Legends: Rebirth-The Original Spelling Book of Noah Webster

[The Bandit King]

Episode 13: The Original Spelling Book of Noah Webster

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 Original Spelling Book of Noah Webster,” Olmec replies.

“All right, the Original Spelling Book of Noah Webster,” Kirk repeats. “Well, the legends is set, and one of these six teams will have a chance to retrieve the spelling book—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 long run, only one team will have the right to enter Olmec’s Temple. But first, they have to cross the Moat, and Olmec’s gonna tell them how they’ll have to do that 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 go,” Kirk says. “Hey teams, are you ready?”
The teams all scream and cheer in response.
“Olmec, are you ready?” Kirk asks.
“Let’s rock and roll,” Olmec replies.
“Okay,” Kirk says. “Teams ready, get set, GO!”

All six teams jump into the Moat and grab the rope. The Orange Iguanas’ boy is first back, followed by the Purple Parrots’ boy and the Green Monkeys’ girl. These three teams swing across, but the Green Monkeys’ girl touches the water, prompting the spotters to send her back. The remaining three teams make it out of the water, and all three swing across successfully and throw the rope to their partners. Meanwhile, the girls from the Purple Parrots and Orange Iguanas catch their rope and begin to swing across. “Nobody’s gonged in yet—oh, there’s one—there’s two!” Kirk narrates as the Orange Iguanas and the Purple Parrots ring their gongs at about the same time. The Red Jaguars’ girl successfully swings across along with the Silver Snakes’ girl, and both rush over to hit their gongs and end the Moat Crossing.

“That’s it! We’ve got our four teams!” Kirk shouts as he runs over and stands beside the Silver Snakes. “Silver Snakes had no problems whatsoever, and going on to the Steps of Knowledge are the Silver Snakes…along with the tenacious Purple Parrots,” Kirk briefly pauses between each team’s name to allow for applause. “And the Orange Iguanas, and the Red Jaguars! The Blue Barracudas and the Green Monkeys didn’t quite make it, but we’ve got a great gift for ‘em anyway, and here’s what it is!” They receive a $50 gift certificate from Gamestop.

[The Bamboo Forest]

I'm breaking one of my golden rules by replying before it's done, but....

Why is every episode the SAME Moat crossing? Shouldn't you vary it maybe just a little bit? :wink:

[The Bandit King]

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

Olmec begins to tell the story:
“In the 17th century, American language was very confusing: pronunciation was a mess, and no one knew exactly how to spell certain words. The man who fixed all this was Noah Webster. In 1783, he published the first spelling book in the United States, but his masterpiece was the very first dictionary, completed in 1825. Using the same spelling book he had written forty-two years earlier, Noah experimented with spelling and pronunciation, and changed the appearance of several English words. But one man, Joseph Worcester, didn’t agree with what Noah was doing to the English language. In 1830, Joseph published his own dictionary, starting the so-called ‘War of Dictionaries.’ Legend has it that when the two men met face-to-face for the first and only time, they shared a few choice words.
“‘Why do you insist on changing the spelling of all these words?’ asked Joseph. ‘They showcase our great British heritage!’
“‘Great British heritage?’ Noah replied. ‘Who won the Revolutionary War? Besides, look at this!’
“Noah retrieved his spelling book and turned it to the ‘T’ page.
“‘Just look at this word—traffick! It would look much better without that ‘k’ tacked on the end of it!’
“Noah’s new ‘American English’ eventually gained more popularity, but Joseph Worcester gained fame in his own right for being the first person to include illustrations in dictionaries. The two men eventually made up, and Noah’s spelling book ended up in the Temple. Your quest is to find the Original Spelling Book of Noah Webster and bring it back here.”

“Thanks, Olmec,” Kirk says. “But tell us, where is the spelling book?”

“The Original Spelling Book of Noah Webster can be found in the Great Seal Room,” Olmec replies. The camera zooms in on the small blue book, which has the words ‘College Spelling’ printed on it in black letters, standing on the central holder in the room before fading back to Kirk.

“Teams, you’re now standing on the Steps of Knowledge,” Kirk explains. “In just a minute, Olmec’s gonna ask you a question. If you think you know the answer, stomp down on that ancient marking there in front of you. If you’re right, you’ll be able to move down a level, but if you’re wrong or you run out of time, I’ll give the other teams a chance.” 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. Okay, Olmec…we’re ready for your first question.”

