Wild Jungle EP: The Attack Plan of Murayama T?an

[The Bamboo Forest]

To find more Wild Jungle episodes, click THIS LINK to go to the Official Episode Guide thread!



The screen fades in to reveal an oversized coffee cup sitting on a ledge in front of a large stone head. The camera zooms out further to reveal a man in a light blue shirt also drinking coffee, but from a much smaller cup.

“Hey, Olmec,” the man says to the head. “This coffee tastes great! What’s it made from?”

“It’s a secret ingredient, Kirk,” Olmec replies mysteriously.

“C’mon, we’re all friends here,” pries Kirk. “Tell me what it is.”

“It’s made right here on LEGENDS OF THE HIDDEN TEMPLE: WILD JUNGLE!” shouts Olmec.

“Well, what is it?” Kirk then asks.

“Beetle juice.”

“PFFFF!” chokes Kirk, spitting out his drink.

The theme music suddenly begins to play. There is a flash of green lightning, two halves of a Pendant of Life crash together to form the show’s logo, and underneath it the words “Wild Jungle” appear as the Pendant pushes back to allow the rest of the title to appear over it. The background quickly cross-fades to lush greenery as cascading water is heard. The camera then moves towards the right to reveal a channel of bubbling, steamy water, and what appears to be a tropical jungle.

“With your guide, Kirk Fogg!” Olmec then yells. “And here he is now!”

A bamboo gate opens below the audience sections, and Kirk runs out to greet the crowd, crossing a bridge to the other side of the rapidly-moving water. “Thank you very much!” he shouts. “Nice to see you—nice to see you too, Olmec. Welcome to Legends of the Hidden Temple. The rooms are filled with lost treasures that are protected by mysterious Mayan Temple Guards. Only Olmec knows the legend behind each of the treasures in his Temple. Which one are we gonna hear about today?”

The lights under Olmec switch on as he replies:
“The Legend of the Attack Plan of Murayama T?an.”

“Whoa, the Attack Plan of Murayama T?an,” repeats Kirk. “Well, the legend is set, and one of these six teams will have a chance to retrieve the Attack Plan—”

The camera segues back to the doorway that Kirk emerged from moments ago, and the teams come out of it one-by-one as Kirk introduces them.

“Will it be the Red Jaguars?
“The Blue Barracudas?
“The Green Monkeys?
“The Orange Iguanas?
“The Purple Parrots?
“Or the Silver Snakes?”

“They’re gonna have to pass some tough physical and mental tests,” says Kirk, “and in the end, only one team will earn the right to enter Olmec’s Temple. But first, they have to cross the Rapids, and Olmec will tell us how they’ll have to do it today.” The camera zooms in on Olmec’s face as a small animated representation of the game appears in the corner of the screen.

Olmec instructs:
“Before you, a tightrope stretches across the Rapids, and above it, a path of five vines. When Kirk gives the signal, the first player will step on to the tightrope and hold on to the first vine. Then, make your way over to the next vine and continue your way down to the other side. If you fall into the water, you must return to the riverbank and begin again. Both partners must cross the Rapids in this same way, and when both partners are safely on the other side, hit your gong to finish!” The camera rapidly zooms out all the way to the Red Jaguars’ gong, which Kirk slams down on to demonstrate.

“The first four teams to hit their gongs will advance to the next round,” finishes Olmec.

“All right, teams!” calls Kirk, who is standing on the wooden bridge at the front end of the Rapids. “Are y’all ready?!”

The teams all shout and cheer in response.

“Olmec, are you ready?” Kirk then asks.

“Hai!” replies Olmec.

“On your marks,” Kirk begins, “get set… GO!”

 With that word, the first players on each team begin to cross the Rapids, each grabbing their vines. “All right, now let’s see if they can get that balance right…” says Kirk, as the boy on the Blue Barracudas appears to be having trouble, swinging forward and backward while trying to steady himself. “The Orange Iguanas and Purple Parrots are blazing,” commentates Kirk, as the camera zooms in on the Orange Iguana boy and the Purple Parrot girl, who are already grabbing hold of their third vines. “—but the Silver Snakes aren’t giving up!” Kirk finishes, as the camera than segues to the boy on the Silver Snakes hanging on to his second vine for dear life. A wide shot reveals that Orange and Purple are on their fourth vines, Green is in between the third and fourth, and that Red, Blue, and Silver are all on their third.

After roughly 32 seconds, the first players to reach the riverbank are the male Orange Iguana and the female Purple Parrot. “All right, now for their partners’ turn,” Kirk narrates. The camera pans over to the Red and Blue gongs, where the Red Jaguar boy stretches his fifth vine, not letting go until he is safely on the riverbank. “Nice job by the Red Jaguars!” comments Kirk, as the camera segues back to him standing on the Rapids’ bridge. The girl on the Orange Iguanas takes a lead, transitioning from one vine to another with ease, while the girl on the Silver Snakes struggles simply to move on to her second vine. “Looks like we may have our first team soon,” says Kirk. “It’s—” Kirk pauses momentarily as the Orange Iguana girl reaches the riverbank, stumbling momentarily, but running over to her gong and hitting it nearly 50 seconds into the round. “—the Orange Iguanas!” finishes Kirk, shouting over the ring of the gong.

