same way. If your feet touch the water while you’re swinging, you must go back and start again. Once both players reach the other side, run over and hit the gong.” Kirk hits the Silver Snakes’ gong to demonstrate. “The first four teams to hit their gongs will go on to the next round!”

“Okay, let’s do it,” Kirk says. “Hey teams, are you ready?”
All six teams scream and cheer in response.
“Mr. Olmec, are you ready?” asks Kirk.
“Rock on,” Olmec replies.
“Okay, then,” says Kirk. “On your marks, get set, GO!!”

All six teams leap into the moat and grab the rope. The Orange Iguanas’ boy is first back on dry land, followed closely by the Green Monkeys’ boy and the Red Jaguars’ boy. The remaining teams are out of the water as these three players swing across, all making it successfully. The other teams swing across as well, and all make it except the Silver Snakes’ girl, whose feet touch the water. “This is really close—I think it’s gonna come down to the wire!” Kirk narrates. The Blue Barracudas’ girl’s feet touch the water as she’s swinging, prompting her to go back, while the Silver Snakes’ girl makes it across on her second swing. However, the other four teams’ second players all make it across successfully and all hit the gong in this order: Green Monkeys, Orange Iguanas, Purple Parrots, and Red Jaguars.

“That’s it! We’ve got our four teams!” Kirk says, walking over to the Purple Parrots. “Purple Parrots had no problem getting across, it was like nothing—going on to the Steps of the Knowledge are the Purple Parrots…and the Orange Iguanas,” Kirk briefly pauses between each team’s names to allow for applause. “And the Green Monkeys, and the Red Jaguars! Blue Barracudas and Silver Snakes did great, but came up just a little bit short. They’re not goin’ away empty-handed—we’ve got a great gift for ‘em, and here’s what it is!” They receive a $50 gift certificate from Target.

[The Bandit King]

Kirk and the remaining four teams are now standing atop the Steps of Knowledge. “As the quest continues, it’s time now for Olmec to tell us about the Broad-Brimmed Fedora of Robert Ripley. But pay attention, teams, because your knowledge of the legend can bring you a step closer to the Temple…”

Olmec begins to tell the story:
“One of the most interesting and colorful characters in history was Robert Ripley. Born in California, he was originally a baseball player, but also found steady work as a cartoonist for a San Francisco newspaper. In 1912 he moved to New York City, and started a daily cartoon where he chronicled extraordinary oddities sent to him by readers of the newspaper. He called the cartoon Believe it or Not!, and it eventually spread to seventeen newspapers worldwide. Legend has it that in 1930, noted publisher William Randolph Hearst approached Robert with a proposition.
“‘Mr. Ripley, your cartoon is the most read in America. It’s time we expanded into other media, though. Would you consider doing a radio show about your cartoon?’
“‘A radio show?’ Ripley asked. ‘But, I can’t sing…’
“‘Not a music show, you nitwit,’ said Hearst. “We’ll send you all over the world making radio broadcasts about all sorts of crazy stuff. What do you say?’
“‘All right. Just one question—will I have to sing a theme song or something? Because I really can’t sing.’
“‘Oh, I give up…’ groaned Hearst.
“Ripley began his radio show the very next day, and for some reason, began wearing a large white fedora wherever he went. In 1933, he opened a highly successful museum, and later began hosting a television series. Robert Ripley’s legacy continues to live on, even though he himself is long gone. His fedora, however, has made its way to the Temple. Your quest is to retrieve the Broad-Brimmed Fedora of Robert Ripley and bring it back here.”

“Thank you, Olmec,” Kirk says. “But tell us, where is the fedora?”

“The Broad-Brimmed Fedora of Robert Ripley can be found in the Tomb of the Headless Kings,” Olmec replies. The camera zooms in on the white fedora placed on the lap of the right-hand king, and then cuts back to Kirk.

