Posted: 30 December 2021
Tooned In Season 2 / Nickelodeon / 17 September 2021 – TBA
It’s the Tooned In we know and love from earlier this year, just some minor changes.
OK, make those MAJOR changes. They gave Nicky a co-host and made him the main host.
This is Dudley Puppy… uhm… Spencer…cough cough…Jerry Trainor. As of now, he’s just OK as a host. I thought Nicky was just fine hosting on his own. I thought the concept of an AI host was innovative. Adding a human host is just going backward. Some ‘90s game shows reflect this dynamic such as Legends of the Hidden Temple (Kirk Fogg (now Cristela Alonzo) and Olmec) and the obscure Pick Your Brain (Marc Summers (yes, from Double Dare) and 2XL robot (a popular toy from the ‘70s-‘90s)).
A Couple Changes
Most of the game segments are similar to season 1. There are new types of games as well. Each game segment is differently themed like in the previous season. One of the new games involves the contestants looking through a container to find an item (often covered in slime) and answering a question about it. Cartoon Cosplay and the Nicktoon Nick Goon are gone completely. The speed round (All the Answers) and Climb or Slime remain. These games are mostly Nicktoon trivia of the most recent Nicktoons (that I can barely answer, usually with an educated guess). Nicky slimes the contestants whenever he wants, regardless of whether an answer is correct or not. Nobody is immune to the slime.
Why 2 hosts?
It seems that there have been some budget cuts when it comes to producing Nicky. These season 2 episodes are a bit difficult and time-consuming to watch so it’s hard for me to find some examples. One that stands out is that the producers felt a human host was needed. I would like to learn about the thought process of these decisions (of which I may never find out).
So…
With Jerry as co-host, it’s double the annoyingness (for lack of a better word). Nicky can be just as loud and annoying but I can’t stay mad at him for that cuz…he’s Nicky! The game is still fun to play at home. The format has changed a bit from season 1 to keep the show’s rhythm fresher. I’m still wondering why they felt Nicky needed a co-host.