Without question, the revival of the classic U.K. gameshow The Crystal Maze has been a major success in its home country — thanks in large part to its host Ricard Ayoade and his "hand." It makes perfect sense then that the hugely popular show is coming to the U.S. with an American version.
Nickelodeon will produce the American version of The Crystal Maze, and it's currently casting 10 new hour-long episodes, which are set to be produced in Bristol where the British version of the Channel 4 show films.
At this point, though, Nickelodeon has not revealed who will host the American version of The Crystal Maze, meaning it's unlikely that Ayoade will lead the U.S. edition.
For the unfamiliar, The Crystal Maze was originally created by French television producer Jacques Antoine, and it first aired in the U.K. in the 1990s. Following six seasons of the original series, The Crystal Maze was brought back in 2017, first as a celebrity version and then a regular version hosted by Ayoade.
The premise of the show is a bit tricky to explain, however. Essentially, The Crystal Maze involves a series of contestants working as a team to compete in a variety of challenges, which focus on both physical and mental skills. The challenges take place in an overly elaborate — and incredibly cheesy — labyrinth consisting of four different zones, with contestants all trying to win as many crystals as possible via the challenges.
This all culminates in "The Crystal Dome," which essentially becomes a massive wind tunnel as the contestants attempt to grab as many tokens — gold but not silver — in efforts to a middling prize. And by middling, we mean prizes that range from trips to the zoo to riverboat trips to other incredibly average prizes — at least by typical gameshow standards.
If this all sounds ridiculous, it is — and that's what makes The Crystal Maze so great.
At this point, no premiere date has been set for Nickelodeon's version of The Crystal Maze, so stay tuned.
Nickelodeon will produce the American version of The Crystal Maze, and it's currently casting 10 new hour-long episodes, which are set to be produced in Bristol where the British version of the Channel 4 show films.
At this point, though, Nickelodeon has not revealed who will host the American version of The Crystal Maze, meaning it's unlikely that Ayoade will lead the U.S. edition.
For the unfamiliar, The Crystal Maze was originally created by French television producer Jacques Antoine, and it first aired in the U.K. in the 1990s. Following six seasons of the original series, The Crystal Maze was brought back in 2017, first as a celebrity version and then a regular version hosted by Ayoade.
The premise of the show is a bit tricky to explain, however. Essentially, The Crystal Maze involves a series of contestants working as a team to compete in a variety of challenges, which focus on both physical and mental skills. The challenges take place in an overly elaborate — and incredibly cheesy — labyrinth consisting of four different zones, with contestants all trying to win as many crystals as possible via the challenges.
This all culminates in "The Crystal Dome," which essentially becomes a massive wind tunnel as the contestants attempt to grab as many tokens — gold but not silver — in efforts to a middling prize. And by middling, we mean prizes that range from trips to the zoo to riverboat trips to other incredibly average prizes — at least by typical gameshow standards.
If this all sounds ridiculous, it is — and that's what makes The Crystal Maze so great.
At this point, no premiere date has been set for Nickelodeon's version of The Crystal Maze, so stay tuned.