“Ooh,” Kirk replies. “Teams, you’re now standing on The Steps of Knowledge. In a moment, Olmec’s gonna ask you a question. If you think you know the answer, I want you to stomp down on the ancient marking in front of you. If you’re right, you can move down to the next level, but if you’re wrong or you run out of time, the other teams will get a chance to answer.” Kirk begins descending the Steps. “The first two teams to make it to the bottom level will be one step closer to Olmec’s Temple. Olmec…we’re now ready for your first question.”

Olmec begins:
“Which of these was Robert Ripley: photographer, cartoonist, or musician?”
The Green Monkeys ring in. “Cartoonist?”
“That is correct,” Olmec replies. The Green Monkeys descend one step.
“Green Monkeys are first on the board,” Kirk narrates. “Next question, Olmec.”

“What did Robert Ripley call his cartoon—”
The Green Monkeys ring in early. “Ripley’s Believe it or Not.”
“That is correct,” Olmec booms. The Green Monkeys advance to the next-to-last step.
“Green Monkeys are only one step away from the Temple Games, just like that,” Kirk narrates. “But remember, we’re looking for two teams—next question.”

“Who was the famous publisher who approached Ripley: Frederick Douglass, William Randolph Hearst, or Alfred Sloan?”
The Red Jaguars ring in after the third choice is given. “William…Randolf Hearse?”
“That…is correct,” Olmec slowly replies. The Red Jaguars step down.
“Red Jaguars are on the board now,” Kirk narrates. “Next question, Olmec.”

“According to our legend, what did Hearst want Ripley to produce: a newspaper column, a radio show, or a magic show?”
The Green Monkeys ring in. “A radio show!”
“That is correct!” Olmec exclaims. The Green Monkeys leap down to the bottom.
“Green Monkeys are the first team going on to the Temple Games!” Kirk narrates. “But we still need one more team…who’s it gonna be: the Red Jaguars, the Purple Parrots or the Orange Iguanas? Next question.”

“According to our legend, what did Ripley begin wearing when he started his radio show: a trench coat—”
The Orange Iguanas ring in early. “Uh…the fedora?”
“That is correct,” Olmec replies. The Orange Iguanas step down one level.
“The Orange Iguanas are on the board,” Kirk narrates. “Next question, please.”

“Is a fedora: a type of scarf, a type of hat, or a type of door?”
The Red Jaguars ring in. “A hat?”
“That is correct,” Olmec booms. The Red Jaguars advance to the next-to-last step.
“Now the Red Jaguars are only one step away,” Kirk narrates. “There’s still plenty of time to catch up, though…next question.”

“Which of these did Ripley not do in addition to his radio show: open a museum, host a television show, or make a movie?”
The Red Jaguars ring in after a few seconds. “Make a movie?”
“That is correct!” Olmec exclaims. The Red Jaguars step down to the bottom.

“We’ve got our two teams for the Temple Games!” Kirk exclaims as he runs to stand between the two teams. “It’s the Green Monkeys, and the Red Jaguars! Purple Parrots, Orange Iguanas, come on down here. You guys did great too—we’ve got a great gift for you guys and here’s what it is.” They receive a backpack from Outdoor Products.

“These two teams will be playing for the right to enter Olmec’s Temple, and they’ll do it right after this!” Kirk explains.

The camera runs along the edge of the Moat and pans in on a group of plastic turtles next to the water before the title appears onscreen, and we fade to a commercial.

[The Bandit King]

We return from the break to see Kirk standing in front of the Temple with one team on either side of him.

“Welcome back to Legends: Rebirth,” he says. “Now the glory goes to the fastest and the strongest, but before we start, let’s meet our two teams…

“On the Green Monkeys, we have Veronica: she says she likes to play basketball and tennis, and she also likes to sing karaoke; and her partner, Dan, told me he also plays basketball and he also likes to paint—let’s hear it for the Green Monkeys!” The audience applauds for the tall blonde-haired girl and the equally tall black-haired boy.

