History Series / MastersOfTheMaze

'''Masters of the Maze''' was a kids' game show that aired from August 1994 to September 1996, produced by [[Series/BreakTheBank1985 Kline]] [[Series/StrikeItLucky &]] [[Series/WinLoseOrDraw Friends]] for what was then [[Creator/{{Freeform}} The Family Channel]], where kids competed to go through a crazy, life-size maze, testing both their physical and mental abilities. Billed as the "video game of the future", the show was ahead of its time in utilizing a combination of physical props, chroma-key and CGI to create the maze. [[Series/FunHouse JD Roth]] hosted the first season, while [[Series/SavedByTheBell Mario Lopez]] took over for season 2, which also brought in several major changes to the format.

** GameShowHost: [[Series/FunHouse J.D. Roth]] in season 1, [[Series/SavedByTheBell Mario Lopez]] in season 2.

* ConspicuousCG: For the mid-90s, it was okay. Now, it's just horrid.

Season 2 had, as stated, a number of format changes. The show now began with an introduction with a kid inserting the CD-ROM the show supposedly existed on, then transitioned to the new "Lady of the Maze" (younger and now no longer a projection) traveling to "Maze Island", where the show would begin. The first round now had all three players wearing new design Power Suits, utilizing "laser podiums" to "shoot" the picture instead of just buzzing-in. An additional bonus picture, worth 15 points, was also added. Otherwise, that part remained the same. The Maze itself was now bigger and more expanded compared to season 1. The Mirror Maze no longer contained a Power Stick, and the Mirror Man himself (played by producer Mark Maxwell-Smith) would ask the question. The runner would then move onto the ''Ice Cave'', where the Lady of the Maze would challenge the runner with a picture like the first round, and if they could solve it within five seconds, they could skip right to the Chamber of Knowledge; if not, they had to proceed through the Ice Maze. Here, the runner would have to slide their visor down and their partner would have to guide them around icicles until they found the Power Stick, at which point they headed into the Chamber. The Chamber now had only four heads, and only once correct question was needed to exit.

'''Masters of the Maze''' was a kids' game show that aired from August 1994 to September 1996, produced by [[Series/BreakTheBank1985 Kline]] [[Series/StrikeItLucky &]] [[Series/WinLoseOrDraw Friends]] for what was then [[Creator/{{Freeform}} The Family Channel]], where kids competed to go through a crazy, life-size maze, testing both their physical and mental abilities. Billed as the "video game of the future", the show was ahead of its' time in utilizing a combination of physical props, chroma-key and CGI to create the maze. [[Series/FunHouse JD Roth]] hosted the first season, while [[Series/SavedByTheBell Mario Lopez]] took over for season 2, which also brought in several major changes to the format.

The show, despite its' short run and [[NoBudget low budget]], especially in comparison to some of the other Family Channel games of the era, is somewhat of a CultClassic amongst the game show community, thanks to the wide variety of impressive (for the time) visual effects and gameplay elements.

* CreatorCameo: Producer Mark Maxwell-Smith [[note]]the creator of the short-lived Creator/{{NBC}} 70s game ''Knockout'' (starring [[Series/LaughIn Arte Johnson]]), [[Creator/JackBarry Barry & Enright]]'s international game shows ''Chain Letters'' and ''Series/BumperStumpers'', and Canadian gameshow ''Talk About'', as well as producer for ''Series/TheCrossWits'', ''Series/TruthOrConsequences'', ''Series/HotPotato'', and ''Series/SupermarketSweep''[[/note]] portrayed the Mirror Man in season 2 and also voiced the four Guardians of Knowledge.

* OracularHead: The Lady of the Maze was this in the first season.
* XMeetsY: Can be described as "''Series/{{Knightmare}}'', ''Series/LegendsOfTheHiddenTemple'', ''The Money Maze'' and ''Series/VRTroopers'' all chopped up and put in a blender".

* CreatorCameo: Producer Mark Maxwell-Smith [[note]]the creator of the short-lived Creator/{{NBC}} 70s game ''Knockout'' (starring [[Series/LaughIn Arte Johnson]]), [[Creator/Jack Barry Barry & Enright]]'s international game shows ''Chain Letters'' and ''Series/BumperStumpers'', and Canadian gameshow ''Talk About'', as well as producer for ''Series/TheCrossWits'', ''Series/TruthOrConsequences'', ''Series/HotPotato'', and ''Series/SupermarketSweep''[[/note]] portrayed the Mirror Man in season 2 and also voiced the four Guardians of Knowledge.

* CreatorCameo: Producer Mark Maxwell-Smith (who had worked on many other shows, including as producer/developer ''Series/BumperStumpers'' and ''Series/TalkAbout'') portrayed the Mirror Man in season 2 and also voiced the four Guardians of Knowledge.

The Maze itself was comprised of three different sections. First up was the ''Mirror Maze'', where the Runner would attempt to find their way through a bunch of mirrors. At the end, the "Mirror Man" would wait, blocking the runner's progress until they answered a question (given by Roth) correctly. They would then pass over a bridge towards the next section, but they also had to find the two "Power Sticks"- one was in the Mirror Maze and the other on the bridge. Next was the ''Honeycomb Maze''- where the partner would be crucial, as the runner would have to slide their visor down and hence had to rely on the partner. This part was six rooms with different locked/unlocked doors, and the partner would attempt to guide them through. Once the runner made it through and raised their visor, they would face the Lady of the Maze, who would then request one of the Power Sticks- this would let them enter the final stage, the ''Chamber of Knowledge''. This Chamber consisted of multiple different "heads", which each specialized in a different subject (history, nature, science, etc.); the runner would have to answer at least three true/false questions from one of them, and that would open a gate, and all three open would allow the runner to exit the Maze, using the other Power Stick to stop the timer. After that the second team would run the Maze, and the team with the fastest time would win the game and move onto [[BonusRound Prize Mountain]].

* BonusSpace: The bonus puzzle in the season 2 front game, and the Power Sticks acted as a cross between this and a PlotCoupon.

* EjectTheLoser: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]]- the member of the winning team that had run the maze was disintegrated into a floating ball of particles via CGI and sent on a "special journey" through the set and into the game's giant monitor- in season 1, this would display their name and Maze run time on the monitor, while season 2 sent them through a CGI tunnel and onto Maze Island ([[SpecialEffectFailure albeit a wireframe CG model of it]]).

** The Lady of the Maze was somewhat of an odd cross between LovelyAssistant and an ExpositionFairy