Storm The Castle
CBS, June 16, 1993

Storm the Castle was no ordinary game show. After all, what other show began with 30 families battling for the grand prize? Vin Di Bona also described the show as a "giant Nintendo game played on 20 acres."

Inspired by a Japanese program called "Takeshi's Castle," Vin Di Bona Productions created this one-hour special, which aired on CBS the summer of 1993. Michael Burger, later of "Mike and Maty" fame, and Nely Galan, hosted the action-packed program.

The game began with all the families digging through an enormous mud pit with the first ten families who located a group of tennis balls graduating to the next round. A series of physical challenges reduced the group down to just two families. The elaborate stunts included a "human bowling game" and giant pinball machine. Another challenge utilized a complicated maze, with the contestants trying to dodge some of the monsters from Universal Studios. The final two teams competed for the $15,000 grand prize.