“Who’s gonna be our second team?” Kirk asks rhetorically, the camera showing Kirk through a view of the Blue Barracudas’ and Red Jaguars’ paths of vines, where the Red Jaguar girl is grabbing hold of her third vine and the Blue Barracuda girl to her second. “I think we’ve got our next team…” The camera pans back to the Purple Parrot girl bringing her first foot onto the deck, letting go of her fifth vine, and finally stepping safely onto dry land. “… and it’s the Purple Parrots!” The Purple Parrots slam down on their gong together, followed closely after by the Red Jaguars’ gong going off. “And the Red Jaguars!” Kirk shouts. “Now we just need one more team…” The girl on the Green Monkeys falls in, allowing the Blue Barracudas to catch up, but not before the Silver Snakes girl overtakes her unexpectedly, powering her way past her fifth vine and onto the riverbank. “All right, just gotta hit the gong… and she’s done it!” Kirk declares as the Silver Snakes gong in together. “We’ve got our four teams! Stop right there…”

The camera segues back to Kirk standing on the wooden bridge at the front end of the Rapids. “All right, nice job, teams!” he says. “Going on to the Steps of Knowledge are the Red Jaguars—” A shot of each qualifying team is shown as Kirk announces their name “—and the Orange Iguanas—and the Purple Parrots—and the Silver Snakes.

“Red Jaguars, Green Monkeys… you guys came up a little short, but you gave it a great effort,” he then says. “Olmec, what do you have for these guys?”

We see a close-up of Olmec’s face, and as he speaks, the prize plug covers the screen:
“You will now be able to tell time by splitting open a Pendant of Life on your new Legends of the Hidden Temple WATCH! A custom-made digital sports watch design from Casio.”

[The Bamboo Forest]

The screen transitions to a shot of the four remaining teams atop the Steps of Knowledge as Kirk walks into the frame. “As we continue our quest,” he says, “it’s now time for Olmec to tell us about The Attack Plan of Murayama T?an. But teams—pay attention, because your knowledge of the legend can bring you a step closer to Olmec’s Temple.”

Olmec begins to tell the legend:
“In the 17th century, Japan was one of the most powerful nations in Asia. Murayama T?an was one of the many that tried to help the expansion of the Japanese Empire. In 1616, he drew up a plan to attack the island of Taiwan and took it to Tokugawa Ieyasu for approval.

“‘Mister-a Ieyasu!’ said T?an. ‘I have-a de attack plan-u!’

“‘What is zis?’

“‘I have told-a you! It is de attack plan-u!’

“‘Hmm? What will we get out of attacking Taiwan?’

“‘We can-a trade for silk-u from-a China more easier-ly.’

“Tokugawa Ieaysu pondered for a moment before answering.

“‘Hmm. I approve! My other plan isn’t working so well. Zis is embarrassing!’

“‘You mean-a de one where you make-u de small whips to make de silkworms work-u faster?’

“‘Just go!’

“Murayama T?an brought his ships and army toward the island, but before they could reach, a massive typhoon struck and all but one of his ships disappeared, and was attacked immediately when he landed. Murayama made it back to Japan safely, but his attack plan was lost forever… until now. Your quest is to find the Attack Plan of Murayama T?an and bring it back here.”

“Thank you, Olmec,” says Kirk after a brief silence. “So tell us—where is the Attack Plan?”

“The Attack Plan of Murayama T?an can be found… in the Sandy Shore,” declares Olmec. The camera moves past several rooms on the Temple’s bottom floor and stops in front of the Sandy Shore, before fading to a close-up of the rolled-up battle plans sitting on the room’s front ledge.

“All right,” says Kirk in response. “Teams—you are now standing on the Steps of Knowledge. In a minute, Olmec’s gonna ask you a question. If you think you know the answer, stomp down on the ancient marking in front of you. If you’re right, you’ll move down to the next level, but if you’re wrong or run out of time, I’m gonna have to give the other teams a chance to answer. The first two teams that make it to the bottom level—” Kirk runs down the steps, then walks out of view “—will be one step closer to Olmec’s Temple. Olmec, we’re now ready for your first question…”

Olmec asks: “Was Murayama T?an: Japanese, Taiwanese, or—”
The Silver Snakes ring in: “Japanese!”
“That… is correct,” Olmec says.
“Okay, step on down, Silver Sakes—er, Snakes,” Kirk then says, stumbling a little on his words. “Next question.”