Olmec begins:
“Did Noah Webster write: the first dictionary, the first encyclopedia—”
The Silver Snakes ring in. “The first dictionary?”
“That is correct,” Olmec replies. The Silver Snakes step to the second step.
“Silver Snakes, nice job,” Kirk narrates. “It’s still early, though—next question.”

“Was Noah’s main rival in the dictionary-writing field: Samuel Johnson, Joseph Worcester, or John Grisham?”
After a few seconds, the Orange Iguanas ring in. “Joseph Worcester?”
“That is correct,” Olmec replies. The Orange Iguanas join the Silver Snakes on the second step.
“Step down, Orange Iguanas,” Kirk commands. “Next question.”

“What did Joseph Worcester publish—”
The Silver Snakes ring in early. “Dictionaries?”
“That…is correct,” Olmec replies. The Silver Snakes proceed to the next-to-last step.
“Now the Silver Snakes are only one step away from the Temple Games,” Kirk narrates. “But anything can happen here. Next question, Olmec.”

“Was Noah Webster’s and Joseph Worcester’s feud called: The War of Words, The War of Dictionaries, or The Spelling Skirmish?”
The Red Jaguars ring in and guess. “The…War of Dictionaries?”
“That is correct,” Olmec replies. The Red Jaguars step to the second level.
“Nice job, Red Jaguars,” Kirk narrates. “Still looking for two teams—next question, Olmec.”

“How many times did Noah and Joseph meet face-to-face: zero, one, or two?”
The Orange Iguanas ring in. “One.”
“That is correct,” Olmec replies. The Orange Iguanas join the Silver Snakes on the next-to-last step.
“Orange Iguanas are just one step away now,” Kirk observes. “Still plenty of time for our other teams, though. Next question.”

“Did Joseph think that Noah’s spelling of words was: too American, too British, or too Canadian?”
Several seconds go by and no one rings in. Finally, a bell sounds.
“Time is up,” Olmec says. “The correct answer was: too American.”
“All right, nobody advances any further,” Kirk narrates. “Next question, please.”

“According to our legend, what word did Noah Webster show Joseph to explain his modifying of the English language: taffy, traffic, or trampoline?”
The Orange Iguanas ring in. “Traffic.”
“That is correct,” Olmec replies. The Orange Iguanas leap to the bottom step.
“And we’ve got our first team for the Temple Games!” Kirk narrates. “But we need one more team. Who’s it gonna be—the Red Jaguars, the Silver Snakes, or the Purple Parrots? Next question, Olmec.”

“In Noah Webster’s time, was the word ‘traffic’ spelled—”
The Purple Parrots ring in. “With a ‘k’?”
“You must spell the entire word,” Olmec explains.
“T…R…A-F…F…I-C…K?”
“That…is correct,” Olmec replies. The Purple Parrots step down one level.
“Purple Parrots are on the board now,” Kirk narrates. “Next question, Olmec.”

“Joseph Worcester was the first to include something in a dictionary. Were they: pronunciations, illustrations, or word histories?”
The Red Jaguars ring in. “Illustrations?”
“That is correct,” Olmec replies. The Red Jaguars step to the next-to-last step.
“Now the Red Jaguars are only one step away from the Temple Games,” Kirk narrates. “The Purple Parrots could still pull this out, though. Next question.”

“About how many words are in the English language today: one thousand, one million, or one billion?”
The Silver Snakes ring in. “One million?”
“That is correct!” Olmec shouts. The Silver Snakes step to the bottom step.

“And we’ve got our two teams for the Temple Games!” Kirk shouts as he runs over and stands between the two advancing teams. “The Orange Iguanas, and the Silver Snakes! Red Jaguars, Purple Parrots, come on down here. You guys did great—it was really close there at the end. We’ve got a great gift for ‘em, and here’s what it is!” They receive a collection of reference books from Merriam-Webster.

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

The camera zooms in on Kirk. He ducks, and the camera flies over his head and zooms in on one of the ropes used to cross the Moat as the title appears onscreen, and we fade to a commercial.

[The Bandit King]

We return from the break and 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 get started, let’s meet our two teams…

“On the Silver Snakes, we have Leila: she plays basketball and she wants to be a nurse, and her partner is Jeff; he plays baseball and soccer and he also likes to collect comic books—how about a hand for the Silver Snakes!” The audience applauds for the brown-eyed, black-haired girl and the tall, blue-eyed, brown-haired boy.