“And on the Red Jaguars, we have Leila: she says she likes to make jewelry and she also plays volleyball; and her partner Joey plays soccer and he wants to be an engineer—let’s hear it for the Green—or the Red Jaguars!” The audience claps for the brown-eyed, brown-haired girl and the tall, sandy-blond-haired boy.

“All right, are you guys all ready to play?” Kirk asks the teams.

"Yeah!" they reply.

“Okay, go get ready for the Temple Games, while I explain what’s happening here. In the Temple Games, these two teams are competing for…” Kirk retrieves a Pendant of Life from his pouch and holds it up to the camera. “…Pendants of Life. The winning team will need these Pendants to protect themselves from the Temple Guards as they make their way through Olmec’s Temple. There are three Temple Games. The first one is worth a half Pendant—Olmec, would you tell us about Temple Game #1?”

“It’s my job, isn’t it?” Olmec replies. The black lights under Olmec come on and he begins to explain the Temple Game:

“When Robert Ripley’s cartoon spread to newspapers worldwide, people from all over sent him letters about strange and extraordinary things they had seen. You are about to help Ripley retrieve his mail. When Kirk gives the signal, run around, grab a letter, come back and place it in your mail bin. Then run back, grab another letter and do it again. The first player to get all the letters in their bin, or…the player with the most letters at the end of thirty seconds…wins.”

“The mail must go through,” says Kirk. “Let’s put thirty seconds on the clock.” The clock appears onscreen. “All right…on your mark, get set, GO!”

Leila and Veronica both develop a considerable rhythm on the rotating lever, with each one placing four letters in their bin about halfway through the game. However, Leila misses a few times during the last part of the game, allowing Veronica to jump ahead. Finally, the clock reaches zero, and the game ends.

“All right, that’s it!” Kirk shouts, running back onscreen. “Come on over here, girls, let’s get the bins and see how you did.” Kirk kneels beside the bins and begins to count. “Red Jaguars got one, two, three, four, five, six letters, and let’s see…the Red—the Green Monkeys got one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight letters! That means the Green Monkeys win the half Pendant of Life!” He pauses briefly to allow for applause. “So the Green Monkeys take first blood, but the Red Jaguars can catch up in this next Temple Game. It’s also worth a half Pendant. Olmec, tell us about Temple Game #2…”

Olmec begins:
“When Ripley’s radio show proved to be successful, he began expanding into other media, and, among other things, opened a museum. You are about to help gather some artifacts for Ripley’s museum. When Kirk gives the signal, run out and grab an artifact, come back, and place it in your bin. Then run back and grab the next one. Along the way, you must avoid the swinging obstacles. The first player to retrieve all four artifacts, or…the player with the most artifacts at the end of sixty seconds…wins.”

“I’ll bet Ripley never had to get artifacts this way,” Kirk comments. “Let’s put sixty seconds on the clock.” The clock appears onscreen. “Let’s get the sandbags in place…on your mark, get set, GO!”

Joey and Dan are both quite fast, and both retrieve the first two artifacts, a clay pot and a golden statue, on their first and second tries. Joey is a bit too ambitious, however, and gets hit with the sandbag in every other attempt he makes, while Dan calculates his runs to retrieve the other two artifacts, without ever getting hit by the sandbags, with eight seconds to spare.

“That’s it!” Kirk shouts. “Let’s count—no, wait, there’s no need to count it up, because the Green Monkeys got all the artifacts first, so the Green Monkeys win the half Pendant of Life!” The audience applauds. “So now, the Green Monkeys are ahead, one to nothing, but the Red Jaguars can tie it up in the third and final Temple Game. It’s worth a full Pendant of Life—Olmec, tell us about Temple Game #3…”

Olmec begins to explain the final Temple Game:
“When Ripley began hosting his radio show, he went all over the world, broadcasting live from various exotic locations. Fortunately for you, your destination is somewhat closer to home. When Kirk gives the signal, propel your boat off the dock toward your destination. Once you reach it, climb out and place the radio antenna into the ground. Once it’s secure, climb back in the boat, turn it around and sail back. Be careful not to touch the water, or you’ll have to go back and begin again. The first team to step back onto the dock or…the team that’s further along at the end of sixty seconds…wins.”