Olmec asks: “Did Murayama T?an present his attack proposal to: the Emperor of Japan, Tokugawa Ieyasu, or the owner of Takeshi’s Castle?”
The Silver Snakes stomp down again: “Uh… Tokugawa I… yat-su?”
“That is correct,” declares Olmec.
“All right, step down again, Silver Snakes!” Kirk instructs while the audience applauds briefly. “Ha, ha… next question, please!”

Olmec asks: “Was Murayama T?an’s idea to capture Taiwan: so that Japan could become allies with China, so that silk trade would be easier, or so tha—”
The Silver Snakes interrupt: “To make silk trade easier.”
“That is correct!” shouts Olmec.

“We’ve got our first team moving on to the Temple Games!” Kirk announces, as the camera zooms in on the Silver Snakes, who jump down onto the bottom step. “It’s the Silver Snakes—nice job! We’ve got room for one more team, though. Next question, Olmec.”

Olmec asks: “Japan is a country made of many islands. Is a cluster of islands known as: a peninsula, an archipelago, or a gulf?”
The Purple Parrots buzz in: “Um… an archipelago?”
“That is correct,” Olmec replies.
“All right, Purple Parrots, step on down…” Kirk says in response, allowing them to move down to the second step. “Next question.”

Olmec asks: “What caused Murayama to lose all of his ships: an earthquake, a typhoon, or a tidal wave?”
The Purple Parrots stomp down: “A typhoon…?”
“That is correct,” announces Olmec.
“And just like that, the Purple Parrots are one correct response away from the Temple Games,” narrates Kirk. “Olmec, next question.”

Olmec asks: “When Murayama T?an reached Taiwan, was he: welcomed, attacked, or imprisoned?”
The Purple Parrots ring in: “He was attacked.”
“THAT IS CORRECT!” booms Olmec.

“These two teams are going on to the Temple Games!” shouts Kirk, running over to the bottom step. “They are the Silver Snakes… and the Purple Parrots!” The audience applauds loudly as both qualifying teams are shown.

“The Red Jaguars and the Orange Iguanas gave it a great effort,” Kirk then says. “They’re not gonna be going away empty-handed. We’ve got a great gift for them, and here’s what it is.”

Olmec begins to speak as a prize plug covers the screen:
“You’ve just won a Legends of the Hidden Temple backpack each! Custom-designed and made to fit; never venture anywhere without the wildest backpack in the world! A product… of Jansport.”

The prize plug cuts away to reveal the remaining two teams on the bottom step. “These two teams are gonna be competing for the rights to enter Olmec’s Temple,” shouts Kirk, “and they’re gonna do it… right after this!” We cut to a shot of a hand-held camera moving down the deck of the Rapids. The camera then points upwards into a tree, zooming in on two tropical birds sitting upon one of its branches. 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.

[The Bamboo Forest]

When the screen fades back in, we see a shot of a small pile of rubble near the front of the Secret Spring, steam rising from it, 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. “Now the glory goes to the fastest and the strongest… so before we get started, let’s meet our teams.”

Kirk turns to the first player: a short boy with blond hair and pale skin on the Purple Parrots. “On the Purple Parrots,” Kirk begins, “we have Erik. Erik, it says here that you enjoy BMX biking. Tell me about that.”

“Um, it’s just sort of a thing I like to do with my friends,” Erik explains. “We hang out at the skate park and just… ride for fun.”

“Do you know any good tricks?” asks Kirk.

“Uh… yeah, kinda,” laughs Erik, shrugging a little.

“All right, sounds cool,” comments Kirk, turning to face Erik’s partner, a slightly taller redheaded girl with straight hair reaching down to her shoulders. “And also, we have Jessica. You wanna become a songwriter, you tell me. Tell me about that.”

“Well, I like to write a lot of stuff, actually,” Jessica says, “but songs are my favorite because I play a little guitar.”

“Ah,” Kirk says in response. “Are you good at the guitar?”

“Uh… not really,” laughs Jessica sheepishly. “They say that you only need three chords, so… I guess I’m stuck there now.” She finishes laughing.

“Haha, well, all right,” Kirk replies. “I think we have a talented team here—let’s hear it for the Purple Parrots!” The audience applauds for the team, prompting Kirk to face the boy on the Silver Snakes: tall, with frizzy dark brown hair just barely kept down by his helmet.

“And on the Silver Snakes,” Kirk continues once the audience is silent again, “we have Ted. It says here that you have twelve pets. Break it down for me, Ted.”

“Uh, all right, I have two dogs,” begins Ted, “three cats, five fish, and one turtle.”

“Whoa, that’s a lot of pets,” Kirk comments. “Can you say all their names right now?”

“Bill, Peaches, Amber, Bella, Snowball, Hamlet, Goldie, Harry, Rainbow, Randall, Ross, and Shellie,” he recites.

“Nice job!” says Kirk in response, turning to a girl with brown eyes and slightly wavy, dark brown hair. “And your partner here, Jessie, says that she likes football. Tell me about that.”