“And on the Orange Iguanas, we have Donna: she enjoys math and science and she wants to be a pediatrician, and her partner, Cody, plays golf and he wants to be a rocket scientist—let’s hear it for the Orange Iguanas!” The audience claps for the blue-eyed girl with short brown hair and the short, brown-eyed, brown-haired boy.

“All right, is everyone ready?” Kirk asks.

“Yeah!” the teams reply.

“Okay, go get ready, while I explain what’s going on here. Now in these Temple Games, our teams are competing for…” Kirk retrieves a Pendant of Life from his pouch and holds it up to the camera. “…Pendants of Life. Why? Well, they’ll need these Pendants to protect themselves from the dreaded Temple Guards as they make their way through Olmec’s Temple. There are three Temple Games. Olmec, tell us about the first one, please…”

“All righty,” Olmec replies. The black lights under Olmec come on and he begins to explain the Temple Game:

“When Noah Webster and Joseph Worcester met face-to-face, they argued about the spelling of the word ‘traffic’. In this game, you will spell the word in the way Noah thought it should be spelled. When Kirk gives the signal, run around, grab a letter, come back, and place it on your board. Then run back and grab the next letter. You must grab the letters in the order they appear in the word, or they won’t count. The first player to correctly spell the word ‘traffic’ or…the player that’s further along at the end of thirty seconds…wins.”

“It’s a spelling bee,” says Kirk. “Let’s put thirty seconds on the clock!” The clock slams down in the bottom corner of the screen with a loud bang. “On your mark, get set, GO!”

Leila and Donna both get the hang of this game pretty quickly, although neither player is that fast. Leila accidentally brings back an “I” when she should have brought back an “F”, prompting her to return the letter and allowing Donna to pull ahead. The game finally ends just as Donna is about to bring back the “C” to complete the word.

“Okay, time’s up!” Kirk shouts as he runs back onscreen. “Let’s see how each team did. It looks like the Silver Snakes made it up to the first “F”, and the Orange Iguanas made it to the “I”. That means the Orange Iguanas get the half Pendant of Life!” The audience applauds for a few seconds. “Silver Snakes, don’t worry, because your partner can catch up in the next Temple Game. It’s also worth a half Pendant. Olmec, tell us about Temple Game #2…”

Olmec begins:
“Before he wrote the first dictionary, Noah Webster consulted his books to double-check the spellings of certain words. In this game, you will also be consulting some books. Before you stands a maze with numerous compartments containing books. When Kirk gives the signal, crawl into the maze and come up in one of the holes. If the book you find is a spelling book, come back and place it in your bin; otherwise, go back down and come up in another hole. The first player to retrieve four spelling books or…the player with the most books at the end of sixty seconds…wins.”

“A maze of books,” Kirk comments. “Let’s put sixty seconds on the clock!” The clock appears onscreen, ready to go. “On your mark, get set, GO!”

Jeff is quite fast in this game, but he has bad luck about finding the books marked with the word “Spelling”, instead finding one marked “Math” on his first try and one marked “History” on his second try. Cody already has two spelling books by the time Jeff finds his first one. Cody finds another spelling book with ten seconds left on the clock. Unfortunately for Jeff, he doesn’t find any more, and the game finally comes to an end.

“All right, that’s it!” Kirk shouts as he runs back onscreen. “Come on out here, guys. They were popping up all over the place in that maze! Let’s count up the books and see how we did.” A spotter wheels the bins over to Kirk, who kneels beside the Silver Snakes’ bin first. “The Silver Snakes got…one, two books, and the Orange Iguanas have…one, two, three books! That means the Orange Iguanas get the half Pendant of Life!” The audience applauds for a few seconds. “Now the Orange Iguanas have one Pendant, and the Silver Snakes don’t have any. But now it’s time for 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 Noah published his dictionary, people could look up the meanings and pronunciations of words easily. In this game, you and your partner are attached to one another by a chain on either side of a giant dictionary page. When Kirk gives the signal, begin maneuvering through the maze until you find your way to the exit. The first team to exit the maze or…the team that’s further along at the end of sixty seconds…wins.”

“This is for the Temple,” Kirk explains. “Let’s put sixty seconds on the clock, please!” The clock slams onscreen. “On your mark, get set, GO!”
This game remains very close up until the last bit—the Orange Iguanas take a wrong turn on the giant vertical slotted maze, allowing the Silver Snakes to pull ahead and exit the maze with nine seconds left on the clock.

