Watching Shows
Recognize how each episode began. After a fly-in effect of a short-answer/multiple choice general knowledge question at the beginning of each show, the narrator said, "If you could answer this and a bunch of other questions, maybe you've got what it takes to...." The viewer could hear the audience scream "Make the Grade" as you saw the show logo fly onto the screen. The show's theme music would begin. The narrator would return seconds after the show's icon started changing random colors - flashing these differences, then quickly fell off the screen and disappeared. The host would appear, as the narrator started everyone with a quick rhetoric introduction of the day's host, although each episode's response was different. (One such episode referred to the host as "And here's with your space-age host and didn't ever tell a joke that you didn't like...(hostname).) The host would walk across the screen until he arrived behind his onset podium to stand before the contestants. The host would thank the narrator and welcome all the contestants to the game, then explain the episode's game board and rules, and the game would begin.
Watch the Question round. Players competed by answering questions based on the game board so each player solved at least one question in each grade level and one question in each category. While that seemed too simple to accomplish (with the possibility of three teams vying for the same space), this was more difficult to accomplish in reality. The first team to do so won the game and the right to advance to the Honors round, a $500 win, and a pair of British Knights sneakers the losers would also be given. The player also had a copy of their game board in front of them, as lights lit up on the board as the questions and tiles were granted. The losers of this round got $50 for their appearance and a free pair of British Knights sneakers to take home. If no player finished their game board, the player with the most question lights on their game boards won the game and was chosen to advance to the Honors round.
Describe the game board. Contestants drew from a mechanical split-flap 7x7 game board having 49 individual squares on it. Each of these boards had seven categories to choose from (going vertically) and several "grade levels" (going horizontally). It was operated mechanically, and every time a player asked to see what was behind this door, the home viewer could hear the door clicks as they were turned open and closed. Players picked from several categories, consisting of history, science, geography, math, English, P.E. (season 1) or history, science, geography, math, English, Social Studies (season 2), and a Special Elective or Home Economics/Current Events on the board. Along the top, they had several grade levels consisting of Elementary and grade levels between 7th and 12th grade. (7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th grades) Players sometimes re-picked revealed squares but were just told that tile status or the status of a Lose a Space square was retaken, making players feel depressed about their actions. Spots would either be questions the player would have to answer, a challenge called a Fire Drill, Take a Square or Lose a Square. During the time a question was asked, the board showed a question mark icon within the tile, "Take" when the player had to take a team's tiles, "Lose" for Losing a Square and reverting it to the original and black squares as tile designations to be answered by teams and answered incorrectly. Turning a tile the opposite way, marked the team's color as tiles were answered. A "Free" square helped teams take other squares without penalization or answering a question, but these were rare (in the second season).
Watch the Honors round. Players chose a category out of three possible choices within 45 seconds. In one specific situation, you could have been presented with (Dogs, Cats, or Mice (just as an example)), and each answer from the set of questions based on the categories you had within that day's gameboard related to this category. In subsequent seasons, this was dropped and questions were based solely on any subject within the subjects you had that day. Players could pass on a question for a chance later to return to try again. If the question was incorrectly answered, the question pair was forfeited and unable to be answered - meaning the player couldn't win the grand prize no matter how hard they tried. Each correct answer was worth $100, though if you answered all questions, you won the grand prize - $1000 or the trip (depending on season). This round was a final Grand Prize round that resulted in more cash or a return trip to Universal Studios (Florida) (now called Universal Studios Orlando).
Watch the space-filling University round (if needed). During the second season, this game was a space filler. Players were given more questions that had no category to them. The contestant was given a question at a low dollar amount at first, and if they answered the question correctly, they were awarded the money and could advance to the next question and the money at the end. Winning amounts included $50, $100, $200, $500, and $1000 but players had to begin at the beginning and work their way up to the $1000. However, miss a question or ask to pass and you'll lose the University round and walk with the money during the question and honors rounds.
Recognize some of the other extra space fillers. In the first season, other season space fillers included the host traveling to malls and asking random mall walkers questions for minimal money. In the second season, the host walked out into the audience and asked random people questions for T-shirts and other random small prizes. If the game was won way too early and the University Round couldn't cover it without even more time, a second game had to begin but was played in abbreviated time. However, playing an abbreviated game as a tie-in at the end was almost unheard of.