“Well, it was my dad that got me into it when I was little,” Jessie says, laughing a little. “I used to watch every game with him on TV, and now I play a little.”

“All right,” Kirk says in response. “Do you have a favorite team?”

“Uh, yeah, the Vikings, ‘cause I’m from Minnesota,” she replies, smiling.

“All right then,” Kirk then says. “Let’s hear it for the Silver Snakes!” The audience applauds once again, this time for the Silver Snakes.

“You guys ready to play?” Kirk then asks. The players shout and cheer in response. “Well, then go get ready!” The players all walk off-camera in different directions. Kirk then faces the camera before continuing.

“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:
“Even though Murayama’s attack failed, it was not the only attack the Japanese attempted in their history. Before you stand the walls of four cities. When Kirk gives the signal, run through the first wall and plant your battleflag. Then run back, grab another battleflag, and do it again. The first team that conquers all four cities—or the team that’s further along at the end of 60 seconds—wins.”

“All right, let’s hope they have enough strength to knock down those walls,” Kirk says, backing out of the shot. “Let’s set the clock at 60 seconds!”

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!”

Erik and Ted immediately advance, both knocking down their first walls at around the same time and planting their first flags in the flag holders behind the now-empty doorframes. “It’s tiring,” Kirk commentates. “You’ve got to go forward and then backward and keep changing direction!” [0:54] Both boys race out a second time, flags in hands, but Erik catches a slight lead while breaking down his second wall. “All right, Flag #2 in for Purple,” narrates Kirk, as the camera zooms in on Erik planting his second battleflag. With 46 seconds on clock, Ted begins his trip back upon planting his second flag, but Erik is already halfway back. “Oh, nice move there by the Purple Parrots!” shouts Kirk, as Erik takes a clear lead, setting out on his third trip several seconds ahead of Ted. [0:38] “The Silver Snakes are falling a little behind,” notes Kirk. “Can they catch up? Or will the Purple Parrots pull ahead of them?”

[0:30] Erik breaks down his third wall and plants his third flag, turning around quickly and passing Ted as he breaks down his third wall. “All right, the third flag is in for the Purple Parrots now,” Kirk comments, but not before Ted also plants his third flag. “But the Silver Snakes are not far behind—can they overtake the Purple?” With 22 seconds remaining, Erik grabs his last battleflag and sprints forward. “Here come the Silver Snakes…” As Erik passes through the empty frame holding up the (now broken-down) first wall, Ted starts running forward with his fourth flag—but halfway between his third and fourth walls, Erik breaks down his fourth wall with 12 seconds left on the clock. “Can he do it?” shouts Kirk, as Erik plants down his fourth battleflag, ending the game with nine more seconds to go. “He can! Stop right there…”

Kirk runs through the space between the two pathways. “Whoa, nice job there by the Purple Parrots…” he says, greeting Erik first. “The… Purple Parrots got all four walls down and all their flags in, so that gives them the half Pendant of Life!”  The audience cheers as a small scoreboard appears in the corner, with a half-Pendant under Purple and an empty space below Silver.

“The Silver Snakes can catch up in the next game, though,” continues Kirk, putting his hand on Ted’s shoulder. “It’s also worth a half-Pendant. Let’s check it out—Olmec, tell us about it.”

The camera cuts back to Olmec as he explains:
“Murayama T?an had to travel over a thousand miles to carry out his attack. Luckily for you, your journey will be much shorter. When Kirk gives the signal, roll the boat down the ramp and across the water. When you reach the island, plant your flag on it, grab the rope, and then pull yourself back to shore. The first player to land both their feet on the dock—or the team that’s further along at the end of 60 seconds—wins.”

“I hope none of our players get seasick,” Kirk comments. “Let’s put 60 seconds on the clock!”

The clock lands in the corner of the screen with a bang. “On your marks,” shouts Kirk, “get set… GO!”

Both boats roll down the ramp and into the “water”, with both girls using their oars to push their boats forward. “Oh, it’s neck-and-neck!” exclaims Kirk. [0:54] Both girls reach the islands fairly quickly at around the same time and plant their flags down. “All right, now comes the hard bit—turning their boat around,” Kirk commentates, as the camera shows Jessie having some trouble turning around her boat. “Oh, the Purple Parrots are getting ahead!” Indeed, with 43 seconds on the clock, Jessica has already turned her boat to face the dock and grabs the rope next to the island with 40 seconds remaining. “Oh, can she pull herself all the way back?” Kirk shouts, as the camera shows Jessica pulling herself toward the dock hand-over-hand, with Jessie still trying to grab on to hers. [0:35] Jessica’s boat crashes sideways into the ramp, but she gets out quickly and races up the ramp, jumping down onto her platform to end the game with a whole 29 seconds remaining.