“Okay, that’s it!” Kirk shouts as he runs back onscreen. The Orange Iguanas exit the maze behind him as he explains the results. “That game was tough, but the Silver Snakes made it out first, so they get the full Pendant of Life. So that gives the Silver Snakes one Pendant; the Orange Iguanas also have one Pendant—we’ve got a tie! Let’s bring in the tiebreaker pedestal!”

A spotter wheels in the tiebreaker pedestal, and both teams position themselves behind it. Kirk stands beside the pedestal and explains the rules.

“Okay, here’s what’s gonna happen. In a few minutes, Olmec’s gonna ask you one final question. If you think you know the answer, hit the gong in front of you. You’ll have three seconds to answer, and I must accept your first response. The first team to buzz in and answer the question correctly is going inside the Temple in search of the Spelling Book of Noah Webster. All clear?” Both teams nod in response. “Okay,” Kirk says. “Olmec…what is the final question?”

Olmec begins to ask the final question of the day:
“Which of the following is another word for a dictionary: a glossary, an atlas, or—”

The Orange Iguanas ring in. “Uh…glossary?”

“That…is correct!” Olmec booms.

“The Orange Iguanas are goin’ to the Temple!” Kirk exclaims as Cody and Donna high-five one another. “Silver Snakes, come over here. You guys were great, too—it came down to that final question. We’ve got a great gift for you, too, and here’s what it is!” They receive Cooking Mama for the Nintendo DS Lite.

As the prize disappears off-screen, Kirk is seen standing beside the winning team. “Now we’ll see if the Orange Iguanas can make it through Olmec’s Temple and retrieve the Spelling Book of Noah Webster, right after this!”

The camera pans in on the Temple and zooms in on the Spelling Book 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. “Donna and Cody have proven themselves worthy, and now have the right to enter Olmec’s Temple. But first, Olmec’s gonna give them a little information to help them retrieve the Spelling Book of Noah Webster…”

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 1 Pendant in the Temple Games. Who’s going first?”

“I am,” says Cody.

“Very well, Cody,” Olmec replies. “When Kirk gives the signal, you’ll race through the Gate into the Temple and make your way toward the Original Spelling Book. 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 Donna’s turn to enter and try her luck. If you can reach the Spelling Book, all the doors of the Temple will instantly unlock, and the Temple Guards will vanish. Return through the Gate with the Original Spelling Book of Noah Webster 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 Original Spelling Book within three minutes, they’ll also receive an Xbox 360, complete with two new games.
• And if they can bring the Original Spelling Book out of the Temple before three minutes expires, they’ll win a trip to Waikiki Beach.

“Waikiki…sounds great, let’s see if they can do it,” says Kirk. “Donna, do you and Cody have a strategy of any kind?”

“Uh…he told me that, uh…he’s just gonna go up and try to get it,” says Donna.

“Taking the direct approach,” remarks Kirk. “We’ll see if that works. Cody, you got your mouthpiece? Okay…Donna, you need yours in, too; never know when you might have to take off. Let’s put three minutes on the clock!” The clock appears in the bottom corner of the screen, all set to go.

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

“Are you ready, Cody?” Kirk asks.

“Yeah,” Cody says.

“Okay…on your mark, get set, GO!”

Cody runs up the stairs, clutching his team’s only Pendant. He soon appears in the Crypt, where he pulls all three books before opening the door to the Rope Labyrinth, but also revealing the first TEMPLE GUARD hidden behind the secret door in the room (2:50). “Oh, the first Temple Guard!” narrates Kirk as Cody hands over his Pendant. “That’s gonna cost him the only Pendant they have!” Cody traverses into the Rope Labyrinth and starts climbing to the other side. After reaching the top left-hand corner of the room, he hits the actuator for the door to the Great Seal Room, but it doesn’t open (2:33). He climbs down until he reaches the bottom, and hits the actuator for the Tomb of the Headless Kings, which opens the door (2:14). “That door opened!” Kirk narrates. “He’s headed into the Tomb of the Headless Kings!” Cody appears in the room and pulls the vine, releasing the bones. He looks around for a second before he locates the skull, picks it up, and places it on the stage-right king (2:00). He tries the stage-left king, and the skeleton’s chest pulsates red. Doors open to both the Chamber of the Sacred Markers and the Bamboo Forest. Cody starts climbing the ladder to the Chamber (1:53). “That ladder’ll take him into the Room of the Sacred Markers!” Kirk narrates. “He’s making good progress, but Donna could have to go in any time!” Cody appears in the Chamber, but is immediately captured by the second TEMPLE GUARD (1:45)!

