DOUBLE UP (1992)

 

DOUBLE UP

(NBC, September 5-October 17, 1992)
 
Slam Dunk Productions, NBC Productions

 

MAIN CAST:
J.D. Roth – Host
Darius Farrelly – Announcer DJ Disco

 

            Double Up was one of two American game shows to use the name. The first, produced by Dick Clark Productions and hosted by Jamie Farr, never made it past the pilot episode. The second was created by Pat Jarvis and developed and produced by J.D. Roth and Kurt Brendlinger.

Roth with that day's contestants.

            The game was essentially a kid’s version of The Dating Game hosted by Roth, who was backed up by rapping announcer Darius Farrell, aka DJ Disco. Two siblings aged 13-16 were tasked with finding dates for each other out of a selection of three choices; with the prize being an all-expenses paid date chaperoned by a limo service. Neither could see their potential date or knew them beyond a nickname, but they could hear their answers to the sibling’s questions.  After two rounds of questions, the potential dates then had a few seconds to make the case for why they should be chosen.

The potential dates seated above the large trash cans where they could end up dumped.

            Once the questioning was done, the audience would choose who they would pick, place their name in a ball, and toss it on stage. Those votes would be tabulated and the results fired to Roth by Disco with a Nerf Bow ‘n’ Arrow. The siblings would then announce their choice and explain why they didn’t pick the other two; pulling a lever to dump them into the confetti-filled giant garbage cans they were perched over. If their choice matched one of the audience choices, they won $100 towards the date. Matching both audience picks upgraded the date to The Ultimate Double Up Night Out, which involved larger events like a concert or wrestling match. Reportedly, actor Jennifer Love Hewitt was one of the potential dates in an episode and ended up dumped.

DJ Disco in his booth.

            Double Up debuted on NBC on September 5, 1992, a week before the debut of the Teen NBC programming block it would then become a part of. The series was the first production for Roth’s newly-formed Slam Dunk Productions, making him the youngest executive producer after previously taking the title of youngest game show host with Fun House. TKD Animation handled the animation for the show’s intro—a poster of Roth advertising the show folding itself up into a paper airplane and flying into the studio—and on the TV in Disco’s booth that would illustrate what’s included in The Ultimate Night as Disco explained it. The series’ theme was done by Dis Style Productions with lyrics by Jonte Ray. Farrelly served as the show’s music supervisor.

The audience pelts the stage with their votes.

            The series failed to find any significant audience and was quickly cancelled within a month, replaced by NBA Inside Stuff on the schedule. Roth would continue to go on hosting and producing game shows and reality shows; however, Slam Dunk Productions only did one more show: the Disney Channel game show Mad Libs, based on the popular word fill-in books, co-produced by Dick Clark Productions. Roth would form another basketball-themed production company, 3 Ball Productions, with Todd Nelson in 2001.