“Oh!” shouts Kirk. “That’s it! The Purple Parrots made it back first—the Silver Snakes had a little trouble at the turnaround, there—but that gives the Purple Parrots another half Pendant of Life!” The audience cheers as the scoreboard appears in the corner, with a full Pendant under Purple and nothing under Silver.

“All right, the Purple Parrots are on fire today,” says Kirk. “We’re going into our third and final game. It’s worth a full Pendant. Olmec, tell us about Temple Game #3.”

We see a close-up of Olmec as he speaks:
“Luckily for the Chinese troops on Taiwan, there was only one of Murayama’s ships that they needed to attack. Unluckily for you, you will have three to take down. One of you is suspended from the crow’s nest in a sack. When Kirk gives the signal, swing your partner at one of the ships and sink it by knocking it over. The first team to sink all three ships—or the team that sinks the most ships at the end of 60 seconds—wins.”

“This is for the Temple,” Kirk reminds while backing away to get a clear view. “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!”

On that signal, both boys step forward, dragging their suspended partners with them, and then swinging them back. “All right, once they get started,” Kirk explains, “it’s about keeping the rhythm.” Both girls swing forward—but neither one of them knocks anything down. “It takes awhile to get that—no, Silver Snakes already got one!” Indeed, Jessie knocks down the center ship, but begins to spin out of control as Ted attempts to push her toward the right ship. [0:47] “Purple Parrots got one,” comments Kirk as Jessica knocks down her team’s center ship. “The Silver Snakes have two now, though.” The Silver Snakes knock down their second ship with 45 seconds to go, this time with Ted making sure to push properly to avoid spinning the sack. “Can they get it?” shouts Kirk, as Jessie swings forward, knocking down her team’s final ship with 37 seconds left on the clock. “Yes, they do! It’s over! Stop right there…”

“All right,” Kirk begins, stepping in front of the camera as the stunt spotters stop the swinging sacks. “Nice job by the Silver Snakes, there… they knocked down all three ships so quickly—so that gives them the full Pendant of Life!” The audience cheers briefly before quieting down.

“That gives them one Pendant,” calculates Kirk. “The Purple Parrots also have a Pendant. We have a tie! Let’s bring out the Tiebreaker Pedestal…” A short cue plays as two spotters wheel in the Tiebreaker Pedestal, setting it right in front of Kirk, who steps away from it to let the players behind.

“All right, Silver Snakes, you guys stand over here,” Kirk instructs, gesturing to the right-side gong, “and Purple Parrots, you guys stand on the left, right there. Okay, here are your Tiebreaker rules. In a minute, Olmec’s going to ask you a question. If you think you know the answer, hit the gong in front of you. You’ll have three seconds to answer and we will only accept your first response. If it is correct, you and your partner will enter Olmec’s Temple in search of the Attack Plan of Murayama T?an, but if you’re wrong or run out of time, I’ll give the other teams—or, other team, rather, a chance to answer. All clear?” The players nod in response.

“All right then,” replies Kirk. “Olmec, what is your final question?”

Olmec asks: “Is the capital of Taiwan: Tokyo, Taipei, or Shanghai?”

Ted slams down on his gong. “Silver Snakes!” calls Kirk, holding his microphone up to Ted’s mouth.

Ted answers: “Taipei…?”

“… That is correct!” shouts Olmec, after a brief pause.

“The Silver Snakes are going to the Temple!” declares Kirk as Ted pulls Jessie into a hug to celebrate. The scoreboard comes up in the corner again—reading 1-1 and the Silver side’s border flashing a bright yellow.

“It took awhile, but Olmec’s decided,” continues Kirk. “Nice comeback by the Silver Snakes! The Purple Parrots gave it a great effort—it came down to the Tiebreaker—but they’re not going away empty-handed. We’ve got a great gift for ‘em and Olmec’s gonna tell us what it is. Olmec?”

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 with his arms around the Silver Snakes’ shoulders in front of the fallen ships. “Now we’ll see if the Silver Snakes can make it through Olmec’s Temple,” he shouts, “retrieve the Attack Plan of Murayama T?an… right after this!” We cut to a crane-camera hovering over the Rapids, zooming in toward the audience sections. 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.

[The Bamboo Forest]

When the screen fades back in, we see the camera focused on one of the puzzle pieces on the floor of the Leopard’s Lair, 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 Silver Snakes standing at the base of the Temple steps.

“Welcome back to Legends!” says Kirk. “Ted and Jessie have proven themselves worthy and now have earned the rights to enter Olmec’s Temple. But first, Olmec’s gonna give them some information on how to retrieve The Attack Plan of Murayama T?an.”

The lights underneath Olmec turn on as he explains:
“You might begin by running up the stairs to the Oasis.” A computer animation of the Temple now appears onscreen to illustrate each room’s objective. “Push in the correct tree, and fly across the water on the Seagull Swing! You could race up to the Eagle’s Nest, and smash the correct egg to find the key, which will lead you… into the Boneyard. Hang the bones in the right pattern, and pass into the Leopard’s Lair. Place the pieces hide to complete the pattern, and open the door to the SHRIIIIIINE… of the Silver Monkey. Assemble the statue, and you may be headed for Catfish Cove. Place the fish in the correct bucket, and open the door to the First Mate’s… Secret Passage.