“Oh, Temple Guard! Take off, Donna!” Kirk narrates. Donna looks around for a second, confused, before she begins bolting up the stairs. She traverses the Crypt, enters the Rope Labyrinth, and climbs through the ropes until she reaches the door to the Tomb. She enters the Tomb (1:26), and heads toward the ladder to the Chamber of the Sacred Markers. She enters the room, immediately noticing two tiles on the stage-right wall. She grabs them, runs to the back of the room, and places them (1:12). She looks at the stage-left wall, runs over to get the third tile hidden on it, and places it in its correct slot (1:07). However, nothing happens, even after she tries to rearrange a tile in its slot. “Oh, it’s a dead end!” Kirk narrates. “She’ll have to go back!” Donna begins climbing the ladder back down into the Tomb, emerging in said room a few seconds later. She begins to head back to the Rope Labyrinth, but suddenly notices the open door to the Bamboo Forest. She climbs through the door into this room, and begins maneuvering around the poles. “She’s still got time—they could still do this!” Kirk narrates. Donna pushes the actuator leading into the Dark Forest, opening the door (0:49). She climbs through the door and enters the room. She reaches into the stage-left tree in search of a key, but the tree’s arms grab her, meaning it's possessed by a TEMPLE SPIRIT (0:40)!

“Argh, that tree’s a Temple Guard!” Kirk laments. “She doesn’t have a Pendant, so that’s the end of the game! They were making good time, but they found a dead end that slowed ‘em down, too. But that’s okay—they still get the bikes, and I know they had a great time; I know I did. We’ve gotta get out of here, but we’ll see you next time. Just remember—it’s not just Legends, it’s Legends: Rebirth! Buh-bye, everybody!”

Kirk and Cody chat for a minute until Donna appears beside them, and they all comfort one another as the credits roll.

[The Bandit King]

The Original Spelling Book of Noah Webster
Season 1, Layout 1
Artifact Location: The Great Seal Room
Team: Orange Iguanas (Donna Dotson & Cody Runnels)
Pendants: 1
Result: Caught by three Temple Guards (0:40 left)

This run was pretty good, but this team had obviously never seen the original Legends of the Hidden Temple. If they had, they’d have known a vital rule that would have saved them a lot of humiliation in this run: nine times out of ten, the direct path to the artifact doesn’t work.

Cody wasn’t the fastest contestant, but he was still pretty quick. In addition, he had a good map of the Temple in his head. He tried to make a beeline for the artifact by trying the door to the Great Seal Room, which obviously didn’t open. After trying the door to the Chamber of the Sacred Markers, he was forced down into the Tomb of the Headless Kings, where he completed the task fairly quickly, opening the door to both the Bamboo Forest and the Chamber. He went up to the Chamber, where he was taken out by a Temple Guard hiding in the room.

Donna, unfortunately, was much worse than Cody. Granted, she was pretty fast, and she did follow Cody’s path exactly, but unfortunately, that also included going up to the Chamber, where she found a dead end after the objective was completed. She was forced back down to the Tomb, and progressed all the way to the Dark Forest, where the run was ended by a Temple Spirit with 40 seconds left on the clock. If Cody hadn’t have gone up to the Chamber in the first place, this team would have been able to use up all their time in the Temple, and possibly could have even reached the Spelling Book. Sigh…

Rating: 4 out of 10

Notes and Trivia: This is the first time on Legends: Rebirth that a run is ended by a third Temple Guard, and only the second time in Legends history that a run is ended by a Temple Spirit. It’s also the first time in Legends history that no doors open from the Chamber of the Sacred Markers when the objective is completed there.

During the Moat Crossing and Steps of Knowledge, you can see that there’s no audience during this episode, making it one of only two episodes that feature Layout 1 to do so (the other was “The Broad-Brimmed Fedora of Robert Ripley”).

Did anyone else notice the connection between the artifact and the Steps of Knowledge consolation prize?

Temple Diagram provided by JTH1

[The Bandit King]

I'm breaking one of my golden rules by replying before it's done, but....

Why is every episode the SAME Moat crossing? Shouldn't you vary it maybe just a little bit? :wink:

The Season 1, Layout 1 episodes are the only ones that use a "swinging rope" Moat Crossing. I think it gives it a little more realism--like they have lazy producers or something. After this next episode, I promise a lot more variety in the Moat.

[The Bamboo Forest]

Oh. I see now, thanks for the clarification.