“This is for the Temple,” says Kirk. “Let’s put sixty seconds on the clock.” The clock appears onscreen, all set to go. “All right, let’s get out of the way here—on your mark, get set, GO! Bon voyage!”

Both teams propel their boat off the dock at a fairly fast pace, and both place the radio antenna in the preset hole equally quickly. The Red Jaguars have a little trouble turning their boat around, though, and that gives the Green Monkeys enough of an opportunity to pull ahead and make it back to the dock with 11 seconds to spare.

“That’s it!” shouts Kirk, running back to the dock. “Green Monkeys made it back to the dock first, so that means that the Green Monkeys win the full Pendant!” The audience applauds for a few seconds. “So that means the Green Monkeys have two Pendants, the Red Jaguars didn’t get any—the Green Monkeys are goin’ to the Temple!” Veronica and Dan hug one another and jump up and down in excitement. “Red Jaguars, come on over here. It was tough; you were up against some tough competition. We got a great gift for you guys, and here’s what it is.” They receive a custom-made Legends of the Hidden Temple: Rebirth watch.

As the prize disappears off-screen, Kirk is seen standing beside the winning team. “They did it, and now it’s time to see if the Green Monkeys can make it through Olmec’s Temple and retrieve the Broad-Brimmed Fedora of Robert Ripley, right after this!”

The camera pans in on the Temple and zooms in on the Broad-Brimmed Fedora as the title appears onscreen, and we go to a commercial.

[The Bandit King]

We return from the break to find Kirk standing in front of the Temple with the winning team.

“Welcome back to Legends: Rebirth,” he says. “Dan and Veronica have proven themselves worthy and now have earned the right to enter Olmec’s Temple. But first, Olmec’s gonna give them some information that could help them retrieve the Broad-Brimmed Fedora of Robert Ripley…”

Olmec begins to explain the layout as the camera gives us a first-person tour of the Temple:
“You could start…by running up the stairs to the Crypt! Grab the book from the skeletons, and pass into the Rope Labyrinth! Maneuver through the ropes, and climb into the Great Seal Room. Place the correct seal in the central holder, and a door may open into the Chamber…of the Sacred Markers. Match the symbols on the right to those on the left, and pass into the Safari Room. Push in the correct animal head and open the door to the SHRIIIINE of the Silver Monkey! Assemble the statue and you may be headed toward the Room…of the Secret Password. Find the tablet with the correct inscription and shout it out to open the door to the Pharaoh’s Secret Passage. Slide down the tunnel to the Dungeon, where you could smash through the wall into the Dark Forest…but beware of the Temple Guards that may inhabit the trees! Find the key in the tree, and you’ll enter…the Bamboo Forest! Maneuver through the thicket, and you’ll gain entry to the Tomb of the Headless Kings. Pull the vine to release the bones, and attach the missing skull to its proper king, then…crawl through the Labyrinth, climb through the Ledges, race down the stairs and back through the Temple Gate. The choices are yours and yours alone!” Olmec pauses. “You won 2 Pendants in the Temple Games. Who’s going first?”

“I am,” says Veronica, raising her hand.

“Very well, Veronica,” Olmec replies. “When Kirk gives the signal, you’ll race through the gate into the Temple and make your way toward the Broad-Brimmed Fedora. Hidden inside the Temple are Temple Guards assigned to protect three specific rooms. You can trade your Pendant for an extra life and go on, but—if you’re caught without a Pendant, you’ll be taken out of the Temple, and it’ll be Dan’s turn to enter and try his luck. If you can reach the Fedora, all the doors of the Temple will instantly unlock, and the Temple Guards will vanish. Return through the gate with the Broad-Brimmed Fedora of Robert Ripley in three minutes, and you’ll both be handsomely rewarded—and here’s how!”