“Slide down the tunnel to the Sandy Shore, where you could smash through the wall to the Forest of a Thousand Dragons! Find the key in the dragons’ mouths—but be careful! One of the dragons might be inhabited by the spirit of a Temple Guard. If they grab you, you’ll have to give up a Pendant of Life. Next, crawl into the Bamboo Forest. If you escape, you might have a chance to enter the Ghostly Gorge. Pull down the correct bat from the branch, and crawl back through the Secret Spring.

“Then, climb… through the Quartzite Canyon, race down the stairs… and back to the Temple Gate. The choices are yours and yours alone!” The animation fades back to a far shot of Kirk and the Silver Snakes standing before Olmec.

“You won one Pendant in the Temple Games,” Olmec then says. “Who’s going first?”

“I am!” shouts Ted.

“Very WELL, Ted!” replies Olmec. “When Kirk gives the signal, you’ll race through the gates into the Temple and make your way toward the Attack Plan of Murayama T?an. Protecting three specific rooms of the Temple are the Temple Guards. If you are caught, you may 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 will be Jessie’s turn to enter and try her luck. When you grab the Attack Plan, all of the doors of the Temple will instantly open and the Temple Guards will vanish. Return through the gates with the Attack Plan of Murayama T?an in three minutes, and you will be handsomely rewarded with these prizes!”

Olmec then reads the prizes as prize plugs cover the screen one after another:
•   For just entering my Temple, you will both receive a high-quality stereo system from… Sony. With AM/FM radio, a CD player, and a dock for your iPod or iPhone.
•   If you can grab the Attack Plan before three minutes is up, you will also receive a complete encyclopedia! The latest edition of World Book includes over 20 volumes packed with information and illustrations for school and family use alike.
•   If you can bring the Attack Plan out of my Temple in less than three minutes, you will both be embarking on a trip to SeaWorld, San Diego! You’ll swim with dolphins, catch a killer whale show, and even make a Journey to Atlantis. From SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, a division of the Blackstone Group.

“—all to be won today if you can prove yourselves to be Legends of… the Hidden Temple!” finishes Olmec loudly as the audience cheers. The camera fades back to Kirk, and the Silver Snakes standing before the Temple steps.

“All right, that sounds great!” says Kirk, turning to Ted. “So, we’ve got a little time—let’s talk strategy here. Now, Ted, you already know that the Attack Plan is in the Sandy Shore, all the way at the end of the Temple. How do you plan to get there?”

“Um, basically what we’re gonna do is just follow the bottom of the Temple,” explains Ted. “It’s the most direct way to the… um, Sand Room, so I think it’s probably the best way there too.”

“Okay,” says Kirk in response. “And what if that path doesn’t work and there’s a locked door—what will you do then?”

“Uh… I guess we’ll just follow whatever path opens,” says Ted.

“And where do you think the Temple Guards might be?” Kirk asks.

“Um… I don’t know, really,” laughs Ted, shrugging. “Um… I’m thinking the Ghostly Gorge, there at the bottom.” He points toward the Ghostly Gorge for clarification.

“All right, well, I guess we’re gonna find out,” replies Kirk. “Let’s get in position, here… mouthpieces in, the both of you. Let’s put three minutes on the clock!”

The clock—now set at 3:00—slams down into the corner of the screen. “Olmec,” continues Kirk, “lower your gate.” The gate beside Olmec lowers as he lets out a low growl, and the lights below him switch off.

“On your mark,” he then says, “get set… GO!”

“There goes Ted, into the Temple!” says a voiceover as Ted immediately springs forward up the Temple steps with some faint—but noticeable—shouting in the background. “They have one Pendant… how far will it get them?” Ted darts behind Olmec, sliding down into the Quartzite Canyon and squeezes his way through the first set of ledges. [2:55] Ted climbs down further into the Quartzite Canyon, hitting the actuator to the lower crawl tube to the Secret Spring “—but it won’t open!” the voiceover narrates. “Looks like he’s gonna have to head up…” Ted crawls backwards and then climbs up to the upper ledge of the Canyon, opening up the door to the Oasis with 2:43 remaining. “All right, now he’s pushes in the center section of the palm tree directly to the right of the Temple Guard door, slamming open the door to the Seagull Swing. “All right, first try!” the voiceover comments as Ted heads down the stairs to the ledge of the Seagull Swing. [2:37] “Okay, he’s gonna have to grab that rope and swing across—” Ted reaches out to grab the rope, catching it with his left hand and then lifting up his legs to swing swiftly across the Secret Spring. “—and he does! Nice job!” Once on the opposite ledge, Ted immediately hits the actuator to the door of the Eagle’s Nest, opening it, and he proceeds through the doorway with 2:28 remaining.

