Travis and Tom put up a heck of a fight once they’re in the temple at the very least, Tom absolutely sails through the assembly of the Silver Monkey, which was a source of great stress for anyone playing or watching the original show. (Just like in the original series, though, it all comes down to a tiebreaker trivia question, which still feels a bit lame.) It’s down to the Red Jaguars and Purple Parrots in the best-of-three Temple Games, and the Purple Parrots narrowly emerge victorious with the two Pendants of Life needed to run through Olmec’s temple. Then, the Steps of Knowledge trip up the Green Monkeys.
The Blue Barracudas are the first team out, ironically bested by the water-based Moat challenge. Then, in the final round, the remaining duo makes a run through Olmec’s temple, completing various puzzles and obstacles until one of them finds the ancient treasure around which the episode is based. In each Legends episode, four teams - down from the original series’ six we’ll miss you, Silver Snakes and Orange Iguanas! - compete to win $25,000, which they’ll do by defeating their fellow contestants in physical and mental challenges until they’re the last team standing. Let’s rip open a fresh pack of Dunkaroos, punch in that Capri Sun straw and get to it. Even Dee Bradley Baker is back as the voice of Olmec! So while the whole thing feels a tad hokey at times, I am suddenly back in my childhood living room, watching a new episode after school.
But other than those tweaks, the new Legends of the Hidden Temple is a lot like the old Legends of the Hidden Temple. Aside from the players’ ages, the major difference in The CW’s version is its host: Comedian and actress Cristela Alonzo ( Cristela, His Dark Materials) takes the hosting reins from Kirk Fogg for this iteration, and she’s not wearing quite enough khaki for my liking.