View source for Make the Grade

{{short description|American television series}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox television
| image                = Make The Grade Logo.jpg
| genre                = Education
| creator              = Michael Klinghoffer
| developer            = {{Plainlist|
* Bonni Grossberg
* [[Robert Mittenthal]]
* [[Herb Scannell]]
* Nina Silvestri
* [[Cyma Zarghami]]
}}
| presenter            = {{Plainlist|
* [[Lew Schneider]]
* Robb Edward Morris
}}
| narrated             = Maria Milito
| composer             = [[Edd Kalehoff]]
| country              = United States
| language             = English
| num_seasons          = 3
| num_episodes         = 160<ref>The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows: 1946-Present by Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh</ref>
| executive_producer   = {{Plainlist|
* [[Geoffrey Darby]]
* Kristin Martin
* Andy Bamberger
}}
| location             = {{Plainlist|
* [[New York City|New York]], [[New York (state)|New York]] (1989–1990)
* [[Nickelodeon Studios]], [[Universal Destinations & Experiences|Universal Studios]]<br>[[Orlando, Florida|Orlando]], [[Florida]] (1990)
}}
| runtime              = 23–24 minutes
| company              = [[Nickelodeon Productions]]
| network              = [[Nickelodeon]]
| first_aired          = {{start date|1989|10|2}}
| last_aired           = {{end date|1990|9|14}}<ref>{{cite news|page=14|title=Television|work=[[Bennington Banner]]|date=September 14, 1990|via=[[Ancestry.com#Newspapers.com|Newspapers.com]]|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91538025/bennington-banner/|archive-date=December 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211231181542/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91538025/bennington-banner/|url-status=dead}}{{free access}}</ref>
}}

'''''Make the Grade''''' is a children's [[game show]] that aired from October 2, 1989, to September 14, 1990, on [[Nickelodeon]].

== Broadcast history ==
''Make the Grade'' premiered on Nickelodeon on October 2, 1989, with three seasons worth of first-run episodes airing weekdays. Reruns then aired until December 29, 1991. Reruns later aired on [[Nickelodeon Games and Sports for Kids|Nick GAS]] from January 2, 2000, to April 5, 2004.

The first two seasons were hosted by [[Lew Schneider]] and taped in a small [[New York City|New York]] studio with no live audience and [[laugh track|pre-recorded crowd noise]]. For the third season, the show moved to the newly opened [[Nickelodeon Studios]] at [[Universal Studios Florida|Universal Studios]] in [[Orlando, Florida]], this time with a studio audience, and Robb Edward Morris taking Schneider's place as host. New York-based [[disc jockey]] Maria Milito was the announcer for the entire run.

NOTE: All times are Eastern.
{| class="wikitable"
!Date
!Day
!Time slot
|-
|Fall 1989 - Spring 1991
|Weekdays 
|6:30 p.m.
|-
|Summer - Fall 1991
|Weekends
|4:30 p.m.
|-
|Fall - Winter 1991
|Sundays
|4:30 p.m.
|}

== Gameplay ==

=== Main Game ===

Three contestants{{spaced ndash}}each seated at either a red, green, or blue desk – competed to answer [[trivia]] questions and acquire squares on a 7x7 [[Split-flap display|split-flap]] game board. Seven grade levels, covering elementary school and grades 7 through 12, ran along the top of the board, while seven categories ran down the left edge. The contestants' goal was to answer enough questions to light every category and grade level on the desk.

In the first season, each episode had a different set of seven categories. In the second and third seasons, one category was always a "Special Elective," represented by a checkmark.

==== Categories ====
* History
* Music
* Science
* Home Ec.
* Geography
* P.E.
* Mathematics
* English
* Arts
* Social Studies
* Current Events

Most squares contained questions, which were played as toss-ups and were open to all three contestants. If a contestant answered correctly, they won that square and control of the board, and the category and grade level lit up on their desk. An incorrect response allowed either of the other two contestants a chance to buzz-in once the host had re-read the question. If no one answered correctly, the square turned black and could not be selected again.