Recognize what happened during the end credits. The beginning question was answered, and in a two-sentence summary, a summary was given to answer it. The credits rolled, and the game concluded with the credits rolling onscreen.
Describe some of the games they called "Fire Drills." Fire Drills were less messy challenges of physical abilities involving all three players partaking in challenges. They were alerted by a fire alarm sound and had to make their way off the podium area down into the Drill area below. Fire Drills were mostly obstacle courses, puzzle games, relay races, memory games, or themed activities. However, most Drills, often had time limits. If a team completed the challenge, they had the right to choose the desk they wanted to go to. If no team completed in time, the one who's furthest along won.
Learning Other Facts
Describe the set. The game board was at the top-most corner but was tilted at an angle so players could read it. Closer to the audience but away from the players (if an imaginary line was drawn) was the host and the host's podium (a yellow cylindrical stand with colored paint blotches). Just in front of the players off the player podiums area, across from the game board in the top right corner, was the Fire Drills location. Fans and viewers could see this corner as being almost equal to the podiums when the camera angle was changed, so players were shown getting up and walking to the location. Across the alleyway from the host's desk, you could see the contestant's desk areas. Each desk contained a light board, while below it expanded over all three desks was a yellow banner with the show's insignia. You could tell the light board was there and how it was set up when you saw a rectangular light board containing rows of categories and another row of grade levels previously answered and progressed through. Each desk looked like an enlarged student desk with that special game board in front of it where you'd generally see the student's knees, legs, and feet. Behind that, sometimes you could see the player's selection buttons and desk, but were more varied. You could sometimes tell when players moved to get to/from the Fire Drill location in the studio. Players sat on stools, which sometimes looked like podiums used for the host desk and Fire Drill but at other times looked like chairs from a student desk without the crossbar which were freely movable but didn't seem to have rollers. They were steady, but you could tell there was some space between them, but they were firm and unmovable.
Be able to determine the team's colors. On Make the Grade, there were three teams. During season 1, teams were either red, green, or blue. During season 2, these were red, yellow, and blue.
Recognize what the players wore during the show. Players generally were seen wearing yellow t-shirts with the show logo across the shirt's chest. In the first season, the show logo was more centered across the entire shirt, and the contestant's baby-blue/light-blue nametag card was in the player's shirt pocket corner. In the second season, the show logo was more pronounced in the corner, and the nametag reversed the corner to the opposite corner. The host, however, never wore any certain shirt. He'd wear something casual and could be seen wearing a sweater/sweatshirt onset. TV viewers rarely saw contestants' clothes below their waist, so this article can't say what those looked like. However, contestants were often given sneakers by Nickelodeon with the right to brand market as advertisements by the show's end.
Describe the show's icon. The show's icon was whimsical. Although the logo appeared to be spaceship-like with an elliptical format and some all-caps writing, the logo extended in all the corners.
Look for information about the different hosts of this show. During the first season, Lew Schneider hosted the show. This was Lew's first real acting job as the show's host. However, Lew went on to host, produce, and direct other shows including some of the 1999 season of Everybody Loves Raymond (among others), and is currently the producer of the hit TV show The Goldbergs. During the second season, Robb Edward Morris hosted, who also had his initial hosting appearance on this show and brought him fame without other famous acting/hosting roles, having last acted in 2016 on the show "Aquarius" but having two upcoming roles in two TV shows in 2017.
Get to know the announcer for the show. During the entire run of the show, this show had an announcer named Maria Milito. This was Maria's only acting-announcing job, and she has no other upcoming gigs.
Research how the show aired, on what channel, and when. This show aired 160 episodes over two seasons between October 2, 1989 and December 29, 1991, on Nickelodeon for 160 episodes throughout three seasons (Fall-Winter 1989, Spring 1990, and Fall-Winter 1990). These episodes were resyndicated as reruns on Nick Gas between January 2, 2000 and April 2, 2004, until that station went belly-up and couldn't make a comeback. Each episode lasted about 23 or 24 minutes, but along with advertisements, this show was shown during a half-hour block of time once or twice a week throughout a weekend schedule.
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