My Family's Got GUTS (Nickelodeon)

In MY FAMILY'S GOT GUTS, families face off in a series of extreme sports challenges like football on bungee cords, high-flying dodgeball, and the mountainous obstacle course known as the Aggro Crag. Based on Nickelodeon's previous series GUTS, which originally aired in the early 1990s, this tournament-style competition begins with 12 four-person teams. The teams battle it out in preliminary rounds that feature three events -- the highest-scoring team from each head-to-head match moves on through semi-final rounds en route to a final showdown, with the winning family claiming a sports-inspired vacation.

This action-packed series is lots of fun for families looking for good, clean, physical competition. It's clear that the show was designed with young viewers in mind, as the competitive nature of the contest takes a backseat to good sportsmanship between the families and a celebration of teamwork and fitness at every age. Even the expensive grand prize is downplayed by the fact that the winning family in each preliminary round walks away with a trophy for their efforts.

But the show's best feature may be that it puts kids and adults on equal footing in the competition. The family participants are the ones who decide which team members will compete in each event, which encourages them to play to each parent or child's physical strengths -- and makes for some fun viewing when kids and adults battle it out head-to-head. And don't be surprised if your own kids are inspired to do some climbing, leaping, or running after seeing how much fun these families have -- so take the chance to lace up your own sneakers and join them for some physical activity and family bonding.

TV Rating: TV-G
Network: Nickelodeon
Cast: Ben Lyons
Genre: Game Shows
Where to watch: Nickelodeon