"Now," says Kirk, "the glory goes to the fastest and the strongest, but before we continue, let's get to know our teams a little better. On the Blue Barracudas, we have Daran. How old are ya?"
"Thirteen," Daran replies.
"And I understand you're a real football fan," reads Kirk. "Tell me about that."
"I don't just watch my favorite teams every Monday night," says Daran, "I also play after school with my friends."
"Favorite team?" asks Kirk.
"Miama Dolphins," replies Daran.
"And your partner here is Lori," says Kirk. "And how old are you?"
"Thirteen," answers Lori.
"And you love swimming and reading, but you want to grow up to be a lawyer," reads Kirk. "Why's that?"
"Well… it pays a whole lot of money," Lori replies.
"Well let's see if you can win a whole lot here," Kirk says. "Let's hear it for the Blue Barracudas!" The audience applauds as Kirk goes to interview the other team. But wait, we've got the Purple Parrots, and this is Victor. And how old are ya?"
"Thirteen," replies Victor.
"And it says here you're into soccer on an international scale," Kirk reads. "Tell me about that."
"I watch the World Cup and all the European matches," Victor explains, "and I play with my cousins every time I visit them in Buenos Aires."
"Hold on, you've come all the way from Argentina?" Kirk says.
"No, but my parents moved here to the U.S. from there," explains Victor. "I was born here, but we go back to visit everyone every year around Christmas."
"Okay, and your partner here is Larissa," says Kirk. "And how old are you?"
"Twelve," replies Larissa.
"Now it says here that you're all about the movie biz," reads Kirk. "Tell me about that."
"Well I was cast as Juliet in the school play last spring," says Larissa, "and my friends call that the start of a beautiful career. I've always wanted to produce and direct movies, but I think I'm a little nervous about starring on the big screen."
"But I think if you get through this without getting nervous," says Kirk, "you're good to go to the movies. Let's hear it for the Purple Parrots!" The audience applauds again.
"Why don't you go get ready for the Temple Games," Kirk says, "while I tell you guys what's gonna happen here. Now, in the Temple Games, these teams will be competing to win Pendants of Life. The winning team will need the Pendants to protect themselves from the dreaded Temple Guards when they go to Olmec's Temple. There are three Temple Games, and Olmec… can you tell us about Temple Game #1?"
Olmec begins:
"Warriors in ancient Rome would often have to hone their skills. Here, you must sharpen yours by taking down a mob of warriors that has outnumbered you. When Kirk gives the signal, jump down from your platform and knock down one of the targets with your staff, then jump again and aim for another target. Once all of your targets are knocked over, you must then return to your starting platform.
"The first player to knock over all twelve targets and return to the starting platform— or the one that's furthest along in 60 seconds— wins."
The camera fades to Kirk. "The odds are stacked against them here," he says. "Let's put 60 seconds on the clock and get moving. On your mark, get set, GO!"
Daran and Victor jump off their platforms and their bungee cords lower them to ground level. They head in different directions to knock over their first targets, then Victor begins to move about randomly whereas Daran develops a strategic pattern. "You have to keep jumping or knocking a down won't count," Kirk explains to the audience. The boys have to go up to hit a few targets on raised platforms along the way. Both end up having to backtrack at some points, but they make good progress before the ceiling spotlights flash to indicate that time is up.
"Okay, that's it!" Kirk shouts. "It looks like Daran knocked over seven, but Victor got down eight! Purple Parrots get a half Pendant of Life!" The audience applauds for a second. "Daran, I thought you had a good pattern going, but it looks like Victor was just a little faster. Don't worry though, you and the BLue Barracudas can still catch up in the next game, it's worth a half Pendant. Olmec, tell us about it."
Olmec continues:
"Augustus had to sail through thousands of miles of sea to reach his uncle and the war in Spain. Fortunately for you, your voyage will be much shorter. When Kirk gives the signal, row from the dock to the island, then get out to mount your flag. Then, turn the boat around and pull yourself back to the dock. If at any point you touch the floor, you must begin that leg of the trip again.
"The first player to mount the flag and return to the dock— or the player that's furthest along after 30 seconds— wins."
"Okay then, let's put 30 seconds on the clock and set sail," says Kirk. "Ready, set, GO! Von boyage!"
Lori and Larissa sail out from the dock and mount their flags quickly. Turning the boats around, however, uses up a bit of time. After this the girls pull back in to the docks really quickly, but Lori gets back and appears next to Kirk first with 3 seconds left on the clock. Larissa appears only a second later.
"It was a close one," comments Kirk, "but Lori got here first. The Blue Barracudas get the half Pendant of Life!" The audience claps again. "So we've got a tie so far, a half Pendant each. We go to the third and final game, it's worth a full Pendant. Olmec, tell us about Temple Game #3."
Olmec narrates:
"Along the way, Augustus had to complete many objectives to reach and to help Julius Caesar in the war. Here, you will follow his voyage. Before you is a wall with four targets representing four of the steps on his journey: Pass through the Mediterranean Sea, Land in Spain, Cross enemy territory, and Victory. When Kirk gives the signal, load the slingshot and fire a cannonball, which your partner will catch and stick on the first target. Once you've covered a target, your partner will climb up and you can aim for the next one.
"The team to cover all four of their targets first— or the team who's covered the most targets in 60 seconds— wins."
"This one's for the Temple!" Kirk says. "Let's put 60 seconds on the clock. Ready, aim, FIRE!"
Daran and Victor each load their own slingshots and take aim at the targets labeled "Pass through the Mediterranean Sea." Both cannonballs slip right out of their slingshots before the slingshots are released, then the boys slowly reload.
Lori catches a ball and covers "Pass through the Mediterranean Sea" on the third try, but it takes Victor five tries to get Larissa to catch the ball and stick it on the first target. However, Daran keeps missing Lori in the meantime, but Lori and Larissa eventually both cover "Land in Spain" and Larissa then sticks a ball to "Cross enemy territory" about ten seconds later. A few seconds later lights flash to signal that time is up. Kirk then runs over to give the summary.
"Well, Blue Barracudas covered up to 'Land in Spain,' but Purple Parrots got 'Cross enemy territory,' " Kirk announces. "Purple Parrots get the full Pendant of Life!" The audience applauds. "That gives the Purple Parrots a Pendant and a half, the Blue Barracudas had a half. The Purple Parrots are going to the Temple!" Kirk says, summing up the Temple Games in a few words. "Blue Barracudas gave it a great effort though. They're not going out empty-handed, we've got a great gift for them." Daran and Lori will each be receiving a $100 U.S. Savings Bond provided by Nestle. "Victor and Larissa, great job, but it's not over yet. Now we're gonna see if you can make it through Olmec's Temple."