“He’s heading up, into the Eagle’s Nest,” explains the voiceover. “There, he’s gonna have to break open those eggs to see which one has the key.” Ted races quickly up the set of spiraling stairs into the Eagle’s Nest, immediately grabs an egg out of the central nest, and throws it onto the rather messy floor of the room. [2:21] “He’s searching for a key… and then he can find the right hole to lower the rock slab!” shouts the voiceover. Ted breaks a second egg, this time finding a red key among the shattered remains. “Which hole will it be?” He first inserts the key into the center pedestal, followed by the left pedestal, opening the door to the Boneyard with 2:14 remaining. “All right, nice job!” cheers the voiceover. “Now he’s heading down into the Boneyard…” Ted begins to climb down the ladder in the back of the room; the camera pans down to show a clear shot of the Boneyard, which Ted lands in with 2:08 left. As he takes his foot off the last rung of the ladder, a well-hidden door to the right of the ladder flips open, revealing the first TEMPLE GUARD with 2:05 remaining, scaring Ted almost to the corner of the room.

“Whoa, Temple Guard!” exclaims the voiceover, as Ted fumbles with his team’s only Pendant. “That scared him…” He hands over the Pendant quickly, then returns to the front of the room. [1:58] “Now what he has to do is to hang the bones up on the ceiling in the correct order,” the voiceover explains. Ted pulls a bone out of the ground and hangs it on the rightmost hook. “Mm, I don’t know… if he can find a longer bone, then that might not be correct,” commentates the voiceover. [1:54] Ted pulls up a second bone—but it is longer than the first that he hung up! “Gotta switch those two bones, I think,” says the voiceover. Ted grabs the first bone and replaces it with the second bone—the longest bone—on the right hook, then places the first bone on the center hook with 1:45 on the clock. “All right, now he’s got it,” says the voiceover as Ted grabs the last bone from the ground. “Just one more bone…” Ted hangs the shortest bone from the leftmost hook, and almost instantly, a noise is heard, signaling the open door to the Ghostly Gorge. [1:38] “Which door opened?” the voiceover says as Ted looks confused, searching for an additional open door, but eventually giving up and heading down the ladder downward. “Into the Ghostly Gorge he goes…” narrates the voiceover, the camera panning down to show Ted climbing down the ladder. [1:29] He finally steps onto the floor of the Ghostly Gorge, running around the right side of the room to access the central bridge. “Okay, he’s gonna have to pull down the bats from the branch and see which one will open the door…” Ted reaches up to grab the first bat from the right. “One, two,” counts the voiceover as Ted pulls down the bats one-by one. “Three, four… which one’s gonna do it?” Ted continues down the branch, pulling down bats until the seventh bat triggers the door to the Bamboo Forest with 1:15 remaining. “There it goes!” says the voiceover as Ted climbs through the doorway. “Into the… Forest…” says a live Kirk. “In he goes… but will he come out?” Ted jumps down into the packaging peanuts, getting caught up in foliage momentarily, but before he can make further progress, a headdress hidden among the plant growth rises and a TEMPLE GUARD emerges to take Ted out of the Temple with 1:08 remaining!

“OH! Temple Guard!” yells Kirk. “It’s Jessie’s turn now…” Jessie jogs up the stairs, racing up stairways behind Olmec and heading directly toward the Oasis. “All right, Jessie!” cheers Kirk. “She’s gonna head straight into the Oasis Room—she’s not wasting her time in the Ledges…” [0:59] Jessie heads down the stairs to the Seagull Swing, reaching out to the grab the rope, fiddling with it for awhile before catching hold of it. “Swing across! You gotta swing across, Jessie.” Jessie jumps off the ledge, swinging across the fish-filled net below her and landing on the opposite ledge with 50 seconds to go. “Go, Jessie! You gotta move!” Kirk cheers, as Jessie heads through the doorway to the Eagle’s Nest, climbing up the stairs to the top of the Temple with caution. “Up the stairs… she’s gonna… head right through to the Eagle’s Nest, and then it’s down all the way to the Ghostly Gorge,” explains Kirk. [0:45] Jessie reaches the Eagle’s Nest, immediately finding the ladder down and beginning to back down the ladder with 42 seconds left on the clock.