• Just for making it this far, they’ll get a bicycle from Mongoose.
• If they can grab the Broad-Brimmed Fedora within the time limit, they’ll also receive a DVD player from Sony.
• And if they can bring the Fedora out of the Temple before three minutes expires, they’ll win a trip to Jamaica.

“Hey, mon, it’s a-Jamaica,” Kirk says in what must be the worst Jamaican accent ever. “Okay, let’s see if they can get it…Dan, do you guys have a strategy?”

“Yeah, we’re gonna take the top route, then go down, get the hat, and…try to make it out before time’s up,” Dan replies.

“Sounds good to me, let’s see if it works,” Kirk says. “Okay, mouthpieces in, and let’s set the clock for three minutes.” The clock appears in the corner of the screen, all set to go.

“Olmec, lower your gate, please.” Olmec moans gutturally as the gate is lowered, and the black lights under him go out.

“Okay…ready, Veronica?” Kirk asks one last time.

“Oh yeah,” Veronica replies.

“Okay,” Kirk chuckles. “On your mark, get set, GO!”

Veronica dashes up the stairs and into the Crypt. She pulls two books, opening the door to the Rope Labyrinth with the second pull (2:52). She ventures into the room, scrambles through the tangled ropes and eventually makes it across (2:40). “We’ll see how much her sports experience can come into play here,” Kirk narrates. Veronica hits the actuator for the Chamber of the Sacred Markers, which opens, but she also tries the actuator for the Great Seal Room. It won’t budge, so she makes her way into the Chamber (2:31). Veronica stumbles into the room, immediately noticing two tiles on the stage-left wall (2:28). She correctly places them and looks around for a few seconds before locating the third tile on the stage-right wall and placing it in the slot (2:20). As the doors to both the Safari Room and the Great Seal Room open, the first TEMPLE GUARD is revealed when the door to the latter opens. “Oh, that’s gonna cost her a Pendant!” Kirk narrates. Without missing a beat, Veronica hands the Guard her Pendant and runs through the door to the Safari Room (2:17). She pushes in the heads of the lion, leopard and rhino before trying the Cape buffalo’s head, which successfully opens the door to the Shrine of the Silver Monkey (2:09). “Now on to the Shrine of the Siiiilver Monkey!” Kirk narrates. Veronica runs through the open door into the room, but is immediately caught by the second TEMPLE GUARD (2:05).

“Oh, Temple Guard! Go, Dan!” Kirk narrates. Dan dashes up the stairs, bolts through the Crypt and enters the Rope Labyrinth (2:00). He maneuvers through the ropes in what must be record time, arriving on the other side of the room very quickly (1:55). He enters the Chamber, and bolts through the Safari Room into the Shrine (1:49). “He’s doing great so far,” Kirk accurately narrates. Dan grabs all three pieces of the monkey in one trip and dashes back to the front of the room (1:45). He places the base on the pedestal (1:43), continues with the middle, and jams the head down, opening the door to the Room of the Secret Password (1:32). Dan ventures into the room, immediately removing his mouthpiece in the process, and opens the stage-left cabinet. “Long live Olmec!” he shouts, but nothing happens (1:26). He runs to the back of the room and opens the cabinet, shouting out “Dr. Livingstone, I presume!” Again, nothing happens. “It’s gotta be the last one!” Kirk narrates. Dan opens the stage-right cabinet, pulls out the tablet, and reads “Open sesame!”, which opens up the Pharaoh’s Secret Passage (1:10). Dan slides down the tunnel, emerging in the Dungeon, where he encounters the third TEMPLE GUARD (1:04). “Oh, Temple Guard!” Kirk narrates. “The good news is that that’s all of ‘em!” Undeterred, Dan hands his Pendant over to the Guard and breaks through the wall into the Dark Forest. He reaches into the stage-left tree, feels around, but comes out empty-handed (0:59). He tries the stage-right tree, finds a key and attempts to unlock the door to the Bamboo Forest. The door successfully unlocks, and Dan ventures into the room (0:45). “I think he’s gonna make it!” Kirk narrates. Dan laboriously climbs through the bamboo, hitting a bit of a snag in the middle with a unique bamboo formation. He makes it through, however, and hits the actuator to the Tomb of the Headless Kings, which opens (0:26). Dan rushes into the room and grabs the BROAD-BRIMMED FEDORA (0:22).