Several squares contained other items that altered the outcome of the game:
* '''Take''': Allowed a contestant to steal one square from the opponent of their choice.
* '''Lose''': Forced a contestant to give up one square of their choice, which would be placed back on the board as another question or item.
* '''Free''': Gave the square to the contestant who picked it without having to answer a question.
* '''Fire''': Triggered a "Fire Drill" physical challenge for all three contestants.

The first contestant to light all 14 squares on their desk, or the contestant who had lit the most squares at the end of two rounds if no one had all 14, won $500 and advanced to the Honors Round. In the event of a tie for most lights at the end of the game, the contestant who had claimed the most squares in their current color on the category board won the game. The other two contestants received $50 and two or three consolation prizes. All contestants received a pair of [[British Knights]] sneakers.

==== Fire Drills ====
Like other Nickelodeon game shows, ''Make the Grade'' allowed contestants to participate in (sometimes messy) challenge stunts called "Fire Drills." When a contestant uncovered a "Fire" square on the category board, all three participated in this challenge. The first contestant to complete the Fire Drill earned the right to claim any one of the three desks as their own; the second-place finisher selected one of the remaining two, and the third-place finisher took the last desk by default.

Lit categories and grade levels corresponded to the desk at which they had been earned, not to any particular contestant; the same was true for squares marked on the category board. Because of this rule, a contestant could do well in answering questions but lose their lead if they failed to win a Fire Drill.

=== Honors Round ===
The day's champion had a chance to win cash and/or prizes by answering seven questions in 45 seconds. Three categories were offered, each containing questions from all subjects used in the main game, and the champion selected one at the beginning of the round.

==== First season ====
Each subject contained only one question. Missing or passing a question moved the champion on to the next subject. A miss put the current subject out of play, but a pass allowed the champion to redo the subject (with the same question) after attempting all seven subjects if time permitted. The first six correct answers awarded $100 each, while the seventh increased the bonus round total to $1,000.

==== Second and third seasons ====
Passed or missed questions kept the current subject in play, but the host still moved on to the next one. After playing through all seven subjects, the champion could return to any they had passed or missed, receiving a new question in each. The first six correct answers were still worth $100 each, but the prize for the seventh was a trip to [[Universal Studios Florida]] rather than a cash bonus.

=== Time-filling segments/University Round ===

In the first season, where the game finished early and there was additional time to fill in the program, it was filled with clips of host Schneider going to [[Shopping mall|mall]]s and asking questions, and during the third season, studio audience members were asked questions to win T-shirts and other small prizes. On a few episodes, a contestant won the game so early that another game got started with a second set of contestants, playing the second game in abbreviated time. On one occasion where the game ended early, the contestants played what would have been that rounds Fire Drill stunt prior to the Honors Round, where the winner earned another $50 towards their winnings.

In second-season episodes, a ''University Round'' would occasionally be played, in which the day's winning contestant took part in. A series of five questions were asked, for $50, $100, $200, $500, and $1,000, respectively.  The contestant could stop and take the money at any time. Any cash and prizes won in the earlier rounds was safe and never risked, so any cash won in the University Round was added to the winnings from the earlier rounds.

== References ==
<references/>

== External links ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110105134910/http://www.nick.com/all_nick/gas/watch/show_info/shows_makegrade.jhtml Nickelodeon Games & Sports]
* [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0255741/combined ''Make the Grade'' at IMDb]
* [http://www.tv.com/shows/make-the-grade/ TV.com Page]
{{Portal bar|1990s|Television|Education|Games}}
{{Educational Nickelodeon}}
{{Nickelodeon Network Game Shows}}
{{Former Nickelodeon original series}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Make The Grade}}
[[Category:1980s American children's game shows]]
[[Category:1990s American children's game shows]]
[[Category:1990s Nickelodeon original programming]]
[[Category:1980s Nickelodeon original programming]]
[[Category:1989 American television series debuts]]
[[Category:1990 American television series endings]]
[[Category:American English-language television shows]]
[[Category:Nickelodeon game shows]]
[[Category:Television shows filmed in New York City]]
[[Category:Television shows filmed in Florida]]
[[Category:Personal development television series]]