“C’mon Jessie!” cheers an excited Ted as the camera cuts to him for a few seconds. The camera segues back to Jessie in the Boneyard, avoiding the hanging bones to reach the next downward ladder. [0:35] “She’s gotta head all the way down to the Ghostly Gorge,” explains Kirk. “Oh my…” Jessie heads down the ladder to the Ghostly Gorge, finally entering the room and setting her feet down with 28 seconds remaining. “She still has 30 seconds… if she can make it through the Bamboo Forest without trouble, she can still do it!” exclaims Kirk. “That’s where her partner was taken out—in the Bamboo Forest.” Jessie climbs her way into the Bamboo Forest, jumping down into the room with 22 seconds on the clock, and then finding an opening in the bamboo poles, almost all of them vertically running. “She’s doing a great job!” says Kirk, watching Jessie stumble over a well-hidden horizontal bamboo pole forming a step between two. “She’s gotta just ease her through some of those…” With 15 seconds remaining, Jessie reaches the halfway point in the Forest, still deep inside the mess of tangled bamboo. “Oh, it’s gonna be close, folks,” shouts Kirk, with Jessie still trying to find an opening, bending down and then standing up again. “Just a few more seconds…” [0:10] Jessie forces her way through two bamboo poles, finally reaching the clearing on the left side of the room and hitting the actuator for the lower door to the Forest of a Thousand Dragons with five seconds remaining. “Oh, is she gonna make it?” wails Kirk with the audience counting down the final seconds, but just as Jessie touches one foot on the floor of the Forest of a Thousand Dragons, the clock explodes and TIME IS UP!

“Oh, time’s up!” announces Kirk, as the credits begin to flash in blocks of text at the bottom of the screen. “They did a great job… they were just two rooms away from the Attack Plans, too. I know Ted here had a good time. Here comes Jessie—” Kirk pauses momentarily to allow Jessie to join the group, putting a hand on her shoulder in condolence. “They still get the stereos for playing… We’re all out of time… so we’ll see you next time for another great Legend of… the Hidden Temple! Bye!” Kirk, Ted, and Jessie all wave to the camera, and the camera pans to the Temple, focusing on the Secret Spring momentarily before the screen fades to the Stanley Entertainment Group logo, followed by the Nickelodeon Productions Logo as the theme music concludes.

[The Bamboo Forest]

Artifact Name: The Attack Plan of Murayama T?an
Location: The Sandy Shore
Result: Ran out of time
Time Remaining: N/A
Pendants Won: 1

Diagram:



Summary:

Well, this episode was… on the whole, pretty boring. The Rapids started off on a particularly slow-moving note, with all six teams having some trouble, at the very least. Eventually, the Red Jaguars, Orange Iguanas, Purple Parrots, and Silver Snakes all gonged in (albeit with intervals) to end the Rapids crossing after approximately 90 seconds. The legend focused on Murayama T?an, a Japanese man in the 17th century, and his failed attempt to attack the island of Taiwan. The Steps of Knowledge did feature a double-sweep, with the Silver Snakes and the Purple Parrots completely shutting out the other two teams to end the Steps of Knowledge in only six questions.

The Temple Games were also extremely short. The Purple Parrots were formed by BMX biker Erik and songwriter/guitarist Jessica, and the Silver Snakes by owner of 12 pets Ted and Minnesota Vikings fan Jessie (I really did get confused with the name similarities ). In the first Temple Game, the boys had to break through four walls and plant their battleflags behind them. The Purple Parrots won with all four planted and 12 seconds to go. In the second game, the girls had to sail to an island, plant another battleflag, and then sail back to the dock. The Purple Parrots won again, this time ending the game with a good half a minute to spare. And in the third game, the teams worked together to knock down a fleet of ships by swinging their partner in a sack, which the Silver Snakes won with a whopping 37 seconds remaining! The Silver Snakes won the fairly easy tiebreaker question and headed to the Temple with a single Pendant.

What a brutal Temple design. Season 3 of Wild Jungle did have some pretty tough designs, and this one, no doubt, was one of them. Ted’s plan (which was revealed because there was so much extra time to fill) was to start off low and take the low road all the way, but this was foiled quickly when the door between the Quartzite Canyon and the Secret Spring wouldn’t open. He ended up taking the upper floor and was forced down the gauntlet of the Eagle’s Nest, the Boneyard, and the Ghostly Gorge, ending up on the bottom floor with only about a minute and a half to go. To make matters worse, he was taken out of the Temple in the Bamboo Forest with only a little more than one minute left. Jessie was a fast player, retracing Ted’s entire path and even navigating the Bamboo Forest, but needless to say, there wasn’t enough time to grab the Attack Plan. Good team, but a let-down Temple Run. What a shame…

Trivia and Records
This is the only episode in which all three Temple Games end before their time allocations expire. I think this episode also had one of the worst voiceover jobs in the history of the show, with Kirk’s live voice not even being muted properly (you can definitely hear his real voice underneath the voiceover) and a poorly-done transition from voiceover to live.

Also, Olmec does his Tokugawa Ieyasu voice almost as accurately as he did it back in 1995 for “The Red Sash of Tokugawa Ieyasu”.

[The Ancient Warrior]

Er... big inconsistency with the layout (Isn't it the Oasis now?), but other than that...

Well, the episode came across exactly as you wanted it to seem, at least.  The Japanese accents could have used a little more research, and the two girls having similar names made things a bit interesting during the Temple Games, but it was still a pretty fast read all the same.