“He’s got the Fedora! All the doors are open now!” Kirk narrates. Dan climbs through the door into the Rope Labyrinth and dashes through the bottom part of the room. He climbs up the crawl tube into the Ledges (0:12) and begins climbing through. He successfully makes it out, and dashes down the stairs holding the Broad-Brimmed Fedora with three seconds to spare.

“He did it!” shouts Kirk as a fanfare of trumpets plays. Dan drops to his knees with the Fedora. “Dan did it! They got it! They got it all! They won! They won the bike, they got the DVD player—they’re goin’ to Jamaica!” Dan finally gets up off his knees and holds the Fedora up. Veronica hugs Dan and kisses him on the cheek as tears stream down her face. Dan smiles and blushes as he waves the Fedora around. “Wow, this is an emotional team—a strong team! It’s been great havin’ ‘em! This was the most fun I’ve had in a long time! It’s too bad we’ve gotta get outta here—if I were in charge, we’d be here all day! We’ll see ya next time, and remember: it’s not just Legends—it’s Legends: Rebirth! Buh-bye, everybody!”

Kirk and Dan take turns holding the Fedora high as they and Veronica wave to the crowd, and the credits roll.

[The Bandit King]

The Broad-Brimmed Fedora of Robert Ripley
Season 1, Layout 1
Artifact Location: The Tomb of the Headless Kings
Team: Green Monkeys (Dan Walker & Veronica Swanson)
Pendants: 2
Result: Escaped! (0:03 left)

I consider this one of the most emotional episodes of Legends: Rebirth. No team had ever successfully brought an artifact from the Tomb of the Headless Kings out of the Temple (or, for that matter, any other room from the bottom of the Temple’s central column) in Legends history. This episode changed all that. A fast, intelligent, and downright dominant team was all it took to decipher the mystery of this downright vicious Temple Run and score the first successful retrieval of an artifact from that particular room.

Veronica was not only smart, she was fast, too—it only took her three seconds to go from standing beside Kirk to into the Crypt. She made great time before being taken out in the Shrine of the Silver Monkey with a healthy 2:05 to go.

If Veronica was fast, Dan was lightning. He took only two—count ‘em—two seconds to reach the Crypt from the starting line. He blazed through all the rooms, put the monkey together in an astounding thirteen seconds, and didn’t even seem like he was fazed by the Temple Guard he met up with in the Dungeon. The only room that caused him trouble was the Bamboo Forest, but even that didn’t slow him down too much. As soon as he grabbed the Fedora with 22 seconds to go, you just knew how this run would end. Nineteen seconds later, Dan was out of the Temple, on his knees, and exhausted, but one Mongoose, DVD player, and trip to Jamaica richer. (Oh, and that kiss from Veronica was definitely a perk).

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Notes & Trivia: During the Moat Crossing and Steps of Knowledge, you can clearly see that there is no audience during this episode, a rarity among episodes that use Layout 1 of the Temple.

Dan entered every room in the Temple except the Great Seal Room.

This is the first time a team member directly kissed his or her partner on Legends. The only time this has come close to happening in the original series was when the male Purple Parrot on “The Upside-Down Compass of Henry Hudson” blew his female partner a kiss during the Temple Run. Not only that, Dan looked like he enjoyed it—Veronica was kind of cute…

Temple Diagram provided by JTH1